February 11 facts for kids

February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 323 days remain until the end of the year (324 in leap years).

February 11th is a special day each year, filled with many interesting events from history! From ancient times to today, people have been born, achieved great things, and made history on this date. Let's explore some of the most exciting moments that happened on February 11th!

Important Moments in History

Ancient Times and Early History

• 660 BC – People traditionally believe that Emperor Jimmu founded Japan on this day.
• 55 – Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, who was supposed to be the next Roman emperor, died mysteriously. This cleared the way for Nero to become emperor instead.
• 951 – A court official named Guo Wei led a military takeover and became the emperor of a new kingdom called Later Zhou.
• 1144 – Robert of Chester finished translating an important Arabic book about alchemy into Latin. This was a big step for alchemy in the Western world.
• 1534 – In England, church leaders agreed to call Henry VIII the supreme head of the English church.
• 1584 – A Spanish group led by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa started a settlement called Nombre de Jesús in South America. It was one of two short-lived Spanish towns in the Strait of Magellan.
• 1586 – Sir Francis Drake and his English forces captured the Spanish port of Cartagena de Indias for two months, taking money and goods.

Events from the 1600s to 1900s

• 1659 – Swedish forces tried to attack Copenhagen, but they were pushed back and lost many soldiers.
• 1794 – For the first time, the United States Senate opened its meetings to the public.
• 1808 – Jesse Fell showed that anthracite coal could be burned in a simple grate to heat homes. This was an important experiment for heating with coal.
• 1812 – The term "gerrymandering" was first used to describe how districts were unfairly drawn in Massachusetts by Governor Elbridge Gerry.
• 1826 – University College London was founded in England.
• 1840 – Gaetano Donizetti's opera La fille du régiment was performed for the very first time in Paris, France.
• 1843 – Giuseppe Verdi's opera I Lombardi alla prima crociata had its first performance in Milan, Italy.
• 1855 – Kassa Hailu was crowned Tewodros II, becoming the Emperor of Ethiopia.
• 1856 – The British East India Company took over the Kingdom of Awadh, and its king, Wajid Ali Shah, was removed from power.
• 1858 – Bernadette Soubirous reported her first vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France.
• 1861 – During the American Civil War, the United States House of Representatives agreed not to interfere with slavery in any state.
• 1873 – King Amadeo I of Spain stepped down, which led to the start of the First Spanish Republic.
• 1889 – Japan adopted its Meiji Constitution, which set up a new system of government.

Modern Events (1901-Today)

• 1903 – Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony was performed for the first time in Vienna, Austria.
• 1919 – Friedrich Ebert was elected the first President of Germany.
• 1929 – The Kingdom of Italy and the Vatican signed the Lateran Treaty, which created Vatican City as an independent state.
• 1937 – The Flint sit-down strike ended when General Motors agreed to recognize the United Auto Workers union.
• 1938 – BBC Television showed the world's first science fiction TV show, an adaptation of a play called R.U.R., which introduced the word "robot".
• 1942 – During World War II, the Battle of Bukit Timah continued in Singapore.
• 1946 – The New Testament of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible was published, offering a new translation.
• 1953 – During the Cold War, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower refused to pardon Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
• 1953 – Israel and the Soviet Union ended their diplomatic relations.
• 1959 – The Federation of Arab Emirates of the South was formed as a protected area of the United Kingdom.
• 1963 — The Beatles recorded their very first album, Please Please Me.
• 1970 – Japan launched Ohsumi, becoming the fourth country to send an object into orbit using its own rocket.
• 1971 – The Seabed Arms Control Treaty was opened for signing, banning nuclear weapons from the ocean floor in international waters.
• 1978 – Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314 crashed in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, killing 42 people.
• 1979 – The Iranian Revolution led to the creation of an Islamic government under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
• 1990 – Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner.
• 1990 – In a huge upset, Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson in Tokyo to win the world Heavyweight boxing title.
• 1997 – Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope.
• 1999 – Pluto crossed Neptune's orbit, meaning it was no longer closer to the Sun than Neptune for a period of nearly 20 years.
• 2001 – A Dutch programmer released the Anna Kournikova virus, which spread through millions of emails.
• 2008 – Rebel soldiers in East Timor seriously injured President José Ramos-Horta. The rebel leader, Alfredo Reinado, was killed.
• 2011 – The Egyptian revolution ended with President Hosni Mubarak resigning after 17 days of protests. Power was given to the military.
• 2013 – The Vatican confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI would resign because of his old age.
• 2013 – Militants from the Sultanate of Sulu invaded Lahad Datu District in Malaysia, starting the Lahad Datu standoff.
• 2017 – North Korea test fired a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan.
• 2018 – Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashed near Moscow, Russia, killing all 71 people on board.
• 2020 – The World Health Organization officially named the coronavirus outbreak as COVID-19.
• 2024 – Alexander Stubb was elected as the 13th president of Finland.

