Today in History: August 11

Today is Thursday, Aug. 11, the 224th day of 2016. There are 142 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 11, 1956, abstract painter Jackson Pollock, 44, died in an automobile accident on Long Island, New York.
On this date:
In 1860, the nation’s first successful silver mill began operation near Virginia City, Nevada.
In 1909, the steamship SS Arapahoe became the first ship in North America to issue an S.O.S. distress signal, off North Carolina’s Cape Hatter