August 11 Birthday
On August 11, 1965, a traffic stop in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles sparked six days of rioting. Thirty-four people died, over 1,000 were injured, and 4,000 were arrested. The riot began when a white officer arrested a Black man for drunk driving. A crowd gathered. The situation escalated. The National Guard was called in — 14,000 troops occupied Watts. The McCone Commission found that the riot was caused by unemployment, poor schools, and police hostility. Nothing changed. Watts burned again in 1992. Steve Wozniak, born this day in 1950, built the Apple I and Apple II computers. He sold his HP calculator for $500 to fund the Apple I. He left Apple in 1985 after a plane crash left him with amnesia. He returned to college under a fake name — "Rocky Clark" — to finish his degree. He has given away most of his fortune to education. People born on August 11 fall under the zodiac sign of Leo. The birthstone is Peridot and the birth flower is Gladiolus. Historical events on August 11 include 1965: Watts riots begin in Los Angeles — 34 dead in six days, 1934: First group of civilian prisoners arrives at Alcatraz, 1999: Last total solar eclipse of the 20th century visible from Europe. Famous people born on August 11 include Steve Wozniak (1950), Hulk Hogan (1953), Viola Davis (1965).