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2011: Facts & Events That Happened in This Year

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2011: Facts & Historical Events That Happened in This Year

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2011 was full of world-changing events! The series of anti-government protests in the Middle East and North Africa, commonly known as the Arab Spring, affected the area and the whole world greatly.

Many natural disasters occurred in 2011, including tornadoes in the US, droughts in East Africa, and the earthquake in Japan, which resulted in critical damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility – which then leaked radiation into the air and water.

2011 was also the year when Rebecca Black’s Friday made us wish we didn’t have ears anymore. Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder also passed away, and Prince William and Kate Middleton finally tied the knot and got married.

Oh, and after years of beta testing, 2011 was the year Minecraft was fully released to the public.

2011 was also the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century. While people commonly think of decades as the ’00s and 2010s, the decade actually runs from 1-10, not 0-9.

Continue reading to delve into the events, news, music, quotes, and famous people’s deaths that shaped the year 2011.

Events

Here you can explore the incredible moments that shaped 2011, a year filled with unforgettable events!

Jan 1

Estonia joined the Eurozone and adopted the Euro as its currency.

For many people in Estonia, the adoption of the Euro was the final proof that they had finally separated as a nation from the Soviet Union.

Jan 25

The 2011 Egyptian revolution began after years of police brutality and corruption.

The revolution, which saw countless violent clashes between protestors and President Hosni Mubarak’s government, took place over 17 days. Ultimately, the President stepped down, and the military took over until elections could be held.

Jan 28

The Egyptian government shut down 88% of the internet across the country.

The government decided this would be the best course of action to help control the large protests that were happening.

Feb 3

5 Seconds of Summer member Luke Hemmings posted his first YouTube video.

The video was a cover of Mike Posner’s song, “Please Don’t Go.”

Mar 9

Space Shuttle Discovery completed its last-ever mission and made its final landing onto Kennedy’s runway at 11:57 am EST.

NASA’s Discovery is now on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Mar 11

15,899 lives were lost after a severe 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan.

The earthquake shook the island, causing a tsunami and the second-worst nuclear accident in history at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Total damage was equivalent to $260 billion.

Apr 3

The Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer formed.

Apr 17

Game of Thrones premiered on HBO.

Apr 18

After hyping the game up for years, Valve finally released Portal 2 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

The final part of Portal 2’s hype campaign allowed would-be players to unlock the game early by playing a specific set of thirteen indie games sold in a bundle on Steam on April Fool’s Day. Players worldwide came together for the cause, with their efforts leading to Portal 2 releasing ten hours ahead of schedule.

Apr 29

Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot.

The couple had been in a relationship for many years. One thousand nine hundred people attended the ceremony, 1 million lined London’s streets, and 2 billion watched on worldwide TV.

May 2

The FBI’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, was killed by the US Navy Seals and CIA operatives in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

US President Barack Obama ordered the covert operation.

May 16

NASA launched the Endeavour Space Shuttle on the penultimate space shuttle mission.

Mission STS-134’s primary objectives were to ferry several new modules to the International Space Station and install them. One of the key modules was the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2, which investigated the origins of dark matter. The mission also carried 13 Lego kits to the ISS so the astronauts could see how the models acted in microgravity.

May 25

Oprah Winfrey aired her last show.

After 25 years and 4,561 episodes, The Oprah Winfrey Show ended. It remains one of the highest-rated daytime talk shows in American TV history.

Jun 1

NASA’s Endeavour Space Shuttle landed for its 25th and final time.

Mission STS-134 was meant to be the final Space Shuttle Mission, but another mission was later added at the last minute and flown by the Atlantis Space Shuttle. During the Endeavour’s lifetime, it spent 299 days in space, flying a total of 122,883,151 miles (197,761,262 km).

Jul 5

“Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra was released.

OTD in 2011: "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra was released.

The song was originally released in Australia & New Zealand and wasn’t officially released in the US until January 2012. The single went on to win the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and reached the top 10 in more than 30 countries worldwide.

Jul 10

The British newspaper, News of the World, published its last-ever edition following a phone-hacking scandal.

After 168 years in print, the newspaper came to an end after the owner Rupert Murdoch received a high amount of criticism after his staff was accused of phone hacking and police bribing to obtain the newspapers’ stories.

Jul 19

Marvel’s superhero movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” hit the theaters.

Jul 21

NASA’s space shuttle program finally came to a close when mission STS-135 landed.

OTD in 2011: NASA's space shuttle program finally came to a close when mission STS-135 landed.

The Atlantis orbiter was used for the final mission, and with just four astronauts aboard, it had the smallest crew since 1983. The fourteen-day mission took up several new modules and spare parts to the International Space Station and was Atlantis’ 33rd mission. STS-135, the 135th space shuttle mission, was a complete success, with hundreds of people flocking to the Kennedy Space Center to witness the end of an era.

Aug 4

Officers closed a highway in Alberta, Canada, after a truck carrying 104 beehives overturned.

Sep 16

The movie “Drive,” based on James Sallis’s novel, was released in the US.

OTD in 2011: The movie "Drive

Drive premiered at the Cannes film festival on May 20 and received a standing ovation. The American action drama grossed $78.1–81.4 million worldwide at the box office.

Sep 20

The US military policy “don’t ask, don’t tell” came to an end.

OTD in 2011: The US military policy "don't ask

This meant that the military allowed gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals to be open about their sexuality without facing discrimination. Before this, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowed people of any sexuality, as long as they didn’t talk about it.

