Major Events
- Apr 12 The first US colonists on the Pacific coast arrive at Cape Disappointment, Washington
- Jul 5 Venezuelan Declaration of Independence: 7 provinces declare themselves independent of Spain
- Sep 18 British East India Company force led by Baron Minto conquers Java, part of the Dutch East Indies, Stamford Raffles appointed lieutenant governor
- More 1811 Events
Robert Bunsen
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Elisha Otis
Franz LisztMore People Born in 1811
Augustus FitzRoyMore 1811 Deaths
Articles About 1811
Rebel With a Cause: The Life of Shameless Shelley
A born rebel, the celebrated poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled on this day from the University of Oxford. He would go on to lead a short and tragic life.March 25
War Breaks Out Behind Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin sounds like a sentimental children's book. In fact, it is a hard-hitting exposé of the slavery trade and part cause of the American Civil War.June 14
Venezuela Declares Independence
A painting by Martin Tovar y Tovar depicting Venezuelan deputies signing the declarationJuly 5
Otis Rises To The Occasion
Archimedes may have invented the elevator centuries ago, but Elisha Otis, born on this day, worked out how to make it safe – and the skyscraper was born.August 3
Famous Weddings in 1811
- Jan 1 Writer James Fenimore Cooper (21) weds Susan Augusta de Lancey in Mamaroneck, New York
- Jan 8 US Vice President John C. Calhoun (28) weds Floride Bonneau (19)
- Aug 28 English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (19) elopes to Scotland with 1st wife Harriet Westbrook (16)
Ludwig van Beethoven
James Madison
Napoléon Bonaparte
Spencer Perceval