Historical eventAugust 111786

Francis Light

Francis Light founded George Town (city hall pictured), the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and the present-day capital of the Malaysian state of Penang.

Everything on August 11Original source

In context

When
Friday, August 11 1786240 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
18th century · 1780s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1786.

What happened

Francis Light founded George Town (city hall pictured), the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and the present-day capital of the Malaysian state of Penang.

August 11 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1786Francis Light
  2. 1996Killing of Tassos Isaac
  3. 19991999 Salt Lake City tornado
  4. 1999Ken Levine (game developer)
  5. 2000Air rage
  6. 2003Jemaah Islamiyah
  7. 2003NATO
  8. 2006Oil tanker
  9. 20122012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes
  10. 2017Alexandria train collision
  11. 2023Luna 25

Also in 1786

  • May 1The Marriage of FigaroThe Marriage of Figaro (audio featured), an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna.
  • August 29DisfranchisementAngered by high tax burdens and disfranchisement, farmers in western Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays began an armed uprising against th…
  • June 101786 Kangding-Luding earthquakeTen days after being formed by an earthquake, a landslide dam on the Dadu River in China was destroyed by an aftershock, causing a flood…

Everything we record for 1786 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Francis Light”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/francis-light-1786-august-11, accessed October 24, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Francis Light happen?

August 11 1786 — 240 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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