What happened in 2011

220 entries recorded for 2011, listed by date. That was 15 years ago.

2011 at a glance

Years ago
15 (as of 2026)
Century
21st century
Decade
2010s
Generation born
Generation Z
Entries here
220
Breakdown
137 historical events · 80 deaths · 3 births

January

  • January 1

    Estonia

    Historical event

    Estonia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the 17th Eurozone country.

  • January 1

    2011 Alexandria bombing

    Historical event

    A suicide bombing took place outside a Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Egypt, following a New Year service, killing 23 people.

  • January 4

    Gerry Rafferty

    Death

    Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1947)

  • January 4

    Coen Moulijn

    Death

    Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (born 1937)

  • January 8

    Jared Lee Loughner

    Historical event

    Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a public meeting held by U.S. representative Gabby Giffords in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people and injuring twelve others.

  • January 8

    Gabby Giffords

    Historical event

    Sitting US Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is shot in the head along with 18 others in a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona. Giffords survived the assassination attempt, but six others died, including John Roll, a federal judge.

  • January 9

    Iran Air Flight 277

    Historical event

    In poor weather conditions, Iran Air Flight 277 (aircraft pictured) crashed near Urmia Airport, Iran, killing 78 of the 105 people on board.

  • January 14

    Arab Spring

    Historical event

    Arab Spring: Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country after several violent protests.

  • January 16

    Syrian civil war

    Historical event

    Syrian civil war: The Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) is established with the stated goal of re-organizing Syria along the lines of democratic confederalism.

  • January 21

    2011 Albanian opposition demonstrations

    Historical event

    Demonstrations against alleged corruption in the Albanian government led to the killings of four protesters in Tirana by the Republican Guard.

  • January 24

    Domodedovo International Airport bombing

    Historical event

    At least 35 are killed and 180 injured in a bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.

  • January 24

    Bernd Eichinger

    Death

    Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (born 1949)

  • January 25

    Arab Spring

    Historical event

    Arab Spring: The Egyptian revolution began with protests on the "Day of Anger", eventually leading to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak after nearly 30 years of rule.

  • January 25

    Timeline of the Egyptian revolution of 2011

    Historical event

    The first wave of the Egyptian revolution begins throughout the country, marked by street demonstrations, rallies, acts of civil disobedience, riots, labour strikes, and violent clashes.

  • January 27

    H1504+65

    Historical event

    Astronomers documented H1504+65, a white dwarf in Ursa Minor (chart pictured) with the hottest surface temperature known at the time, at 200,000 kelvins (360,000 °F).

  • January 27

    Arab Spring

    Historical event

    Arab Spring: The Yemeni Revolution began as more than 16,000 protesters demonstrated in Sanaa to demand governmental changes.

  • January 27

    Ursa Minor

    Historical event

    Within Ursa Minor, H1504+65, a white dwarf with the hottest known surface temperature in the universe at 200,000 K, was documented.

  • January 31

    Bartolomeu Anania

    Death

    Bartolomeu Anania, Romanian bishop and poet (born 1921)

February

  • February 5

    Brian Jacques

    Death

    Brian Jacques, English author and radio host (born 1939)

  • February 10

    Trevor Bailey

    Death

    Trevor Bailey, English cricketer and journalist (born 1923)

  • February 11

    Arab Spring

    Historical event

    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.

  • February 13

    Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

    Historical event

    For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.

  • February 14

    Arab Spring

    Historical event

    Arab Spring: On the Day of Rage, Bahraini youths began an uprising against the government in 55 marches across 25 locations.

  • February 17

    Bahrain

    Historical event

    Arab Spring: In Bahrain, security forces launch a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in Pearl Roundabout in Manama; the day is locally known as Bloody Thursday.

  • February 17

    Arab Spring

    Historical event

    Arab Spring: Bahraini security forces killed four protesters in a pre-dawn raid at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, while the "Day of Rage" took place in Libya with nationwide protests against Muammar Gaddafi's government.

  • February 19

    Belitung shipwreck

    Historical event

    Items from the Belitung shipwreck, the largest single collection of Tang-dynasty artefacts found in one location, were first exhibited in Singapore.

  • February 21

    Dwayne McDuffie

    Death

    Dwayne McDuffie, American author and screenwriter, co-founded Milestone Media (born 1962)

  • February 22

    2011 Christchurch earthquake

    Historical event

    An earthquake registering 6.3 ML struck Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 185 people and causing around NZ$40 billion in damage.

  • February 22

    2011 Bahraini uprising

    Historical event

    Bahraini uprising: Tens of thousands of people marched in protest in Manama against the deaths of seven people killed by police and army forces during previous protests.

  • February 24

    Space Shuttle Discovery

    Historical event

    Space Shuttle Discovery launches on its final mission, STS-133.

