On This Day:

Thursday, August 11, 2011: On this day in 1952 sixteen-year-old Hussein bin Talal was proclaimed king of Jordan after his father, King Talal, was declared unfit to rule by the Jordan Parliament on grounds of mental illness.  King Hussein I remained on the throne until his death in 1999 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Prince Adballah.  

On this day in 1965 the Watts riots began.  A minor clash between the California Highway Patrol and two young blacks set off six days of riots in the Watts area of Los Angeles.  Thirty-four deaths were reported and more than 3,000 people were arrested.  Damage to property was listed at $40 million. The less-immediate cause of the disturbance and others that followed was racial tension between whites and blacks in American society.

Today marks the beginning of the “National Hobo Convention” in Britt, Iowa.   Held since 1900 the National Hobo Convention celebrates current and retired hoboes and the independent lifestyle they lead.

Did You Know?

Did you know that in a lifetime, the average person will have spoken 123-million words?