What Happened on May 11?

May 11 is Eat What You Want Day — and the date computers stunned the chess world when Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also formed on this day in 1927, shaping the Oscars ever since.

• 1927 — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded

  Thirty-six film industry leaders formed the Academy on May 11, 1927 — the organization that would create the Academy Awards (Oscars). Read the full story →

• 1949 — Siam officially changes its name to Thailand

  On May 11, 1949, the government declared the country would be called Thailand — meaning 'Land of the Free' — replacing the old name Siam in international use. Read the full story →

• 1960 — Nazi official Adolf Eichmann is captured in Argentina

  Israeli agents seized Adolf Eichmann — organizer of deportations during the Holocaust — on May 11, 1960, near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Read the full story →

• 1981 — Reggae legend Bob Marley dies in Miami

  Jamaican musician Bob Marley died in Miami on May 11, 1981, at age 36 — leaving reggae and messages of unity heard worldwide. Read the full story →

• 1997 — IBM's Deep Blue defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov

  On May 11, 1997, IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer won the deciding game against Garry Kasparov — the first time a reigning world chess champion lost a match to a computer under tournament rules. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) · Irving Berlin (1888–1989) · Richard Feynman (1918–1988) · Cam Newton (1989)

Days & observances

National Eat What You Want Day · National Twilight Zone Day · National Technology Day (India) · National Mincemeat Pie Day