On February 11, 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln departed Springfield, Illinois and began the journey by train to Washington, D.C. He stopped at many places along the way and arrived in Washington nearly two weeks later. Lincoln would never return to Springfield.

Image from How Abraham Lincoln became president, J. McCan Davis, published in 1908, source say not in copyright https://archive.org/details/howabrahamlincol00davi/page/86/mode/1up

“Tranquility” – 1900 by American artist Ellen Day Hale who was born on today’s date February 11, 1855 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On February 11, 1943, Dwight D. Eisenhower became a four-star general. He became a five-star general in December 1944.

Image of Eisenhower in 1943 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

The Senate of the United States [First African American in the U.S. Senate] Published on February 11, 1871 via NYPL Digital Collections, public domain

Thomas Edison’s 70th birthday banquet, held at the Edison Laboratory complex in West Orange, New Jersey, on February 11, 1917.

Among those seated at the head table are Henry Ford, attending as the friend and admirer who long regarded Edison as his guiding inspiration; Mina Miller Edison, the household’s capable “Home Executive” who oversaw the vast Glenmont estate with professional precision; Thomas A. Edison, honored on his seventieth year; and Charles Edison, who would later serve as Governor of New Jersey.

Behind them, the illuminated “70” and sweeping American flags reflect Edison’s status as a nationally celebrated figure at a moment when the United States stood on the brink of entering the First World War. Ford’s presence adds an emotional thread to a scene shaped by symbolism, patriotic staging, and the recognition of a life that had already reshaped American industry.

Image via LOC, no known restrictions

Edison M. Van Auken, born February 11, 1908

From a collection of photographs of children named after Thomas Edison that were sent to him by parents

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A McDonnell F-4B Phantom II of U.S. Marine Corps fighter-bomber squadron VMFA-122 Crusaders on the flight line at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California on February 11, 1966.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On February 11, 1963, the first episode of Julia Child’s “the French Chef” aired on a Boston television channel. Ms. Child served with the Office of Strategic Services during WW2 after being rejected by the WACs and WAVES for being too tall.

Image via Wikimedia Commons via CCA-Share Alike 4.0 International

Born February 11, 1926 in Saskatchewan Leslie Nielsen became a US citizen in 1958. In his long career it’s estimated that he appeared in over 1,500 television episodes and 100 films, most notably “The Naked Gun” series and “Airplane!” You probably know Nielsen’s reply when asked in that film “Surely you can’t be serious?”

Image of Nielsen in 1982 by Alan Light, CCA 2.0 Generic via Wikimedia Commons.

On February 11, 1839, The University of Missouri was established.

Image: Academic Hall and Chalybeate Spring sometime in the 1880s via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

FDR and Winston Churchill having a discussion during the Yalta Conference that was held in early February 1945. On February 11, 1945, the Yalta Conference Agreement was signed by Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt & Winston Churchill.

The document states: “The establishment of order in Europe and the rebuilding of national economic life must be achieved by processes which will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last vestiges of nazism and fascism and to create democratic institutions of their own choice.”

Challenger James “Buster” Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson in their heavyweight title fight in Tokyo on February 11, 1990.

Image from REUTERS/Masaharu Hatano via Alamy

John Francis Fitzgerald, the 38th & 40th Mayor of Boston and grandfather of President John F. Kennedy was born on February 11, 1863 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On February 11, 1957, Walkin’ After Midnight by Patsy Cline was released

Image of Patsy Cline in Las Vegas in 1962 from Shanecollinswiki via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA 3.0

Aerial view of the U.S. Navy Naval Station at Key West, Florida on February 11, 1939

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

“Betrothal of the Royal Hawaiians” from the San Francisco Chronicle dated February 11, 1898. The announcement was based on an unsubstantiated report from the week prior. Kaʻiulani and Kawananakoa never married. Kaʻiulani, at the age of 23, passed away the following year.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Happy birthday to Tina Louise, born February 11, 1934 in New York City. She gained everlasting fame (and many, MANY fans) for her role as castaway movie star Ginger Grant on the 1960’s television series “Gilligan’s Island”.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US, no known copyright

President William Howard Taft speaks to a packed crowd in Decatur, Illinois, on February 11, 1911, during a whistle‑stop tour across the Midwest. The bunting and ceremony suggest a routine appearance, but Taft was traveling under strain. His push for a reciprocity agreement with Canada had split his own party: progressives thought he was too cautious, conservatives accused him of abandoning the protective tariff, and both sides were beginning to doubt his leadership. Even friendly audiences like this one were part of a larger effort to steady a presidency already under internal fire.

In Decatur, as in every stop that day, Taft delivered a brief, measured defense of reciprocity — promising long‑term benefits for farmers and a more open future for North American trade. The speech itself was calm; the stakes behind it were not. This photograph captures the public face of a president trying to hold his coalition together, one short platform speech at a time, as the political ground shifted beneath him.

Goodness gracious… did you see this? Viola Shermont and Mary Frances Spear, February 11, 1926 — bravely demonstrating that swimsuit season is whenever you say it is, even if the snowdrifts disagree.