Stories from 2010
Browse a timeline of top world events from 2010. Or, use Proust to tell your life story and share personal
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January 4, 2010
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building standing at 2,716 feet, opens in downtown Dubai. It is 2,716 feet and almost twice the height of the Empire State Building in New York.
January 12, 2010
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Haiti
One of the deadliest earthquakes occurred in Haiti, completely destroying the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
February 10, 2010
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Lufkin, TX
Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-TX) passed away at the age of 76. Wilson headed up the secret campaign to provide weapons and training to Afghani mujahedeen to use against the Soviet Union, who had invaded their country, during the Cold War in the 1980s. Wilson urged the U.S government to help rebuild the newly liberated country after the Soviets were forced out, though his warning went unheeded. The fighters then established al Qaeda, who would use these weapons against the U.S.
February 27, 2010
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Chile
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake, one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history, rocked Chile and triggered a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean. The two natural disasters killed almost 500 people and destroyed several villages.
April 10, 2010
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Russia
The President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, and several top military officials died in an airplane crash in Russia. The envoy was traveling to Russia to honor the 70th anniversary of the mass execution of Polish prisoners of war by the Soviets during World War II.
April 14, 2010
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Iceland
The Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted beneath an Icelandic glacier. It released a cloud of ash, which disrupted air traffic across northern and western Europe for six days.
April 20, 2010
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Gulf of Mexico
The Deepwater Horizon oilrig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and spewed 4.9 million barrels of oil into ocean. It was the worst environmental disaster in United States history.
May 20, 2010
The J. Craig Venter Institute successfully produced a synthetic bacterial genome.
May 29, 2010
American actor Dennis Hopper, who made a name for himself in Rebel Without a Cause, Easy Rider, and Blue Velvet, lost his battle with cancer.
July 8, 2010
Solar Impulse, a solar-powered aircraft piloted by Andre Borschberg, successfully flew around the world in record time. Besides breaking a record for its speed (the flight lasted 26 hours), Solar Impulse also flew at unparalleled heights for a sun-fueled airplane.
July 11, 2010
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South Africa
Spain defeated the Netherlands and won their first world title in the FIFA World Cup.
July 25, 2010
Wikileaks, a non-profit organization that publicly posts anonymous leaked documents and source material, published almost 80,000 classified official United States government cables about the country's involvement in the war in Afghanistan.
July 29, 2010
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Pakistan
Heavy monsoon rains caused sweeping floods in the northwest region of Pakistan. In what was the worst flooding in the country's history, over 1,700 people were killed, 1.3 million were rescued, and almost 2 million homes were damaged or destroyed completely.
October 13, 2010
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Copiapo, Chile
After surviving 69 days of being trapped below the earth's surface because of a mining accident, 33 Chilean miners were lifted one by one from underground and rescued.
October 22, 2010
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Seoul, South Korea
South Korea was the first country not apart of the G-8 assembly to host the G-20 summit for heads of state to discuss global politics.
