Discover · History

On this day — May 11

A hand-curated thread of what happened on this date, across centuries.

2024

Milestone

Start/Middle of the May 2024 Solar Storms

the most powerful set of Geomagnetic storms since the 2003 Halloween solar storms.

2024

Milestone

The 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is held in Malmö, Sweden

Nemo from Switzerland wins with their song "The Code", making them the contest's first non-binary winner.

2022

Milestone

The Burmese military executes at least 37 villagers during the Mon Taing Pin massacre in Sagaing

Myanmar.

2022

Milestone

Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is killed while covering a raid in Jenin

Israel eventually admitted and apologized for the murder, after initial denials.

2016

Milestone

One hundred and ten people are killed in an ISIL bombing in Baghdad.

2014

Milestone

Fifteen people are killed and 46 injured in Kinshasa

DRC, in a stampede caused by tear gas being thrown into soccer stands by police officers.

2013

Milestone

Fifty-two people are killed in a bombing in Reyhanlı

Turkey.

2011

Disaster

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hits Lorca

Spain.

2011

Milestone

The Istanbul Convention is signed in Istanbul

Turkey.

2010

Politics

David Cameron takes office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats form the country's first coalition government since the Second World War.

2009

Disaster

An American soldier in Iraq opens fire on a counseling center at Camp Liberty in Baghdad

killing five other US soldiers and wounding three.

2009

Science

Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on the final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

2000

Politics

Second Chechen War

Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia.

1998

Milestone

India conducts three underground atomic tests in Pokhran.

1997

Sport

Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer

defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.