In History, Today on February 11

The United Arab Emirates' Hope Probe successfully entered Mars' orbit, marking the Arab world's first interplanetary mission.

The World Health Organization officially named the novel coronavirus disease as COVID-19.

An Iranian passenger plane crashes in the Zagros Mountains, killing all 66 people on board.

Scientists announced the first direct detection of gravitational waves, confirming a major prediction of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, becoming the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned after 18 days of mass protests, ending his 30-year rule.

Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to have served in the United States Congress, passed away.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, while participating in a quail hunt at a ranch in Texas.

Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was discovered.

Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison after 27 years of imprisonment, marking a pivotal moment in the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa.

The Iranian Revolution culminated with the victory of revolutionary forces and the overthrow of the Shah's regime.

China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens, signaling a cultural shift and opening up to Western literature.

Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman to lead the British Conservative Party.

Japan launches its first satellite, Ohsumi, becoming the fourth nation to send a satellite into orbit.

Julia Child's television show 'The French Chef' premiered, bringing French cuisine into American homes.

The Yalta Conference, attended by Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, concludes after a week of discussions on the post-war reorganization and boundaries of Europe.

The Lateran Treaty is signed, establishing Vatican City as an independent sovereign state and resolving the 'Roman Question' between the Holy See and Italy.

Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control.

The lowest recorded temperature in Norway's history, −51.4 °C, was recorded in Karasjok, Finnmark County.

King Amadeo I of Spain abdicated the Spanish throne, leading to the proclamation of the First Spanish Republic.

American Civil War: The United States House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution guaranteeing non-interference with slavery in any state.

The first apparition of the Virgin Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous occurs at Lourdes, France, leading to the establishment of Lourdes as a major site of pilgrimage.

American inventor Thomas Edison is born. He would become one of the most prolific inventors in history.

University College London is founded under the name 'University of London' as a secular alternative to the religious universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signs a redistricting bill that leads to the term 'gerrymandering.'

Robert Fulton patents the steamboat.

Anthracite coal is first burned as fuel, by Jesse Fell, in an experiment in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, demonstrating its potential as a heating source.

The Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, petitions the U.S. Congress for the abolition of slavery, marking one of the earliest organized efforts to end slavery in the United States.

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

René Descartes, the influential French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, known for his statement 'Cogito, ergo sum' (I think, therefore I am), died in Stockholm.

Henry VIII is recognized as the Supreme Head of the Church of England following the enactment of the Act of Supremacy.

The St. Scholastica Day riot occurred in Oxford, England, which erupted due to a dispute between two local townspeople and students from the University of Oxford escalating into a large-scale conflict, contributing to long-standing tensions between town and gown.

In Scotland, King Robert I, known as Robert the Bruce, intensified his efforts to gain control of the Scottish throne. After lengthy conflicts following the death of Alexander III and the interregnum period that saw Scotland without a clear leader, Bruce took significant steps towards solidifying his claim.

Pope Paschal II agreed to the Concordat of Sutri with Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, temporarily resolving the Investiture Controversy, a conflict over the ability to appoint church officials.

Pope Paschal I, who served as the head of the Catholic Church from 817 to 824, passed away.

Traditional date for the founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu, according to the Nihon Shoki, a classical Japanese history text.