Timeline February 2011

Events in February 2011 8

• 1921 – 2011 Jane Russell (1921-2011) American actress and sex symbol, discovered by Howard Hughes for The Outlaw.
• 2011 Collapse into Now -- the farewell album Collapse into Now (February 2011) is R.E.M.'s 15th and final studio album -- a summation and celebration of their entire career, featuring guest appearances from Patti Smith (whose influence on Stipe is acknowledged throughout) and Lenny Kaye. The album's title and its final track ('Blue' and the closing 'That Someone Is You') suggest both an ending and an affirmation. The band plays their final shows in Europe in the summer of 2011. In September 2011, without any warning to the public or industry, they announce their disbandment.
• 2011 "Burning platform" memo — abandons Symbian for Windows Phone Stephen Elop sends a leaked internal memo in February 2011 comparing Nokia to a man on a burning oil platform who must jump into the icy sea. He announces Nokia will abandon Symbian for Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system. The decision demoralises Nokia engineers, alienates customers and fails to produce competitive products. Analysts later call it the most damaging corporate memo in history. Nokia loses €700 million in 2012 and is downgraded to junk bond status.
• 2011 Mubarak resigns Egyptian president ousted after 30 years Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned on February 11, 2011, after 18 days of mass protests in Tahrir Square, ending his 30-year rule.
• 2011 Bahraini uprising Protests for political reform met with a Gulf military crackdown Pro-democracy protesters, largely from Bahrain's Shia majority, occupied Pearl Roundabout in Manama demanding political reform from the ruling Sunni monarchy. Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council troops entered Bahrain in March to help the government suppress the uprising under a declared state of emergency. The unrest highlighted sectarian tensions that continued to simmer for years afterward.
• 2011 Watson wins Jeopardy! — AI arrives IBM's Watson computer defeats Jeopardy! champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in a televised match on 14–16 February 2011 — the most watched demonstration of artificial intelligence in history. Watson processes natural language questions, searches its knowledge base and buzzes in with answers faster than the human champions. Ken Jennings writes on his Final Jeopardy answer: 'I for one welcome our new computer overlords.' The Jeopardy! victory launches IBM's Watson AI brand and announces the era of cognitive computing.
• 2011 Christchurch earthquake Magnitude 6.3 quake devastates New Zealand's second city A shallow magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 185 people and causing catastrophic damage to the city center. It was more destructive than a larger quake the previous September because of its shallow depth and proximity to the city. Much of the central business district was later demolished and rebuilt.
• 2011 Jane Russell dies in Santa Maria Jane Russell dies aged 89.