Today in History: July 11, the fall of Srebrenica
Today is Thursday, July 11, the 193rd day of 2024. There are 173 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 11, 1995, the U.N.-designated “safe haven” of Srebrenica (sreh-breh-NEET’-sah) in Bosnia-Herzegovina fell to Bosnian Serb forces, who subsequently carried out the killings of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys.
Also on this date:
In 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was formally re-established by a congressional act that also created the U.S. Marine Band.
In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. (Hamilton died the next day.)
In 1859, Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time.
In 1864, Confederate forces led by General Jubal Early began an abortive invasion of Washington, D.C., turning back the next day.
In 1914, Babe Ruth made his Major League baseball debut, pitching the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over Cleveland.
In 1921, fighting in the Irish War of Independence ended with a truce.
In 1960, Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published.
In 1972, the World Chess Championship opened as grandmasters Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union began play in Reykjavik, Iceland. (Fischer won after 21 games.)
In 1979, the abandoned U.S. space station Skylab made a spectacular return to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.
In 1991, a Nigeria Airways DC-8 carrying Muslim pilgrims crashed at the Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, international airport, killing all 261 people on board.
In 2006, eight bombs hit a commuter rail network during evening rush hour in Mumbai, India, killing more than 200 people.
In 2022, President Joe Biden revealed the first image from NASA’s new space telescope, the farthest humanity had ever seen in both time and distance, closer to the dawn of the universe and the edge of the cosmos.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Fashion designer Giorgio Armani is 90.
- Actor Susan Seaforth Hayes is 81.
- Actor Bruce McGill is 74.
- Actor Stephen Lang is 72.
- Actor Mindy Sterling is 71.
- Actor Sela Ward is 68.
- Reggae singer Michael Rose (Black Uhuru) is 67.
- Singer Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) is 67.
- Actor Mark Lester is 66.
- Saxophonist Kirk Whalum is 66.
- Singer Suzanne Vega is 65.
- Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 65.
- Actor Lisa Rinna is 61.
- Author Jhumpa Lahiri is 57.
- Wildlife expert Jeff Corwin is 57.
- Actor Justin Chambers (TV: “Grey’s Anatomy”) is 54.
- Actor Michael Rosenbaum (TV: “Smallville”) is 52.
- Rapper Lil’ Kim is 50.
- U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is 49.
- Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Johnson is 43.
- Pop-jazz singer-musician Peter Cincotti is 41.
- Actor Serinda Swan is 40.
- Actor David Henrie is 35.
- Actor Connor Paolo is 34.
- Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki is 34.
- R&B/pop singer Alessia Cara is 28.