Oct 4

Dark Souls, the second Souls game after Demon’s Souls, was released for PS3 and Xbox 360 in North America.

It wasn’t quite a sequel to Demon’s Souls, but it’s close enough for them to be considered within the same series. Dark Souls was an incredibly well-received game with just one catch: players thought it was way too difficult!

Oct 15

The world’s largest Legoland theme park opened in Winter Haven, Florida.

Oct 20

NTC forces killed Muammar Gaddafi and his son after the Battle of Sirte.

Oct 31

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) stated that the world’s population had reached seven billion.

This became known as the Day of Seven Billion.

Nov 8

Asteroid 2005 YU55 came dangerously close to hitting the Earth.

It whizzed past at a distance of about 201,700 miles (324,600 km), closer than the moon’s orbit. It was the closest a space object has come to us since 1976.

Nov 18

After two and a half years of Alpha and Beta development, the full version of Minecraft was released.

Markus “Notch” Persson came up with the idea for Minecraft during his “off-hours” from work, and after a weekend of programming, he released the first Alpha for private testing on May 16, 2009. After working tirelessly for five years, Persson was rewarded rather well when he sold his shares of Minecraft to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014.

Dec 15

Former French President Jacques Chirac was convicted of diverting public funds and received a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Dec 31

NASA successfully put two satellites designed to study the Moon’s interior structure into the Moon’s orbit.

The purpose of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was also to better map the surface of the Moon and its gravitational field. The two satellites’ mission was a complete success, but due to fuel constraints, they were ultimately crashed into the surface of the Moon almost a year later, on December 17, 2012.

Famous Deaths

Here’s a glimpse at a few famous people who bid us farewell in 2011.

1955

2011

Steve Jobs

American

Inventor

Steve Jobs

1955

2011

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was an American inventor born on February 24, 1955. He died on October 5, 2011, at age 56 in Palo Alto, California, USA.

Died On:

Oct 5, 2011 (Age 56)

Died In:

California, USA

1983

2011

Amy Winehouse

English

Singer

Amy Winehouse

1983

2011

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse was an English singer born on September 14, 1983. She died on July 23, 2011, at age 27 in London, England, UK.

Died On:

Jul 23, 2011 (Age 27)

Died In:

England, UK

1932

2011

Elizabeth Taylor

British-American

Actress

Elizabeth Taylor

1932

2011

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was a British-American actress born on February 27, 1932. She died on March 23, 2011, at age 79 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Died On:

Mar 23, 2011 (Age 79)

Died In:

California, USA

1941

2011

Kim Jong-il

North Korean

Politician

Kim Jong-il

1941

2011

Kim Jong-il

Kim Jong-il was a North Korean politician born on February 16, 1941. He died on December 17, 2011, at age 70 in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Died On:

Dec 17, 2011 (Age 70)

Died In:

Pyongyang, North Korea

Quotes

Here’s a roundup of the most memorable quotes people said in 2011.

Jun 29

Nobody deserves your tears, but whoever deserves them will not make you cry.

Gabriel García Márquez

Gabriel García Márquez

Colombian Novelist

Sep 26

I think you can have 10,000 explanations for failure, but no good explanation for success.

Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho

Brazilian Lyricist

2011 In Music

2011 gifted us with a musical extravaganza that had us dancing and singing at the top of our lungs!

From the infectious rhythm of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele to the catchy pop vibe of “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock, these songs had us dancing like nobody’s watching and created memories that will last a lifetime.

These music highlights from 2011 are worth adding to your playlist.

Album of the Year

Arcade Fire’s alternative masterpiece “The Suburbs” took listeners on a sonic journey in 2011, winning them the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and solidifying their place in alternative rock.

Song of the Year

Lady Antebellum’s heartfelt ballad “Need You Now” struck a chord with listeners in 2011, earning them the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

Best New Artist

Esperanza Spalding’s virtuosic bass playing and jazz-infused sound won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2011, showcasing her as a boundary-pushing musician.

Eurovision Song Contest Winner

The 56th Eurovision Song Contest unfolded in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2011, providing a stage for talented artists from around Europe.

Ell & Nikki, a duo from Azerbaijan, captured the audience’s imagination with their duet “Running Scared,” showcasing their harmonious vocals and earning their country its first Eurovision victory.

2011 in Numbers

Are you ready for some fascinating number trivia? The Roman numeral form of 2011 is MMXI, and in binary, it’s 11111011011.

2011 is an extra special year too, as it’s a prime number! That means it can only be divided evenly by 1 and itself.

Chinese Zodiac 2011

Chinese Zodiac 2011: Year of the Gold Rabbit

According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2011 was the Year of the Rabbit, which occurs every twelve years.

However, it’s fascinating to note that each zodiac animal is also connected to one of the five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold (Metal), and Water. So this makes 2011 the Year of the Gold Rabbit, a cycle which happens once every sixty years.

Because the Chinese calendar works from the lunar cycle, in 2011 Chinese New Year actually began on February 3rd.

Those born in the Year of the Rabbit tend to be gentle, skilful, and patient, yet a bit stubborn. They are often compassionate, considerate, and have a keen sense of aesthetics.

Famous people born in Years of the Rabbit include Rob Kardashian, Brendon Urie and Brooklyn McKnight!

2011 Trivia

Did you know that our planet reached a population of 7 billion people in 2011?

The seven billionth baby was born on October 31st. However, there’s no way of knowing the exact identity of this significant individual.

Nonetheless, in certain countries like India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, symbolic babies were chosen to represent this remarkable milestone.

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