January 11 has seen landmark political actions, medical breakthroughs, and cultural shifts.
Prophet Muhammad and his followers entered Mecca with an army of 10,000, conquering the city with minimal resistance. He cleansed the Kaaba of idols and established Mecca as the spiritual center of Islam.
Alexander Hamilton was born on the island of Nevis in the British West Indies. He would become one of America's most influential Founding Fathers, serving as the first Secretary of the Treasury.
Astronomer William Herschel discovered Titania and Oberon, the two largest moons of Uranus. He had previously discovered Uranus itself in 1781, the first planet found using a telescope.
Alabama became the fourth state to secede from the United States. Within weeks Alabama would host the formation of the Confederate government in Montgomery.
President Theodore Roosevelt declared the Grand Canyon a National Monument, protecting it from development. It would later become a national park in 1919.
Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old diabetic, became the first person to receive an insulin injection as treatment for diabetes in Toronto. The breakthrough by Banting and Best would save millions of lives.
U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released a landmark report officially linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer. The report triggered sweeping changes in public health policy.