Brenda Lee, singer of the 1958 holiday hit “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” was born on December 11, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Image of Brenda in 1960 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

On December 11, 1882, the opening performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe at the Bijou Theater in Boston was significant as it took place in the first theater to use basic electric lighting in the U.S. 

Lights used at the Bijou were personally installed and supervised by Thomas Edison. 

Image from 1884 Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) underway in the Atlantic Ocean during her shakedown cruise.

December 11, 1968

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

On today’s date December 11, 1934, Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), began his permanent sobriety. Image of William Griffith Wilson’s birthplace in Vermont by Artaxerxes via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

On December 11, 1864, both inmates and guards at the military prison in Jacksonville, Florida posed for a photograph. Jacksonville changed hands several times during the Civil War and Florida’s largest battle was fought at nearby Olustee. Image from NARA via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US

Jonathan Letterman, the Union surgeon who developed an effective system of battlefield medicine during the American Civil War, was born on December 11, 1824 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Letterman’s “corps” medicine included mobile triage care, strategically positioned hospitals and a more efficient ambulance system. Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

The bombardment of Fredericksburg December 11, 1862 via NYPL Digital Collections, no known restrictions

On December 11, 1980, CBS premiered Magnum P.I., a show that almost never happened the way we remember it. Tom Selleck was originally cast as Indiana Jones but had to turn it down because of his Magnum contract — a twist of fate that gave us one of TV’s most iconic detectives instead. The pilot, “Don’t Eat the Snow in Hawaii,” cheekily referenced Hawaii Five‑O, and Selleck’s Ferrari 308 GTS wasn’t even his first choice (the producers rejected a Porsche for being too “ordinary”). Magnum’s Hawaiian shirts, Mike Post’s unforgettable theme music, and John Hillerman’s Higgins became pop‑culture staples, while guest stars like Ted Danson popped up before their own fame. What began as a network gamble turned into 162 episodes, Emmy wins, and a mustache so famous it nearly defined the decade.

Image of Tom Selleck in 1984 from Alan Light CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Vintage photo of men gathered in front of L.J. Rominger’s dry goods store in Hope, Indiana c. 1880. On today’s date December 11, 1816 (about 64 years before this image was taken) Indiana became the 19th state. Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known restrictions

Born December 11, 1905 Gilbert Roland’s Hollywood career spanned from silent films of the 1920s to television roles in the 1980s. After serving in the Army Air Corps he starred in several films as The Cisco Kid. Roland said “My Cisco Kid may have been a bandit, but he fought for the poor and was a civilized man.” Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright, public domain in the US.

On December 11, 1844, American dentist Horace Wells pioneered the use of nitrous oxide as an anesthetic while having his tooth removed by someone else. Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

“no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.” A quote from Founding Father George Mason who was born on December 11, 1725 in Fairfax County, Virginia. Image via NYPL Digital Collections, no known restrictions

On December 11, 1931, Puerto Rico-born American actress, singer, and dancer Rita Moreno was born. She starred in the 1961 AND 2021 versions of West Side Story! Her role as Anita in the 1961 production won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Image from the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis , starring Judy Garland with Margaret O’Brien that was published on December 11th of that year. Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Photo of American astronaut Eugene Cernan of Apollo 17

On December 11, 1972 the lunar module of Apollo 17 landed on the moon. It was the last time that a manned crew landed on the lunar surface. Image by NASA taken two days later on December 13, 1972 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

U.S. Navy Yard at Mare Island, California

Print depicts December 11, 1855

Image via NYPL Digital Collections, no known restrictions 

On December 11, 1909, descendants of Robert Bartlet — a cooper who arrived in Plymouth in 1623 — formally incorporated a society to preserve his legacy. Among Robert’s descendants were Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, and Marian Longfellow O’Donoghue, co‑founder of the DAR. From barrels in Plymouth to battlefields and nation‑building, the Bartlet line carried America’s story forward.