On This Day for February 11 - St. Bernadette's first visions of Mary at Lourdes, René Descartes is featured, and more

Created: 2020-02-11 11:03 Updated: 2020-02-11 11:03 Notebook: On this Day in History

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February 11

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY

1596

René Descartes

FEATURED EVENT

1858

St. Bernadette's first visions of Mary at Lourdes

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2012: American rhythm-and-blues singer Whitney Houston—who emerged as a pop superstar in the 1980s, especially known for her soaring voice—died. [ Test your knowledge of pop music .]

2011: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down after nearly 30 years in power, following mass demonstrations that were part of the pro-democracy uprisings known as the Arab Spring. [Take our Egypt Since the Pharaohs quiz .]

1975: British politician Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative Party, replacing Edward Heath .

1969: American actress Jennifer Aniston, who achieved stardom on the popular television sitcom Friends (1994–2004) and launched a successful film career, was born. [ Test your knowledge of famous actors .]

1964: Sarah Palin —who, as John McCain's running mate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, was the first woman to appear on a Republican presidential ticket—was born.

1847: American inventor Thomas Edison, who, singly or jointly, held a world record of 1,093 patents and who played a critical role in introducing the modern age of electricity, was born. [Take our Inventors and Inventions quiz .]

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1969

Jennifer Aniston
American actress

1847

Thomas Edison
American inventor

1953

Jeb Bush
American politician

1964

Sarah Palin
American politician

1971

Damian Lewis
British actor