2010s facts for kids

The 2010s was a decade that started on January 1, 2010, and ended on December 31, 2019. It was the second decade of the 21st century. This time period saw many important events around the world, from big natural disasters to major changes in leadership and exciting sporting events.

Major Events of the 2010s

2010: A Busy Start

• January 4 – The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building ever built, opened in Dubai.
• January 12 – A very strong earthquake hit Haiti, causing a lot of damage.
• February 27 – Another powerful earthquake struck Chile. It was so strong it might have even changed the Earth's tilt!
• April 10 – A plane crash in Russia killed many important people from Poland, including President Lech Kaczynski.
• April 14 – A large earthquake happened in Qinghai province, China.
• April 14 – A volcano erupted in Iceland. Its ash cloud stopped many flights.
• From April 20 – The Deepwater Horizon oil spill happened in the Gulf of Mexico. It was the worst oil spill in US history.
• May 7 – The Human Genome Project was completed. This project mapped out all the genes in humans.
• May 31 – Israel stopped a group of ships carrying aid to Gaza, and nine people died.
• July/August – Huge floods hit Pakistan, affecting over 15 million people.
• October 13 – Thirty-three miners were saved in Chile after being trapped underground for 69 days.
• November 13 – Aung San Suu Kyi, a leader for democracy in Myanmar, was set free from house arrest.
• December 2 – It was announced that Russia would host the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Qatar would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

2011: Big Changes and Disasters

• January 1 – Estonia started using the euro currency.
• January 14 – Tunisia's President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali resigned after protests.
• February 11 – After many protests, Hosni Mubarak, the President of Egypt for almost 30 years, resigned.
• March 11 – A massive earthquake hit off the coast of Japan. It caused huge tsunamis and led to fears about nuclear power plants.
• March 19 – Military action began in Libya with approval from the UN.
• May 1 – Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, was killed by US forces in Pakistan.
• July 9 – South Sudan became an independent country, separating from Sudan.
• July 21 – The Space Shuttle program ended with the landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
• October 20 – Muammar al-Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, was killed.
• October 23 – An earthquake in eastern Turkey killed more than 500 people.
• December 15 – US troops left Iraq.
• December 17 – Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea, died and was replaced by his son, Kim Jong-un.
• December 30 – Samoa and Tokelau skipped a day by changing their time zones.

2012: Olympics and Space

• January 14 – The Costa Concordia cruise ship crashed and sank off Italy, killing many people.
• July 27 - August 12 – The 2012 Summer Olympics were held in London.
• August 6 – NASA's Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars.
• October 22-October 30 – Hurricane Sandy caused a lot of damage and deaths in the Caribbean and Eastern United States.
• November 6 – Barack Obama was re-elected as President of the United States.

2013: Leadership Changes and World Events

• January 30 – Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announced she would step down. Her son, King Willem-Alexander, became king.
• February 11 – Pope Benedict XVI resigned due to his age. Pope Francis became the new Pope on March 13.
• March 5 – Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, died.
• March 14 – Xi Jinping became the President of China.
• July 3 – Albert II of Belgium announced he would step down as King of Belgium due to health issues. His son, Philippe, became king.
• August 21 – A chemical weapons attack happened in Syria.
• September 7 – Tokyo, Japan, was chosen to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.
• October 1-October 17 – The United States federal government shut down, closing national parks and other government services.
• December 5 – Nelson Mandela, a famous anti-apartheid leader and former President of South Africa, passed away.

2014: Conflicts and Disappearances

• January 1 – Latvia started using the Euro currency.
• February 7 - February 23 – The 2014 Winter Olympics were held in Sochi, Russia.
• March 8 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared with 239 people on board. Its fate remained a mystery for a long time.
• March 21 – Russia officially took control of Crimea.
• April 14 – About 276 girls and women were kidnapped from a school in Nigeria.
• May 5 – The World Health Organization declared the spread of poliomyelitis (polio) a major global health emergency.
• June 2 – King Juan Carlos of Spain announced he would step down. His son, Felipe VI, became king.
• July 17 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in Ukraine after being shot down by a missile. All 298 people on board died.
• July 24 – Air Algérie Flight 5017 crashed in Mali, killing all 116 people on board.

2015: New Currency

• January 1 – Lithuania started using the Euro currency.

