Daily Archives: August 11, 2012

‘Wake Island’ opens in U.S. 70 years ago today (1942)

1940s, Movies 1940s


Video: 'Wake Island' trailer

(Tuesday, August 11, 1942) — Wake Island, a film about the United States military garrison on Wake Island and the onslaught by the Japanese following the attack on Pearl Harbor, opened today in the U.S.

Directed by John Farrow, the film stars Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston and William Bendix.

Soviet Union fires third Cosmonaut into space 50 years ago this hour (1962)

1960s, space exploration


Video: '1962: Vostok 3 and 4 (USSR)'

(Saturday, August 11, 1962, 4:24 a.m. EDT) — Andrian Nikolayev today became the Soviet Union’s third cosmonaut to fly in space as Vostok 3 lifted off from Gagarin’s Start at Baikonur Cosmodrome at atop a Vostok 8K72K rocket.