February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 323 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about February 11th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about February 11th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National Get Out Your Guitar Day
- National Make A Friend Day
- Satisfied Staying Single Day
- National Pro Sports Wives Day
- National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
- National Peppermint Patty Day
- White Shirt Day
- Promise Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – February 11
1990: Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years as a political prisoner
The anti-apartheid campaigner’s release was a high point in South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy.
1979: Ayatollah Khomeini seizes power in Iran
Few days after Khomeini’s triumphant return from French exile, the Iranian army steps aside, making way for the creation of an Islamic theocracy.
1975: Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female leader of the British Conservative Party
Thatcher won the general elections in 1979 and became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1938: The BBC broadcasts Karel Čapek’s “R.U.R.”, the world’s first science fiction TV program
The Czech play whose abbreviated title stands for “Rossum’s Universal Robots” introduced the word “robot” to the English language.
1858: Bernadette Soubirous sees a vision of the Virgin Mary near Lourdes
The small town in southern France became one of the most important Christian places of pilgrimage.
1979: “Armed revolutionaries, most of them from leftist groups, take US Marines prisoner during an assault on their Embassy.” IRAN. Tehran. February 1979. [A. Abbas]
!["Armed revolutionaries, most of them from leftist groups, take US Marines prisoner during an assault on their Embassy." IRAN. Tehran. February 1979. [A. Abbas]](https://i0.wp.com/www.thisdayinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/thisday/2022/07/image-359.png?resize=1024%2C691&ssl=1)
1963: Google maps/satnav 1963 style. This was a hotline that people used to call to get directions before leaving home.
1945: Three Jewish children rescued from Theresienstadt rest in the Hadwigschulhaus in St. Gallen. February 11, 1945.
1911: N.Y.C 1911.
A Japanese American unfurled this banner the day after the Pearl Harbor attack
A woman goes bowling with a Kangaroo.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, February 11
1969: Jennifer Aniston, American actress, director, producer
1964: Sarah Palin, American politician, 9th Governor of Alaska
1934: Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general, politician, Military Leader of Panama
1926: Leslie Nielsen, Canadian/American actor
1847: Thomas Edison, American businessman, invented the light bulb, phonograph
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, February 11
2012: Whitney Houston, American singer, actress, producer, model
2010: Alexander McQueen, English fashion designer, founded
1978: James Bryant Conant, American chemist, academic, diplomat, 1st United States Ambassador to West Germany
1963: Sylvia Plath, American poet
1650: René Descartes, French philosopher, mathematician