Important Events From This day in History – 11 May

Today in History

• 1998 India executes a series of nuclear weapons tests

  The detonations sparked international outrage and raised fears of a nuclear war in the region. India declared itself a nuclear power on May 13, 1998.

• 1996 ValuJet flight 592 crashes into the Florida Everglades shortly after takeoff

  All 110 people on board lost their lives in the crash that was caused by a fire in the cargo compartment.

• 1985 56 football fans die in a stadium fire

  The wooden stands at Valley Parade football ground caught fire during a match against Lincoln City. The doors were shut. The most likely cause of the disaster was a burning cigarette thrown into a garbage can.

• 1981 The musical Cats is premiered

  The piece sparked a musical craze around the world and catapulted the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to stardom.

• 868 The earliest surviving dated printed book is produced in China

  The “Diamond Sutra” is one of Mahayana Buddhism’s most important texts. The copy is currently housed in the British Library in London.