What happened in 2010
217 entries recorded for 2010, listed by date. That was 16 years ago.
2010 at a glance
- Years ago
- 16 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 21st century
- Decade
- 2010s
- Generation born
- Generation Z
- Entries here
- 217
- Breakdown
- 141 historical events · 2 births · 74 deaths
January
- January 1
2010 Lakki Marwat suicide bombing
A suicide bomber killed 105 spectators at a volleyball game in the Lakki Marwat District of Pakistan.
- January 4
Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, officially opened in Dubai.
- January 7
Nag Hammadi
In Nag Hammadi, Egypt, Muslim gunmen opened fire on a crowd of Coptic Christians leaving church after attending Christmas Liturgy, killing eight of them, as well as one Muslim bystander.
- January 8
Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
Gunmen from an offshoot of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attacked the bus transporting the Togo national football team to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, killing three people.
- January 12
2010 Haiti earthquake
An earthquake registering 7.0 Mw struck Haiti, killing more than 100,000 people.
- January 12
Massoud Ali-Mohammadi
Iranian physicist Massoud Ali-Mohammadi was assassinated while leaving his home for the University of Tehran, where he was a professor.
- January 14
Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
- January 17
2010 Jos riots
The first spate of violence between Muslims and Christians began in Jos, Nigeria, and would end in more than 200 deaths.
- January 18
Sophia Reid-Gantzert
Sophia Reid-Gantzert, Canadian actress and dancer
- January 24
Pernell Roberts
Pernell Roberts, American actor (born 1928)
- January 25
Avatar (2009 film)
Avatar, a science-fiction film directed by James Cameron, became the highest-grossing film of all time.
- January 25
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, en route to Addis Ababa, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut, Lebanon, killing all 90 people on board.
- January 27
2009 Honduran constitutional crisis
The 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis ends when Porfirio Lobo Sosa becomes the new President of Honduras.
- January 27
Apple Inc.
Apple announces the iPad.
- January 27
Porfirio Lobo Sosa
Porfirio Lobo Sosa became the new president of Honduras, ending a constitutional crisis that had begun in 2009 when Manuel Zelaya was forcibly removed from office.
February
- February 3
L'Homme qui marche I
An edition of L'Homme qui marche I, a bronze sculpture by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, was sold for £65 million, setting the record for the most expensive sculpture sold at auction.
- February 7
Franco Ballerini
Franco Ballerini, Italian cyclist and coach (born 1964)
- February 8
Hindu Kush
Over 2 miles (3.2 km) of road are buried after a storm in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan triggers a series of avalanches, killing at least 172 people and trapping over 2,000 others.
- February 10
Fred Schaus
Fred Schaus, American basketball player and coach (born 1925)
- February 13
2010 Pune bombing
A terrorist bombing at a bakery popular among foreigners in Pune, India, killed 17 people and injured 60 others.
- February 15
Halle train collision
Two passenger trains collided in Halle, Belgium, when one driver failed to stop at a red signal, resulting in 19 deaths and 171 injuries.
- February 18
2010 Nigerien coup d'état
In a coup d'état, military rebels attacked the presidential palace in Niamey, Niger, and replaced President Mamadou Tandja with a ruling junta, the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy.
- February 18
WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks published the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by Chelsea Manning.
- February 20
2010 Madeira floods and mudslides
Severe flooding and mudslides on the island of Madeira, Portugal, killed 51 people.
- February 20
Madeira
In Madeira Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago.
- February 23
Diesel fuel
Unknown criminals pour more than 2+1⁄2 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in northern Italy, sparking an environmental disaster.
- February 25
İhsan Doğramacı
Ihsan Dogramaci, Turkish pediatrician and academic (born 1915)
- February 26
Nujabes
Jun Seba, also known as "Nujabes", Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (born 1974)
- February 27
2010 Chile earthquake
An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale strikes central parts of Chile leaving over 500 victims, and thousands injured. The quake triggers a tsunami which strikes Hawaii shortly after.
March
- March 1
Kristian Digby
Kristian Digby, English television host and director (born 1977)
- March 2
Winston Churchill (1940–2010)
Winston Churchill, English journalist and politician (born 1940)
- March 5
Richard Stapley
Richard Stapley, British actor and writer (born 1923)
- March 5
Charles B. Pierce
Charles B. Pierce, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1938)
- March 8
Hulk Hogan
Headlined by Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, TNA Wrestling moves its flagship program, TNA Impact!, to Monday night. This effort to go "big time live" failed but is notable in the history of professional wrestling television.
