2010 in the United Kingdom Facts for Kids

The year 2010 was a busy one in the United Kingdom! Many important things happened, from big snowfalls to changes in government and exciting sports events. Let's take a look at some of the major moments that shaped the UK in 2010.

Events
Births
Deaths
Images for kids
See also

Events

January 5 - Heavy snow fell across Great Britain. This caused a lot of travel problems, schools had to close, and some homes lost power. It was one of the coldest periods since the winter of 1981-1982.
January 26 - Good news! The UK was officially announced to be out of a recession, which means the economy started to grow again after a difficult period.
January 29 - Former Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke at an inquiry about the war in Iraq.
February 2 - A famous chocolate company from Birmingham, Cadbury, was bought by an American company called Kraft Foods. This was a very big deal, worth £11.5 billion!
February 5 - After many talks, the main political groups in Northern Ireland agreed to take more control over local matters like policing and justice.
February 19 - Amy Williams won the only medal for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics. It was a gold medal in skeleton!
March 5 - Prime Minister Gordon Brown also gave evidence at the Iraq inquiry.
March 20 - Cabin crew (the people who work on planes) at British Airways went on strike for three days.
April 6 - Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked the Queen's permission to hold a general election. This is a special vote where people choose who they want to represent them in parliament.
April 15 - A huge cloud of volcanic ash from a volcano called Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland caused all flights over the United Kingdom and parts of Europe to be stopped.
April 15 - For the first time ever, the leaders of the three main political parties in the UK had a televised debate before the election.
May 6 - It was the 2010 General Election. The Conservative Party won the most seats, but not enough to form a government on their own. This is called a hung parliament. It was the first time this had happened since 1974.
May 11 - David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party, became the new Prime Minister. He formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, became the Deputy Prime Minister. Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister.
May 29 - The UK, represented by Josh Dubovie, came in last place at the Eurovision Song Contest.
June 12 - The England national football team started their World Cup journey with a 1-1 draw against the United States.
June 15 - An inquiry into the 'Bloody Sunday' shootings from 1972 found that the actions of the British Army were wrong. Prime Minister David Cameron formally apologized on behalf of the government.
June 18 - The England national football team had another draw, this time 0-0 with the Algeria national football team.
June 22 - Chancellor George Osborne announced the government's new budget. One big change was that VAT (a tax on most things you buy) went up by 2.5% to 20%.
June 25 - David Cameron said he wanted all British troops to leave Afghanistan by 2015.
June 27 - England was knocked out of the World Cup after losing 4-1 to Germany.
June - For the first time in 400 years, beavers were born in the wild in Scotland!
July 5 - Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced that people would get to vote on a new way of electing Members of Parliament. This vote would happen on May 5, 2011.
July 11 - An Englishman named Howard Webb was the referee for the FIFA World Cup final.
July 28 - Home Secretary Theresa May announced plans to stop using Anti-Social Behaviour Orders in England and Wales.
September 1 - Former Prime Minister Tony Blair's book, A Journey, was released.
September 10 - The government announced plans to sell off Royal Mail, the postal service.
September 16 - Pope Benedict XVI visited Scotland and England. This was the first time a Pope had visited the UK since 1982.
September 25 - Ed Miliband was chosen as the new leader of the Labour Party. He narrowly won against his brother, David Miliband.
October - All four countries of the UK took part in the Commonwealth Games.
November 5 - Nigel Farage was re-elected as the leader of the UK Independence Party.
November 10 - Students started protesting against plans to increase University tuition fees (the money students pay to go to university).
November 11 - The government announced big changes to the welfare system, which helps people who need support. These were the biggest changes since the 1940s.
November 16 - Prince William and Kate Middleton announced they were getting married!
November 28 - Heavy snow fell across Britain again, causing many problems for weeks, including cancelled flights and postponed sports games. It was the second long cold period that year.
December 2 - England's bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup was not successful.
December 9 - Members of Parliament voted to increase University tuition fees, which led to more big student protests.
December 29 - England's national cricket team won The Ashes against Australia.

Births

August 24 - Florence Cameron, daughter of Prime Minister David Cameron.
December 29 - Savannah Phillips, the first great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II.