August 11th

The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Mayans, begins.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy and founder of the Special Olympics, died at age 88.

The Transportation Security Administration banned all liquids, gels and aerosols from passenger cabins on airliners one day after a thwarted terrorist attack.

NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.

US Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Pat Buchanan won the Reform Party presidential nomination.

Last Total Solar Eclipse of the Millennium. The eclipse was visible from Europe, most of Asia and Africa and in parts of North America. Because of its path through heavily populated parts of the world, the solar eclipse is thought to be one of the most viewed eclipses in recorded history.

British Petroleum purchased Amoco for $49 billion.

The Mall of America, the biggest shopping mall in the country, opened in Bloomington, Minn.

Following the arrest of a young black motorist, the predominately black neighborhood of Watts in Los Angeles erupted in riots that lasted six days and left 34 dead.

The Soviet Space Agency Launches Vostok 3. The spacecraft was piloted by Andriyan Nikolayev, the first cosmonaut to have orbited the Earth 64 times in 4 days.

Chad gains its independence from the French. The Central African country came under French rule in 1900 after the Battle of Kousséri. Francois Tombalbay became indpendent Chad's first president.

Abstract artist Jackson Pollock died in an automobile accident.

A formal peace took hold in Indochina, ending more than seven years of fighting between the French and the Communist Vietminh.

King Hussein of Jordan ascended the throne after his father had been declared mentally unfit.

The first Olympic Games after the 1938 Berlin Olympics open in London. The next two games after Berlin, scheduled to be held in Tokyo and Helsinki were cancelled due to the Second World War. The first Olympics to be broadcast on television, the London Olympics was popularly known at the time as the Austerity Games. This was because of the cutbacks the host nation had to do due to the post-war economy.

Allies refuse Japan's surrender offer to retain Emperor Hirohito.

The first inmates arrived at the federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

Babe Ruth becomes 1st professional baseball player to hit 500 homers (off Willis Hudlin of Cleveland Indians).

Arapahoe became the first American ship to use the S.O.S. distress signal.