Here’s a brief look back in time on this day, March 11
In 1861, seven southern states adopt the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America. These states were Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. The Confederacy seceded from the Union just a month prior in February as tensions boiled over the issue of slavery. This new Constitution closely resembled that of the United States, but made sure to have slavery remain vital to its economy. It’s ratified on March 29 before going into effect the following year. It’d remain effective until the end of the American Civil War in 1865.
In 1989, the documentary TV sensation known as Cops premieres on FOX network. The show closely follows the day-to-day of a police patrolman in various stations across the country. It offered the audience a closer look into how police handle situations from traffic stops to serving warrants. It’d serve as a catalyst for the true-crime phenomenon, having preceded Dateline by a few years.
In 2011, in the aftermath of the Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffers a widespread nuclear meltdown. This was caused by its electric grid failing, shutting down its ability to properly cool the reactors. Its onsite backup power grid was also rendered inoperable. Over 100,000 residents in the region were forced to evacuate. Around 2,300 people were killed as evacuations took place, adding on to the near-20,000 deaths caused from the combined earthquake. Damages were estimated to be around 20 trillion yen (or $180 billion in USD).