Francis Light was a British sailor and explorer best known for founding the colony of Penang and its capital city of George Town in 1786. Light was the father of William Light, who founded the city of Adelaide in South Australia in 1836.
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.
On August 11, in the year 1786, 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. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of August 11, one of 394 recorded events on this date across all of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on August 11, 1786 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 15 June 2026.
On This Date in History 394
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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