In History, Today on March 11

The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay began its 121-day journey through Japan, leading up to the opening ceremony of the Olympics, which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic as the virus spread rapidly across the world, leading to widespread health, economic, and social impacts.

A massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, leading to widespread devastation and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The earthquake had a magnitude of 9.0, making it one of the most powerful ever recorded.

Michelle Bachelet is inaugurated as the first female President of Chile, marking a significant milestone in the nation's political history.

A series of coordinated bombings occurred on the commuter train system in Madrid, Spain, killing 193 people and injuring around 2,000. The attacks were carried out by an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell.

Paul McCartney is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for his services to music.

Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union, becoming the first Soviet republic to do so.

At the 23rd National Conference of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, party chairman Gustav Husak warns against reform or liberalization efforts, reinforcing the hardline policies that defined the Czechoslovak normalization era.

The Rings of Saturn are discovered by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, significantly adding to our understanding of the planet's complex ring system.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing the U.S. to supply Allied nations with aid and military material during World War II.

The first confirmed cases of the Spanish flu were reported at Fort Riley, Kansas, marking the beginning of the 1918 influenza pandemic.

The Great Blizzard of 1888 began along the eastern United States, eventually becoming one of the most severe recorded blizzards in U.S. history.

The Constitution of the Confederate States of America was adopted.

The first performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera 'Rigoletto' took place in Venice.

The first performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Giuseppe Verdi: La Battaglia di Legnano" took place at Teatro Argentina in Rome.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs was established within the United States Department of War.

Mary Shelley's novel 'Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus' was published anonymously in London.

Benjamin Banneker and Pierre Charles L'Enfant begin to lay out plans for Washington D.C.

Queen Anne withheld Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoed legislation.

The first English-language newspaper, The Daily Courant, was published in London.

The Fronde, a series of civil wars in France, saw the signing of the Peace of Rueil, which temporarily ended the conflict between the French crown and the Frondeurs.

The Treaty of London was signed, ending the Bishops' Wars between England and Scotland. This treaty was part of the larger conflict that led to the English Civil War.

William H. Baines returns to England from the Mughal Empire's court of Akbar.

Giovanni de' Medici is elected Pope Leo X.

The Battle of Castagnaro was fought in Italy, marking a significant victory for the English mercenary leader John Hawkwood and his forces from the city of Padua against the army of Verona, led by Giovanni Ordelaffi.

Emperor Elagabalus is assassinated by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. His cousin, Severus Alexander, is proclaimed emperor.