- March 9
Doris Haddock
Doris Haddock, American activist and politician (born 1910)
- March 9
Henry Wittenberg
Henry Wittenberg, American wrestler (born 1918)
- March 9
Willie Davis (baseball)
Willie Davis, American baseball player and manager (born 1940)
- March 9
Wilfy Rebimbus
Wilfy Rebimbus, Indian singer (born 1942)
- March 10
Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi
Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, Egyptian scholar and academic (born 1928)
- March 10
Corey Haim
Corey Haim, Canadian actor (born 1971)
- March 11
Sebastián Piñera
During the inauguration of Chilean president Sebastián Piñera, earthquakes registering 6.9 and 7.0 .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}Mw struck the O'Higgins Region near the city of Pichilemu, causing widespread damage.
- March 11
Hans van Mierlo
Hans van Mierlo, Dutch politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1931)
- March 12
Miguel Delibes
Miguel Delibes, Spanish journalist and author (born 1920)
- March 13
Jean Ferrat
Jean Ferrat, French singer-songwriter (born 1930)
- March 14
Peter Graves
Peter Graves, American actor (born 1926)
- March 16
Kasubi Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs, Uganda's only cultural World Heritage Site, are destroyed in a fire.
- March 17
Alex Chilton
Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1950)
- March 20
Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull (pictured) in Iceland began a series of volcanic events, later disrupting air travel across Europe.
- March 23
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act becomes law in the United States.
- March 26
ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772)
The South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan is torpedoed, killing 46 sailors. After an international investigation, the President of the United Nations Security Council blames North Korea.
- March 26
Torpedo
An explosion, allegedly caused by a North Korean torpedo, sank the South Korean warship ROKS Cheonan near Baengnyeongdo in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 sailors.
- March 27
Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano, American illustrator (born 1932)
- March 29
Caucasus Emirate
Islamist separatists of the Caucasus Emirate detonated two bombs on the Moscow Metro, killing 40 people and injuring 102 others.
- March 29
2010 Moscow Metro bombings
Two suicide bombers hit the Moscow Metro system at the peak of the morning rush hour, killing 40.
April
- April 3
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. released the first generation iPad, a tablet computer.
- April 4
2010 Baja California earthquake
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits south of the Mexico-USA border, killing at least two and damaging buildings across the two countries.
- April 5
Coal mining
An explosion at a coal mine in West Virginia killed 29 miners in the United States' worst mining disaster in 40 years.
- April 5
Upper Big Branch Mine disaster
Twenty-nine coal miners are killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.
- April 5
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-131 to resupply the International Space Station.
- April 5
2010 North-West Frontier Province attacks
Two bombings in Pakistan killed up to 50 people and injured around 100 others.
- April 6
April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada
Maoist rebels kill 76 CRPF officers in Dantewada district, India.
- April 6
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency: Insurgents from the Communist Party of India (Maoist) ambushed a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Dantewada district, India, killing 76 officers.
- April 8
Barack Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START Treaty.
- April 10
Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and dozens of other senior officials and dignitaries.
- April 12
Merano derailment
Merano derailment: A rail accident in South Tyrol kills nine people and injures a further 28.
- April 14
2010 Yushu earthquake
Nearly 2,700 people were killed in an earthquake registering 6.9 Mw in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China.
- April 14
2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull
Plumes of ash from a major eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland led to widespread disruption of air travel throughout Europe for several days.
- April 20
Deepwater Horizon
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that lasted six months.
- April 20
Deepwater Horizon explosion
An explosion on Deepwater Horizon, an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico, resulted in the largest marine oil spill in history.
- April 20
Dorothy Height
Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (born 1912)
- April 21
Kharkiv Pact
Ukraine and Russia signed the Kharkiv Pact, extending the Russian lease on naval facilities in Crimea.
