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This Day in History

March 11

"Earth shudders, a nuclear nightmare begins."

9 Events
5 Born
2 Died
2011 The Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami Triggers Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
1931

Rupert Murdoch

Australian-American media magnate

Rupert Murdoch built one of the world's largest media empires, encompassing newspapers, television networks, and film studios across multiple continents. Through outlets like Fox News, The Sun, and The Wall Street Journal, he profoundly shaped political discourse in the United States, Britain, and Australia.

1936

Antonin Scalia

U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Antonin Scalia served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1986 until his death in 2016, becoming one of the most influential legal theorists in modern American history. He was the intellectual champion of constitutional originalism and a towering, controversial figure on the court.

1921

Astor Piazzolla

Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player

Astor Piazzolla revolutionized the Argentine tango by infusing it with jazz harmonies and classical composition techniques, creating a new style called Nuevo Tango. Though initially controversial in Argentina, his music ultimately achieved global acclaim and transformed tango into a worldwide art form.

1916

Harold Wilson

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Harold Wilson served as British Prime Minister twice, from 1964–1970 and 1974–1976, presiding over significant social reforms including the abolition of the death penalty and major expansions of higher education. He was known for his sharp political wit and his controversial decision to keep Britain out of the Vietnam War.

1544

Torquato Tasso

Italian Renaissance poet

Torquato Tasso was one of the greatest Italian poets of the Renaissance, best known for his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered, which depicted the First Crusade. He spent years institutionalized for mental illness, and his turbulent life became a symbol of the suffering genius in Romantic literature.

843

Triumph of Orthodoxy Restores Icons in Byzantine Empire

Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches of the Byzantine Empire, ending the second period of Byzantine iconoclasm. The event is still celebrated as the 'Triumph of Orthodoxy' in Eastern Christianity.

1702

England's First National Daily Newspaper Published

The Daily Courant, England's first national daily newspaper, is published for the first time in London, marking a landmark moment in the history of the press and public information.

1851

Verdi's Rigoletto Premieres in Venice

The first performance of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi takes place at La Fenice opera house in Venice. The opera, based on a Victor Hugo play, caused immediate controversy but became one of Verdi's most enduring masterworks.

1861

Confederate States Adopt Their Constitution

The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted, formalizing the breakaway Southern government that would wage war against the United States for the next four years.

1941

Roosevelt Signs Lend-Lease Act, Arming the Allies

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing the United States to supply war materials to Britain, the Soviet Union, and other Allied nations on credit. The act was a decisive turning point that helped sustain Allied resistance to Nazi Germany before American entry into the war.

1985

Mikhail Gorbachev Becomes General Secretary of the Soviet Union

Mikhail Gorbachev is elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at just 54 years old, becoming the USSR's de facto and ultimately final head of state. His reforms of glasnost and perestroika would unravel the Soviet system within six years.

1990

Lithuania Declares Independence from the Soviet Union

Lithuania declares independence from the Soviet Union, becoming the first Soviet republic to do so. The declaration was a direct challenge to Moscow and a catalyst for the cascade of independence movements that would dissolve the USSR the following year.

2004

Madrid Train Bombings Kill 191 People

Coordinated bomb attacks on four commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, kill 191 people and injure over 1,800 in the deadliest terrorist attack in Spanish history. The bombings occurred three days before a general election and transformed the political landscape of the country.

2020

WHO Declares COVID-19 a Global Pandemic

The World Health Organization officially declares the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, marking the beginning of the most significant global health emergency in a century. The declaration prompted governments worldwide to begin implementing emergency measures.

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1955

Alexander Fleming

Scottish bacteriologist, discoverer of penicillin

Alexander Fleming died on March 11, 1955, having changed the course of medicine with his 1928 discovery of penicillin. His accidental observation of mold killing bacteria in a petri dish launched the antibiotic era and has saved hundreds of millions of lives.

2023

Nigel Lawson

British politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer

Nigel Lawson served as Margaret Thatcher's Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1983 to 1989, overseeing a dramatic program of tax cuts and financial deregulation known as the Lawson Boom. In later life he was a prominent skeptic of climate change policy.

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