This Day in History: August 11

1999 Last Total Solar Eclipse of the Millennium

Visible from Europe, most of Asia and Africa, and parts of North America, this solar eclipse is believed to have been one of the most viewed in recorded history due to its path through heavily populated areas.

1992 Mall of America Welcomes Shoppers

Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, the Mall of America, spans 4,870,000 sq ft, making it the biggest shopping mall in the United States. Housing an indoor theme park, it attracts around 40 million visitors annually.

1962 Vostok 3 Launched by The Soviet Space Agency

The spacecraft, piloted by Andriyan Nikolayev, became the first to have orbited the Earth 64 times in a span of 4 days.

1960 Chad gains Independence from France

The Central African country which had been under French rule since 1900, after the Battle of Kousséri, achieved its independence. The country's first president after independence was Francois Tombalbay.

1948 Opening of the first Olympic Games after the 1938 Berlin Olympics

The London Olympics, the first to be broadcast on television, are popularly known as the Austerity Games due to national cutbacks brought about by the post-war economy. The two games originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo and Helsinki after Berlin were cancelled because of the Second World War.

3114 BC Beginning of the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar

This calendar was used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, especially the Mayans.

1945 The Allies Rebuff Japan's Surrender Offer

The offer involved the condition that Emperor Hirohito would retain his status.

1954 Formal Peace Treaty Ends Over Seven Years' Fighting in Indochina

The treaty ended fighting between the French and the Communist Viet Minh in Indochina.

1988 Al-Qaeda's Formation

Al-Qaeda was formed during a meeting between Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Dr Fadl in Peshawar, Pakistan.

2003 NATO Takes Command of Afghanistan's Peacekeeping Force

This marked its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year history.