On Aug. 11, 1952, Hussein bin Talal was proclaimed King of Jordan, beginning a reign of nearly 47 years.
In 1956, Elvis Presley’s double sided hit ‘Don’t Be Cruel / Hound Dog was released. The single went to No.1 on the US chart, where it stayed for 11 weeks – a record that would not be broken until 1992’s Boyz II Men hit ‘End of the Road’.
In 1962, Neil Sedaka started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Breaking Up Is Hard To Do’, his first US No.1 as an artist. It reached No.7 on the UK chart.
In 1964, the Beatles movie “A Hard Day’s Night” had its U.S. premiere in New York.
In 1984, at the Los Angeles Olympics, American runner Mary Decker fell after colliding with South African-born British competitor Zola Budd in the 3,000-meter final; Budd finished seventh.
In 1992, the Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping-entertainment center, opened in Bloomington, Minnesota.
In 2008, Don Helms a steel guitarist best known as the steel guitar player of Hank Williams’ Drifting Cowboys died aged 81. Helms was a featured musician on over 100 Hank Williams recordings and went on to play on many classic country hits, including Patsy Cline’s ‘Walking After Midnight,’ Stonewall Jackson’s ‘Waterloo,’ the Louvin Brothers’ ‘Cash on the Barrelhead,’ Lefty Frizzell’s ‘Long Black Veil’ and Loretta Lynn’s ‘Blue Kentucky Girl.’
In 2012, Usain Bolt capped his perfect London Olympics by leading Jamaica to victory in 36.84 seconds in the 4×100 meters.
In 2014, Actor and comedian Robin Williams, 63, died in California by suicide.