In History, Today on February 11

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

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.

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

Robert Fulton patents the steamboat.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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