- April 21
Gustav Lorentzen
Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1947)
- April 21
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (born 1920)
- April 21
Kanagaratnam Sriskandan
Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (born 1930)
- April 22
Richard Barrett (lawyer)
Richard Barrett, American lawyer and activist (born 1943)
- April 23
Jan Brewer
Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed into law the controversial anti–illegal immigration bill SB 1070, much of which was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
- April 26
Urs Felber
Urs Felber, Swiss engineer and businessman (born 1942)
- April 26
Mariam A. Aleem
Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian graphic designer and academic (born 1930)
May
- May 1
Faisal Shahzad
Faisal Shahzad attempted to detonate a car bomb in Times Square, New York City, but it failed to explode.
- May 1
Helen Wagner
Helen Wagner, American actress (born 1918)
- May 5
Anti-austerity movement in Greece
Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
- May 6
Dow Jones Industrial Average
In just 36 minutes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges nearly 1,000 points in what is known as the 2010 Flash Crash.
- May 7
Neanderthal
A draft sequence of the Neanderthal genome was published, demonstrating that most living humans have Neanderthal ancestors.
- May 7
Adele Mara
Adele Mara, American actress, singer and dancer (born 1923)
- May 7
Wally Hickel
Wally Hickel, American politician, Governor of Alaska and Secretary of the Interior (born 1919)
- May 10
Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta, American illustrator and painter (born 1928)
- May 11
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party after failing to strike a coalition agreement with the Liberal Democrats.
- May 11
David Cameron
David Cameron took office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats formed the country's first coalition government since the Second World War.
- May 11
Doris Eaton Travis
Doris Eaton Travis, American dancer and vaudevillian (born 1904)
- May 12
Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771
Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes on final approach to Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 out of the 104 people on board.
- May 12
Tripoli International Airport
On arrival at Tripoli International Airport, Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashed into the ground at a speed of 262 kn (485 km/h; 302 mph) and exploded, killing all but one of the 304 people on board.
- May 14
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the STS-132 mission to deliver the first shuttle-launched Russian ISS component — Rassvet. This was originally slated to be the final launch of Atlantis, before Congress approved STS-135.
- May 14
Stephen Timms
British politician Stephen Timms survived a murder attempt by an Islamic extremist during a constituency surgery.
- May 15
Jessica Watson
Three days before her seventeenth birthday, Jessica Watson arrived in Sydney after sailing non-stop and unassisted around the world.
- May 15
Loris Kessel
Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (born 1950)
- May 15
Besian Idrizaj
Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (born 1987)
- May 17
Pamir Airways Flight 112
Pamir Airways Flight 112 crashes in Afghanistan's Shakardara District, killing 44.
- May 19
Royal Thai Armed Forces
In Bangkok, the Thai military concluded a week-long crackdown on widespread protests by forcing the surrender of opposition leaders.
- May 21
JAXA
JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year.
- May 22
Inter Milan
Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2–0 in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid, Spain to become the first, and so far only, Italian team to win the historic treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League).
- May 22
Air India Express Flight 812
Air India Express Flight 812, a Boeing 737 crashes over a cliff upon landing at Mangalore, India, killing 158 of 166 people on board, becoming the deadliest crash involving a Boeing 737 until the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.
- May 22
Mangaluru
Upon landing in Mangalore, Air India Express Flight 812 overshot the runway and fell down a hillside, killing 158 of the 166 people on board.
- May 22
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner, American mathematician, cryptographer, and author (born 1914)
- May 23
Simon Monjack
Simon Monjack, English director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1970)
- May 23
José Lima
José Lima, Dominican-American baseball player (born 1972)
- May 28
West Bengal
In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers.
- May 28
Jnaneswari Express train derailment
A train derailment and collision in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal, India, caused the deaths of at least 148 passengers.
- May 31
Shayetet 13
Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.
June
- June 1
Andrei Voznesensky
Andrei Voznesensky, Russian poet (born 1933)
- June 1
Kazuo Ohno
Kazuo Ohno, Japanese dancer (born 1906)
- June 2
Cumbria shootings
A gunman carried out a shooting spree in Cumbria, England, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others before committing suicide.
- June 4
Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit
Falcon 9 Flight 1 is the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.
- June 8
Denise Narcisse-Mair
Denise Narcisse-Mair, Canadian musician (born 1940)
- June 9
2010 Nadahan bombing
A child suicide bomber attacked a wedding in Nadahan, Afghanistan, killing at least 40 people and injuring at least 70 others.
