Which event does this 1962 photograph show?

A council opens that will let Catholics hear mass in their own language (1962). The Second Vatican Council opened on 11 October 1962 with about 2,500 bishops in St Peter's. John XXIII was 81 and had been elected as a caretaker. Over three years the council dropped the rule that mass must be in Latin, turned the altar to face the people, and rewrote the church's relations with other faiths.

Which event does this 1968 photograph show?

Three astronauts fly the first crewed mission of a programme aiming at the Moon (1968). Apollo 7 launched on 11 October 1968, the first crewed Apollo flight, coming twenty-one months after a launchpad fire killed the Apollo 1 crew. It stayed in Earth orbit for eleven days. All three men caught colds, argued with mission control about the workload, and never flew in space again.

Which event does this 1986 photograph show?

Two leaders nearly agree to abolish all their nuclear weapons, then walk away (1986). Reagan and Gorbachev met in Reykjavik on 11 October 1986 and got astonishingly close to agreeing to scrap every nuclear weapon both countries held. It fell apart over Reagan's missile defence programme. Both sides called it a failure at the time, and it led directly to the treaty signed a year later.

Which event does this 1521 photograph show?

A pope awards a king a grand title for a book attacking the reformers (1521). Leo X granted Henry VIII the title Defender of the Faith on 11 October 1521, rewarding a book Henry had written against Martin Luther. Henry broke with Rome a decade later and the title was withdrawn, but Parliament simply granted it again. British monarchs have carried it ever since.

Which event does this 1727 photograph show?

A king is crowned to a new anthem that every coronation since has used (1727). George II was crowned on 11 October 1727. Handel wrote four anthems for it, and one of them, Zadok the Priest, has been sung at every British coronation since. The performance itself was chaotic: the choir came in at the wrong place and one observer said the singing was confused beyond belief.

What happened on October 11? the Second Vatican Council, Apollo 7 and 3 more

What happened on October 11

All 5 specimens from this file, spanning 1521 to 1986, with the story behind each photograph.

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Religion · 1962

A council opens that will let Catholics hear mass in their own language

The Second Vatican Council opened on 11 October 1962 with about 2,500 bishops in St Peter's. John XXIII was 81 and had been elected as a caretaker. Over three years the council dropped the rule that mass must be in Latin, turned the altar to face the people, and rewrote the church's relations with other faiths.
Space · 1968

Three astronauts fly the first crewed mission of a programme aiming at the Moon

Apollo 7 launched on 11 October 1968, the first crewed Apollo flight, coming twenty-one months after a launchpad fire killed the Apollo 1 crew. It stayed in Earth orbit for eleven days. All three men caught colds, argued with mission control about the workload, and never flew in space again.
Politics · 1986

Two leaders nearly agree to abolish all their nuclear weapons, then walk away

Reagan and Gorbachev met in Reykjavik on 11 October 1986 and got astonishingly close to agreeing to scrap every nuclear weapon both countries held. It fell apart over Reagan's missile defence programme. Both sides called it a failure at the time, and it led directly to the treaty signed a year later.
History · 1521

A pope awards a king a grand title for a book attacking the reformers

Leo X granted Henry VIII the title Defender of the Faith on 11 October 1521, rewarding a book Henry had written against Martin Luther. Henry broke with Rome a decade later and the title was withdrawn, but Parliament simply granted it again. British monarchs have carried it ever since.
Monarchy · 1727

A king is crowned to a new anthem that every coronation since has used

George II was crowned on 11 October 1727. Handel wrote four anthems for it, and one of them, Zadok the Priest, has been sung at every British coronation since. The performance itself was chaotic: the choir came in at the wrong place and one observer said the singing was confused beyond belief.