2011 was full of world-changing events! The series of anti-government protests in the Middle East and North Africa, commonly known as the Arab Spring, affected the area and the whole world greatly.
Many natural disasters occurred in 2011, including tornadoes in the US, droughts in East Africa, and the earthquake in Japan, which resulted in critical damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility – which then leaked radiation into the air and water.
2011 was also the year when Rebecca Black’s Friday made us wish we didn’t have ears anymore. Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder also passed away, and Prince William and Kate Middleton finally tied the knot and got married.
Oh, and after years of beta testing, 2011 was the year Minecraft was fully released to the public.
2011 was also the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century. While people commonly think of decades as the ’00s and 2010s, the decade actually runs from 1-10, not 0-9.
Continue reading to delve into the events, news, music, quotes, and famous people’s deaths that shaped the year 2011.
Events
Here you can explore the incredible moments that shaped 2011, a year filled with unforgettable events!
Jan 25
The 2011 Egyptian revolution began after years of police brutality and corruption.
The revolution, which saw countless violent clashes between protestors and President Hosni Mubarak’s government, took place over 17 days. Ultimately, the President stepped down, and the military took over until elections could be held.
Apr 18
After hyping the game up for years, Valve finally released Portal 2 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
The final part of Portal 2’s hype campaign allowed would-be players to unlock the game early by playing a specific set of thirteen indie games sold in a bundle on Steam on April Fool’s Day. Players worldwide came together for the cause, with their efforts leading to Portal 2 releasing ten hours ahead of schedule.
May 16
NASA launched the Endeavour Space Shuttle on the penultimate space shuttle mission.
Mission STS-134’s primary objectives were to ferry several new modules to the International Space Station and install them. One of the key modules was the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2, which investigated the origins of dark matter. The mission also carried 13 Lego kits to the ISS so the astronauts could see how the models acted in microgravity.
Jun 1
NASA’s Endeavour Space Shuttle landed for its 25th and final time.
Mission STS-134 was meant to be the final Space Shuttle Mission, but another mission was later added at the last minute and flown by the Atlantis Space Shuttle. During the Endeavour’s lifetime, it spent 299 days in space, flying a total of 122,883,151 miles (197,761,262 km).
Jul 5
“Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra was released.
The song was originally released in Australia & New Zealand and wasn’t officially released in the US until January 2012. The single went on to win the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and reached the top 10 in more than 30 countries worldwide.
Jul 10
The British newspaper, News of the World, published its last-ever edition following a phone-hacking scandal.
After 168 years in print, the newspaper came to an end after the owner Rupert Murdoch received a high amount of criticism after his staff was accused of phone hacking and police bribing to obtain the newspapers’ stories.
Jul 21
NASA’s space shuttle program finally came to a close when mission STS-135 landed.
The Atlantis orbiter was used for the final mission, and with just four astronauts aboard, it had the smallest crew since 1983. The fourteen-day mission took up several new modules and spare parts to the International Space Station and was Atlantis’ 33rd mission. STS-135, the 135th space shuttle mission, was a complete success, with hundreds of people flocking to the Kennedy Space Center to witness the end of an era.
Sep 20
The US military policy “don’t ask, don’t tell” came to an end.
This meant that the military allowed gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals to be open about their sexuality without facing discrimination. Before this, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowed people of any sexuality, as long as they didn’t talk about it.
Oct 4
Dark Souls, the second Souls game after Demon’s Souls, was released for PS3 and Xbox 360 in North America.
It wasn’t quite a sequel to Demon’s Souls, but it’s close enough for them to be considered within the same series. Dark Souls was an incredibly well-received game with just one catch: players thought it was way too difficult!
Nov 18
After two and a half years of Alpha and Beta development, the full version of Minecraft was released.
Markus “Notch” Persson came up with the idea for Minecraft during his “off-hours” from work, and after a weekend of programming, he released the first Alpha for private testing on May 16, 2009. After working tirelessly for five years, Persson was rewarded rather well when he sold his shares of Minecraft to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Dec 31
NASA successfully put two satellites designed to study the Moon’s interior structure into the Moon’s orbit.