  • February 26

    Arnošt Lustig

    Death

    Arnošt Lustig, Czech author, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1926)

  • February 27

    Frank Buckles

    Death

    Frank Buckles, American soldier (born 1901)

  • February 28

    Annie Girardot

    Death

    Annie Girardot, French actress (born 1931)

March

April

May

  • May 1

    Beatification of Pope John Paul II

    Historical event

    Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

  • May 1

    Ted Lowe

    Death

    Ted Lowe, English sportscaster (born 1920)

  • May 1

    Henry Cooper

    Death

    Henry Cooper, English boxer (born 1934)

  • May 2

    Conservative Party of Canada

    Historical event

    The Conservative Party of Canada won enough seats in the federal election to establish their first majority government.

  • May 2

    Osama bin Laden

    Historical event

    Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted fugitive, is killed by the United States Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

  • May 2

    2011 Germany E. coli O104:H4 outbreak

    Historical event

    An E. coli outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others are taken ill.

  • May 2

    Killing of Osama bin Laden

    Historical event

    Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six in his private residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

  • May 5

    Yosef Merimovich

    Death

    Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (born 1924)

  • May 5

    Dana Wynter

    Death

    Dana Wynter, British actress (born 1931)

  • May 5

    Claude Choules

    Death

    Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (born 1901)

  • May 7

    Seve Ballesteros

    Death

    Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer (born 1957)

  • May 7

    Big George

    Death

    Big George, English songwriter, producer, and radio host (born 1957)

  • May 7

    Willard Boyle

    Death

    Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1924)

  • May 7

    Victor Nosach

    Death

    Victor Nosach, Soviet historian (born 1929)

  • May 11

    Istanbul Convention

    Historical event

    The Istanbul Convention is signed in Istanbul, Turkey.

  • May 11

    2011 Lorca earthquake

    Historical event

    An earthquake registering Mw 5.1, the worst to hit the region for more than 50 years, struck near Lorca, Spain.

  • May 11

    Robert Traylor

    Death

    Robert Traylor, American basketball player (born 1977)

  • May 13

    2011 Charsadda bombing

    Historical event

    Two bomb explosions in Charsadda District, Pakistan, killed 98 people and wounded 140 others.

  • May 16

    STS-134

    Historical event

    STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.

  • May 17

    Harmon Killebrew

    Death

    Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1936)

  • May 20

    Mamata Banerjee

    Historical event

    Mamata Banerjee is sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the first woman to hold this post.

  • May 21

    Harold Camping

    Historical event

    Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date.

  • May 22

    Joplin tornado

    Historical event

    An EF5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and wreaking $2.8 billion in damages, the costliest and seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.

  • May 22

    Joseph Brooks (songwriter)

    Death

    Joseph Brooks, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (born 1938)

  • May 23

    Xavier Tondo

    Death

    Xavier Tondo, Spanish cyclist (born 1978)

  • May 25

    The Oprah Winfrey Show

    Historical event

    The final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated daytime talk show in U.S. television history, hosted by Oprah Winfrey (pictured), was broadcast.

  • May 25

    Oprah Winfrey

    Historical event

    Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending her 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

  • May 28

    Malta

    Historical event

    Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year.

  • May 29

    Portland, Oregon

    Historical event

    Residents of Portland, Oregon, held a rally called Hands Across Hawthorne in response to an attack against a gay couple holding hands while crossing the Hawthorne Bridge.

June

July

  • July 5

    Cy Twombly

    Death

    Cy Twombly, American-Italian painter, sculptor, and photographer (born 1928)

  • July 6

    Carly Hibberd

    Death

    Carly Hibberd, Australian road racing cyclist (born 1985)

  • July 7

    2011 Grand Rapids shootings

    Historical event

    A man goes on a killing spree in Grand Rapids, Michigan, killing seven and wounding two before killing himself.

  • July 8

    Space Shuttle Atlantis

    Historical event

    Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.

  • July 9

    Bersih 2.0 rally

    Historical event

    A rally takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to call for fairer elections in the country.

  • July 9

    South Sudan

    Historical event

    South Sudan gains independence and secedes from Sudan.

  • July 10

    Tabloid journalism

    Historical event

    The last edition of the British tabloid News of the World was published, closing due to allegations that it hacked the voicemails of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, victims of the 7/7 attacks and relatives of deceased British soldiers.

  • July 10

    News International phone hacking scandal

    Historical event

    Amid widespread backlash to revelations of phone hacking, the British weekly tabloid newspaper News of the World publishes its final issue and shuts down after nearly 168 years in print.

  • July 10

    Bulgaria (1955 ship)

    Historical event

    The Russian river cruise liner Bulgaria was caught in a storm in Tatarstan on the Volga and sank in several minutes, resulting in 122 deaths.

  • July 11

    Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion

    Historical event

    An explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base killed 13 people, including the head of the Cyprus Navy.

