February 11

February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 323 days remaining, 324 in leap years.

Events

• 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
• 731 - Gregory II ends his reign as Pope.
• 824 - Paschal I ends his reign as Pope.
• 1411 : Peace of Toruń 1411 signed in Toruń, Poland
• 1531 - Henry VIII of England recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.
• 1752 - Pennsylvania Hospital, 1st hospital in the United States, opens.
• 1790 - Religious Society of Friends petitions U.S. Congress for abolition of slavery.
• 1794 - First session of United States Senate open to the public.
• 1808 - Anthracite coal first burned as fuel, experimentally.
• 1809 - Robert Fulton patents the steamboat
• 1810 - Napoléon marries Marie-Louise of Austria.
• 1812 - Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry gerrymanders for the first time.
• 1814 - Norway's independence is proclaimed, marking the ultimate end of the Kalmar Union
• 1826 - University College London is founded under the name University of London.
• 1837 - American Physiological Society organizes in Boston, Massachusetts.
• 1840 - Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Régiment receives its first performance in Paris.
• 1843 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera I Lombardi receives its first performance in Milan.
• 1855 - Kassa Hailu is crowned Tewodros II, Emperor of Ethiopia, by Abuna Salama III in a ceremony at the church of Derasge Maryam.
• 1858 - The Blessed Virgin Mary reputedly appears to Saint Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes.
• 1861 - American Civil War: United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.
• 1873 - King Amadeus I of Spain abdicates.
• 1889 - Meiji constitution of Japan adopted; 1st Diet of Japan convenes in 1890
• 1895 - The lowest ever UK temperature of -27.2°C was recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire. This record was equalled on 10 January,1982 .
• 1902 - Police beat up universal suffrage demonstrators in Brussels.
• 1903 - Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony receives its first performance in Vienna.
• 1905 - Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer nos.
• 1908 - Australia regain the Ashes with a 308 run cricket victory over England.
• 1916 - Emma Goldman arrested for lecturing on birth control.
• 1919 - Friedrich Ebert (SPD), elected President of Germany.
• 1928 - 1928 Winter Olympic Games open in St. Moritz, Switzerland
• 1929 - Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty.
• 1937 - A sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers Union.
• 1938 - BBC Television produces the world's first ever science fiction television programme, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Capek play R.U.R. (This play coined the term 'robot.')
• 1941 - First Gold record presented to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo".
• 1943 - General Dwight Eisenhower selected to command the allied armies in Europe.
• 1945 - Yalta Conference ends.
• 1948 - John Costello succeeds Éamon de Valera as Taoiseach of Ireland.
• 1953 - President Dwight Eisenhower refuses clemency appeal for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
• 1953 - The Soviet Union breaks off diplomatic relations with Israel.
• 1961 - Trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
• 1963 - The Beatles tape 10 tracks for their first album, including "Please, Please Me".
• 1964 - At the Washington, DC Coliseum, The Beatles have their 1st live appearance in the United States.
• 1964 - Greeks and Turks begin fighting in Limassol, Cyprus.
• 1964 - The Republic of China (Taiwan) breaks off diplomatic relations with France.
• 1968 - Israeli-Jordanian border clashes.
• 1968 - Madison Square Garden III closes and Madison Square Garden IV opens in New York City
• 1971 - US, UK, USSR, others sign Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons in international waters.
• 1973 - Vietnam War: First release of American prisoners of war from Vietnam takes place.
• 1978 - Censorship: China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, Shakespeare and Dickens.
• 1979 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seizes power in Iran.
• 1981 - 100,000 gallons (380 m³) of radioactive coolant leak into the containment building of TVA Sequoyah 1 nuclear plant in Tennessee, contaminating 8 workers
• 1983 - President Ronald Reagan declares Edisons birthday National Inventors' Day
• 1986 - Rights activist Anatoly Sharansky, released by the USSR, leaves the country.
• 1987 - Philippines constitution goes into effect.
• 1990 - James "Buster" Douglas KOs Mike Tyson to win heavyweight boxing crown.
• 1990 - Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is freed from Victor Verster prison outside Cape Town, South Africa.
• 1991 - UNPO, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, forms in The Hague, Netherlands.
• 1999 - Pluto, a planet with an irregular orbit, changes from the eighth to ninth planet furthest from the sun. It had been the eighth furthest since 1979.
• 2006 - The UK's ITV plans to start broadcasting its new children's channel.

