2010 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Millennium:	3rd millennium
Centuries:	20th century – 21st century – 22nd century
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s – 2010s – 2020s 2030s 2040s
Years:	2007 2008 2009 – 2010 – 2011 2012 2013

2010 was a year that started on a Friday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the first year of the 2010s decade.

The United Nations called 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity and the International Year of Youth. This meant they wanted people to learn more about protecting nature and supporting young people around the world.

People often debated how to say the year 2010. Some said "twenty-ten," while others said "two thousand (and) ten."

Major Events of 2010

January Highlights

January 1 – Spain took over as the leader of the Council of the European Union from Sweden.
January 4 – The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, officially opened. It became the tallest building ever made by humans.
January 12 – A very strong 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti. It caused huge damage to the capital city, Port-au-Prince.
January 15 – The longest annular solar eclipse of the 3rd millennium happened. This is when the Moon covers most of the Sun, leaving a bright ring around it.

The National Palace in Haiti, damaged by the earthquake.

February Highlights

February 7 – Laura Chinchilla became the first woman to be elected President of Costa Rica.
February 12–28 – The 2010 Winter Olympics took place in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada.
February 27 – A very powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Chile. It caused a lot of damage and sadly, many people died.
February 28 – Canada won 14 gold medals at the Winter Olympics. This made them the most successful host nation in the history of the Winter Games.

Damage from the earthquake in Chile.

March Highlights

March 16 – The Kasubi Tombs in Uganda, a special World Heritage Site, were sadly destroyed by fire.
March 23 – A South Korean navy ship, the ROKS Cheonan, sank near Baengnyong Island. 46 people died. Later, a report said North Korea sank the ship, but North Korea denied it.

April Highlights

April 10 – Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria were among 96 people killed when their plane crashed in Russia.
April 14 – A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit Qinghai province in China, killing over 1,000 people.
April 14 – A volcano called Eyjafjallajokull erupted in Iceland. The ash cloud from this eruption caused many flights across Northern and Western Europe to be cancelled.
April 20 – An explosion happened on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform in the Gulf of Mexico. 11 workers died, and it caused a massive oil spill, leading to a big environmental disaster.

Volcano plume from Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland.

May Highlights

May 1 – The 2010 World Expo opened in Shanghai, China. It was a huge international exhibition.
May 11 – David Cameron became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
May 19 – Violent clashes happened in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, as government forces stopped protests by anti-government groups.
May 20 – Scientists announced that they had created a form of synthetic life. This was a big step in biology.
May 31 – Israeli forces boarded ships in the Mediterranean Sea that were heading to Gaza. This event led to strong reactions from many countries.

Tank preparing for action during protests in Bangkok.

June Highlights

June 9 – Violence broke out in Kyrgyzstan, causing thousands of people to flee to Uzbekistan.
June 11 – The 2010 FIFA World Cup began in South Africa. It was the first time this major football tournament was held in Africa.
June 24 – Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
June 24 – The longest professional tennis match in history ended at Wimbledon. It lasted over 11 hours!

July Highlights

July 8 – The first 24-hour flight by a solar-powered plane was completed by Solar Impulse.
July 11 – The Spain national football team won the FIFA World Cup for the first time, beating the Netherlands national football team.
July 15 – Argentina made same-sex marriage legal.
July 25 – WikiLeaks, an organization, released over 90,000 secret reports about the US military's involvement in the war in Afghanistan.
Late July/early August – Heavy monsoon rains caused massive flooding in Pakistan. This disaster affected millions of people and killed at least 1,600.

Damaged bridge from the floods in Pakistan.

August Highlights

August 10 – The WHO announced that the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic (Swine Flu) was over.
August 14 – August 26 – The first ever Summer Youth Olympic Games were held in Singapore. Young athletes aged 14 to 18 from many countries competed.
August 19 – The United States officially ended its combat operations in Iraq.

September Highlights

September 4 – A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the South Island of New Zealand, including the city of Christchurch. It caused a lot of damage but thankfully no deaths were reported.

Earthquake damage in Christchurch, New Zealand.

October Highlights

October 4 – Toxic sludge escaped from a factory in western Hungary, causing environmental damage.
October 8 – Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize.
October 13 – Thirty-three miners were rescued from the San Jose mine in Chile. They had been trapped 700 meters underground for a record 69 days after a mining accident.
October 25 – A 7.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra caused tsunamis that killed over 400 people.
October 26 – The volcano Mount Merapi on Java started erupting continuously, killing hundreds and forcing thousands to leave their homes.
October 31 – Dilma Rousseff was elected as the first female President of Brazil.

View of toxic sludge damage in Hungary.

November Highlights

November 13 – Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after many years.
November 17 – Scientists at CERN successfully trapped antihydrogen atoms for a short time. This was the first time humans had trapped antimatter.
November 23 – North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island, leading to a military response from South Korea. This was a serious clash.
November 28 – WikiLeaks released a huge collection of over 250,000 secret American diplomatic documents.

North Korean artillery attacks Yeonpyeong Island.

December Highlights

December 2 – NASA announced the discovery of arsenic-based life forms in California. This was a surprising scientific finding.
December 2 – FIFA announced that Russia would host the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Qatar would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
December 4 – A political crisis began in the Ivory Coast. The international community recognized Alassane Ouattara as the election winner, but the current President refused to leave. This led to violence and a civil war.
December 21 – For the first time since 1638, a lunar eclipse happened on the same day as the December solstice.