Daily Almanac: May 11, 2023

Sunrise/Sunset:

RISE: 6:30 a.m.
SET: 8:49 p.m.

High/Low Temperatures:

HIGH: 84 °F
LOW: 52 °F

Today is…:

• Hostess Cupcake Day
• Make-A-Book Day
• National Twilight Zone Day

What Happened On This Day:

• 1998 India executes a series of nuclear weapons tests. The detonations raised fears of a nuclear conflict in the area and sparked international protests. On May 13, 1998, India officially declared itself a nuclear power.
• 1985 56 football fans die in a stadium fire. During a match against Lincoln City, the wooden stands at Valley Parade football ground went up in flames. The exits were locked. A burning cigarette thrown into a waste bin has been determined as the probable cause of the disaster.
• 868 The earliest surviving dated printed book is produced in China. The “Diamond Sutra” is one of the most important texts in Mahayana Buddhism. The British Library in London presently houses the copy.

Births On This Day:

• 1861 Frederick Russell Burnham
American soldier, adventurer

• 1904 Salvador Dalí
Spanish painter

Deaths On This Day:

• 1988 Kim Philby

British spy, Soviet double agent
• 2001 Douglas Adams

English/American author, playwright