Births

• 1377 - King Ladislas of Naples (d. 1414)
• 1380 - Gianfrancesco Poggio Bracciolini, Italian humanist (d. 1459)
• 1466 - Elizabeth of York, queen of Henry VII of England (d. 1503)
• 1535 - Pope Gregory XIV (d. 1591)
• 1568 - Honoré d'Urfé, French writer (d. 1625)
• 1649 - William Carstares, Scottish minister (d. 1715)
• 1657 - Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, French scientist and man of letters (d. 1757)
• 1755 - Albert Christoph Dies, German composer (d. 1822)
• 1764 - Marie-Joseph de Chenier, French poet (d. 1811)
• 1774 - Hans Jarta, Swedish political activist (d. 1847)
• 1776 - Joannis Capodistrias, Greek governor of Troezen (d. 1836)
• 1800 - William Henry Fox Talbot, English photographer (d. 1877)
• 1802 - Lydia Child, American novelist and abolitionist (d. 1880)
• 1812 - Alexander Hamilton Stephens, Americn Confederate Vice President (d. 1883)
• 1813 - Otto Ludwig, German writer and critic (d. 1865)
• 1819 - Samuel Parkman Tuckerman, American composer (d. 1890)
• 1821 - Auguste-Édouard Mariette, French Egyptologist (d. 1881)
• 1830 - Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf, musician (d. 1913)
• 1833 - Melville Weston Fuller, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1910)
• 1839 - Josiah Willard Gibbs, American physicist and chemist (d. 1903)
• 1847 - Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor and businessman (d. 1931)
• 1860 - Rachilde, French author (d. 1953)
• 1869 - Helene Kroller-Muller, Dutch museum founder and patron of the arts (d. 1939)
• 1869 - Else Lasker-Schüler, German writer (d. 1945)
• 1873 - Feodor Chaliapin, Russian singer (d. 1938)
• 1874 - Elsa Beskow, Swedish author (d. 1953)
• 1874 - Fritz Bennicke Hart, English-born composer (d. 1949)
• 1887 - John van Melle, South African writer (d. 1953)
• 1891 - J.W. Hearne English cricketer (d. 1965)
• 1894 - Alfonso Leng, Chilean composer (d. 1974)
• 1898 - Leó Szilárd, Hungarian-born physicist and peace activist (d. 1964)
• 1900 - Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher (d. 2002)
• 1902 - Arne Jacobsen, Danish architect and designer (d. 1971)
• 1903 - Hans Redlich, Austrian composer (d. 1968)
• 1904 - Sir Keith Holyoake, Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1983)
• 1908 - Vivian Ernest Fuchs, English geologist and explorer (d. 1999)
• 1909 - Max Baer, American boxer and actor (d. 1959)
• 1909 - Joseph Mankiewicz, American director (d. 1993)
• 1912 - Roy Fuller, English writer (d. 1991)
• 1914 - Matt Dennis, American singer
• 1915 - Patrick Leigh Fermor, English author
• 1917 - Sidney Sheldon, American author
• 1919 - Eva Gabor, Hungarian-born actress (d. 1995)
• 1919 - Eddie Robinson, American football coach
• 1920 - King Farouk I of Egypt (d. 1965)
• 1920 - Billy Halop, American actor (d. 1976)
• 1920 - Paul Peter Piech, American artist (d. 1996)
• 1920 - General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., American soldier
• 1921 - Lloyd Bentsen, American politician
• 1925 - Peter Berger, British admiral
• 1925 - Kim Stanley, American actress (d. 2001)
• 1926 - Paul Bocuse, French chef
• 1926 - Alexander Gibson, British conductor
• 1926 - Leslie Nielsen, Canadian actor
• 1931 - Larry Merchant, author and boxing commentator
• 1932 - Jerome Lowenthal, pianist
• 1934 - Tina Louise, American actress
• 1934 - Mary Quant, English fashion designer
• 1934 - John Surtees, British race car driver
• 1934 - Mel Carnahan, American politician (d. 2000)
• 1935 - Bent Lorentzen, Danish composer
• 1936 - Burt Reynolds, American actor
• 1937 - Bill Lawry, Australian cricket player
• 1938 - Bevan Congdon, New Zealand cricket player
• 1938 - Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and dictator
• 1939 - Gerry Goffin, American lyricist
• 1939 - Jane Yolen, American author
• 1941 - Sergio Mendes, Brazilian musician and songwriter
• 1953 - Philip Anglim, American actor
• 1953 - Jeb Bush, American politician
• 1956 - Catherine Hickland, American actress
• 1956 - Didier Lockwood, French jazz violinist
• 1961 - Mary Docter, American speed skater
• 1961 - Carey Lowell, American actress
• 1962 - Sheryl Crow, American musician
• 1963 - Diane Franklin, American actress
• 1964 - Ken Shamrock, American martial artist and professional wrestler
• 1967 - Hank Gathers, American basketball player (d. 1990)
• 1969 - Jennifer Aniston, American actress
• 1973 - Varg Vikernes, Norwegian musician (Burzum)
• 1974 - D'Angelo, American singer
• 1976 - Brice Beckham, American actor
• 1977 - Mike Shinoda, American singer (Linkin Park)
• 1979 - Brandy Norwood, American singer
• 1980 - Natasha Bobo, American actress
• 1980 - Matthew Lawrence, American actor
• 1981 - Kelly Rowland, American singer (Destiny's Child)

