Today in History: October 11, 2026

• 2005: Engineers finish pumping the floodwater out of New Orleans.
  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the job roughly 43 days after Hurricane Katrina came ashore on the Gulf Coast. Levee and floodwall failures following the storm's August 29 landfall had left about 80 percent of the city under water.
• 2002: Congress authorizes the use of military force against Iraq.
  Lawmakers approved the resolution by a wide margin, giving President George W. Bush broad authority to act against Saddam Hussein's government. The Senate vote of 77 to 23 came a day after the House passed it 296 to 133. The measure cleared the way for the U.S.-led invasion of March 2003 and the Iraq War that followed.
• 2000: Valentina Tereshkova is named Greatest Woman Achiever of the Century.
  The International Women of the Year Association presented the honor to the Russian cosmonaut at a ceremony in London. In June 1963 she had become the first woman in space, circling Earth 48 times aboard Vostok 6.
• 1991: Anita Hill testifies at Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
  Hill, a lawyer and law professor, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Thomas had sexually harassed her when she worked for him. Thomas denied the accusations, and the Senate confirmed him days later by a narrow vote of 52 to 48. The televised hearings set off a national conversation about harassment in the workplace.
• 1987: The AIDS Memorial Quilt goes on display for the first time on the National Mall.
  Activist Cleve Jones began it as a sewing project while mourning the death of a friend. By the time it was shown in Washington, D.C., it had 1,920 panels, each 3 feet by 6 feet, the size of a grave. It kept growing, and by its 25th anniversary in 2012 it was too large to be laid out on the Mall.
• 1984: Kathryn Sullivan becomes the first American woman to walk in space.
  The astronaut left the space shuttle Challenger for a spacewalk of about three and a half hours alongside crewmate David Leestma. Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya had made the first spacewalk by a woman less than three months earlier.
• 1976: President Gerald Ford signs the Toxic Substances Control Act.
  The law gave the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate chemicals that were harmful or suspected of being harmful. It also allowed the agency to require testing and reporting from manufacturers, and it led to the phaseout of PCBs.
• 1975: Saturday Night Live debuts on NBC.
  Created by Lorne Michaels, the late-night sketch comedy show opened with comedian George Carlin as its first host. The original cast included Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Gilda Radner. It went on to become one of the longest-running programs in television history.
• 1974: President Gerald Ford establishes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  He signed the Energy Reorganization Act, which broke up the Atomic Energy Commission and created the new agency to oversee the civilian use of nuclear materials in the United States. The commission began work in January 1975, licensing and inspecting the nation's nuclear power plants.
• 1971: John Lennon's “Imagine” is released as a single.
  The piano ballad, with its vision of a world at peace, came out in the United States and climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is often called the signature song of his years after the Beatles and the best-known work of his solo career.
• 1962: The Second Vatican Council opens in Rome.
  Pope John XXIII had announced the council in 1959, and it met for three years, closing in 1965 under Pope Paul VI. It was seen as a sign of the Roman Catholic Church's readiness to adapt to modern life, with changes such as allowing Mass in local languages instead of Latin. Some Catholics found the reforms controversial.
• 1958: The United States launches the Pioneer 1 space probe toward the Moon.
  The uncrewed deep-space probe was aimed at lunar orbit and was the first spacecraft launched by the newly formed NASA. It fell short of its goal, climbing about 70,000 miles before falling back to Earth two days later, but it returned data on the radiation surrounding the planet.
• 1944: The film noir Laura premieres in New York City.
  Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews starred in the mystery about a detective who falls for the woman whose murder he is investigating. Directed by Otto Preminger, it won an Academy Award for its cinematography and is regarded as a classic of the genre.
• 1899: The South African War begins.
  Also known as the Boer War, it pitted Great Britain against two Boer republics, the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. The fighting lasted until May 1902, when the Boers accepted British rule under the Peace of Vereeniging.
• 1890: The Daughters of the American Revolution is organized in Washington, D.C.
  The patriotic society is open to women who can trace their ancestry to someone who aided the cause of American independence. It was formed after the Sons of the American Revolution declined to admit women, and it remains active in historic preservation and education.
• 1737: The Hooghly River Cyclone strikes near present-day Kolkata, India.
  The storm came ashore in Bengal and killed an estimated 25,000 to 45,000 people. It ranks among the most significant disasters in the history of South Asia.
• 1531: Catholic forces defeat Protestant troops at the Battle of Kappel in Switzerland.
  During the Swiss Reformation, the Protestant army of Zurich under Jörg Göldli was beaten by troops from the Roman Catholic cantons. The reformer Huldrych Zwingli, who had gone along as a chaplain, was killed in the fighting.

Born on This Day

• 1994: T.J. Watt, American football player
  Turns 32. Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher and the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
• 1992: Cardi B, American rapper
  Turns 34. Grammy winner known for “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It.”
• 1989: Michelle Wie, American golfer
  Turns 37. Former teen golf phenom who won the 2014 U.S. Women's Open.
• 1987: Mike Conley Jr., American basketball player
  Turns 39. Veteran NBA point guard who joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023 after 12 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.
• 1985: Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress
  Starred in Harriet the Spy as a child and later in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl. She died in 2025.
• 1982: Terrell Suggs, American football player
  Turns 44. Minneapolis-born linebacker who starred for the Baltimore Ravens and was the 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
• 1977: Matt Bomer, American actor
  Turns 49. Star of the TV series White Collar and the Magic Mike films.
• 1976: Emily Deschanel, American actress
  Turns 50. Played Dr. Temperance Brennan on the long-running series Bones.
• 1968: Jane Krakowski, American actress and singer
  Turns 58. Known for Ally McBeal and for playing Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock.
• 1966: Luke Perry, American actor
  Played Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210 and later Fred Andrews on Riverdale. He died in 2019.
• 1962: Joan Cusack, American actress
  Turns 64. Oscar nominee for Working Girl and In & Out, and the voice of Jessie in the Toy Story films.
• 1961: Steve Young, American football player
  Turns 65. Hall of Fame quarterback who led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl title and was named the game's MVP.
• 1960: Randy Breuer, American basketball player
  Lake City, Minnesota, native who starred for the Minnesota Gophers and later played center for the Timberwolves.
• 1953: David Morse, American actor
  Turns 73. Known for St. Elsewhere, The Green Mile, and dozens of other film and TV roles.
• 1952: Paulette Carlson, American country singer
  Minnesota native and original lead singer of Highway 101, known for “Somewhere Tonight” and “Cry, Cry, Cry.”
• 1946: Daryl Hall, American singer and songwriter
  Turns 80. Half of the duo Hall & Oates, whose hits include “Rich Girl” and “Maneater.”
• 1943: Gene Watson, American country singer
  Turns 83. Grand Ole Opry member known for “Farewell Party” and “Love in the Hot Afternoon.”
• 1932: Dottie West, American country singer
  Grammy winner known for “Country Sunshine” and her duets with Kenny Rogers. She died in 1991.
• 1884: Eleanor Roosevelt, American first lady and diplomat
  Wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who became a United Nations delegate and a leading voice for human rights. She died in 1962.