Several memorable events in the history of Africa and the world happened on June 11. Here are six of such events which include the kick off of the first FIFA world cup staged in South Africa.
1. Swine Flu pandemic
On this day 2009,the World Health Organization declared that Swine Flu was the first pandemic of the 21st century.
Between 10-200 million people were infected with this particular strain of flu, and about 18,500 lab-confirmed deaths occurred, and possibly as many as 150,000 people died.
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Swine flu was abnormal as it did not predominantly affect adults over 60. The pandemic began to taper off in November 2009 with cases falling sharply afterward until the WHO declared an end to the global outbreak on 10 August 2010.
2. June 1962 Alcatraz escape attempt:
On this day in 1962, brothers John and Clarence Anglin and fellow inmate Frank Morris escaped from Alcatraz Island prison, the only ones to do so in prison’s history.
To this day, Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin remain the only people who have escaped Alcatraz and never been found — a disappearance that is one of the country’s most notorious unsolved mysteries.
The most plausible theory is that Morris and the Anglin brothers drowned after leaving Alcatraz Island and attempting to cross the frigid San Francisco Bay.
3. United States Declaration of Independence
1776 Continental Congress creates committee with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to draft a Declaration of Independence.
4. Vietnamese monk burns himself alive as an act of protest
1963 Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức burnt himself at a Saigon intersection, creating one of the Vietnam War’s most iconic images.
The Buddhist crisis in Vietnam throughout 1963 precipitated the downfall and assassination of South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm.
It began with the shooting of nine civilians in Hue who were protesting the ban on the Buddhist flag.
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On June 11, 1963, monk Thích Quảng Đức sat down at a busy Saigon intersection, doused himself in petrol and set himself alight. He did not utter a sound as he died.
5. The first African FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa
For the first time in history, the 19th FIFA world cup was staged in Africa and begun on June 11, 2010. Five African nations vied for the right to host the FIFA World Cup 2010 when South Africa defeated Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process.
6. 1966 Janis Joplin plays her first gig
On this day American singer-Songwriter Janis Lyn Joplin perfomed her first gig at San Francisco.
Compiled from online sources
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