Neptune completed its first full orbit since its discovery in 1846
It took the planet exactly 164.79 Earth years to complete one trip around the Sun. Neptune's "birthday" was celebrated by astronomers worldwide, thoug...
July 11 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2011
2010
Spain won their first-ever FIFA World Cup by defeating the Netherlands 1-0
MajorAndrés Iniesta scored the winning goal in extra time, making Spain only the eighth nation to win the tournament. The match was one of the most-watched...
1990
Scientist Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered the first radio pulsars
MajorWhile analyzing radio telescope data as a graduate student in 1967, she noticed unusual regular pulses of radio waves. Her discovery revolutionized as...
1977
The Medal of Freedom was posthumously awarded to Martin Luther King Jr.
MajorPresident Gerald Ford presented the nation's highest civilian honor to the civil rights leader's widow, Coretta Scott King. The award recognized his n...
1960
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird was published
The novel became an instant bestseller and won the Pulitzer Prize the following year. Despite its massive success and cultural impact, Lee published o...
1955
The phrase "In God We Trust" was added to all U.S. paper currency
President Eisenhower signed legislation making the motto mandatory on all bills, expanding a practice that began with coins in the 1860s. The change w...
1897
Swedish engineer Salomon August Andrée attempted to reach the North Pole by hydrogen balloon
The expedition disappeared three days after takeoff and wasn't found until 1930, when their frozen bodies and diaries were discovered on a remote Arct...
1893
Cultured pearls were successfully created for the first time in Japan
Kokichi Mikimoto successfully nucleated a pearl in an oyster, revolutionizing the jewelry industry. Before this breakthrough, all pearls were natural...
1859
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens was published
The novel, which begins with the famous line "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," was published in book form after being serialized....
1848
The Waterloo railway station opened in London with just four platforms
It has since expanded to become Britain's largest and busiest station by passenger numbers. The station's name commemorates the Duke of Wellington's 1...
1576
English explorer Martin Frobisher mistook fool's gold for real gold in Canada
Frobisher brought back 200 tons of worthless iron pyrite to England, believing he'd discovered a vast gold mine in the Arctic. Investors lost fortunes...
1274
Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, was born
He would go on to lead Scotland during the Wars of Scottish Independence against England, achieving a decisive victory at Bannockburn in 1314. His hea...
