On August 11, hip hop’s first beat dropped in the Bronx, while a pope was elected, quakes and a plane collision killed hundreds, and a tornado tore through Salt Lake City.
August 11 in History
DJ Kool Herc Raps at Bronx Party, Laying Hip Hop's Beat
An 18-year-old DJ at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue raps over a looped break from a 1970 James Brown album, dubbing dancers 'b-boys' and 'b-girls.'
In the heat of a Bronx rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, an 18-year-old disc jockey named Kool Herc took the mic and began to rap over an extended beat. The party, thrown by his sister Cindy Campbell to raise cash for back-to-school clothes, became the birthplace of hip hop.
Herc, a Jamaican-born musician, spun two copies of James Brown's 1970 'Sex Machine' album, looping the percussion break from 'Give It Up or Turnit a Loose' into a five-minute groove. He dubbed the energetic dancers 'b-boys' and 'b-girls,' and their moves 'breaking.'
178 Die as Two Aeroflot Jets Collide Over Ukraine
Mid-air crash near Dniprodzerzhynsk kills everyone aboard both airliners.
The deadliest aviation disaster in Soviet history: two Aeroflot passenger jets collided in mid-air near Dniprodzerzhynsk in the Ukrainian SSR on August 11, killing all 178 people aboard both aircraft. The crash, which occurred at cruising altitude, scattered wreckage over a wide area and left no survivors.
Soviet officials have not yet released details on how the two airliners came to share the same airspace, and an investigation is said to be under way. Aeroflot, the state airline, has a long record of safety lapses, but this collision is among the worst ever recorded.
Authorities have begun the grim task of recovering bodies and identifying the dead. The Soviet news agency Tass confirmed the toll in a brief statement.
Iran Quakes Kill 306; Villages Leveled Near Tabriz
Twin tremors of 6.4 and 6.2 magnitude leave 3,000 injured and 16,000 homeless in the northwest.
Devastation in northwest Iran following the deadly twin earthquakes near the city of Tabriz — Mardetanha
In the rugged northwest of Iran, a region long accustomed to the earth's rumblings, two earthquakes struck within minutes of each other on August 11, collapsing villages and killing at least 306 people. The doublet quakes, with magnitudes of 6.4 and 6.2, hit near the towns of Ahar and Varzaqan, about 60 kilometers from Tabriz, and tore through a rural landscape of mud-brick homes and small farms.
Iran's Health Minister, Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi, said 268 of the dead were taken to hospitals, among them 219 women and 49 men. Rescue workers, digging through rubble with their hands and light equipment, reported at least 45 deaths in Ahar alone. More than 3,000 people were injured, and the death toll was expected to rise as teams reached isolated hamlets.
Officials said 130 villages were 70 to 90 percent destroyed, and 20 were completely leveled. In the first hours, the government estimated that at least 16,000 people spent the night in emergency shelters, many of them in tents set up in the open. The quakes, which struck at a shallow depth, were felt as far away as Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Bud Billiken Parade Draws Thousands in Chicago Debut
Abbott leads first celebration down Michigan Avenue; Amos 'n' Andy stars are guests.
Robert S. Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender, steered his Rolls-Royce down Michigan Avenue on August 11, leading the first Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic. The procession, organized by the Defender's club for Negro children, was suggested by David Kellum, co-founder of the Bud Billiken Club, as a celebration of African-American life.
Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, the stars of radio's 'Amos 'n' Andy,' rode as the first guests, waving to crowds that lined the route from 31st Street into Washington Park. The parade, which also featured bands and floats, drew thousands of spectators.
Borja Elected Pope Alexander VI
Cardinal Rodrigo Borja chosen unanimously on fourth ballot in first conclave held in Sistine Chapel.
On the fourth ballot, Cardinal Rodrigo Borja was elected unanimously to the Holy See, taking the name Alexander VI. The conclave, the first held in the Sistine Chapel, succeeded Pope Innocent VIII.
King Charles VIII of France is reported to have spent 200,000 ducats to secure the election of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, who celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit on 6 August.
Accusations abound that Borja purchased votes with promises of lucrative appointments and gifts. Della Rovere, later Pope Julius II, enacted stronger rules against simony because of this conclave.
Tornado Rips Salt Lake City, Injuring More Than 100
An F2 twister traveling 14 minutes injured more than 100 people and damaged 120 homes, marking the second fatal tornado in Utah's history.
A powerful tornado strikes downtown Salt Lake City, causing widespread damage and injuries — Wikimedia Commons
A tornado struck downtown Salt Lake City on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people and damaging 120 homes, according to authorities.
The F2 twister touched down at 12:41 p.m., after 1.5-inch diameter hail was reported near Herriman. It remained on the ground for about 14 minutes, traveling from western downtown northeast to Memory Grove Park.
The storm was the second tornado in Utah's history to result in a fatality, the other occurring in 1884. It was also one of only two F2 tornadoes to hit Salt Lake County since 1950, the other striking Magna in 1965.
The tornado developed a non-descending funnel cloud, unusual for the region. Witnesses described a sudden, violent wind that flipped cars and tore roofs from buildings.
Emergency crews were dispatched across the city, and hospitals reported treating dozens of patients for cuts, bruises, and broken bones. The full extent of the damage was still being assessed late Wednesday, with officials estimating cleanup could take days.
The storm was the latest in a series of severe weather events to hit the Wasatch Front this summer. Residents were advised to stay indoors as a precaution.
System Shock 2 Debuts With Shooter and Role-Playing Blend
Irrational Games' first title ships, mixing gunplay and character growth in sci-fi.
Software stores now carry a debut title from a new studio, blending shooter reflexes with role-playing character development. System Shock 2, the first game from Irrational Games, follows Looking Glass' 1994 System Shock. Ken Levine, who led writing and design, founded the studio with Jonathan Chey and Robert Fermier. Players take on a soldier aboard a starship controlled by a hostile artificial intelligence. Early reviews praise its atmospheric storytelling and the freedom to improve character skills. The game also draws on Looking Glass' earlier Ultima Underworld, another Levine design credit.
Coup in Portuguese Timor Triggers Civil War
A three-month civil war beginning August 11, 1975 killed around 2,000 people, while as many as 3,000 UDT politicians and supporters fled to West Timor.
The Timorese Democratic Union staged a coup against the Portuguese administration on August 11, 1975, starting a three-month civil war that killed around 2,000 people. The coup was partly staged to deprive Indonesia of a pretext for intervention. As many as 3,000 UDT politicians and supporters fled across the border to West Timor.
Penang Declared Prince of Wales Island; Light Takes Charge
In 1786, East India Company ships and crews gathered on Penang for the declaration of Prince of Wales Island, leased for 6,000 Spanish dollars per year.
In an age when Britain stretches its commerce across the eastern seas, a new outpost has arisen on the island of Penang, leased from Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah for 6,000 Spanish dollars per annum. On 11 August 1786, two East India Company ships and their crews were invited to the declaration of Prince of Wales Island, named for the King.
King James II Lands at Almería, Begins Siege
Aragonese host invests the Granadan city, bearing a relic of Saint Indaletius.
King James II of Aragon set foot on the shore of Almería on 11 August 1309, at the head of a host that promptly invested the city, then held by the Emirate of Granada. The king carried with him a relic of Indaletius, a saint of ancient Urci, on whose ruins Almería is believed to stand. Defenders under governor Abu Maydan Shuayb and naval commander Abu al-Hasan al-Randahi held fast. The siege would drag on through the autumn, with a Granadan relief column under Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula arriving in September to harass the besiegers. It was lifted at year’s end.
