#TodayInHistory – May 11
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May 11 – Some important events on this day
330 ๐๐ผ Constantinople (Byzantium) becomes the capital of the Roman Empire
868 ๐๐ผ The Diamond Sutra, the world’s oldest surviving, dated, printed, book printed in Chinese and made into a scoll ๐
1189 ๐๐ผ Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade
1751 ๐๐ผ Pennsylvania Hospital founded by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin
1772 ๐๐ผ Amsterdam theater destroyed by fire, 18 killed ๐ญ
1812 ๐๐ผ Waltz introduced into English ballrooms. Some observers consider it disgusting and immoral.
1812 ๐๐ผ British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons, London. Ironically, descendants of both later elected to Parliament at the same time.
1891 ๐๐ผ The Otsu Scandal: While visiting Japan, Prince Nicholas (later Tsar Nicholas II) survives an assassination attempt
1924 ๐๐ผ Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie begin their first joint venture (later merge into Mercedes-Benz)
1960 ๐๐ผ Israeli soldiers capture Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires.
Toward the end of World War II, SS officer Adolf Eichmann said “I will leap into my grave laughing because the feeling that I have five million human beings on my conscience is for me a source of extraordinary satisfaction”.
He was one of the primary organizers of the Holocaust. Tasked by Reinhard Heydrich with managing the logistics of the Final Solution, Eichmann was a participant in the infamous Wannsee Conference where the decision exterminate the Jews was made; Eichmann and his staff were responsible for organizing the deportations to death camps.
After Germany’s defeat Eichmann fled to Argentina. One of the most wanted Nazis, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad located him in 1960. After extensive surveillance, on 11 May 1960 a team of Mossad agents launched a successful and audacious operation to abduct him and fly him to Israel to stand trial.
During his trial, reporter Hannah Arendt coined the phrase “the banality of evil” to describe Eichmann, who appeared stiff and lackluster in comparison to the enormity of his crimes. Sentenced to death, Eichmann was executed by hanging on 1 June 1962.
1981 ๐๐ผ Reggae star Bob Marley dies at 36
1995 ๐๐ผ In New York City, more than 170 countries decide to extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty indefinitely and without conditions.
2000 ๐๐ผ India’s population officially reaches 1 billion – Astha Arora named India’s billionth baby ๐ถ๐ป