Updated July 10, 2012, 2:28 pm
On July 11, 1979, the abandoned United States space station Skylab made a spectacular return to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.
On July 11, 1899, E. B. White, the American writer of essays and children’s books, was born. Following his death on Oct. 1, 1985, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1533 England’s King Henry VIII was excommunicated. 1767 John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, was born in Braintree, Mass. 1798 The U.S. Marine Corps was created by an act of Congress. 1804 Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel near Weehawken, N.J. 1859 Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time. 1914 Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth made his major league debut as a pitcher for the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston. 1952 The Republican National Convention, meeting in Chicago, nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower for president and Richard M. Nixon for vice president. 1955 The Air Force Academy was dedicated at Lowry Air Base in Colorado. 1960 “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, was published. 1977 The Medal of Freedom was awarded posthumously to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in a White House ceremony. 1979 The abandoned U.S. space station Skylab returned to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia. 1995 The United States normalized relations with Vietnam. 2007 Former first lady Lady Bird Johnson died in Austin, Texas, at age 94. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki turns 22 years old today.
AP Photo/Yves Logghe
Actress Sela Ward (“Once and Again,” “Sisters”) turns 56 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1931 Tab Hunter, Actor, turns 81 1949 Jay Johnson, Ventriliquist, actor (“Soap”), turns 63 1953 Leon Spinks, Boxer, turns 59 1959 Richie Sambora, Rock musician (Bon Jovi), turns 53 1959 Suzanne Vega, Singer, turns 53 1963 Lisa Rinna, Actress, TV host, turns 49 1966 Greg Grunberg, Actor (“Heroes”), turns 46 1967 Jeff Corwin, Wildlife expert, turns 45 1970 Justin Chambers, Actor (“Grey’s Anatomy”), turns 42 1975 Lil’ Kim, Rapper, turns 37 1976 Ben Gibbard, Rock singer, musician (Death Cab for Cutie), turns 36
Historic Birthdays
E. B. White 7/11/1899 – 10/1/1985 American author and editor for The New Yorker.Go to obituary »
54 Robert I, the Bruce 7/11/1274 – 6/7/1329
Scottish king (1306-29)80 John Quincy Adams 7/11/1767 – 2/23/1848
American sixth president38 John Fowler 7/11/1826 – 12/4/1864
English developer of the steam-hauled plow84 John Wanamaker 7/11/1838 – 12/12/1922
American businessman; founded Wanamaker department stores71 Leon Bloy 7/11/1846 – 11/2/1917
French writer72 Harry Kellar 7/11/1849 – 3/10/1922
American magician38 Georgiana Barrymore 7/11/1854 – 7/2/1893
American actress84 Sir Joseph Larmor 7/11/1857 – 5/19/1942
Irish physicist40 Roger de La Fresnaye 7/11/1885 – 11/27/1925
French painter76 Arthur Tedder 7/11/1890 – 6/3/1967
English deputy commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force68 Rudolf Abel 7/11/1903 – 11/15/1971
Russian spy imprisoned by U.S. in 195765 Yul Brynner 7/11/1920 – 10/10/1985
American stage and motion-picture actor
