On This Day January 11

1988
West German disco bombing: A German woman is arrested for the 1986 bombing. The U.S. had originally blamed Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi and retaliated by bombing Libya, killing his infant daughter.

1988
Iran-Contra Affair: Vice-Pres. George Bush gives a sworn deposition to prosecutors, including testimony indicating his involvement. This information was not made public until five days before he left office as president (1993).

1973
Monopoly: Atlantic City Public Works holds a hearing to change the names of Baltic and Mediterranean Avenues. The idea is vetoed due to a national outcry from Monopoly fans.

1966
Daktari: The TV show debuts on CBS. It became the first U.S. TV show to be shown in the Soviet Union.

1960
CBN: Pat Robertson forms The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), the first Christian television network established in the United States.

1787
Uranus: Sir William Herschel discovered two of the planet's moons: Oberon and Titania.

1759
First American life insurance company: It is founded in Philadelphia. They issued their first policy in 1761.

1980
Francesco, Fabrizio, Giorgio, Roberto, Letizia, and Linda Giannini, Italian sextuplets. (source: Guinness Book of World Records)

1974
David, Elizabeth, Emma, Grant, Jason, and Nicolette Rosenkowitz, South African sextuplets. They were the first recorded surviving sextuplets. (source: Guinness Book of World Records)

1946
Naomi Judd, American Grammy-winning country singer. Music: Mama He's Crazy (1984, #1) and Why Not Me (1984, #1).

1908 d. 1994
Lionel Stander, American actor. TV: Hart to Hart (Max the Chauffeur).

1886 d. 1960
George Zucco, British actor, noted for his villainous roles. Film: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939, Prof. Moriarty).

1815 d. 1891
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, Canadian politician, first prime minister of Canada (1857-58, 1868-73, 1878-91).

1807 d. 1874
Ezra Cornell, American telegraph pioneer, founder of Western Union Telegraph (1855) and Cornell University (1865).

1757 d. 1804
Alexander Hamilton, American statesman, the first Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.

1988 b. 1912
Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, American World War II flying ace. His book Baa Baa Black Sheep (1958) chronicled his days as head of the Flying Tigers.

1985 b. 1920
Charles "Commando" Kelly, American soldier. He was the first enlisted man to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for World War II.

1981 b. 1916
Richard Boone, American actor. TV: Have Gun, Will Travel (Paladin).

1941 b. 1868
Emanuel Lasker, German chess master, world chess champion (1894-1921).

1909 b. 1826
Joseph Wharton, American steel magnate. He founded Bethlehem Steel Co. and the world's first business school: Wharton School of Finance and Political Economy at the Univ. of Pennsylvania (1881).

1905 b. 1905
Carl David Anderson, American physicist. He discovered the positron (1932) for which he shared the 1936 Nobel Prize. He and his graduate student, Seth Neddermeyer, discovered the muon (1936, originally called mu-meson).

1891 b. 1809
Georges Eugene Haussman, French financier. He was responsible for the rebuilding of Paris in the mid 1800s and for building its underground sewer system.

1874 b. 1801
Gail Borden, American inventor. He developed a process for making condensed milk (1853).

1843 b. 1779
Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, poet. He wrote The Star-Spangled Banner (1814) during the British bombardment of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812.

1753 b. 1660
Sir Hans Sloane, English physician. Upon his death, he gave a collection of items which formed the nucleus of the British Museum.

314 b. ????
Saint Melchiades, African-born religious leader, 32nd Pope (311-314).

January 11

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