What are the important events that happened on May 11? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

May 11: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 11 is the 131^st day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 234 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 28, 2025 – a Sunday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 485,256 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectatriacontahenagon’ day.

Taurus is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 282 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,524 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

May 11 Historical Events

• 1310 –
  In France, fifty-four members of the Knights Templar are burned at the stake as heretics.
• 1502 –
  Christopher Columbus leaves for his fourth and final voyage to the West Indies.
• 1894 –
  Pullman Strike: Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike in Illinois.
• 1918 –
  The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus is officially established.
• 1927 –
  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded.
• 1943 –
  World War II: American troops invade Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands in an attempt to expel occupying Japanese forces.
• 1945 –
  World War II: Off the coast of Okinawa, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill, is hit by two kamikazes, killing 346 of her crew. Although badly damaged, the ship is able to return to the U.S. under her own power.
• 1960 –
  In Buenos Aires, Argentina, four Israeli Mossad agents capture fugitive Nazi Adolf Eichmann who is living under the alias of Ricardo Klement.
• 1970 –
  The Lubbock Tornado, a F5 tornado, hits Lubbock, Texas, killing 26 and causing $250 million in damage.
• 1987 –
  In Baltimore, Maryland, the first heart-lung transplant takes place. The surgery is performed by Dr. Bruce Reitz of the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Who were born on May 11?

• 1888 –
  Willis A. Lee, World War II U.S. naval admiral (d. 1945)
• 1930 –
  Edsger Dijkstra, Dutch computer scientist (d. 2002)
• 1941 –
  Eric Burdon, British singer (The Animals)
• 1950 –
  Jeremy Paxman, British journalist and author
• 1956 –
  Alex Lester, British broadcaster
• 1958 –
  Christian Brando, American actor; son of Marlon Brando (d. 2008)
• 1958 –
  Walt Terrell, American baseball player
• 1963 –
  Masatoshi Hamada, Japanese comedian
• 1964 –
  John Parrott, English snooker player
• 1981 –
  Austin O'Brien, American actor

Who died on May 11?

• 1778 –
  William Pitt, the Elder, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1708)
• 1934 –
  Blaise Diagne, Sengalese politician (b. 1872)
• 1934 –
  Orest Khvolson, Russian physicist (b. 1852)
• 1955 –
  Gilbert Laird Jessop, English cricketer (b. 1874)
• 1963 –
  Herbert Spencer Gasser, American physiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1888)
• 1976 –
  Alvar Aalto, Finnish architect (b. 1898)
• 1981 –
  Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1897)
• 1986 –
  Henry P. McIlhenny, American philanthropist (b. 1910)
• 2001 –
  Douglas Adams, English author (b. 1952)
• 2005 –
  Michalis Genitsaris, Greek rebetiko singer and composer (b. 1917)