On this day in history, the earliest surviving printed book was produced in China. The “Diamond Sutra” is an important text in Mahayana Buddhism. The British Library in London still houses a copy.
Read more to find out the significant events of May 11, in history.
- 868-The earliest surviving dated printed book was produced in China.
- 1816-The American Bible Society was formed in New York City.
- 1841-American Charles Wilkes lands at Fort Nisqually in Puget Sound.
- 1889-Major Joseph Washington Wham takes charge of $28,000 in gold and silver to pay troops at various points in the Arizona Territory.
- 1924-Pulitzer Prize was awarded to Robert Frost.
- 1927-The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.
- 1947-The creation of the tubeless tire was announced by the B.F. Goodrich Company.
- 1949-Siam changed its name to Thailand.
- 1960-Israeli soldiers captured Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires.
- 1965-Ellis Island was added to the Statue of Liberty National monument.
- 1967-The Siege of Khe Sanh ended.
- 1977-Ted Turner managed an Atlanta Braves game.
- 1981-The musical Cats was premiered.
- 1985-56 football fans died in a stadium fire.
- 1989-US President George H. W. Bush ordered nearly 2,000 troops to Panama
- 1996-ValuJet flight 592 crashed into the Florida Everglades shortly after takeoff.
- 1998–India executed a series of nuclear weapons tests.
- 1998-A French mint produced the first coins of Europe’s single currency.
- 2000-India’s population officially reached 1 billion.
- 2007–Pope Benedict XVI canonizes the first Brazilian-born saint, Frei Galvão.