- June 11
FIFA World Cup
The first FIFA World Cup held on African soil kicks off in South Africa.
- June 12
Abby Sunderland
Sixteen-year-old Abby Sunderland was rescued after her boat was dismasted in the Indian Ocean while trying to become the youngest sailor around the world.
- June 13
Hayabusa
A capsule of the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa, containing particles of the asteroid 25143 Itokawa, returns to Earth by landing in the Australian Outback.
- June 16
Bhutan
Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco.
- June 19
Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling
The royal wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling took place in Stockholm Cathedral.
- June 19
Carlos Monsiváis
Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer, journalist and political activist (born 1938)
- June 19
Manute Bol
Manute Bol, Sudanese-American basketball player and activist (born 1962)
- June 19
Anthony Quinton
Anthony Quinton, Baron Quinton, English philosopher and academic (born 1925)
- June 20
Harry B. Whittington
Harry B. Whittington, English palaeontologist and academic (born 1916)
- June 20
Roberto Rosato
Roberto Rosato, Italian footballer (born 1943)
- June 21
Russell Ash
Russell Ash, English author (born 1946)
- June 24
John Isner
John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut at the Wimbledon Championships, concluding the longest match in tennis history, which lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days.
- June 24
Wimbledon Championships
At Wimbledon, John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France, in the longest match in professional tennis history.
- June 24
Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard was sworn in as the first female prime minister of Australia after incumbent Kevin Rudd declined to contest a leadership spill in the Labor Party.
- June 26
2010 G20 Toronto summit
A G20 summit, the largest and most expensive security operation in Canadian history, began in downtown Toronto.
July
- July 5
Bob Probert
Bob Probert, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host (born 1965)
- July 6
Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1929)
- July 11
Islamism
The Islamist militia group Al-Shabaab carried out multiple suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, killing 74 people and injuring 85 others.
- July 11
Spain national football team
Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0 after extra time to win their first FIFA World Cup title (pictured lifting the trophy).
- July 21
Barack Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama signs the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
- July 23
One Direction
The English-Irish boy band One Direction (pictured) were formed while auditioning for the 2010 series of the British singing competition The X Factor.
- July 25
WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks published 75,000 classified documents about the War in Afghanistan in one of the largest leaks in U.S. military history.
- July 27
Mummy
Police in Tokyo found the mummified remains of Sogen Kato, thought to have died in 1978, leading to widespread inquiries into the status of isolated elderly people in Japan.
- July 28
Airblue Flight 202
In the deadliest air accident in Pakistan's history, Airblue Flight 202 crashed into the Margalla Hills north of Islamabad, killing all 152 aboard.
- July 29
2010 Kasai River ferry capsizing
An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths.
August
- August 3
2010 Karachi riots
Widespread rioting erupts in Karachi, Pakistan, after the assassination of a local politician, leaving at least 85 dead and at least 17 billion Pakistani rupees (US$200 million) in damage.
- August 5
2010 Copiapó mining accident
The Copiapó mining accident occurs, trapping 33 Chilean miners approximately 2,300 ft (700 m) below the ground for 69 days.
- August 5
International Assistance Mission
Ten members of International Assistance Mission Nuristan Eye Camp team are killed by persons unknown in Kuran wa Munjan District of Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan.
- August 6
2010 Ladakh floods
Flash floods, mudslides, and debris flows across Ladakh in Indian-administered Kashmir left at least 255 people dead.
- August 8
2010 Gansu mudslide
A massive mudslide in the Chinese province of Gansu killed at least 1,471 people.
- August 8
2010 China floods
China Floods: A mudslide in Zhugqu County, Gansu, China, kills more than 1,400 people.
- August 13
MV Sun Sea incident
After being boarded by Canadian authorities, MV Sun Sea docked in British Columbia and the 492 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee claimants on board were placed in detention.
- August 14
2010 Summer Youth Olympics
The inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games opened in Singapore for athletes aged between 14 and 18.
- August 14
Herman Leonard
Herman Leonard, American photographer (born 1923)
- August 16
AIRES Flight 8250
AIRES Flight 8250 crashes at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia, killing two people.
- August 19
Iraq War
Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, with the last of the United States brigade combat teams crossing the border to Kuwait.
