October 11
October 11 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 81 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Libra.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On October 11 the Sun's declination is approximately -8.5°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter 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 October 11.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast days: Agilbert
- Christian feast days: Alexander Sauli
- Christian feast days: Andronicus, Probus, and Tarachus (Roman Catholic Church)
- Christian feast days: Æthelburh of Barking
- Christian feast days: Bruno the Great
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2018 — Soyuz MS-10, launching an intended crew for the ISS, suffers an in-flight abort. The crew lands safely. ↗(8 years ago)more
Soyuz MS-10 was a crewed Soyuz MS spaceflight that aborted shortly after launch on 11 October 2018 due to a failure of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle boosters. MS-10 was the 139th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. It was intended to transport two members of the Expedition 57 crew to the International Space Station.
- 2013 — A migrant boat sinks in the Channel of Sicily, with at least 359 people drowning. ↗(13 years ago)
more
On 3 October 2013, a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa. It was reported that the boat had sailed from Misrata, Libya, but that many of the migrants were originally from Eritrea, Somalia and Ghana. An emergency response involving the Italian Coast Guard resulted in the rescue of 155 survivors.
2002 — A bomb attack in a Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland kills seven. ↗(24 years ago)more
The Myyrmanni bombing took place on October 11, 2002, in Myyrmäki, Vantaa, Finland, in Greater Helsinki, at the Myyrmanni shopping mall. A bomb hidden in a backpack exploded in the center of a shopping center killing seven people including the bomber. The blast left a 10-cm deep crater in the floor and blew out the glass dome of the mall.
2001 — The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection. ↗(25 years ago)more
Polaroid Corporation was an American company that made instant film and cameras, which survives as a brand for consumer electronics. The company was founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land, to exploit his Polaroid polarizing polymer. Land and Polaroid created the first instant camera, the Land Camera, in 1948.
2000 — NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission. ↗(26 years ago)more
STS-92 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. STS-92 marked the 100th mission of the Space Shuttle and Discovery's 28th flight. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 11 October 2000.
- 1999 — Air Botswana pilot Chris Phatswe steals an ATR 42 from Sir Seretse Khama International Airport and later crashes it into two other aircraft at the airport, killing himself. ↗(27 years ago)
more
Air Botswana Corporation is Botswana's state-owned national flag carrier, with its headquarters located in Gaborone. It operates scheduled domestic and regional flights from its main base at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport.
1991 — Prof. Anita Hill delivers her televised testimony concerning sexual harassment during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination. ↗(35 years ago)more
Anita Faye Hill is an American lawyer, educator and author. She is a professor of social policy, law, and women's studies at Brandeis University and a faculty member of the university's Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
1987 — The AIDS Memorial Quilt is first displayed during the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. ↗(39 years ago)more
The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, often abbreviated to AIDS Memorial Quilt or AIDS Quilt, is a memorial to celebrate the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece of community folk art in the world, as of 2020.
- 1987 — Start of Operation Pawan by Indian forces in Sri Lanka. Thousands of civilians, insurgents, soldiers die. ↗(39 years ago)
more
Operation Pawan was the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil Tigers, in late 1987 to enforce the disarmament of the LTTE as a part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord.
1986 — Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Iceland to continue discussions about scaling back IRBM arsenals in Europe. ↗(40 years ago)more
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party, he became an important figure in the American conservative movement. The period encompassing his presidency is known as the Reagan era.
1984 — Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk. ↗(42 years ago)more
Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan is an American geologist, oceanographer, and former NASA astronaut and US Navy officer. She was a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions.
1984 — Aeroflot Flight 3352 crashes into maintenance vehicles upon landing in Omsk, Russia, killing 178. ↗(42 years ago)more
Aeroflot Flight 3352 was a regularly scheduled Aeroflot domestic flight in the Soviet Union from Krasnodar to Novosibirsk, with an intermediate landing in Omsk. While landing at Omsk Airport on Thursday, 11 October 1984, the Tupolev Tu-154 crashed into maintenance vehicles on the runway, killing 174 people on board and four on the ground.
Notable births
2001 — Maja Chwalińska, Polish tennis player ↗(25 years ago)more
Maja Chwalińska is a Polish tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of world No. 118, achieved on 20 April 2026, and a best doubles ranking of No. 91, achieved on 9 June 2025. She won her first senior singles title at a ITF Circuit tournament in Bytom in July 2019, having already won four ITF doubles titles up to that point.
- 2001 — Daniel Maldini, Italian footballer ↗(25 years ago)
more
Daniel Maldini is an Italian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Serie A club Lazio, on loan from Atalanta, and the Italy national team.
2001 — Jacob Preston, Australian rugby league player ↗(25 years ago)more
Jacob Preston is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-rower for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL.
- 2001 — Chu Ye-jin, South Korean actress ↗(25 years ago)
more
Chu Ye-jin is a South Korean actress. She was a contestant on Mnet's girl group survival program Produce 101.
1999 — Leicester Fainga'anuku, New Zealand rugby union player ↗(27 years ago)more
Leicester Ofa Ki Wales Twickenham Faingaʻanuku is a rugby union player, who plays as a wing or centre for Tasman in the Bunnings NPC, the Crusaders in Super Rugby and the All Blacks. He previously played for Toulon in the Top 14. Born in Tonga, he represents New Zealand internationally.
1999 — Keldon Johnson, American basketball player ↗(27 years ago)more
Keldon Wilder Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Notable deaths
2025 — Diane Keaton, American actress (born 1946) ↗(1 years ago)more
Diane Keaton Hall was an American actress. Her career spanned more than five decades, during which she rose to prominence in the New Hollywood movement. She collaborated frequently with Woody Allen, appearing in eight of his films.
- 2024 — Jamaluddin Hossain, Bangladeshi actor (born 1943) ↗(2 years ago)
more
Jamaluddin Hossain was a Bangladeshi actor, director and theatre activist. He was awarded the Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh in 2013.
2022 — Angela Lansbury, English-American actress, singer, and producer (born 1925) ↗(4 years ago)more
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury was a British-American-Irish actress and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles across film, stage, and television. Although based for much of her life in the United States, her work attracted international attention.
2019 — Alexei Leonov, Soviet/Russian cosmonaut and first human to conduct a spacewalk (born 1934) ↗(7 years ago)more
Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut and aviator, Air Force major general, writer, and artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first person to conduct a spacewalk, exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for 12 minutes and 9 seconds.
2017 — Clifford Husbands, Barbadian politician (born 1926) ↗(9 years ago)more
Sir Clifford Straughn Husbands GCMG KStJ KA QC was a Barbadian judge who served as the sixth Governor-General of Barbados. He held this office from 1996, when he was appointed after the death of Nita Barrow, until he retired on 31 October 2011. He was the longest-serving Barbadian Governor-General.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (285) | 3 × 5 × 19 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (81) | 3^4 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 11102026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -8.48° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 70 days |