  • July 13

    Mumbai

    Historical event

    Mumbai is rocked by three bomb blasts during the evening rush hour, killing 26 and injuring 130.

  • July 13

    Noar Linhas Aéreas Flight 4896

    Historical event

    Noar Linhas Aéreas Flight 4896 crashes in Boa Viagem, Recife, killing all 16 people on board.

  • July 13

    United Nations Security Council Resolution 1999

    Historical event

    United Nations Security Council Resolution 1999 is adopted, which admits South Sudan to member status of United Nations.

  • July 19

    Guinea

    Historical event

    Guinean President Alpha Condé survives an attempted assassination and coup d'état at his residence in Conakry.

  • July 21

    NASA

    Historical event

    NASA's Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

  • July 22

    2011 Norway attacks

    Historical event

    Norway attacks: A bomb explodes, targeted at government buildings in central Oslo, followed by a massacre at a youth camp on the island of Utøya.

  • July 23

    High-speed rail

    Historical event

    A high-speed train rear-ends another on a viaduct on the Yongtaiwen railway line in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, resulting in 40 deaths.

  • July 26

    Royal Moroccan Air Force

    Historical event

    A Royal Moroccan Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules crashes near Guelmim Airport in Guelmim, Morocco. All 80 people on board are killed.

  • July 28

    Seoul

    Historical event

    While flying from Seoul, South Korea to Shanghai, China, Asiana Airlines Flight 991 develops an in-flight fire in the cargo hold. The Boeing 747-400F freighter attempts to divert to Jeju International Airport, but crashes into the sea South-West of Jeju island, killing both crew

  • July 30

    Zara Tindall

    Historical event

    Marriage of Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips to former rugby union footballer Mike Tindall.

August

  • August 5

    Juno (spacecraft)

    Historical event

    NASA launched the Juno probe to Jupiter as part of the New Frontiers program.

  • August 6

    2011 England riots

    Historical event

    A series of riots broke out in several London boroughs and in cities and towns across England in response to the shooting of Mark Duggan by Metropolitan Police officers.

  • August 6

    War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

    Historical event

    War in Afghanistan: A United States military helicopter is shot down, killing 30 American special forces members and a working dog, seven Afghan soldiers, and one Afghan civilian. It was the deadliest single event for the United States in the War in Afghanistan.

  • August 15

    Rick Rypien

    Death

    Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1984)

  • August 18

    2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks

    Historical event

    A terrorist attack on Israel's Highway 12 near the Egyptian border kills 16 and injures 40.

  • August 19

    Raúl Ruiz (director)

    Death

    Raúl Ruiz, Chilean director and producer (born 1941)

  • August 20

    First Air Flight 6560

    Historical event

    First Air Flight 6560 crashes 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Resolute Bay runway, killing 12 of the 15 aboard.

  • August 23

    Moment magnitude scale

    Historical event

    A 5.8 MW earthquake struck the Piedmont region of Virginia, and was felt by more people than any other quake in U.S. history.

  • August 23

    Muammar Gaddafi

    Historical event

    Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is overthrown after the National Transitional Council forces take control of Bab al-Azizia compound during the Libyan Civil War.

  • August 23

    2011 Virginia earthquake

    Historical event

    A magnitude 5.8 (class: moderate) earthquake occurs in Virginia. Damage occurs to monuments and structures in Washington, D.C. and the resulted damage is estimated at 200 million–300 million USD.

  • August 24

    Seyhan Erözçelik

    Death

    Seyhan Erözçelik, Turkish poet and author (born 1962)

  • August 25

    Mexican drug war

    Historical event

    Mexican drug war: Fifty-two people were killed in an arson attack at a casino in Monterrey, Mexico.

  • August 25

    2011 Monterrey casino attack

    Historical event

    Fifty-two people are killed during an arson attack caused by members of the drug cartel Los Zetas.

  • August 26

    Boeing 787 Dreamliner

    Historical event

    The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's all-new composite airliner, receives certification from the EASA and the FAA.

  • August 27

    Hurricane Irene

    Historical event

    Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.

  • August 29

    David "Honeyboy" Edwards

    Death

    Honeyboy Edwards, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1915)

September

October

  • October 5

    Mekong River massacre

    Historical event

    Two Chinese cargo ships were attacked and their crews murdered on a stretch of the Mekong River in far northern Thailand.

  • October 5

    Derrick Bell

    Death

    Derrick Bell, American academic and scholar (born 1930)

  • October 13

    King of Bhutan

    Historical event

    The Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (pictured) married Jetsun Pema at the Punakha Dzong.

  • October 14

    Michael Christopher Woodford

    Historical event

    Michael Woodford was dismissed as the CEO of the optics manufacturer Olympus after uncovering internal financial misconduct, escalating the corporate scandal into one of the largest in Japanese business history.

