1. On April 11, 1803, a treaty was signed between the United States and France for the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, which included the state of Louisiana as well as parts of 14 other states. This acquisition doubled the size of the United States.
2. In 1820, the first issue of the weekly newspaper "The Louisiana Gazette" was published in New Orleans. The paper focused on local news and politics.
3. On April 11, 1862, during the Civil War, Union forces attacked Fort Bisland in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. Confederate forces were ultimately able to repel the attack.
4. In 1960, New Orleans became the first city in the South to desegregate its public schools. Four six-year-old Black girls attended previously all-white public schools on April 11 of that year.
5. On April 11, 2018, the governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, announced a $150 million restoration and renovation project for the Louisiana Superdome, home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints. The project aimed to update and modernize the stadium in time for the 2024 Super Bowl.