Important Political Changes

• March 11, 2010 – Sebastián Piñera became President of Chile.
• April 10, 2010 – Lech Kaczyński, President of Poland, died in a plane crash. Bronisław Komorowski took his place.
• May 5, 2010 – Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, President of Nigeria, died. Goodluck Jonathan became president.
• May 11, 2010 – David Cameron became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• June 24, 2010 – Julia Gillard became Prime Minister of Australia.
• June 30, 2010 – Benigno Aquino III became President of the Philippines.
• January 1, 2011 – Dilma Rousseff became President of Brazil.
• January 14, 2011 – Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, President of Tunisia, resigned after protests.
• February 11, 2011 – Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt, resigned after protests.
• July 9, 2011 – South Sudan became a new country, and Salva Kiir Mayardit became its first President.
• October 20, 2011 – The National Transitional Council took control of Libya after Muammar al-Gaddafi's death.
• November 12, 2011 – Silvio Berlusconi resigned as Prime Minister of Italy. Mario Monti took over.
• December 17, 2011 – Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea, died. His son, Kim Jong-un, became the new leader.
• February 17, 2012 – Christian Wulff resigned as President of Germany. Joachim Gauck became president on March 18, 2012.
• May 15, 2012 – Francois Hollande became President of France.
• June 30, 2012 – Mohamed Morsi became President of Egypt.
• December 26, 2012 – Shinzo Abe became Prime Minister of Japan.
• February 25, 2013 – Park Geunhye became President of South Korea.
• March 5, 2013 – Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela, died. Nicolas Maduro became acting president.
• March 14, 2013 – Xi Jinping became President of China.
• April 14, 2013 – Nicolas Maduro was elected President of Venezuela.
• July 3, 2013 – Mohamed Morsi, President of Egypt, was removed from power. Adly Mansour became acting president.
• September 18, 2013 – Tony Abbott became Prime Minister of Australia.
• March 11, 2014 – Michelle Bachelet became President of Chile again.
• June 8, 2014 – Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became President of Egypt.
• July 24, 2014 – Reuven Rivlin became President of Israel.
• September 29, 2014 – Ashraf Ghani became President of Afghanistan.
• October 20, 2014 – Joko Widodo became President of Indonesia.

Future Challenges: The Baby Boomer Generation

• The baby-boomer generation refers to many people born after World War II (around 1945). During the 2010s, these people started turning 65 and retiring from work. This means more people will be using government services like Medicare (health care for older people) and Social Security (money for retired people). Some people think this might put a strain on government funds.

Major Sporting Events

• Different Olympic games:
  • 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
  • 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore
  • 2012 Summer Olympics in London
  • 2012 Winter Youth Olympics
  • 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia
  • 2014 Summer Youth Olympics
  • 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
  • 2016 Winter Youth Olympics
  • 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea
  • 2018 Summer Youth Olympics
• Different World Cup games:
  • 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, won by Spain
  • 2011 Cricket World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, won by India
  • 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany, won by Japan
  • 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, won by New Zealand
  • 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, won by Germany
  • 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada
  • 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand
  • 2015 Rugby World Cup in England
  • 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
  • 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
  • 2019 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales
  • 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore

Images for kids

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  Osama bin Laden

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  Muammar Gaddafi

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  Malala Yousafzai

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  Jamal Khashoggi

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  Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

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  Greece and Eurozone's rise of debt in the early years of the decade

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  A man and a delivery robot waiting at a pedestrian crossing in Redwood City, California, United States. E-commerce helped new ways of delivery like drone delivery.

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  A poster used during the Occupy Wall Street movements with the phrase "We are the 99%". This movement was against economic inequality.

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  Applications such as Wii Street U mixed video games and technology.

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  Edward Snowden, a former NSA employee who shared information about global surveillance programs.

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  Jürgen Mossack, co-founder of Mossack Fonseca, which closed after information from the Panama Papers was revealed.

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  Rihanna was a fashion icon of the era.

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  LeBron James, a sports icon of the decade, is the only NBA player to have won four championships with three different teams.

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  On 10 April 2010 a plane of the Polish Air Force crashed in Russia with Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 other passengers.

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  For over 15 months it was unclear what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 until parts of the plane washed up on the island of Réunion.

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  View of Notre-Dame Cathedral on fire in Paris.

See also

In Spanish: Años 2010 para niños