Today in History for 11th June 2025
Historical Events
1942 – US and USSR sign Lend-Lease agreement during WW II
1976 – Anti-apartheid advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza arrested in South Africa
1977 – Dutch marines rescued hostages from a Moluccan held train in Holland
2009 – The World Health Organization declares H1N1 swine flu to be a global pandemic, the first such incident in over forty years
2012 – Two earthquakes in Afghanistan trigger landslides that kill more than 80 people
Famous Birthdays
1904 – Alan Roth, American orchestra leader (Milton Berle Show), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1972)
1921 – Beatrice “Fiet” van Ommeren-Samson, Suriname writer, born in Paramaribo, Suriname (d. 2012)
1922 – Erving Goffman, American sociologist (presentation of self in everyday life), born in Mannville, Alberta, Canada (d. 1982)
1933 – Gene Wilder [Jerome Silberman], American actor, (Blazing Saddles; Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; Silver Streak; Young Frankenstein), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2016)
1955 – Tony Allcock, English bowls player (World Singles Champion (1986-87, 2002), born in Leicestershire
Famous Deaths
1249 – Aleydis of Schaarbeek, Flemish prioress, mystic and saint, dies
1882 – Louis Désiré Maigret, French Catholic prelate, dies at 77
1936 – Robert E. Howard, American pulp fiction author (Conan the Barbarian), commits suicide aged 30
1997 – Thalassa Cruso, English-American gardening expert (The Mike Douglas Show; The Tonight Show), dies of Alzheimer’s at 88
2005 – VVasco Gonçalves, Portuguese army officer and 103rd Prime Minister of Portugal (1974-75), dies at 84
