11 February: a historic date, not just for Hosni Mubarak

For most of us 11 February is just another unremarkable late-winter day. But if you're a long serving Middle Eastern autocrat it's a date to mark in the diary with a big warning cross. Hosni Mubarak's exit from Egypt's presidency came exactly 32 years after Ayatollah Khomeini took power in Iran, his Islamic revolution cementing the downfall of the Shah, who had fled into exile – to Egypt. But the day is not just about toppling autocrats: 11 February 1990 marked the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison on Robben Island after 27 years. On the same date in 1975 Margaret Thatcher succeeded Edward Heath as Conservative party leader. And continuing the theme of divisive female politicians – for Sarah Palin the date has an entirely different significance: it's her birthday.