Osun Defender History Corner: February 11 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashback and recall some events that marked this day.

February 11, 600 BC

Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.

February 11, 1534

Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.

February 11, 1752

The Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, is opened by Benjamin Franklin.

February 11, 1790

The Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, petitions U.S. Congress for abolition of slavery.

February 11, 1855

Kassa Hailu is crowned Tewodros II, Emperor of Ethiopia, by Abuna Salama III in a ceremony at the church of Derasge Maryam.

February 11, 1858

Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old French peasant girl, claims to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, France.

February 11, 1929

Italy and the Vatican City sign the Lateran Treaty, recognizing Vatican City as an independent state.

February 11, 1938

BBC Television produces the world’s first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play “R.U.R.”, that coined the term “robot”.

February 11, 1943

General Dwight D. Eisenhower is selected to command the Allied armies in Europe during World War II.

February 11, 1953

The Soviet Union breaks off diplomatic relations with Israel after an explosion at the Soviet embassy in Tel Aviv.

February 11, 1978

China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and other writers, ending the Cultural Revolution’s ban on such literature.

February 11, 1990

Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa.

February 11, 2006

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shoots Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, while hunting quail on a ranch in Texas.

February 11, 2011

Hosni Mubarak resigns as president of Egypt after 18 days of mass demonstrations during the Arab Spring.

February 11, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation, becoming the first pope to do so since Gregory XII in 1415.

February 11, 2016

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes Taiwan, killing at least 117 people and injuring more than 550 others.

February 11, 2018

Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa after numerous allegations of corruption and pressure from his own party.

February 11, 2019

Pope Francis hosts a summit at the Vatican on clerical sexual abuse, calling for “concrete and effective measures” to address the issue.

February 11, 2020

The World Health Organization names the disease caused by the novel coronavirus “COVID-19”.

February 11, 2021

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance successfully lands on Mars, beginning its mission to search for signs of past life and collect samples for possible return to Earth.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on February 11. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.