This Day in History - November 11

Looking back at this day in history, we begin in nineteen eighty-two, when the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the first working mission of the shuttle program. Moving forward to nineteen ninety-three, a sculpture honoring women who served in the Vietnam War was dedicated at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. In two thousand four, New Zealand dedicated a Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at its National War Memorial in Wellington, honoring service members whose names are not known. More recently, in two thousand twelve, a powerful earthquake struck northern Burma, killing at least twenty-six people. In two thousand twenty-four, a vehicle attack in Zhuhai, China, killed thirty-eight people and injured forty-eight. These moments remind us that history holds stories of courage, change, and loss.

(UPDATED November 11, 2026 09:01 UTC)

In 1982, Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center on the first operational shuttle mission. In 1993, a sculpture honoring women who served in Vietnam was dedicated in Washington. In 2004, New Zealand dedicated its Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Wellington. In 2012, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck northern Burma, killing at least 26 people. In 2024, a vehicle-ramming attack in Zhuhai killed 38 people and injured 48.