Famous People Born on This Day

Born Before the 1600s

• 1380 – Poggio Bracciolini, an Italian scholar and translator.
• 1466 – Elizabeth of York, Queen of England.
• 1535 – Pope Gregory XIV.
• 1568 – Honoré d'Urfé, a French author and playwright.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

• 1649 – William Carstares, a Scottish minister.
• 1657 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, a French poet and playwright.
• 1776 – Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Governor of Greece.
• 1800 – Henry Fox Talbot, an English photographer who invented the calotype.
• 1802 – Lydia Maria Child, an American journalist and activist.
• 1812 – Alexander H. Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederate States of America.
• 1821 – Auguste Mariette, a French archaeologist.
• 1839 – Josiah Willard Gibbs, an important American physicist.
• 1847 – Thomas Edison, a famous American engineer who developed the light bulb and phonograph.
• 1855 – Ellen Day Hale, an American painter.
• 1863 – John F. Fitzgerald, a politician who was the Mayor of Boston.
• 1869 – Helene Kröller-Müller, a German-Dutch art collector who founded the Kröller-Müller Museum.
• 1898 – Leo Szilard, a Hungarian-American physicist.

Born After 1901

• 1904 – Keith Holyoake, the 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand.
• 1909 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, an American director and producer.
• 1917 – Sidney Sheldon, a well-known American author and screenwriter.
• 1919 – Eva Gabor, a Hungarian-American actress.
• 1920 – Farouk of Egypt, the last King of Egypt.
• 1926 – Leslie Nielsen, a Canadian-American actor known for his comedy roles.
• 1934 – Manuel Noriega, a Panamanian general and political leader.
• 1936 – Burt Reynolds, a popular American actor and director.
• 1941 – Sérgio Mendes, a Brazilian pianist and composer.
• 1947 – Yukio Hatoyama, a Japanese engineer and former Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1953 – Jeb Bush, an American politician and former Governor of Florida.
• 1956 – Catherine Hickland, an American actress.
• 1961 – Carey Lowell, an American actress.
• 1962 – Sheryl Crow, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1964 – Sarah Palin, an American politician and former Governor of Alaska.
• 1969 – Jennifer Aniston, a famous American actress and producer.
• 1971 – Damian Lewis, an English actor.
• 1972 – Kelly Slater, an American surfer.
• 1977 – Mike Shinoda, an American musician and artist.
• 1979 – Brandy Norwood, an American singer and actress.
• 1981 – Kelly Rowland, an American singer and actress.
• 1982 – Natalie Dormer, an English actress.
• 1983 – Rafael van der Vaart, a Dutch footballer.
• 1986 – Gabriel Boric, the current President of Chile.
• 1992 – Taylor Lautner, an American actor.
• 1996 – Daniil Medvedev, a Russian tennis player.
• 1997 – Rosé, a New Zealand-South Korean singer and dancer.
• 1998 – Khalid, an American singer and songwriter.

Notable People Who Passed Away on This Day

Died Before the 1600s

• AD 55 – Britannicus, a Roman noble.
• 244 – Gordian III, a Roman emperor.
• 641 – Heraclius, a Byzantine emperor.
• 731 – Pope Gregory II.
• 1141 – Hugh of Saint Victor, a German philosopher.
• 1503 – Elizabeth of York, Queen of England.

Died Between 1601 and 1900

• 1650 – René Descartes, a famous French mathematician and philosopher.
• 1795 – Carl Michael Bellman, a Swedish poet and composer.
• 1868 – Léon Foucault, a French physicist.

Died After 1901

• 1931 – Charles Algernon Parsons, an English-Irish engineer who invented the steam turbine.
• 1940 – John Buchan, a Scottish-Canadian historian and former Governor General of Canada.
• 1948 – Sergei Eisenstein, a Russian director.
• 1963 – Sylvia Plath, an American poet and novelist.
• 1973 – J. Hans D. Jensen, a German physicist and Nobel Prize winner.
• 1976 – Lee J. Cobb, an American actor.
• 1977 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the 5th President of India.
• 1978 – Harry Martinson, a Swedish novelist and Nobel Prize winner.
• 1986 – Frank Herbert, an American author.
• 1993 – Robert W. Holley, an American biochemist and Nobel Prize winner.
• 2006 – Peter Benchley, an American author and screenwriter, known for Jaws.
• 2010 – Alexander McQueen, an English fashion designer.
• 2012 – Whitney Houston, a famous American singer and actress.
• 2015 – Bob Simon, an American journalist.
• 2018 – Asma Jahangir, a Pakistani human-rights lawyer.

Holidays and Celebrations

• European 112 Day is celebrated in the European Union to promote the emergency number 112.
• Armed Forces Day (Liberia) is observed in Liberia.
• Evelio Javier Day is celebrated on Panay Island in the Philippines.
• The Catholic Church observes the Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is also the World Day of the Sick.
• Inventors' Day is celebrated in the United States.
• National Foundation Day is a public holiday in Japan.
• Youth Day (Cameroon) is celebrated in Cameroon.
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science is recognized by UN Women.

See also

In Spanish: 11 de febrero para niños