February 11 Birthdays

February 11 in History

1805

Lewis and Clark's Shoshone guide Sacajawea gave birth to a son, Jean Baptiste.

1809

Robert Fulton patented the steamboat.

1858

Saint Bernadette of Lourdes first saw a vision of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, France, leading to the foundation of the shrine of Lourdes.

1929

Lateran Treaty was signed, with Italy recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City.

1945

Yalta Agreement signed by President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin during World War II.

1970

Japan became the fourth country to put a satellite into orbit.

1979

Ayatollah Khomeini's followers seized control of the Iran government.

1989

The Episcopal Church Boston diocese consecrated Barbara Harris as the church's first woman bishop.

1990

South African resistance leader, Nelson Mandela, was released from prison after more than 27 years.

2011

As a result of the Arab Spring protests, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak announces his resignation and hands power of the country over to the military.

2012

Pop star Whitney Houston died at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, the night before the annual Grammy Awards.