2009 Facts for Kids

Millennium:	3rd millennium
Centuries:	20th century – 21st century – 22nd century
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s – 2000s – 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years:	2006 2007 2008 – 2009 – 2010 2011 2012

2009 (also known as MMIX in Roman numerals) was a regular year that started on a Thursday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the last year of the 2000s decade.

The year 2009 was special because it was called the:

Major Events of 2009

January 1 – Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, and Uganda became new members of the United Nations Security Council.
January 1 – The Czech Republic took over as the leader of the Council of the European Union from France.
January 1 – Slovakia started using the Euro as its money, replacing the Slovak koruna.
January 3 – Israel sent its army into Gaza.
January 7 – Russia stopped sending gas to Europe through Ukraine due to a disagreement.
January 15 – US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in the Hudson River in Manhattan. All 155 people on board were safely rescued. This happened after the plane hit a group of Canada geese.
January 17 – Israel announced a stop to its attacks in Gaza after 22 days of fighting.
January 20 – Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States.
January 26 – The International Criminal Court held its first trial. A leader named Thomas Lubanga was accused of using children in war.
January 26 – The government and banks in Iceland faced big problems, and Prime Minister Geir Haarde resigned.

February 1 – Johanna Sigurdardottir became the Prime Minister of Iceland.
February 2 – Iran announced it had launched its own satellite, "Omid," into space.
February 7 – The worst bushfires in Australian history began. They killed 173 people, injured 500, and left 7,500 people without homes. These fires happened after Melbourne had its hottest day ever.
February 10 – A Russian and an American satellite crashed into each other over Siberia. This created a lot of space junk.
February 25 – Soldiers in Bangladesh rebelled, and over 80 people were killed.

March 2 – The President of Guinea-Bissau, João Bernardo Vieira, was killed in an attack at his home.
March 3 – Attackers shot at a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricket players in Lahore, Pakistan. Eight people died, and several were hurt.
March 17 – The President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, was removed from power after many protests. A new leader, Andry Rajoelina, took over.

April 1 – Albania and Croatia joined NATO, a group of countries that work together for safety.
April 5 – North Korea launched a rocket, which led to a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
April 6 – A strong earthquake hit near L'Aquila, Italy. Nearly 300 people died, and more than 1,500 were injured.

June 1 – An Air France plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, and all 228 people on board died.
June 12 – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected as the president of Iran. Many people protested the results in the following weeks.
June 25 – Famous musician Michael Jackson died in Los Angeles at age 50.
June 28 – The President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was removed from power.

July 1 – Sweden became the leader of the European Union.
July 5 – Big protests and fighting happened in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China, where over 150 people were killed.
July 15 – Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 crashed in Iran, killing all 168 people on board.
July 16 – Iceland's parliament voted to try to join the European Union.
July 22 – The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century happened. It lasted almost six and a half minutes and was seen over parts of Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

August 4 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-il forgave two American journalists who had been arrested earlier in the year. This happened after former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with Kim in North Korea.

November 20 – The Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland, which is a huge science machine, was started again.
November 30 – The Large Hadron Collider set a new record for energy in a particle accelerator.

December 1 – The EU's Treaty of Lisbon officially started.
December 25 – A person tried to cause harm on a plane flying to the USA, but was unsuccessful.