World Events of 2010

In this write-up, we will take a look at some of the major world events that took place in the year 2010, which undoubtedly have had an impact on our lives in some way or the other. Have a look and enhance your database if you missed any event in 2010.

The year 2010 had some big happenings, and some small, but most of which had some impact or the other on the lives of every individual on this planet. It was also the beginning of a new decade, the second of the current millennium. So let us take a look at some of the important incidents that took place during the year.

A lot happened throughout the year that either took the world by surprise, made quite a few of us sad, or was even the reason for extreme joy for many of us. What were they? Well that’s just what we are going to see now.

Major World Events in 2010

JANUARY

Jan 1: Sweden passes on the presidency of the EU Council to Spain.
Jan 4: The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is the tallest building in the world, opens.
Jan 4:Tsutomu Yamaguchi who is said to have survived the atom bombs both in Hiroshima and Nagasaki dies at the age of 93.
Jan 12: One of the deadliest earthquake ever witnessed by man hits the capital of Haiti. The fatalities due to this natural calamity are estimated to be nearly 250,000.
Jan 15: One of the longest annual solar eclipse occurs.
Jan 25: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashes off the coast of Lebanon into the Mediterranean Sea with 90 people on board.

FEBRUARY

Feb 12: 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada.
Feb 27: Chile is rocked by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. Though the loss of life is just around 500, it is one of the largest earthquakes on record, which also sets off a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean

MARCH

Mar 13: Australia are World Champions in Men’s Field Hockey.
Mar 16: Uganda’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Kasubi Tombs, is destroyed in a blazing fire. Also, the world’s shortest man, He Pingping, dies at the young age of 21.
Mar 23: North Korea allegedly sinks a South Korean navy vessel. More than 100 sailors were on board, and around half the number perish in the attack.
Mar 27: The world’s richest horse race takes place in Dubai with a prize money of USD 10 million.

APRIL

Apr 10: A plane crashes in Russia in which nearly a hundred people die, including the Polish President Lech Kaczynski.
Apr 13: A powerful earthquake of nearly 7 magnitude rocks Qinghai in China. Around 2,000 people perish.
Apr 20: One of the worst oil spills in the history of mankind occurs when the Deepwater Horizon explodes in the Gulf of Mexico.

MAY

May 2: Greece is hit by an economic meltdown, and is bailed out by the EU and IMF with a €110 billion package.
May 4: A world record in the arts industry. A Pablo Picasso work of art is sold for a whopping USD 106.5 million.
May 12: A plane crashes at Libya’s Tripoli International Airport. This Afriqiyah Airways aircraft had more than 100 people on board, but sadly ended up with just a single survivor.
May 19: Bangkok, Thailand is rocked by protests, which is thwarted by a military crackdown that leaves nearly 100 people dead.
May 19: Indian born Scotsman John Shepherd-Barron, ATM inventor, dies.
May 22: An Air India flight with 166 people on board overshoots the runway and dives into the ravine ahead at the Mangalore International Airport. Only 8 people come out alive from the wreckage.
May 23: Director / producer Simon Monjack dies.
May 28: Different Strokes star Gary Coleman dies at the age of 42.
May 29: Director / actor Dennis Hopper dies at the age of 74.
May 31: Israel’s navy storm the Flotilla, which was trying to go past the Gaza Blockade. Nine activists are killed in the process, which sparks international outrage.

JUNE

Jun 9: Clashes break out between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan, which claims the lives of hundreds of people.
Jun 11: The FIFA world cup begins in South Africa.

JULY

Jul 1: Spain passes on the presidency of the EU Council to Belgium.
Jul 8: Solar Impulse creates a world record by becoming the first plane to fly 24 hours on solar power.
Jul 11: Spain lifts the FIFA World Cup 2010.
Jul 13: Yankees owner George Steinbrenner dies at the age of 80 years.
Jul 29: The heaviest rain in decades comes down on Pakistan causing widespread floods. Millions are left homeless.

AUGUST

Aug 10: The World Health Organization (WHO) declares that the deadly H1N1 flu that gripped the entire world was officially over.

SEPTEMBER

Sep 11: Hosts Argentina display some dazzling hockey to win the Women’s Field Hockey World Cup.
Sep 28: Oaxaca, Mexico is buried under landslides in which scores are killed and hundreds go missing.
Sep 29: Actor Tony Curtis dies at the age of 85.

OCTOBER

Oct 13: The world heaves a sigh of relief when 33 miners who were trapped for nearly 70 days underground at a depth of 700 meters are rescued after days of painstaking rescue efforts.
Oct 20: Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine dies at the age of 79.
Oct 22: This day counts as the day on which the International Space Station has been occupied by humans for the longest period ever (3,641 days).
Oct 25: Sumatra is hit by an earthquake and tsunami, which leaves 400 dead and thousands missing.

NOVEMBER

Nov 4: There is a plane crash in Cuba. This Aero Caribbean aircraft goes down with around 70 people on board. There are no survivors.
Nov 21: The Republic of Ireland is hit by a financial crisis, and is bailed out by the EU countries.
Nov 22: Bon Om Thook celebrations in Cambodia are marred by a stampede in which nearly 350 people lose their lives.
Nov 23: North Korea rocks the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong with shelling, which leads to high escalation of tensions between both the Koreas.

DECEMBER

Dec 2: The discovery of a new life form (arsenic-based) in California is declared by NASA.
Dec 21: This day marked the first time since 1638 that a total lunar eclipse occurred on a northern winter solstice / southern summer solstice.
Dec 30: Bobby Farrell, the famous vocalist of the hit band Boney M dies at the age of 61.

Of course each and every moment of 2010 had something or the other taking place, but the events mentioned here are the important ones that must have had some sort of impact on respective people around the world, and now have an important place in the history of mankind.