May 11
May 11 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 234 days remain until the year's end. It falls in spring (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Taurus.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On May 11 the Sun's declination is approximately +18.0°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a May 11.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
No widely-observed holidays catalogued for this day in our base set. See the external almanacs above for region-specific observances.
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1812 — British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated in the lobby of the House of Commons. ↗(214 years ago)more
Spencer Perceval was a British statesman and barrister who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1809 until his assassination in May 1812. He is the only British prime minister to have been assassinated, and the only solicitor-general or attorney-general to have become prime minister.
1858 — Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd U.S. state. ↗(168 years ago)more
Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and North Dakota and South Dakota to the west. The northeast corner has a water boundary with Michigan.
1949 — Israel was admitted to the United Nations. ↗(77 years ago)more
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel illegally occupies the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights.
1997 — IBM's Deep Blue defeated chess champion Garry Kasparov in their rematch. ↗(29 years ago)more
Deep Blue was a customized IBM RS/6000 SP supercomputer for chess-playing designed by computer scientist Feng-hsiung Hsu. It was the first computer to win a game, and the first to win a match, against a reigning world champion under regular time controls. Development began in 1985 at Carnegie Mellon University under the name ChipTest.
Notable births
1888 — Irving Berlin, American composer. ↗(138 years ago)more
Irving Berlin was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald R. Ford in 1977.
1904 — Salvador Dalí, Spanish surrealist painter. ↗(122 years ago)more
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí de Púbol, known as Salvador Dalí, was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work.
Notable deaths
1981 — Bob Marley, Jamaican reggae musician. ↗(45 years ago)more
Robert Nesta Marley was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, and was renowned for his distinctive vocal and songwriting style. Marley increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide and became a global figure in popular culture.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (132) | 2^2 × 3 × 11 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (234) | 2 × 3^2 × 13 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 11052026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +18.04° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 40 days |