Mandela Freed, Tyson Shocked, History Made — Plus Today’s Quote & Surprising Facts

Quote of the day

Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength. | Saint Francis de Sales (Patron saint of Journalists & writers

Did you know?

Women can be heavily pregnant and not realise it. Cryptic pregnancies aren’t that uncommon, with 1 in 500 not recognised until at least halfway through the pregnancy and 1 in 2 500 not known until labour starts.

On this day in history, February 11

1671 Cape Governor Isbrand Goske sends an expedition to the Hottentots Holland mountains to see if the area is habitable.

1842 The Nepaul, a British ship of 462 tons, runs aground while leaving Swartvlei Bay, near today’s town of Sedgefield, which itself is between George) and Knysna, on the Cape coast. Three sailors die.

1847 Inventor Thomas Edison is born in Milan, Ohio. In his lifetime he acquired 1 200 patents including the incandescent bulb, phonograph and movie camera. It was he who said: ‘Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration’.

1946 The Reverend John Langalibalele Dube, the founding president of the South African Native National Congress, which becomes the ANC and founder of the newspaper Ilanga lase Natal (now Ilanga), dies in Umhlanga, Natal.

1951 Kwame Nkrumah wins the first parliamentary election on the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) and goes on to become Africa’s first black head of government.

1982 A call for a 30-minute work stoppage, in protest at the death of Dr Neill Aggett, is supported by virtually all independent black unions, and tens of thousands of workers.

1990 Underdog Buster Douglas stuns the boxing world by knocking out fearsome ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson to win the world heavyweight title.

1990 Before the world’s TV camera’s, Nelson Mandela is freed from jail after 27 years of incarceration. Up until then, virtually all South Africans had no idea what he looked like as his picture was banned. With Madiba’s release future takes a dramatic turn, but no-one knows how it will turn out. Violence seems likely.

2013 Pope Benedict XVI takes the unusual step of resigning. Popes normally die in office.

2015 Francesco Schettino, captain of the $610-million cruise ship Costa Concordia, is convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 16 years. He had run the ship aground by steering too close to an island while trying to impress a lady friend. The wrecking kills 32 people. Another dies in the complex $1.5 billion, multi-year salvage operation – the most expensive ever – led by South Africa’s Nick Sloane.

2021 The world’s second oldest person, French nun Sister André, celebrates her 117th birthday after surviving Covid-19.

DAILY NEWS