Deaths

• 641 - Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium
• 731 - Pope Gregory II
• 821 - Saint Benedict of Aniane
• 824 - Pope Paschal I
• 1141 - Hugo of St. Victor, German philosopher and theologian
• 1503 - Elizabeth of York, queen of Henry VII of England (b. 1466)
• 1626 - Pietro Cataldi, Italian mathematician (b. 1552)
• 1650 - René Descartes, French philosopher (b. 1596)
• 1685 - David Teniers III, Flemish painter (b. 1638)
• 1713 - Jahandar Shah, Mughal emperor of Indai (b. 1664)
• 1755 - Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist (b. 1675)
• 1762 - Johann Tobias Krebs, German composer (b. 1690)
• 1763 - William Shenstone, English poet (b. 1714)
• 1797 - Antoine Dauvergne, French composer (b. 1713)
• 1862 - Elizabeth Siddal, British poet and artist (b. 1829)
• 1868 - Léon Foucault, French astronomer (b. 1819)
• 1879 - Honoré Daumier, French caricaturist and painter (b. 1808)
• 1931 - Charles Algernon Parsons, British inventor (b. 1854)
• 1939 - Franz Schmidt, Austrian composer (b. 1874)
• 1940 - John Buchan, Governor-General of Canada (b. 1875)
• 1945 - Al Dubin, Swiss songwriter (b. 1891)
• 1948 - Sergei Eisenstein, Latvian film director (b. 1898)
• 1959 - Marshall Teague, American race car driver (b. 1922)
• 1960 - Ernst von Dohnanyi, Hungarian conductor (b. 1877)
• 1963 - Sylvia Plath, American writer (b. 1932)
• 1968 - Howard Lindsay, American playwright (b. 1888)
• 1972 - Jan Wils, Dutch architect (b. 1891)
• 1973 - Hans D Jensen, German physicist, Nobel Prize physicist (b. 1907)
• 1975 - Zsuzsa Hickel, Hungarian spiritualist
• 1976 - Lee J Cobb, American actor (b. 1911)
• 1976 - Alexander Lippisch, German scientist (b. 1894)
• 1977 - Louis Beel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1902)
• 1978 - James B Conant, American chemist and university president (b. 1893)
• 1982 - Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (b. 1912)
• 1982 - Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (b. 1905)
• 1985 - Ben Abruzzo, American businessman and balloonist (b. 1930)
• 1985 - Henry Hathaway, American actor and director (b. 1898)
• 1985 - Heinz Eric Roemheld, American composer (b. 1901)
• 1986 - Frank Herbert, American author (b. 1920)
• 1989 - George O'Hanlon, American actor and director (b. 1912)
• 1994 - Neil Bonnett, American race car driver (b. 1946)
• 1994 - Sorrell Booke, American actor (b. 1930)
• 1994 - William Conrad, American actor (b. 1920)
• 1996 - Kebby Musokotwane, Prime Minister of Zambia (b. 1946)
• 1996 - Cyril Poole, English cricketer (b. 1921)
• 1996 - Amelia Rosselli, Italian poet (b. 1930)
• 1997 - Barry Evans, English actor (b. 1943)
• 1997 - Don Porter, American actor (b. 1912)
• 2000 - Roger Vadim, French director (b. 1928)
• 2002 - Frank Crosetti, baseball player (b. 1910)
• 2002 - Barry Foster, British actor (b. 1968)
• 2005 - Jack L. Chalker, American author (b. 1944)
• 2005 - Arthur Miller, American playwright (b. 1915)

Holidays and observances

• Catholicism - Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes
• World Day of the Sick
• National Foundation Day in Japan (See Holidays of Japan.)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• Today in History: February 11

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February 10 - February 12 - January 11 - March 11 -- listing of all days