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On This Day 5 mins Read

October 11: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Did you know that on this day, October 11, 1984, NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space?

Fact Checked Human Written Verified Sources Regularly Updated

October 11th celebrates Coming Out Day and Sausage Pizza Day.

We’d like to welcome you to the 284th day of the year, with only 81 days remaining in 2025.

This day in history was packed with fascinating historical events in space, transportation, technology and politics – and that’s just to name a few!

Did you know that on this day, October 11, 1984, NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space? Her spacewalk lasted 3.5 hours while she demonstrated a refueling system.

Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about October 11th in history!

Historical Events

What memorable events happened on October 11 in history? Keep reading to find out!

Japan opened its borders to tourists after two years of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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LeBron James became the first basketball player to win MVP for three different teams.

LeBron had previously won MVP twice while playing for Miami Heat and once with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The third MVP win came while playing for the LA Lakers.

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The Russian Soyuz MS-10 manned spacecraft malfunctioned during takeoff and made an emergency landing in Kazakhstan.

OTD in 2018: The Russian Soyuz MS-10 manned spacecraft malfunctioned during takeoff and made an emergency landing in Kazakhstan.
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The world’s longest flight took place between Singapore and Newark Airport.

The journey covered 9,300 miles in just under 19 hours.

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Samsung stopped producing Note 7 phones due to batteries exploding on users.

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NASA launched STS-92 to the International Space Station, which became the 100th Space Shuttle mission.

OTD in 2000: NASA launched STS-92 to the International Space Station

It was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Around 200,000 people marched through Washington, D.C. streets to fight for gay and lesbian civil rights.

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NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan became the first woman to walk in space.

OTD in 1984: NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan became the first woman to walk in space.

She successfully spacewalked for 3.5 hours, proving that satellites could be refueled while in orbit.

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Lionel Richie’s second album and best-selling of all time, “Can’t Slow Down,” was released.

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The American sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live” premiered on US television.

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NASA launched its first space probe, Pioneer 1.

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US President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein detailing the possibility of atomic weapons.

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Theodore Roosevelt became the first US President to fly in an airplane.

OTD in 1910: Theodore Roosevelt became the first US President to fly in an airplane.
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Alexander Miles patented the automatic opening and closing elevator.

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Australia’s first university, The University of Sydney, was inaugurated.

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The Aleppo, Syria earthquake occurred and was one of the deadliest in history, killing around 230,000 Syrians.

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Famous Births

If today is your birthday, you have this in common with Cardi B. Find out more about what famous people were born on this day.

1992

Cardi B

American Rapper

Age

33 years old

Born IN

New York, USA

1966

Luke Perry

American Actor

Died On

Mar 4, 2019 (Age 52)

Born IN

Ohio, USA

1884

Eleanor Roosevelt

American First Lady

Died On

Nov 7, 1962 (Age 78)

Born IN

New York, USA

1965

Lennie James

British Actor

Age

60 years old

Born IN

England, UK

1969

Stephen Moyer

English Actor

Age

56 years old

Born IN

England, UK

Birthday & Zodiac

If you were born on October 11th, your star sign is Libra.

Libras are great listeners, meaning they often pick up on gossip. However, take care when spilling secrets to Libras, as they can be known as gossip queens!

Those of you that were born in October have the Pink Tourmaline birthstone. The beautiful pink color within the tourmaline is known to protect the bearer’s heart while also supporting the healing of their emotions.

People born on this day were likely conceived on or around January 18 in the same year.

A baby conceived on October 11th, 2025, will likely be born around July 4th, 2026.

Quotes

Every day brings a new quote - here are the most well-known quotes spoken or written on Oct 11th in history.

1934

“To understand the actual world as it is, not as we should wish it to be, is the beginning of wisdom.”

Bertrand Russell

(British Mathematician)

1928

“All extremes of feeling are allied to madness.”

Virginia Woolf

(English Writer)

Special Holidays

If you can spare some time today, here are some unique holidays you could get involved with.

United States

National Coming Out Day

National Coming Out Day is all about creating awareness and supporting people to come out and be open about their sexual identity, whatever it may be. These days it's also a celebration of sexual diversity overall, so get outside today and be proud of who you are!

United States

National Sausage Pizza Day

Alright folks, today we’re celebrating one of the tastiest holidays of the year - National Sausage Pizza Day! So head on down to your favorite pizzeria today and pick up a classic slice of sausage pizza. If you’re feeling bold, though, why not make your own sausage pizza?

Fact Of The Day

The cast members of "Jersey Shore" posing together, dressed stylishly

In 2011, Abercrombie & Fitch offered $10,000 to cast members of “Jersey Shore” if they agreed to stop wearing their brand on the show.

Days Until

Your countdown to 2025's upcoming special days!

  • Halloween

    20 days

  • Veterans Day

    31 days

  • Thanksgiving

    47 days

  • Christmas Day

    75 days

  • New Year's Day

    82 days

Oct 10 Oct 12

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References

MLA

Ward, Luke. "October 11: Facts & Historical Events On This Day." FactstoryHub, 1 Jan. 2020, www.factstoryhub.com/day/october-11/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.

APA

Ward, L. (2025, October 31). October 11: Facts & Historical Events On This Day. FactstoryHub. https://factstoryhub.com/day/october-11/

Chicago

Ward, Luke. "October 11: Facts & Historical Events On This Day." FactstoryHub, October 31, 2025. https://factstoryhub.com/day/october-11/.

About The Author

Luke Ward
Owner

Luke Ward is the owner of FactstoryHub. He has over 14 years of experience in researching, informative writing, fact-checking, SEO & web design. In his spare time, he loves to explore the world, drink coffee & attend trivia nights.

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