On This Day - What Happened On April 11 - Britannica

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1814 Napoleon's abdication at Fontainebleau On this day in 1814, during the Napoleonic wars, Napoleon was facing an invasion of France by forces bent on his overthrow and, pressed by his own officers, abdicated unconditionally at Fontainebleau. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.15

Featured Biography

Charles Evans Hughes United States jurist and statesman bornApril 11, 1862Glens Falls, New YorkdiedAugust 27, 1948 (aged 86)Osterville, MassachusettsGenthe photograph collection—Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-agc-7a15120) 1953 Andrew Wiles British mathematician 1930 Anton LaVey American author 1893 Dean Acheson United States statesman 1869 Kasturba Gandhi Indian political activist 1862 Charles Evans Hughes United States jurist and statesman See All Biographies On This Day

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2013 Maria Tallchief, whose exquisite technique made her one of the greatest ballerinas in the United States, died at age 88. Sort fact from fiction in our ballet quizMartha Swope 2007 American author Kurt Vonnegut, who was noted for such wryly satirical novels as Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), died at age 84. Take our famous authors quizEverett Collection/Shutterstock.com 1979 Ugandan President Idi Amin, whose brutality earned him the nickname “Butcher of Uganda,” fled the country as Tanzanian-led forces neared Kampala. Do you know what jobs these African leaders had before entering politics?Janet Griffith/Black Star 1970 Apollo 13 was launched from Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral), Florida; although scheduled to be the third lunar landing, the mission was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded en route to the Moon. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about space explorationMSFC/NASA 1961 The trial of Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann began in Jerusalem; eight months later it ended with the only death sentence ever imposed by an Israeli court. Test your knowledge of Adolf Hitler's right-hand men and other Nazi officialsCentral Zionist Archives, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; www.ushmm.org 1953 Mathematician Andrew John Wiles, deviser of a proof of Fermat's last theorem, was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. Take our mathematics quizC. J. Mozzochi, Princeton, N.J. 1951 U.S. President Harry S. Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his command of United Nations and U.S. forces during the Korean War. Test your knowledge of some of the greatest moments in military historyThe Harry S. Truman Library/NARA 1895 Cuban patriot José Julián Martí landed in Cuba at the head of an invading force whose goal was to win independence from Spain. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the CaribbeanCourtesy of the Organization of American States 1893 Dean Acheson—U.S. secretary of state from 1949 to 1953, adviser to four presidents, and the principal creator of U.S. foreign policy in the Cold War period following World War II—was born. How much do you know about American politics?National Archives, Washington, D.C. 1848 Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria confirmed the March Laws, which formed the foundation of the modern state of Hungary. Test your knowledge of European historyPeter Geymayer 1815 The eruption of Mount Tambora, a volcano on the island of Sumbawa in what is now Indonesia, killed about 10,000 people. Sort fact from fiction in our natural disasters quizNASA/JSC SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.