The World in 2011 the year the space shuttle retired
2.3BInternet users
1stiPhone with Siri
1.21BIndia's census count
$3.53Gallon of gas (US)
$7.93Movie ticket (US)
ยฃ1.33Litre of petrol (UK)
9%US unemployment rate
2022Germany to close its last reactor
4thBarcelona's European Cup
India's census counted 1.21 billion people this year, about one in six people alive. Only China had more.
Life back then

Streaming was starting to win. Spotify arrived in the US, and Netflix now streamed more movies than it mailed. The British singer Adele's album 21 played everywhere, planking photos filled Facebook, and people asked their new iPhones questions just to hear Siri answer. Protesters across the Middle East organized on phones and social media in what became known as the Arab Spring.
The year in 8 events
- โFeb 11 After 18 days of protests, Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak steps down.
- ๐ฏ๏ธMar 11 A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami strike Japan, killing more than 15,000 people and crippling the Fukushima nuclear plant.
- ๐Apr 29 Prince William marries Kate Middleton in London as millions watch around the world.
- ๐ชMay 2 US forces kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
- โฝJul 17 Japan's women beat the US on penalties to win the World Cup, four months after the tsunami.
- ๐Jul 21 The shuttle Atlantis lands for the last time, ending 30 years of NASA shuttle flights.
- ๐ฏ๏ธOct 5 Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dies at his home in California at age 56.
- ๐๏ธOct 20 Libya's longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi is captured and killed near his hometown.