1503 – Parmigianino the Italian painter was born on the 11th January 1503 (died 1540)
1569 – First recorded lottery in England on the 11th January 1569.
1571 – Austrian nobility was granted freedom of religion on the 11th January 1571.
1693 – Mount Etna erupted in Sicily, Italy on the 11th January 1693, with a powerful earthquake destroying parts of Sicily and Malta.
1759 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first American life insurance company was incorporated on the 11th January 1759.
1787 – William Herschel discovered Titania and Oberon, the 2 moons of Uranus on the 11th January 1787.
1858 – Harry Gordon Selfridge the American-English businessman and founder of Selfridges was born on the 11th January 1858 (died 1947)
1908 – Grand Canyon National Monument was created on the 11th January 1908.
1922 – First use of insulin to treat diabetes in a human patient was on the 11th January 1922.
1927 – Louis B. Mayer, head of film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announced the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on the 11th January 1927, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California.
1935 – Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California on the 11th January 1935.
1942 – Clarence Clemons the American saxophonist from the E Street Band was born on the 11th January 1942 (died 2011).
1949 – The first “networked” television broadcasts took place on the 11th January 1949, as KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania went on the air connecting the east coast and mid-west programming.
1949 – Daryl Braithwaite the Australian singer-songwriter from Sherbet was born on the 11th January 1
1949 – First recorded case of snowfall in Los Angeles, California on the 11th January 1949.
1958 – Vicki Peterson the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from The Bangles was born on the 11th January 1958.
1962 – An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru caused 4,000 deaths on the 11th January 1962.
1964 – Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., published the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States on the 11th January 1964, saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.
1972 – Amanda Peet the American actress was born on the 11th January 1972.
1978 – Holly Brisley the Australian actress was born on the 11th January 1978.
1986 – The Gateway Bridge, in Brisbane, Queensland was officially opened on the 11th January 1986.
1994 – The Irish Government announced the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the IRA and its political arm Sinn Féin on the 11th January 1994.
1996 – Space Shuttle program: STS-72 launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 11th January 1996, marking the start of the 74th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of Endeavour.
1997 – Cody Simpson the Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 11th January 1997.
Today in History for the 11th January video produced by Associated Press
Associated Press official website: www.AP.org