On this day

11 February in history.

5 moments from 1938 to 1997: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

Buster Douglas

1990

The underdog wins. Boxer Buster Douglas, given almost no chance by the betting odds, knocked out the unbeaten Mike Tyson in Tokyo to become heavyweight champion of the world.

Wikipedia: Buster Douglas

Photo: Office of Joyce Beatty / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More from 11 February

  1. Cover of the first edition of R.U.R. by Karel Čapek

    1938

    Science fiction comes to television

    The BBC showed scenes from Karel Čapek's play R.U.R., the story that gave us the word "robot". It was the first science fiction ever broadcast on TV.

    Wikipedia: R.U.R.Wikipedia: Karel Čapek

    Photo: Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  2. The logo of Abbey Road Studios

    1963

    The Beatles record their first album

    The band recorded most of Please Please Me in a single long day at Abbey Road Studios in London.

    Wikipedia: Please Please MeWikipedia: The Beatles

    Photo: Abbey Road Studios / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  3. Ohsumi (satellite)

    1970

    Japan reaches orbit

    With its small Ohsumi satellite, Japan became the fourth country to put an object into orbit with its own rocket.

    Wikipedia: Ohsumi (satellite)

    Photo: Rlandmann / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

  4. Hubble Space Telescope

    1997

    A house call for Hubble

    Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope, adding new instruments that let it see more of the universe.

    Wikipedia: STS-82Wikipedia: Hubble Space Telescope

    Photo: NASA / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.