On This Day: 11 February

11 February in Indian history

• 1856The Kingdom of Awadh is annexed by the British East India Company and Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh, is deposed.India

11 February in world history

• 2020COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization officially names the coronavirus outbreak as COVID-19, with the virus being designated SARS-CoV-2.
• 2018Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashed shortly after take-off in Russia due to icing conditions, killing all 71 people on board.
• 2011Arab Spring: The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 17 days of protests.
• 2008Rebel East Timorese soldiers invaded the homes of President José Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, seriously wounding the former.
• 2001The computer worm Anna Kournikova, which would affect millions of users worldwide, was released by a 20-year-old Dutch student.
• 1997The far-right extremist Hungarian National Front introduces the day of honor, a neo-nazi and neo-fascist annual gathering in Budapest
• 1997Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
• 1990Anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, having been a political prisoner for 27 years, was released from Victor Verster Prison near Paarl, South Africa.
• 1963The Beatles record their first album, Please Please Me.
• 1953Cold War: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower denies all appeals for clemency for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
• 1938The BBC aired an adaptation of a section of Czech writer Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. in the first broadcast of science fiction on television.
• 1861American Civil War: The United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.
• 1851As part of celebrations marking the separation of Victoria from New South Wales, the inaugural first-class cricket match in Australia began at the Launceston Racecourse in Tasmania.
• 1840Gaetano Donizetti's opera La fille du régiment receives its first performance in Paris, France.
• 1823Around 110 boys were killed in a human crush at the Convent of the Minori Osservanti in Valletta on the last day of the Maltese Carnival.
• 1808Jesse Fell burns anthracite on an open grate as an experiment in heating homes with coal.
• 1584Spanish explorer Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa founded the town of Nombre de Jesús, the first of two short-lived colonies at the Strait of Magellan.

Born on 11 February

• 1957Tina Ambani, Indian actress and chairpersonIndia
• 1888John Warren Davis, American educator, college administrator, and civil rights leader (died 1980)
• 1839Josiah Willard Gibbs, American physicist (died 1903)
• 1833Melville Fuller, American lawyer and jurist, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (died 1910)
• 1800Henry Fox Talbot, English photographer and politician, invented the calotype (died 1877)
• 1624Ivan Ančić, Croatian Franciscan and religious writer (died 1685)

Died on 11 February

• 1994Neil Bonnett, American race car driver (born 1946)
• 1982Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (born 1912)
• 1977Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (born 1905)India
• 1942Jamnalal Bajaj, Indian businessman and philanthropist (born 1884)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 11 February in history?

2020: COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization officially names the coronavirus outbreak as COVID-19, with the virus being designated SARS-CoV-2. 2018: Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashed shortly after take-off in Russia due to icing conditions, killing all 71 people on board. 2011: Arab Spring: The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 17 days of protests. 2008: Rebel East Timorese soldiers invaded the homes of President José Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, seriously wounding the former.

What happened on 11 February in Indian history?

1856: The Kingdom of Awadh is annexed by the British East India Company and Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh, is deposed.

Which famous people were born on 11 February?

Tina Ambani, Indian actress and chairperson (1957); John Warren Davis, American educator, college administrator, and civil rights leader (died 1980) (1888); Josiah Willard Gibbs, American physicist (died 1903) (1839); Melville Fuller, American lawyer and jurist, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (died 1910) (1833).

Which day is observed on 11 February?

European 112 Day (European Union); Armed Forces Day (Liberia); Evelio Javier Day (Panay Island, the Philippines); Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes (Catholic Church), and its related observance World Day of the Sick (Roman Catholic Church); Inventors' Day (United States).