FEBRUARY 11 ~ ON THiS DAY in History

1531 – Henry VIII of England was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England on the 11th February 1531.

Oil painting portrait King Henry VIII England by Hans Holbein the Younger 1537
Oil painting portrait of King Henry VIII of England by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1537 (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool UK)

1752 – Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, was opened on the 11th February 1752, by Benjamin Franklin.

1794 – First session of United States Senate open to the public on the 11th February 1794.

1847 – Thomas Edison the American businessman, inventer of the light bulb and phonograph was born on the 11th February 1847 (died 1931).

1903 – Anton Bruckner‘s 9th Symphony received its 1st performance on the 11th February 1903, in ViennaAustria.

1935 – Gene Vincent the American singer and guitarist was born on the 11th February 1935 (died 1971).

1936 – Burt Reynolds the American actor and director was born on the 11th February 1936.

1938 – BBC Television produced the world’s 1st ever science fiction television program on the 11th February 1938, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play R.U.R., that coined the term robot.

1939 – A Lockheed P-38 Lightning flew from California to New York in 7 hours 2 minutes on the 11th February 1939.

1942 – The 1st gold record was presented to Glenn Miller for Chattanooga Choo Choo on the 11th February 1942.

1959 – Deborah Meaden the English businesswoman was born on the 11th February 1959.

1962 – Sheryl Crow the American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress was born on the 11th February 1962.

1969Alex Papps the Greek-born Australian actor and television host was born on the 11th February 1969.

1971 – 87 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union, signed the Seabed Arms Control Treaty on the 11th February 1971, outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor in international waters.

1974 – Alex Jones the American radio host and author was born on the 11th February 1974.

1978 – Censorship: China lifted a ban on works by AristotleWilliam Shakespeare and Charles Dickens on the 11th February 1978.

1981 – Kelly Rowland the American singer-songwriter from Destiny’s Child was born on the 11th February 1981.

1990 – Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape TownSouth Africa on the 11th February 1990, after 27 years as a political prisoner.

1996Ballykissangel the BBC television drama set in Ireland, was first broadcast on the 11th February 1996, until the 15th April 2001. The show was filmed in Avoca and Enniskerry in County Wicklow. YouTube video: Ballykissangel – Opening Theme…

1997 – Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope on the 11th February 1997.

2011Just Go with It the American romantic comedy film was released on the 11th February 2011.

2014 ~SHiRLEY TEMPLE the American actress,  singer and dancer died on the 11th February 2014, aged 85 (born in Santa Monica, California on 23rd April 1928). Shirley Temple was best known for her movie roles in Bright EyesThe Little ColonelCurly TopWee Willie WinkieHeidiA Little PrincessThe Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, and Fort Apache. YouTube video: Shirley Temple : Animal Crackers In My Soup Extended Version…

Shirley Temple in The Little Princess film (1939)
Shirley Temple in The Little Princess film (1939)
Shirley Temple aged 16 at a fundraiser for Canadian Victory bonds in 1944 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Shirley Temple aged 16 at a fundraiser for Canadian Victory bonds in 1944 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Today in History for the 11th February video produced by Associated Press 

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