The purpose of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was also to better map the surface of the Moon and its gravitational field. The two satellites’ mission was a complete success, but due to fuel constraints, they were ultimately crashed into the surface of the Moon almost a year later, on December 17, 2012.
Famous Deaths
Here’s a glimpse at a few famous people who bid us farewell in 2011.
1955
2011
Steve Jobs
American
Inventor
1955
2011
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was an American inventor born on February 24, 1955. He died on October 5, 2011, at age 56 in Palo Alto, California, USA.
Died On:
Oct 5, 2011 (Age 56)
Died In:
California, USA
1983
2011
Amy Winehouse
English
Singer
1983
2011
Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse was an English singer born on September 14, 1983. She died on July 23, 2011, at age 27 in London, England, UK.
Died On:
Jul 23, 2011 (Age 27)
Died In:
England, UK
1932
2011
Elizabeth Taylor
British-American
Actress
1932
2011
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor was a British-American actress born on February 27, 1932. She died on March 23, 2011, at age 79 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Died On:
Mar 23, 2011 (Age 79)
Died In:
California, USA
1941
2011
Kim Jong-il
North Korean
Politician
1941
2011
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il was a North Korean politician born on February 16, 1941. He died on December 17, 2011, at age 70 in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Died On:
Dec 17, 2011 (Age 70)
Died In:
Pyongyang, North Korea
Quotes
Here’s a roundup of the most memorable quotes people said in 2011.
Jun 29
Nobody deserves your tears, but whoever deserves them will not make you cry.
Gabriel García Márquez
Colombian Novelist
Sep 26
I think you can have 10,000 explanations for failure, but no good explanation for success.
Paulo Coelho
Brazilian Lyricist
2011 In Music
2011 gifted us with a musical extravaganza that had us dancing and singing at the top of our lungs!
From the infectious rhythm of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele to the catchy pop vibe of “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock, these songs had us dancing like nobody’s watching and created memories that will last a lifetime.
These music highlights from 2011 are worth adding to your playlist.
Album of the Year
Arcade Fire’s alternative masterpiece “The Suburbs” took listeners on a sonic journey in 2011, winning them the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and solidifying their place in alternative rock.
Song of the Year
Lady Antebellum’s heartfelt ballad “Need You Now” struck a chord with listeners in 2011, earning them the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
Best New Artist
Esperanza Spalding’s virtuosic bass playing and jazz-infused sound won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2011, showcasing her as a boundary-pushing musician.
Eurovision Song Contest Winner
The 56th Eurovision Song Contest unfolded in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2011, providing a stage for talented artists from around Europe.
Ell & Nikki, a duo from Azerbaijan, captured the audience’s imagination with their duet “Running Scared,” showcasing their harmonious vocals and earning their country its first Eurovision victory.
2011 in Numbers
Are you ready for some fascinating number trivia? The Roman numeral form of 2011 is MMXI, and in binary, it’s 11111011011.
2011 is an extra special year too, as it’s a prime number! That means it can only be divided evenly by 1 and itself.
Chinese Zodiac 2011
According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2011 was the Year of the Rabbit, which occurs every twelve years.
However, it’s fascinating to note that each zodiac animal is also connected to one of the five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold (Metal), and Water. So this makes 2011 the Year of the Gold Rabbit, a cycle which happens once every sixty years.
Because the Chinese calendar works from the lunar cycle, in 2011 Chinese New Year actually began on February 3rd.
Those born in the Year of the Rabbit tend to be gentle, skilful, and patient, yet a bit stubborn. They are often compassionate, considerate, and have a keen sense of aesthetics.
Famous people born in Years of the Rabbit include Rob Kardashian, Brendon Urie and Brooklyn McKnight!
2011 Trivia
Did you know that our planet reached a population of 7 billion people in 2011?
The seven billionth baby was born on October 31st. However, there’s no way of knowing the exact identity of this significant individual.
Nonetheless, in certain countries like India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, symbolic babies were chosen to represent this remarkable milestone.
