What Happened in 2011?

2011 was a major year for political change – it saw the official end of the Iraq War, and protests against regimes in Egypt and Libya saw monumental shifts in societal balance.

There’s lots to remember about 2011 – and whether or not you were there, here are some important things you should know about the tumultuous 12 months.

In this year

1January

Widespread protests across Egypt in response to the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak began unfolding in January 2011, with the events leading to what’s become known as the Egyptian Revolution. Said revolution would, by February, lead Mubarak to resign and leave the Egyptian military in charge of the nation temporarily.

2February

New Zealand witnessed a devastating natural disaster on February 22nd, as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch – the event would kill around 181 people.

3March

It was the end of an era for NASA in March 2011, as Discovery – one of its landmark space shuttles – landed after its final commissioned flight. The 78,000 kg vessel had taken on 39 successful flights, having been originally launched in August 1984. That meant the ship had been in service for over 26 years!

4April

WikiLeaks pushed out confidential data regarding classified events taking place at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay – with one of the most shocking revelations being that around 150 people were held there without formal trial. It’s a moment that helped to push controversial WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, into the headlines (and public consciousness).

5May

Early May saw US President Barack Obama announce that, after several years of hunting, Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed. He’d been intercepted during US operations in Pakistan, where the terrorist leader had been hiding.

6June

On June 28th, 2011, Christine Lagarde made history by becoming the first woman ever elected as head of the IMF, or the International Monetary Fund. She took over from Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was forced down after he had been arrested for allegations of sexual assault.

7July

July 22nd saw Anders Behring Breivik begin a massacre across Norway, with the mass murderer first bombing government buildings in the capital of Oslo, before going on to kill citizens on the island of Utøya. The killer was responsible for the deaths of 77 people.

8August

We found liquid on Mars in August 2011! News sent back from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter advised that a liquid of sorts was spotted on the red planet – with photographic evidence to back it up. This was a major step toward finding potential life on the planet.

9September

In a moment that would mark the end of a 40-year stalemate, India and Bangladesh officially declared a cease to their border demarcation disagreement – they did so by signing a pact to enshrine it in international law.

10October

Muammar Gaddafi, infamous dictator of Libya, was killed after being captured in Sirte. Gaddafi’s reign ended dramatically as his capture traveled around the world on video. Effectively, the death of Gaddafi led to the end of the civil war that had ravaged the country – as the National Transitional Council took control of Sirte.

11November

One of the most important video games of all time – Minecraft – was officially launched on November 18th, 2011. The game has gone on to build a regular player base of more than 140 million people, and the property was eventually sold to Microsoft – along with manufacturers Mojang – for $2.5 billion. Over a decade later, the game and its community are still going strong.

12December

The Iraq War – which began in 2003 under then-US President George W Bush – officially came to an end on December 15th, 2011. This would bring an end to the insurgency that arose in the country in 2003, but another would soon rise up.

2011 was the year of the…rabbit!

Along with people born in 2023, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, and 1927, anyone born in 2011 is a rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac. Rabbit people are said to be polite and amiable, as well as friendly and always in the pursuit of peace. They’re often very sincere – and prefer to keep things simple. The only issue is, if you’re a rabbit, you might be thought of as weak at times! The next rabbit year will be 2035.

Celebrity Births in 2011

• Prince Vincent of Denmark (Born January 8th)
• Robert Ford Wilson (Born January 14th, parents Jade Duell and Owen Wilson)
• Harper Beckham (Born July 9th, parents Victoria Beckham and David Beckham)
• David Lucca da Silva (Born August 24th, parents Carolina Dantas and Neymar)
• Jessica Grant(Born September, parents Tinglan Hong and Hugh Grant)

Famous People we Lost in 2011

• Jack LaLanne, American fitness star, died aged 96
• Dick King-Smith, British author, died aged 89
• Elizabeth Taylor, Hollywood legend, died aged 79
• Joe Frazier, American heavyweight boxing champion, died aged 67
• Steve Jobs, American businessman and founder of Apple, died aged 56