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Today in History: August 11, Alcatraz takes first federal prisoners

inquirer.com · 14h · first reportShare

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 11, the 223rd day of 2026. There are 142 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 11, 1934, the first federal prisoners arrived at Alcatraz Island, a former military prison, in San Francisco Bay; the island would be home to more than 1,500 prisoners over the next three decades, including gangsters Al Capone and James “Whitey” Bulger, before closing in 1963. Also on this date: In 1919, Germany’s Weimar Constitution was signed by President Friedrich Ebert. In 1929, Babe Ruth became the first baseball player to reach 500 career home runs with a homer at Cleveland’s League Park. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman nominated Gen. Omar N. Bradley to become the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1952, Hussein bin Talal was proclaimed King of Jordan, beginning a reign lasting nearly 47 years. In 1956, abstract painter Jackson Pollock died in an automobile accident on Long Island, New York, at age 44. In 1965, rioting that claimed 34 lives and lasted s