216 days
Why is July 11 an Important Day to Remember?
Mumbai Train Bombings on July 11
The Mumbai train bombings in 2006 were a series of seven bomb explosions that took place on the suburban railway network in Mumbai, India on July 11, 2006. The bombs were planted in the first-class compartments of several trains during the evening rush hour. At least 209 people were killed and over 700 were injured in the attacks. The responsibility for the bombings was claimed by a group called the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The attack caused widespread panic and resulted in a major crackdown on terrorism in India. The bombings remain one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in India’s history.
Srebrenica Massacre Begins on July 11
In 1995, Bosnian Serb forces carried out a massacre in Srebrenica, a town in eastern Bosnia. During the Bosnian War, Srebrenica had been designated a United Nations “safe area”, but the Bosnian Serb army overran the town and separated the men and boys from the women and children. Over the next few days, the Bosnian Serb forces systematically executed approximately 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in what became known as the Srebrenica massacre. It was the largest mass killing in Europe since World War II and was later declared an act of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
America’s First Space Station is Destroyed on July 11
In 1979, the Skylab space station was destroyed as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere. Skylab was the first United States space station and had been launched into orbit in 1973. After several successful missions and repairs, the space station was abandoned in 1974. In 1979, as Skylab’s orbit decayed, it began to reenter Earth’s atmosphere. On July 11, 1979, the Skylab station broke up into several pieces and burned up upon reentry, with some small fragments landing in the Indian Ocean and Western Australia. No one was injured as a result of the reentry. The destruction of Skylab marked the end of the United States’ first attempt at a space station.
