On This Day in History for January 11
Events in History
- 1378 Earliest record in Durham, England of 'Plough Monday', the first Monday after the Feast of Epiphany (Jan 6) when agricultural work could restart
- 1558 Westmunster Church in Middelburg destroyed by heavy storm
- 1569 First recorded lottery in England is drawn in St Paul's Cathedral in London. First prize was £5,000, other prizes included silver plate, tapestries and high quality linen cloth.
- 1571 Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II grants Austrian nobility freedom of religion
- 1599 Jacob van Neck's fleet leaves Bantam, Java in modern day Indonesia with 1 million pounds of pepper and cloves and a further half a ship full of nutmeg, mace and cinnamon
- 1693 Most powerful earthquake in Italian recorded history strikes Sicily and Southern Italy with an estimated magnitude of 7.4. Tsunamis followed and devastated coastal villages on the Ionian Sea and the Straits of Messina.
- More Events in History
Alexander Hamilton
John A. Macdonald
William James
Alice Paul
Alan Paton
Albert HofmannWeddings in History
- 1892 Painter Paul Gauguin marries Teha'amana, a 13-year-old Tahitian girl
Divorces in History
- 1971 1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK
More Weddings & Divorces in History
Gail Borden
Benjamin Butler
Ambrose Bierce
Constantine I
Carl David Anderson
Edmund HillaryJanuary in History
A Day's Pay – The Cost of Sending a Letter
Sending letters and parcels used to be a highly expensive and difficult process until on this day the “Penny Post” system began, thanks to an English teacher.
January 10, 1840
Julius Caesar Crosses the Rubicon
An illustration of Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon River into Italy, signalling the beginning of the civil war in Rome
January 10, 49 BC
World’s First National State Lottery
Lotteries have been around for centuries but on this day the world’s first national state lottery was played out – with fabulous and surprising prizes.
January 11, 1569
Anglo-Zulu War
Napoleon, Prince Imperial, head of the House of Bonaparte, is killed during the Anglo-Zulu War
January 11, 1879