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[Stream HISTORY](https://play.history.com/) [Try](https://www.historyvault.com/?cmpid=HV_O_Site_H_CTA_TryHISTORYVault) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement  MAR11 MAR11 Choose another date OK March | | | | | | | | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 1 | 2 | | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | By: HISTORY.com Editors 2011 # Fukushima nuclear disaster [HISTORY.com Editors](https://www.history.com/authors/history)  The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images Published: January 27, 2021 Last Updated: May 28, 2025 On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan causes massive devastation, and the ensuing tsunami decimates the Tōhoku region of northeastern Honshu. On top of the already-horrific destruction and loss of life, the natural disaster also gives rise to a [nuclear disaster](https://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/areas-of-work/fukushima.html) at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Fukushima disaster is considered the second-worst nuclear disaster in history, forcing the relocation of over 100,000 people. During the emergency, each of the three operational nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant shut down successfully, but the backup power and cooling systems failed. As a result, residual heat caused fuel rods in all three reactors to partially melt down. As crews searched the rubble for survivors and the nation reeled from the earthquake and ensuing tsunami, the nuclear disaster unfolded over the course of several days. The facilities where Reactors 1 and 3 were located exploded on March 12 and 14, respectively, prompting the government to evacuate everyone within a 20km radius. Another explosion in the building housing Reactor 2 on March 15 released even more radiation, and thousands of people left their homes as workers used helicopters, water cannons and seawater pumps to try to cool the overheating facility. The full extent of the fallout became apparent over the ensuing months, with the government eventually evacuating all residents within a 30km radius of the plant. No deaths were initially attributed to the incident, although this was of little comfort to the 154,000 who were evacuated or the loved ones of the more than 18,000 people who lost their lives as a result of the earthquake and tsunami. Some have suggested that such a large evacuation was not necessary, as radiation levels appear to have dropped below what was expected in the immediate wake of the accident. Though many were able to return to their homes, a 371-square-kilometer “difficult-to-return zone” remains evacuated as of 2021, and the true toll may not be known for decades. In 2018, the government announced that former plant worker who had served during the meltdown was the first death officially attributed to radiation from the disaster, which today is considered second only to [Chernobyl](https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/chernobyl) in the ranking of infamous nuclear incidents. Advertisement Timeline Also on This Day in History Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on March 11th [1669Mount Etna begins rumbling Mount Etna begins rumbling on March 11, 1669. 2:56m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/mount-etna-erupts) [1779Congress establishes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers On March 11, 1779, Congress establishes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help plan, design and prepare environmental and structural facilities for the U.S. Army. Made up of civilian workers, members of the Continental Army and French officers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played an essential role in the critical Revolutionary War battles \[…\] 1:36m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/congress-establishes-the-u-s-army-corps-of-engineers) [1824Bureau of Indian Affairs established Its mission: to manage the nation-to-nation relationships between the United States and Indian tribes.](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/bureau-of-indian-affairs-established-1824) [1861Confederate states adopt new constitution In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas adopt the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America. The constitution resembled the Constitution of the United States, even repeating much of its language, but was actually more comparable to the Articles of Confederation—the initial post-Revolutionary War U.S. constitution—in its \[…\]](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/confederate-constitution-adopted) [1888Great Blizzard of ’88 hits East Coast On March 11, 1888, one of the worst blizzards in American history strikes the Northeast, killing more than 400 people and dumping as much as 55 inches of snow in some areas. New York City ground to a near halt in the face of massive snow drifts and powerful winds from the storm. At the \[…\] 3:02m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/great-blizzard-of-88-hits-east-coast) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [1903Lawrence Welk is born On March 11, 1903, musician and entertainer Lawrence Welk is born. For the generation that grew up on the big bands of the 1930s and ’40s, The Lawrence Welk Show was a blessed island of calm in a world gone mad for rock and roll, and it aired like clockwork every Saturday night from 1955 \[…\] 2:30m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/lawrence-welk-is-born) [1942General MacArthur leaves Corregidor After struggling against great odds to save the Philippines from Japanese conquest, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur abandons the island fortress of Corregidor under orders from President Franklin Roosevelt. Left behind at Corregidor and on the Bataan Peninsula were 90,000 American and Filipino troops, who, lacking food, supplies and support, would soon succumb to the Japanese \[…\] 2:58m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/macarthur-leaves-corregidor) [1959“A