December 11

Events - Other

1675day.year

Antonio de Vea expedition enters San Rafael Lake in western Patagonia.

In 1675, the Antonio de Vea expedition reached and explored San Rafael Lake in western Patagonia.

Commissioned by the Spanish Crown to investigate foreign incursions along the south Pacific coast, Antonio de Vea led a naval expedition that entered San Rafael Lake on December 11, 1675. The team navigated glacial waters, documented the surrounding ice fields, and recorded indigenous Chono and Kawésqar communities. Their charts and reports provided some of the first European observations of Patagonia’s fjords and glaciers, contributing to the mapping of the region and Spain’s colonial understanding of its southern territories.

1675 Antonio de Vea expedition San Rafael Lake

1978day.year

The Lufthansa heist is committed by a group led by Lucchese family associate Jimmy Burke. It was the largest cash robbery ever committed on American soil, at that time.

The Lufthansa heist, led by Jimmy Burke, executes the largest cash robbery in US history at the time.

On December 11, 1978, a crew associated with the Lucchese crime family orchestrates the Lufthansa heist at New York City's JFK Airport. Disguised as deliverymen, the thieves steal approximately $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewelry from the Lufthansa cargo building. The operation's precision and scale baffle investigators and inspire numerous books and films, including 'Goodfellas.' Despite lucrative loot, internal betrayals and subsequent murders haunt the conspirators. The heist remains one of the most notorious crimes of the 20th century, exposing the depths of organized crime.

1978 Lufthansa heist Lucchese family Jimmy Burke