- August 23
Manila hostage crisis
The Manila hostage crisis occurs near the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines, killing 9 people including the perpetrator while injuring 9 others.
- August 24
Henan Airlines Flight 8387
Henan Airlines Flight 8387 crashes at Yichun Lindu Airport in Yichun, Heilongjiang, China, killing 44 out of the 96 people on board.
- August 24
San Fernando, Tamaulipas
In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, 72 illegal immigrants are killed by Los Zetas and eventually found dead by Mexican authorities.
- August 24
Agni Air Flight 101
Agni Air Flight 101 crashes near Shikharpur, Makwanpur, Nepal, killing all 14 people on board.
- August 25
Filair
A Filair Let L-410 Turbolet crashes on approach to Bandundu Airport, killing 20.
- August 31
The Bill
The last episode of The Bill, the longest-running police drama in British television history, was broadcast.
September
- September 2
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Israel-Palestinian conflict: the 2010 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are launched by the United States.
- September 3
Dubai International Airport
After taking off from Dubai International Airport, UPS Airlines Flight 6 develops an in-flight fire in the cargo hold and crashes near Nad Al Sheba, killing both crew members on board.
- September 3
Tanitoluwa Adewumi
Tanitoluwa Adewumi, Nigerian-American chess player
- September 4
2010 Canterbury earthquake
A magnitude-7.1 earthquake (damage pictured) struck the Canterbury Region of New Zealand, causing two deaths and up to NZ$40 billion in damages.
- September 7
Fishing trawler
A Chinese fishing trawler operating in disputed waters collided with Japan Coast Guard patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands, sparking a major diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
- September 7
2010 Senkaku boat collision incident
A Chinese fishing trawler collides with two Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats in disputed waters near the Senkaku Islands.
- September 9
Natural gas
A natural-gas pipeline in San Bruno, California, exploded and "shot a fireball more than 1,000 feet (300 m) in the air", killing eight people.
- September 12
Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)
- September 18
Philippe Croizon
Philippe Croizon becomes the first quadruple amputee to swim across the English Channel.
- September 19
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The leaking oil well in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is sealed.
- September 23
Teresa Lewis
Teresa Lewis became the first woman to be executed by the U.S. state of Virginia since 1912, and the first woman in the state to be executed via lethal injection.
- September 23
Malcolm Douglas (documentary maker)
Malcolm Douglas, Australian hunter and television host (born 1941)
- September 26
Death of Linda Norgrove
Scottish aid worker Linda Norgrove and three Afghan colleagues were kidnapped by members of the Taliban in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
- September 26
2010 Philippine Bar exam bombing
The Philippine Bar exam bombing occurs near the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila injuring 47 people.
- September 26
Terry Newton
Terry Newton, English rugby player (born 1978)
October
- October 2
Kwa Geok Choo
Kwa Geok Choo, Singaporean lawyer and scholar (born 1920)
- October 4
Ajka alumina plant accident
The Ajka plant accident in Hungary releases a million cubic metres of liquid alumina sludge, killing nine, injuring 122, and severely contaminating two major rivers.
- October 6
Instagram
Instagram, a mainstream photo-sharing application, is founded.
- October 10
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles are dissolved as a country.
- October 12
Yle TV2
The Finnish Yle TV2 channel's Ajankohtainen kakkonen current affairs program airs controversial Homoilta episode (literally "gay night"), which leads to the resignation of almost 50,000 Finns from the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
- October 13
2010 Copiapó mining accident
The mining accident in Copiapó, Chile ends as all 33 trapped miners arrive at the surface after a record 69 days underground.
- October 15
Johnny Sheffield
Johnny Sheffield, American actor (born 1931)
- October 15
Mildred Fay Jefferson
Mildred Fay Jefferson, American physician and activist (born 1926)
- October 15
Richard C. Miller
Richard C. Miller, American photographer (born 1912)
- October 25
Mount Merapi
Mount Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia, began an increasingly violent series of eruptions that lasted over a month.
- October 25
2010 Mentawai earthquake and tsunami
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes off Indonesia's Mentawai Islands, triggering a tsunami that kills at least 400 people.
- October 28
Liang Congjie
Liang Congjie, Chinese historian and activist, founded Friends of Nature (born 1932)
- October 28
James MacArthur
James MacArthur, American actor (born 1937)
- October 30
Jon Stewart
American comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert hosted the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C.
