January 11 is:
Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day
Birthday of Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755), a founding father of the United States, chief staff aide to General George Washington, one of the most influential interpreters and promoters of the U.S. Constitution, the founder of the nation’s financial system, and the founder of the first political party, first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, co-author of “The Federalist Papers”.
Publication of Federalist Paper #37: Concerning the Difficulties of the Convention in Devising a Proper Form of Government written by James Madison in 1788. Here Madison relates some of the difficulties the Convention had in forming a new government. He speaks of the dichotomy of Energy vs. Stability, both necessary for the public good. Energy requires frequent elections; stability requires duration in power. The Convention also had to define the balance of power in the three branches of government and how they were determined. And finally, Madison describes how the states vary in population, wealth, and location. The writing of this Constitution was indeed a balancing act.
1805 – The Michigan Territory was created when President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation separating what would become part of the state of Michigan from Indiana Territory.
Birthday of Sir John D. Macdonald (January 11, 1815), first prime minister of Canada.
“Popular Mechanics” magazine was published for the first time in 1902.
Grand Canyon National Monument was created in 1908.
In 1922, the first time insulin was used to treat diabetes in a human patient.
1927 – Louis B. Mayer, head of film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announced the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California.
Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California in 1935. She disappeared in 1937.
In 1964, the United States surgeon general reported that cigarettes cause lung cancer.
1973 – Major League Baseball owners vote in approval of the American League adopting the designated hitter position.