Table of Contents
Timeline of 2010
A chronological index of notable events in the year 2010, drawn from the knowledge base.
| Date | Event | Category | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 12, 2010 | Haiti earthquake — magnitude 7.0 quake near Port-au-Prince kills an estimated 100,000–316,000 people | History & Politics | details |
| January 12, 2010 | Google announces withdrawal from China — Google announces it will stop censoring search results in China, redirecting to Hong Kong servers | Science & Technology | — |
| March 23, 2010 | Affordable Care Act signed — President Obama signs the most significant US healthcare overhaul since Medicare/Medicaid in 1965 | Society & Economics | details |
| April 3, 2010 | iPad launched — Apple releases the iPad, establishing the modern tablet computing category and selling 15 million units in its first year | Science & Technology | details |
| April 20, 2010 | Deepwater Horizon explosion — Blowout and explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig kills 11 workers, beginning the largest marine oil spill in history | History & Politics | details |
| June 11 – July 11, 2010 | FIFA World Cup in South Africa — First World Cup held on the African continent; Spain wins their first title | Arts & Culture | — |
| July 15, 2010 | Deepwater Horizon well temporarily capped — After 87 days, a temporary cap stops the flow from the Macondo well | History & Politics | details |
| July 21, 2010 | Dodd-Frank Act signed — Most sweeping US financial regulation reforms since the Great Depression enacted in response to the 2008 financial crisis | Society & Economics | — |
| July 27, 2010 | Pakistan floods begin — Record monsoon rainfall triggers catastrophic flooding that eventually affects ~20 million people across one-fifth of Pakistan | History & Politics | details |
| September 19, 2010 | Deepwater Horizon well permanently sealed — Macondo well permanently sealed, concluding the 87-day disaster | History & Politics | details |
| October 1, 2010 | The Social Network released — David Fincher’s film about Facebook’s founding opens; wins 3 Academy Awards and grosses $225 million | Arts & Culture | details |
| October 6, 2010 | Instagram launched — Photo-sharing app launches on iOS, reaching 1 million users within roughly two months and pioneering the mobile-first social media era | Science & Technology | details |
| October 13, 2010 | Chilean mining rescue — All 33 trapped miners rescued alive after 69 days underground at the San José Mine | History & Politics | details |
| November 28, 2010 | WikiLeaks releases diplomatic cables — WikiLeaks publishes 251,287 classified US State Department cables in major intelligence disclosure | History & Politics | details |
| December 17, 2010 | Arab Spring begins — Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution begins, setting off a wave of uprisings across the Arab world | History & Politics | details |