Born on this day
Wednesday, August 11, 1897. : British children’s author, Enid Blyton, is born.
Enid Blyton was born in East Dulwich, England, on 11 August 1897. Blyton became a prolific writer of children’s books, and many of her titles have been translated into 40 different languages. It is estimated that she wrote over 600 titles, many under the same series, such as the Secret Seven, Famous Five, Magic Faraway Tree and Adventure series. Blyton’s “Noddy” books became famous from the 1980s for being “politically incorrect”: Golliwogs, for example, were replaced by teddy-bears, which did not allude to racial stereotypes. For all their controversy, however, Blyton’s books have remained popular with modern children for their escapism and fantasy themes.
Australian History
Wednesday, August 11, 1824. : New South Wales is constituted a Crown Colony.
A Crown Colony is a British colony, controlled by the British Crown and represented by a Governor, yet a distinct and separate settlement. The British Governor oversaw consultative councils composed mostly of the governor’s nominees who, in turn, delegated powers of local government to local authorities. Whilst the colony of New South Wales was settled with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, it was not until 11 August 1824 that New South Wales was formally constituted a Crown Colony. The Government in New South Wales therefore had powers to delegate local authorities in the other colonies, such as Moreton Bay, until these colonies were, in turn, constituted Crown Colonies in their own right.
World History
Saturday, August 11, 1877. : American astronomer Asaph Hall discovers Phobos and Deimos, the two moons of Mars.
Asaph Hall was born in Goshen, Connecticut, on 15 October 1829. He was an American astronomer, and is credited with discovering the two moons of Mars on 11 August 1877, though there is some dispute about the dates. Mars’s two moons are Phobos, the larger and innermost, and Deimos, smaller and non-spherical. Hall named the two moons after the sons of Ares (Mars) from Greek Mythology. Phobos, one of the smallest moons of the known planets in the solar system, orbits less than 6000 km above the surface of Mars.
World History
Wednesday, August 11, 1999. : Up to 350 million people watch the last total solar eclipse of the twentieth century.
The last total solar eclipse of the twentieth century, on 11 August 1999, was witnessed by up to 350 million people across Asia and Europe. Overcast skies or sudden rain obscured the view for many Europeans, but the central south of Romania had the best view, with totality lasting the longest at the city of Ramnicu Valcea. A national holiday was declared for the citizens of Jordan and Syria. Because the eclipse travelled across many well populated areas of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, it was considered to have probably been the most-viewed eclipse of all time.