What Happened on August 11

City Desk

1973 — DJ Kool Herc's Bronx Party Ignites Hip Hop

At a back-to-school bash on Sedgwick Avenue, an 18-year-old Jamaican DJ lengthens the break and starts a music revolution.

The turntables spun in the recreation room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, where an 18-year-old Jamaican disc jockey, DJ Kool Herc, took the mike and began rapping over an extended percussion break, giving birth to hip hop. His sister Cindy had organized the party to raise money for back-to-school clothes, printing flyers and styling her brother's outfit for the night. Herc worked two copies of James Brown's 1970 album "Sex Machine," looping the break from "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" into a five-minute groove. He coined the terms "b-boy," "b-girl," and "breaking" for the dancers who moved energetically to his beats. His sound system was a modest rig: two turntables, two amplifiers, and a Shure "Vocal Master" PA with two speaker columns. The party was a neighborhood affair, but its echoes would define a genre.

• DJ Kool Herc was an 18-year-old disc jockey and emcee at a party hosted by his sister Cindy at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue on August 11, 1973.
• Cindy Campbell organized the party to earn extra cash for back-to-school clothes, promoting it with flyers and styling her brother's clothes.
• Herc used two copies of James Brown's 1970 Sex Machine album to extend the percussion break from 'Give It Up or Turnit a Loose,' creating a five-minute loop.
• Herc coined the terms 'b-boy,' 'b-girl,' and 'breaking' for dancers who moved energetically to his extended breaks.
• Herc's first sound system included two turntables, two amplifiers, and a Shure 'Vocal Master' PA system with two speaker columns.

World News

1979 — Two Aeroflot Jets Collide Over Ukraine, 178 Killed

A mid-air crash near Dniprodzerzhynsk claims all aboard both airliners.

The deadliest air disaster in Soviet history unfolded near Dniprodzerzhynsk in the Ukrainian SSR, where two Aeroflot passenger jets collided in mid-air, killing all 178 people on both aircraft. The crash, which occurred August 11, has stunned the nation, with authorities launching an immediate investigation. Initial reports indicate the two airliners were operating on intersecting routes when they struck, scattering debris across the countryside. Aeroflot, the state airline, has suspended some regional flights while the cause is probed. The Soviet press, typically guarded, has confirmed the death toll, and flags fly at half-mast.

• Two Aeroflot jets collided over Ukraine on August 11, 1979, killing 178 people.

Local News

1929 — Bud Billiken Parade Debuts in Chicago

Robert Abbott leads the first procession down Michigan Avenue as Amos 'n' Andy stars join the celebration.

In the summer of 1929, Chicago's African-American community found a new and joyous expression of its spirit when the first Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic rolled down Michigan Avenue. Robert S. Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender, led the procession in his Rolls-Royce, a gesture of pride and unity. The parade, conceived by David Kellum, co-founder of the Bud Billiken Club, was a celebration of African-American life and achievement. Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, the stars of the radio sensation "Amos 'n' Andy," served as the first honored guests, adding a touch of national fame.

• The first Bud Billiken Parade was held on August 11, 1929, in Chicago.
• Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll of Amos 'n' Andy were the first guests in the first parade.
• Robert S. Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender, led the first parade in his Rolls-Royce.
• David Kellum, co-founder of the Bud Billiken Club, suggested the parade as a celebration of African-American life.
• The original parade route was along Michigan Avenue beginning at 31st Street, then turned east into Washington Park.

Vatican Affairs

1492 — Cardinal Borgia Elected Pope Alexander VI

The unanimous fourth-ballot vote on 11 August made Cardinal Borgia the new pope, though reports say Charles VIII spent 200,000 ducats to back a rival.

Rodrigo Borgia, Cardinal of Valencia, has been elected Pope Alexander VI, succeeding Innocent VIII, in the first conclave ever held in the Sistine Chapel. The vote, unanimous on the fourth ballot, came early on 11 August, and the new pontiff took the name Alexander VI. The conclave was marred by allegations that Borgia bought votes by promising lucrative appointments and gifts, and reports say Charles VIII of France spent 200,000 ducats to secure the election of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere.

• The 1492 papal conclave was the first to be held in the Sistine Chapel.
• Cardinal Rodrigo Borja was elected unanimously on the fourth ballot on 11 August 1492.
• Charles VIII of France reportedly spent 200,000 ducats to secure the election of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere.
• The conclave is notorious for allegations that Borja bought votes by promising lucrative appointments and gifts.
• Pope Julius II, then Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, later enacted stronger rules against simony due to this conclave.

