Shimla, Aug 11 Keekli Bureau
2014
American comedian and actor Robin Williams, who was known for his manic stand-up routines and his diverse film performances, committed suicide.
1994
The Major League Baseball Players Association began a labour strike following the games of August 11, and the dispute eventually led to the cancellation of the remainder of the season, including the World Series.
1984
At the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Carl Lewis became the third track-and-field athlete to win four gold medals in one Olympics, joining fellow Americans Alvin Kraenzlein (1900) and Jesse Owens (1936).
1965
Race riots erupted in the Watts district of Los Angeles, resulting in the deaths of 34 people.
1964
The Beatles’ first feature film, A Hard Day’s Night, had its U.S. premiere in New York City; released during the height of Beatlemania, it is now widely considered a classic.
1942
American actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil received a patent for an electronic device that minimized the jamming of radio signals; it later became a component of satellite and cellular phone technology.
1929
In a game against the Cleveland Indians, Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees hit his 500th career home run, becoming the first baseball player to reach that milestone.
1924
The first newsreel of U.S. presidential candidates, which included footage of Calvin Coolidge, John W. Davis, and Robert La Follette, was filmed.
1921
Alex Haley, an African American writer best known for The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) and Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976), was born in Ithaca, New York.
1919
The Weimar constitution was formally declared, establishing Germany as a republic.
