It was the first successful flight from Honolulu to Oakland, with a distance of 3,875 km, longer than from the United States to Europe. It took Earhart 17 hours and 7 minutes to complete the journey.

She became the first person to fly solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City later in the year.

Other notable events on January 11th:

In 2002, the first prisoners arrived in Guantanamo Bay.

In 1922,  14-year-old Leonard Thompson becomes the first person to to receive insulin to treat Type 1 diabetes.

In 1908, the Grand Canyon was proclaimed a National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1861, Alabama becomes the fourth state to secede from the Union, in the run-up to the American Civil War.