City Desk

1999 — Tornado Rips Salt Lake City, Injuring 100

F2 twister carves 4.25-mile path through downtown, damaging 120 homes and injuring more than 100 people.

A tornado ripped through downtown Salt Lake City on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people and damaging 120 homes, authorities said.

The F2 twister touched down at 12:41 p.m., about 14 minutes after 1.5-inch hail was reported near Herriman. It stayed on the ground for roughly 14 minutes, traveling about 4.25 miles from western downtown northeast to Memory Grove Park. The twister ranks as one of only two F2 tornadoes to strike Salt Lake County since 1950. The other hit Magna in 1965.

• At 12:41 p.m., 1.5-inch diameter hail was reported near Herriman before the tornado struck.
• The F2 tornado remained on the ground for about 14 minutes over a path of about 4.25 miles.
• It was the second tornado to hit Utah that resulted in a fatality, the other occurring in 1884.
• The tornado developed a non-descending funnel cloud and traveled from western downtown northeast to Memory Grove Park.
• One of only two F2 tornadoes to hit Salt Lake County since 1950, the other occurring in Magna in 1965.

World Desk

2012 — Twin Quakes Kill 306 in Northwest Iran

Twin temblors near Tabriz kill 306 and injure 3,000; 20 villages are leveled.

A pair of earthquakes struck near Tabriz, Iran, on Saturday, killing at least 306 people and injuring 3,000 others, officials said.

The doublet quakes, magnitudes 6.4 and 6.2, hit near Ahar and Varzaqan, about 60 km from Tabriz. Health Minister Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi said 268 people died in hospitals, 219 of them women and 49 men; Ahar alone lost 45.

Some 130 villages were 70 to 90 percent destroyed, and 20 were leveled completely.

• The doublet earthquakes, magnitudes 6.4 and 6.2, struck near Ahar and Varzaqan, 60 km from Tabriz, on August 11, 2012.
• At least 306 people died and more than 3,000 were injured, with 45 deaths in Ahar alone.
• Iran's Health Minister Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi reported 268 people died in hospitals, 219 women and 49 men.
• One hundred thirty villages were 70–90 percent destroyed, and 20 were completely leveled.
• Azerbaijan sent 25 trucks carrying 460 tents, 1,000 beds, and 3,000 blankets as aid on August 13.

Chronicle

1309 — King James II Lands at Almería, Opens Siege

Aragonese forces under James II arrive on the coast and invest the Granadan-held city, beginning a siege that will fail.

The royal banner of Aragon has been raised before the walls of Almería, where King James II's host came ashore on August 11, 1309, and began its siege of the city, held by the Emirate of Granada.

The king brought with him a relic of Indaletius, a saint of ancient Urci, on whose ruins Almería is said to stand. Abu Maydan Shuayb commands the city’s defense, with naval commander Abu al-Hasan al-Randahi holding the port. A Granadan relief column under Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula is expected to arrive next month.

• Aragonese forces led by King James II landed on the coast of Almería on 11 August 1309.
• The siege was ultimately unsuccessful and lifted at the end of December 1309 after a truce.
• Almería was defended by governor Abu Maydan Shuayb and naval commander Abu al-Hasan al-Randahi.
• A Granadan relief column under Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula arrived nearby in September and harassed the besiegers.
• James II brought a relic of Indaletius, a saint from the ancient Urci on whose ruins Almería was believed to stand.

Games Beat

1999 — System Shock 2 Ships, Mélange of RPG and Shooter

Irrational's debut hybrid of role-playing and first-person shooting arrives, blending deep story with action.

The game that may redefine how shooters tell stories is in stores today. System Shock 2, the first title from Irrational Games, blends role-playing and first-person shooting into a single, tense experience.

Ken Levine, who wrote and designed the game, launched Irrational with Jonathan Chey and Robert Fermier. The sequel to Looking Glass's 1994 System Shock, it casts players as a soldier aboard a starship overrun by a malevolent AI.

• System Shock 2 was the first game from Irrational Games, founded by Ken Levine, Jonathan Chey, and Robert Fermier.
• It is an early hybrid of a role-playing game and first-person shooter.
• The game is the sequel to Looking Glass' System Shock (1994).
• Ken Levine served as lead writer and designer for System Shock 2.

