February 11

Traditional Japanese chronicles date the legendary founding of Japan and the accession of its first emperor, Jimmu, to this day, though the account is considered mythological rather than historical.

According to Japan's earliest chronicles, compiled centuries later, Emperor Jimmu descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu and founded the imperial line on this date. While modern historians regard the account as legendary rather than factual, the date was later adopted as a national holiday, National Foundation Day.

The Convocation of Canterbury agrees to recognize King Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England, a key step in England's break from Rome.

The Convocation's declaration formalized Henry VIII's break from papal authority, a rupture driven largely by his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which the pope had refused to grant. It laid the institutional groundwork for the establishment of the independent Church of England.

Japan adopts the Meiji Constitution, its first modern constitution, establishing a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament.

The Meiji Constitution, modeled partly on Prussia's constitutional monarchy, granted the emperor broad sovereign authority while establishing an elected lower house of parliament. It governed Japan through its rapid modernization and imperial expansion until being replaced by a more democratic constitution after World War II.

Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty, creating Vatican City as a sovereign state and settling decades of dispute over the papacy's territorial status.

The Lateran Treaty resolved the decades-long "Roman Question" that had lingered since Italian unification stripped the papacy of its temporal territories in 1870. It recognized the pope's sovereignty over Vatican City, a tiny enclave within Rome, establishing the arrangement that persists today.

The Iranian Revolution culminates in the establishment of an Islamic theocracy under the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Just days after the collapse of the Shah's government, Khomeini's supporters seized control of key government buildings and military installations, and a national referendum soon confirmed the establishment of an Islamic republic, fundamentally reshaping Iran's political and religious identity for decades to come.

Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years, a pivotal moment in the eventual dismantling of apartheid in South Africa.

Mandela's release, broadcast live around the world, came after sustained international pressure, including economic sanctions, had made apartheid increasingly untenable for the South African government. He walked free hand in hand with his wife, Winnie, before addressing enormous crowds, launching the final phase of negotiations toward democratic elections four years later.

Boxer Buster Douglas, a 42-to-1 underdog, knocks out heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

Tyson entered the Tokyo bout as an overwhelming favorite and reportedly undertrained, while Douglas fought the performance of his career despite recently losing his mother. The stunning upset remains one of the most celebrated underdog victories in boxing history.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns after 18 days of mass protests, a landmark moment of the Arab Spring.

Mubarak's resignation came after 18 days of massive, sustained protests centered in Cairo's Tahrir Square, part of the broader wave of uprisings known as the Arab Spring. Though celebrated as a democratic breakthrough at the time, Egypt's subsequent political transition proved turbulent, ultimately resulting in a return to military-backed rule.

The Vatican announces that Pope Benedict XVI will resign, the first pope to do so voluntarily in nearly 600 years.

Benedict's resignation, citing his declining strength of mind and body at age 85, stunned the Catholic world, since no pope had voluntarily stepped down since Gregory XII in 1415. His decision paved the way for the election of Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas.

The World Health Organization officially names the new coronavirus disease "COVID-19," as the outbreak began spreading beyond China.

The WHO's naming decision, following weeks in which the virus and disease lacked an official name, was designed to avoid stigmatizing any specific location or group, a practice the organization had adopted after past outbreaks were named for places, leading to unintended discrimination.