On This Day in History: June 11

Alexander III of Macedon, most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. It is believed that Alexander the Great died on this day in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon at the age of 32.

Stephen Langton is consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury by Pope Innocent III in Rome on June 11,1207. The decision sparked a major conflict with King John of England, who view Langton as too close to France and refused to accept him, preventing Langton from entering England until 1213, when he was finally installed.  Expand +

English King, Henry VIII weds his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. In 1527 Pope Clement VII, refused to annul the marriage which led to Henry's break with the Catholic Church and the establishment of the Church of England. 

The Continental Congress creates a committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. The committee members were: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. More

Eisenhower is appointed by Army Chief of Staff Marshall to oversee all U.S. operations in Europe. 14 days later, on June 25, 1942, Eisenhower arrived at U.S. headquarters in London and took command.

General Dwight Eisenhower, is appointed to take command of all U.S. Operations in Europe by Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall. Eleven days later, on June 25, 1942, Eisenhower arrived at U.S. headquarters in London and took command.

Two African American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood registered for classes at the University despite then-Gov. George C. Wallace’s unsuccessful attempt to block their enrollment. The event marked the beginning of desegregation at the University of Alabama and the beginning of school desegregation in the state of Alabama. More 

After 49 years, the Soviet military occupation of East Germany ended. At one time there had been 337,800 Soviet troops stationed in Germany. Over 300,000 Russians died during World War II in the Battle for Berlin.

Timothy McVeigh, responsible for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, is executed by lethal injection. More

The World Health Organization (WHO) declares H1N1 swine flu to be a global pandemic on June 11, 2009. The first such incident in over forty years and the third recent flu pandemic involving the H1N1 virus; the first being the 1918 –1920 Spanish flu pandemic and the second being the 1977 Russian flu. Expand +