Colonial Desk

1975 — UDT Coup in Portuguese Timor Touches Off Civil War

Coup on August 11 triggers three-month civil war; fighting has left about 2,000 dead and 3,000 UDT supporters fled to West Timor.

The end of empire came to Portuguese Timor this week with a coup, as the Timorese Democratic Union seized the colonial administration and set the territory on a three-month civil war. The UDT's August 11 action was mounted partly to deny Indonesia a pretext for intervention, but it instead split the colony. Reports reaching this office say roughly 2,000 people have died in the fighting, and as many as 3,000 UDT politicians and supporters have fled across the border to West Timor. UDT President Lopes da Cruz, arrested by his own colleagues on suspicion of collaborating with Indonesia, remains held. The coup has left the Portuguese administration powerless and the territory's future uncertain.

• On August 11, 1975, the UDT staged a coup against the Portuguese administration, starting a three-month civil war.
• Around 2,000 people died in the civil war that followed the UDT coup.
• As many as 3,000 UDT politicians and supporters fled across the border to West Timor after the coup.
• UDT President Lopes da Cruz was arrested by fellow UDT leaders on suspicion of collaborating with Indonesia.
• The coup was partly staged to deprive Indonesia of a pretext for intervention.

Maritime Affairs

1786 — Light Raises Flag at Prince of Wales Island

Captain Francis Light founds George Town, first British settlement in Southeast Asia.

Captain Francis Light, styled Dewa Raja by the Malays, has founded George Town, the first British settlement in Southeast Asia, on the island of Prince of Wales. On 11 August 1786, Light invited two East India Company ships and their crews to the declaration of the island, leased from Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah for 6,000 Spanish dollars per annum.

• Light leased Penang Island from Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah for 6,000 Spanish dollars per annum.
• The new colony was described as 'one vast jungle of nearly 107 square miles, with a population of only fifty-eight souls'.
• George Town was named after King George III.
• On 11 August 1786, Light invited two East India Company ships and crews to the declaration of Prince of Wales Island.
• Light, styled Dewa Raja by the Malays, was put in charge as superintendent on 1 July 1786.

Near East Bureau

1952 — Talal Deposed by Parliament; Son Hussein Takes Throne

Jordan's king, on throne less than 13 months, yields to mental illness; premier rules until heir comes of age.

Jordan's Parliament forced King Talal to abdicate after less than 13 months on the throne, citing reported schizophrenia. His eldest son, Hussein, succeeds him, but Prime Minister Tawfik Abu al-Huda now rules dictatorially until the young king comes of age on 2 May.

• King Talal was forced to abdicate by Parliament after less than 13 months on the throne, due to reported schizophrenia.
• On 29 May 1952, Queen Zein al-Sharaf claimed Talal threatened her with a knife and attempted to kill one of his children.
• Talal ratified Jordan's modern constitution on 1 January 1952, establishing a constitutional monarchy.
• Talal spent the remainder of his life in a sanatorium in Istanbul, dying there on 7 July 1972.
• Stamps bearing King Talal's image were issued but later burned after his abdication in 1952.

Washington Wire

1977 — U.S. Opens Probe of Pinto Fire Risk

NHTSA investigates fuel leakage and fire hazard in rear-end collisions involving Ford's subcompact.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into the Ford Pinto's vulnerability to fuel leakage and fire in rear-end collisions. Several deadly fires have followed fuel tank ruptures in such crashes. The Pinto's fuel tank design has drawn sharp criticism and become a business ethics case study.

• The NHTSA investigation focuses on the Ford Pinto's vulnerability to fuel leakage and fire in rear-end collisions.
• The Ford Pinto was introduced on September 11, 1970, and over three million were manufactured through 1980.
• Several deadly fires followed fuel tank ruptures in rear-end collisions involving the Pinto.
• The Pinto's fuel tank design became a point of controversy and a business ethics case study.

Provincial Affairs

106 — Dacia Becomes Roman Province

Rome's standards now fly over the Carpathian passes as southeastern Dacia becomes a Roman province, with legionary veterans granted land there.

Rome's standards now fly over the Carpathian passes. On this day, southeastern Dacia became the Roman province of Roman Dacia. Veterans of the legions received land there for their army service.

• On August 11, 106, the south-eastern part of Dacia (modern Romania) became the Roman province of Roman Dacia.
• Veterans of the legions were granted land in the new province for their service in the Roman army.