- October 30
Harry Mulisch
Harry Mulisch, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (born 1927)
November
- November 3
Jerry Bock
Jerry Bock, American composer (born 1928)
- November 3
Viktor Chernomyrdin
Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian politician and diplomat, 30th Prime Minister of Russia (born 1938)
- November 4
Aero Caribbean Flight 883
Aero Caribbean Flight 883 crashes into Guasimal, Sancti Spíritus; all 68 passengers and crew are killed.
- November 4
Aviation accidents and incidents
In the first aviation incident involving an Airbus A380, Qantas Flight 32 suffered an uncontained engine failure and made an emergency landing at Changi Airport in Singapore with no casualties.
- November 4
Qantas Flight 32
Qantas Flight 32, an Airbus A380, suffers an uncontained engine failure over Indonesia shortly after taking off from Singapore, crippling the jet. The crew manage to safely return to Singapore, saving all 469 passengers and crew.
- November 5
JS Air Flight 201
JS Air Flight 201 crashes after takeoff from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, killing all 21 aboard.
- November 13
Allan Sandage
Allan Sandage, American astronomer and cosmologist (born 1926)
- November 13
Luis García Berlanga
Luis García Berlanga, Spanish director and screenwriter (born 1921)
- November 14
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race of the season, becoming the youngest Formula One champion.
- November 15
2010 Shanghai fire
A fire in a high-rise apartment building in Shanghai, China kills 58 people.
- November 19
Pike River Mine disaster
The first of four explosions occurred at the Pike River Mine in the West Coast in New Zealand's worst mining disaster in nearly a century.
- November 22
Bon Om Touk
During the Cambodian water festival, a stampede in Koh Pich, Phnom Penh, kills 347 people.
- November 22
Jean Cione
Jean Cione, American baseball player (born 1928)
- November 23
2010 Yeonpyeongdo bombardment
Bombardment of Yeonpyeong: North Korean artillery attack kills two civilians and two marines on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea.
- November 26
Leroy Drumm
Leroy Drumm, American songwriter (born 1936)
December
- December 3
Abdumalik Bahori
Abdumalik Bahori, Azerbaijani poet and author (born 1927)
- December 6
Mark Dailey
Mark Dailey, American-Canadian journalist and actor (born 1953)
- December 8
IKAROS
The Japanese experimental spacecraft IKAROS flew by Venus at a distance of 80,800 km (50,200 mi), completing its planned mission to demonstrate solar-sail technology.
- December 8
Solar sail
The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km (50,200 mi).
- December 8
SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1
With the second launch of the Falcon 9, and the first launch of the Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.
- December 12
Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver, founded Tom Walkinshaw Racing (born 1946)
- December 15
Refugee
A boat carrying 90 asylum seekers crashes into rocks off the coast of Christmas Island, Australia, killing 48 people.
- December 15
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922)
- December 16
Ayinde Barrister
Ayinde Barrister, Nigerian fuji musician (born 1948)
- December 16
Melvin E. Biddle
Melvin E. Biddle, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1923)
- December 17
Arab Spring
Arab Spring: Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor in Sidi Bouzid, set himself on fire in protest against police harassment, triggering the Tunisian revolution.
- December 17
Mohamed Bouazizi
Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.
- December 20
K. P. Ratnam
K. P. Ratnam, Sri Lankan academic and politician (born 1914)
- December 21
Enzo Bearzot
Enzo Bearzot, Italian footballer and manager (born 1927)
- December 22
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
The United States repealed its "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay, lesbian and bisexual people in the military (signing pictured).
- December 31
2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak
Tornadoes touch down in midwestern and southern United States, including Washington County, Arkansas; Greater St. Louis, Sunset Hills, Missouri, Illinois, and Oklahoma, with a few tornadoes in the early hours. A total of 36 tornadoes touched down, resulting in the deaths of nine
Questions about 2010
What happened in 2010?
This site records 217 entries for 2010, including 2010 Lakki Marwat suicide bombing on January 1. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 2010?
16 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 2010 turns 16 this year.
Which century is 2010 in?
2010 falls in the 21st century, in the 2010s.
Which generation was born in 2010?
Generation Z (1997–2012). First generation raised with smartphones and social media.
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