ON THIS DAY~APR 11

     1814  Napoleon Exiled to Elba

On this day in 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France and one of the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne, and, in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, is banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba.

 

1913  Bugatti Proposes "Super  Car"

Ettore Bugatti first proposed designing the super car that would eventually emerge as the Bugatti Type 41 Royale. Eventually called the "car of kings," Bugattis were huge hand-crafted luxury cars that were affordable only for Europe's elite.

 

1919  International Labor Organization Founded

On this day in 1919, in Paris, France, the International Labor Organization (ILO) is founded as an independent, affiliated agency of the League of Nations.

The call for just and equal labor standards and improved working and living conditions for the world’s workers had begun to be heard long before the outbreak of World War I. As the Industrial Revolution swept from France and Britain across the rest of Europe over the course of the 19th century, it completely altered the economic and social landscape of the continent (and eventually the world).

 

1921  The First Live Sports Event on Radio 

 

1951  Truman Relieves MacArthur of Duties in Korea

In perhaps the most famous civilian-military confrontation in the history of the United States, President Harry S. Truman relieves General Douglas MacArthur of command of the U.S. forces in Korea. The firing of MacArthur set off a brief uproar among the American public, but Truman remained committed to keeping the conflict in Korea a "limited war."

 

1956  Elvis Presley reached the Top Spot on the Billboard Music Chart with his First Double-Sided Hit

The disk featured Heartbreak Hotel and I Was the One. The RCA Victor record stayed at number one for eight weeks. Elvis also made the country and R&B charts, as well.

 

1961  Bob Dylan made his professional singing debut in Greenwich Village. He sang Blowin’ in the Wind.

 

1970  Apollo 13 Launched to Moon

On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13, the third lunar landing mission, is successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying astronauts James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert, and Fred W. Haise. The spacecraft's destination was the Fra Mauro highlands of the moon, where the astronauts were to explore the Imbrium Basin and conduct geological experiments. After an oxygen tank exploded on the evening of April 13, however, the new mission objective became to get the Apollo 13 crew home alive.

 

1979  Idi Amin Overthrown

On April 11, 1979, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin flees the Ugandan capital of Kampala as Tanzanian troops and forces of the Uganda National Liberation Front close in. Two days later, Kampala fell and a coalition government of former exiles took power.

 

1981  Wedding bells chimed for guitarist, Eddie Van Halen and actress, Valerie Bertinelli of One Day at a Time

 

1986  Kellogg’s of Battle Creek, MI stopped its 80-year tradition of tours of the breakfast-food plant on this day, saying that company secrets were at risk with spies from other cereal manufacturers.

 

BIRTHDAYS

 

1913  Oleg Cassini  Fashion Designer

1928  Ethel Kennedy (Skakel)  Widow of slain U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy

 

1932  Joel Grey (Katz)  Tony & Academy Award-Winning Actor: Cabaret [1967 & 1972]; singer, dancer: Yankee Doodle Dandy, Buffalo Bill & the Indians, Kafka; actress Jennifer Grey’s father