2011
Tōhoku earthquake and Fukushima
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake off northeastern Japan generated a tsunami that overran seawalls, killed nearly 20,000 people, and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi…
Tahrir Square fills
Egyptians inspired by Tunisia's revolution poured into Cairo's Tahrir Square demanding the end of Hosni Mubarak's thirty-year rule.
Syria's civil war begins
A handful of teenage boys in Daraa scrawled anti-Assad graffiti on a wall and were tortured.
Bin Laden killed in Abbottabad
Two stealth helicopters carrying Navy SEALs descended on a high-walled compound near Pakistan's premier military academy.
Royal wedding at Westminster
Prince William married Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey before two billion television viewers and the assembled crowned heads of Europe.
Gaddafi killed in Sirte
After eight months of NATO airstrikes and rebel advances, Muammar Gaddafi was found hiding in a drainage pipe outside his hometown.
U.S. troops leave Iraq
The last American convoy crossed into Kuwait before dawn, ending an eight-year-and-nine-month war that had killed nearly 4,500 U.S.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 2011?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 2011. The most significant is Tōhoku earthquake and Fukushima.
What era was 2011 part of?
2011 falls within the Contemporary (2001-2026). Networks, climate, and the new uncertainty.
Which regions saw notable events in 2011?
The events from 2011 span East Asia, Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Europe.