  • October 15

    15 October 2011 global protests

    Historical event

    Global demonstrations against economic inequality, corporate influence on government, and other issues, were held in more than 950 cities in 82 countries.

  • October 15

    Betty Driver

    Death

    Betty Driver, English actress, singer, and author (born 1920)

  • October 20

    Libyan civil war (2011)

    Historical event

    First Libyan Civil War: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, was captured by rebel forces during the Battle of Sirte, and was killed shortly thereafter.

  • October 20

    Libyan crisis

    Historical event

    Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war.

  • October 21

    Iraq War

    Historical event

    Iraq War: President Barack Obama announces that the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq will be complete by the end of the year.

  • October 23

    National Transitional Council

    Historical event

    The Libyan National Transitional Council deems the Libyan Civil War over.

  • October 23

    2011 Van earthquakes

    Historical event

    A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Van Province, Turkey, killing 582 people and injuring thousands.

  • October 23

    2011 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix

    Historical event

    During the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, Marco Simoncelli (pictured) collided with two other riders, resulting in his death due to serious trauma to the head, neck, and chest.

  • October 27

    Michael D. Higgins

    Historical event

    Michael D. Higgins (pictured) was elected President of Ireland with far more votes than any politician in the country's history.

  • October 28

    Tom Addington

    Death

    Tom Addington, English soldier (born 1919)

  • October 31

    World population

    Historical event

    The global population of humans reaches seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as the Day of Seven Billion.

  • October 31

    Flórián Albert

    Death

    Flórián Albert, Hungarian footballer and manager (born 1941)

November

  • November 1

    Mario Draghi

    Historical event

    Mario Draghi succeeds Jean-Claude Trichet and becomes the third president of the European Central Bank.

  • November 3

    Peeter Kreitzberg

    Death

    Peeter Kreitzberg, Estonian lawyer and politician (born 1948)

  • November 8

    Potentially hazardous object

    Historical event

    The potentially hazardous asteroid 2005 YU55 passes 0.85 lunar distances from Earth (about 324,600 kilometres or 201,700 miles), the closest known approach by an asteroid of its brightness since 2010 XC15 in 1976.

  • November 9

    Emergency Alert System

    Historical event

    The first national test of the Emergency Alert System is activated in the United States at 2:00 p.m. EST.

  • November 11

    2011 in Mexico

    Historical event

    A helicopter crash just outside Mexico City kills seven, including Francisco Blake Mora the Secretary of the Interior of Mexico.

  • November 12

    Silvio Berlusconi

    Historical event

    Silvio Berlusconi tenders his resignation as Prime Minister of Italy, effective November 16, due in large part to the Euro area crisis.

  • November 12

    Bid Kaneh explosion

    Historical event

    An explosion in the Shahid Modarres missile base led to the deaths of 17 members of the Revolutionary Guards, including Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a key figure in Iran's missile program.

  • November 14

    Esin Afşar

    Death

    Esin Afşar, Italian-Turkish singer and actress (born 1936)

  • November 18

    Minecraft

    Historical event

    The sandbox video game Minecraft exited beta with the official release of version 1.0.

  • November 22

    Lynn Margulis

    Death

    Lynn Margulis, American biologist and academic (born 1938)

  • November 22

    Sena Jurinac

    Death

    Sena Jurinac, Bosnian-Austrian soprano (born 1921)

  • November 22

    Paul Motian

    Death

    Paul Motian, American drummer and composer (born 1931)

  • November 22

    Svetlana Alliluyeva

    Death

    Svetlana Alliluyeva, Russian-American author (born 1926)

  • November 23

    Arab Spring

    Historical event

    Arab Spring: After months of protests in Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to transfer power to Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

  • November 26

    Friendly fire

    Historical event

    In a friendly-fire incident, a skirmish occurred between U.S.-led NATO forces and Pakistani security forces at two military checkposts along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border.

  • November 26

    2011 NATO attack in Pakistan

    Historical event

    NATO attack in Pakistan: NATO forces in Afghanistan attack a Pakistani check post in a friendly fire incident, killing 24 soldiers and wounding 13 others.

  • November 26

    NASA

    Historical event

    NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory mission from Cape Canaveral, carrying the Curiosity rover on board.

  • November 26

    Mars Science Laboratory

    Historical event

    The Mars Science Laboratory launches to Mars with the Curiosity Rover.

  • November 26

    Manon Cleary

    Death

    Manon Cleary, American painter and academic (born 1942)

December

Questions about 2011

What happened in 2011?

This site records 220 entries for 2011, including Estonia on January 1. They are listed below by date.

How long ago was 2011?

15 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 2011 turns 15 this year.

Which century is 2011 in?

2011 falls in the 21st century, in the 2010s.

Which generation was born in 2011?

Generation Z (1997–2012). First generation raised with smartphones and social media.

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