Raisin in the Sun” debuts on Broadway Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, the first Broadway play written by a Black woman, opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York on March 11, 1959. Taking its title from the Langston Hughes poem “Harlem,” Hansberry’s story follows a working-class Black family from the South Side of Chicago hoping to improve their lives. \[…\]](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/a-raisin-in-the-sun-debuts-broadway) [1973The first PFLAG meeting On March 11, 1973, the first formal meeting of “Parents of Gays,” co-founded by the parents of a gay son, is held in a church in Greenwich Village in New York. In 1982, it became a national organization called “Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays,” or PFLAG—the largest family and ally organization in \[…\] 1:30m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/first-pflag-meeting) [1985Mikhail Gorbachev picked to succeed Konstantin Chernenko Capping his rapid rise through the Communist Party hierarchy, Mikhail Gorbachev is selected as the new general secretary of the Soviet Union, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko the day before. Gorbachev oversaw a radical transformation of Soviet society and foreign policy during the next six years. Gorbachev was born in 1931, the son of \[…\] 2:12m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/mikhail-gorbachev-picked-to-succeed-chernenko) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [1989“Cops” makes TV debut On March 11, 1989, “Cops,” a documentary-style television series that follows police officers and sheriff’s deputies as they go about their jobs, debuts on Fox. “Cops” went on to become one of the longest-running shows in television history. It went off the air in 2020. The show, which was created by John Langley and Malcolm Barbour, \[…\] 0:54m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/cops-makes-tv-debut) [1997Paul McCartney knighted On March 11, 1997, Paul McCartney, a former member of the most successful rock band in history, The Beatles, is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his “services to music.” The 54-year-old from Liverpool became Sir Paul in a centuries-old ceremony of pomp and solemnity at Buckingham Palace in central London. Fans waited outside in \[…\] 2:14m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/paul-mccartney-knighted) [2004Terrorists bomb trains in Madrid On March 11, 2004, 193 people are killed and nearly 2,000 are injured when 10 bombs explode on four trains in three Madrid-area train stations during a busy morning rush hour. The bombs were later found to have been detonated by mobile phones. The attacks, the deadliest against civilians on European soil since the 1988 \[…\] 2:00m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/terrorists-bomb-trains-in-madrid) [2009Toyota sells 1 millionth hybrid in U.S. The Toyota Motor Company announces on March 11, 2009 that it has sold more than 1 million gas-electric hybrid vehicles in the U.S. under its six Toyota and Lexus brands. The sales were led by the Prius, the world’s first mass-market hybrid car, which was launched in Japan in October 1997 and introduced in America \[…\] 1:54m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/toyota-sells-1-millionth-hybrid-in-u-s) [2020President Trump addresses the nation on COVID-19; announces travel ban In a primetime Oval Office address, President Donald Trump announces a 30-day travel ban on foreign travel to the U.S. from most European countries as COVID-19 cases surge across the globe. Trump’s TV address came the same day the World Health Organization officially declared the disease a pandemic. U.K. travelers were not included in the restrictions, \[…\] 0:52m read](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-11/trump-announces-covid19-europe-travel-ban) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ## Related [ Asian History 20 videos](https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/videos)  [Asian History](https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history) [How the Samurai Sword Shaped Modern Kitchen Knives](https://www.history.com/articles/katana-swords-smithing-knives-japan) As katanas fell out of use, blacksmiths turned to the culinary industry.  [Asian History](https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history) [Ninjas: How Japanese Spies Evolved into Pop Culture Heroes](https://www.history.com/articles/ninja-history-shinobi-feudal-japan) Ninjas were the ultimate espionage agents in Japan’s feudal skirmishes. Their air of mystery helped them infiltrate contemporary popular culture.  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On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan causes massive devastation, and the ensuing tsunami decimates the Tōhoku region of northeastern Honshu. On top of the already-horrific destruction and loss of life, the natural disaster also gives rise to a [nuclear disaster](https://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/areas-of-work/fukushima.html) at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Fukushima disaster is considered the second-worst nuclear disaster in history, forcing the relocation of over 100,000 people. During the emergency, each of the three operational nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant shut down successfully, but the backup power and cooling systems failed. As a result, residual heat caused fuel rods in all three reactors to partially melt down. As crews searched the rubble for survivors and the nation reeled from the earthquake and ensuing tsunami, the nuclear disaster unfolded over the course of several days. The facilities where Reactors 1 and 3 were located exploded on March 12 and 14, respectively, prompting the government to evacuate everyone within a 20km radius. Another explosion in the building housing Reactor 2 on March 15 released even more radiation, and thousands of people left their homes as workers used helicopters, water cannons and seawater pumps to try to cool the overheating facility.