On this date...

Alcatraz

In 1934, On Aug. 11, 1934, the first federal prisoners arrived at Alcatraz Island, a former military prison, in San Francisco Bay; the island would be home to over 1,500 prisoners over the next three decades, including gangsters Al Capone and James “Whitey” Bulger, before the prison closed in 1963.

In 1775, From Cambridge MA, General Washington wrote to British General Thomas Gage about the reports of captured Patriot soldiers being mistreated at the hands of the British. He also threatened to treat the soldiers and officers he captured in kind if the situation did not change.

In 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early pulls out of Winchester, Virginia, as Union General Philip Sheridan approaches the city. Wary of his new foe, Early moved away to avoid an immediate conflict.

In 1911, During an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) swim meet, Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku broke the world record in the 100-yard freestyle swim by 4.6 seconds in Honolulu Harbor on August 11, 1911. Officials were so incredulous at his time that the AAU would not recognize his feat until many years later. Duke Kahanamoku swam using a unique combination of an Australian crawl stroke with a flutter kick to add speed.

In 1914, a fire destroyed the courthouse in Duval County and most of the evidence related to a corrupt South Texas Democrat political machine. 

In 1924, The first newsreel of U.S. presidential candidates, which included footage of Calvin Coolidge, John W. Davis, and Robert La Follette, was filmed.

In 1942, American actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil received a patent for an electronic device that minimized the jamming of radio signals; it later became a component of satellite and cellular phone technology.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman nominated General Omar N. Bradley to become the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In 1965, Race riots erupted in the Watts district of Los Angeles, resulting in the deaths of 34 people.

In 1972, the last U.S. ground combat troops in South Vietnam left to return to the United States.

In 1992, the Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping-entertainment center, opened in Bloomington, Minnesota.

In 1994, The Major League Baseball Players Association began a labour strike following the games of August 11, and the dispute eventually led to the cancellation of the remainder of the season, including the World Series.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton made the first use of the historic line-item veto, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills. (The U.S. Supreme Court later struck down the veto as unconstitutional.)

In 2000, Pat Buchanan won the Reform Party presidential nomination.

In 2002, US Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In 2006, The Transportation Security Administration banned all liquids, gels and aerosols from passenger cabins on airliners one day after a thwarted terrorist attack.