- Jan 1 Suicide car bomb detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100
- Jan 1 96th Rose Bowl: #8 Ohio State beats #7 Oregon, 26-17
- Jan 1 76th Sugar Bowl: #5 Florida beats #3 Cincinnati, 51-24
- Jan 1 New FINA rules re competition swimsuits come into effect; all body-length swimsuits banned; men's suits to maximally cover from the waist to knee, and women's from shoulder to knee; fabric must be a "textile" or woven material
- Jan 3 Phil Taylor successfully defends his PDC World Darts title with a 7–3 victory over Simon Whitlock of Australia in the final in London; Taylor's 13th PDC and 15th overall world championship
- Jan 4 The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed HIV infection from its list of communicable diseases of public health significance.
- Jan 4 39th Fiesta Bowl: #6 Boise State beats #3 TCU, 17-10
- Jan 4 The Burj Khalifa, world's tallest building at 829.8 m (2,722 ft), officially opens in Dubai
Event of Interest
Jan 5 Mike Shanahan is formally introduced as head coach of the Washington Redskins
Mike Shanahan
- Jan 5 76th Orange Bowl: #10 Iowa beats #9 Georgia Tech, 24-14
Film and TV Awards
Jan 6 36th People's Choice Awards: Johnny Depp & Sandra Bullock win (Movie Star) and Hugh Laurie & Katherine Heigl win (TV Drama)
Event of Interest
Jan 9 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: María José Martínez Sánchez & Tommy Robredo of Spain beat British pair Laura Robson & Andy Murray 7-6, 7-5 to clinch a 2-1 win; Spain's 3rd title
Andy Murray
Event of Interest
Jan 11 Simon Cowell leaves "American Idol"
Simon Cowell
Earthquake Devastates Haiti
Jan 12 Earthquake devastates Haiti, killing approximately 160,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince
Learn More
- Jan 12 Colombia officially leaves the recession after achieving 2% economic growth in the last quarter of 2009
- Jan 14 Yemen declares war on al-Qaeda
- Jan 15 15th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: The Hurt Locker wins Best Film
- Jan 17 A dragon boat from Chung Ling High School capsizes and collides with a tugboat amid strong currents in Penang, Malaysia, killing 6 people and injuring 12
Golden Globes
Jan 17 67th Golden Globes: Avatar, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock win
Jeff Bridges
Sandra Bullock
Event of Interest
Jan 21 LA Lakers forward Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest NBA player to reach 25,000 career points at 31 years, 151 days; beats Wilt Chamberlain by 35 days
Kobe Bryant
Event of Interest
Jan 22 Conan O'Brien's last The Tonight Show episode after a big controversy over the Tonight Show timeslot
Conan O'Brien
- Jan 24 AFC Championship, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Colts beat New York Jets, 30-17
- Jan 24 NFC Championship, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Saints beat Minnesota Vikings, 31-28 (OT)
- Jan 25 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, killing all 90 people on-board.
- Jan 26 After 6 consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, the UK economy officially finally comes out of recession with a GDP growth of 0.1%
Swine Flu Pandemic
Jan 26 The World Health Organization rejects claims that it overstated the severity of the swine flu pandemic under pressure from vaccine companies
Learn More
Execution
Jan 28 Five murderers of Bangladeshi President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman hanged: Lieutenant Colonel Syed Faruq Rahman, Lieutenant Colonel Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Major AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Major Bazlul Huda and Lieutenant Colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Australian Open Women's Tennis
Jan 30 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams retains her title; beats Justine Henin of Belgium 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Serena Williams
Australian Men's Tennis Open
Jan 31 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer outclasses Scotsman Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 for his 4th Australian title
Roger Federer
Andy Murray
- Jan 31 26th Sundance Film Festival: "Winter's Bone", directed by Debra Granik, wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
Super Bowl
Feb 7 Super Bowl XLIV, Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Miami, FL; New Orleans Saints beat Indianapolis Colts, 31-17; MVP: Drew Brees, New Orleans, QB
Drew Brees
- Feb 8 747-8 Freighter takes off for its maiden flight from Paine Field, Washington
- Feb 11 60th Berlin International Film Festival: "Honey" wins the Golden Bear
- Feb 12 XXI Winter Olympic Games open in Vancouver, Canada
- Feb 13 A bombing at the German Bakery in Pune, India, kills 10 and injures 60 more.
Olympic Gold
Feb 14 Alexandre Bilodeau wins the Gold Medal in the freestyle skiing men's moguls event, becoming the first Canadian to win a Gold Medal during a Canadian-hosted Olympics
Alexandre Bilodeau
- Feb 14 59th NBA All-Star Game, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX: East beats West, 141-139; MVP: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, G
- Feb 14 52nd Daytona 500: Jamie McMurray, driving for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing wins; Mark Martin, oldest polesitter in Daytona 500 history at 51 years, 27 days
- Feb 14 America's Cup: Team USA defeats Alinghi 2-0 to win in Spain
Event of Interest
Feb 18 Bibliothèque nationale de France purchases the memoirs of Giacomo Casanova a for €7 million
Giacomo Casanova
- Feb 20 On the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, leaving at least 32 deaths in the worst disaster on the history of the archipelago.
BAFTA Awards
Feb 21 63rd British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAS): "The Hurt Locker" Best Film, Kathryn Bigelow Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow
- Feb 22 Taiwan's economy exits from the recession with 9.22% growth in the last quarter of 2009 after increased demand from China and other key markets in the region
- Feb 23 Unknown criminals pour more than 2.5 million litres of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in Northern Italy, causing an environmental disaster.
Historic Publication
Feb 23 Danielle Steel’s novel “Big Girl” is published
Danielle Steel
Event of Interest
Feb 24 Sachin Tendulkar scores the first double century in One Day International cricket
Sachin Tendulkar
- Feb 24 Europe risks a double-dip recession after bad results emerge from France, Germany and Italy, it is reported today; the Eurozone only grew by 0.1% in the last quarter of 2009
- Feb 26 41st NAACP Image Awards: "Precious" wins Outstanding Motion Picture
- Feb 27 Central Chile is hit with an 8.8 magnitude earthquake.
- Feb 28 XXI Winter Olympic Games close in Vancouver, Canada
Film Release
Mar 3 "Alice in Wonderland", inspired by Lewis Carroll directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska is released
- Mar 6 30th Golden Raspberry Awards: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" wins
Academy Awards
Mar 7 82nd Academy Awards: "The Hurt Locker", Jeff Bridges & Sandra Bullock win
Sandra Bullock
Jeff Bridges
Event of Interest
Mar 10 Carlos Slim becomes the first Mexican and person from an emerging economy to top Forbes Richest Person list, with net worth of US$53.5 billion
Carlos Slim
Event of Interest
Mar 10 Laureus World Sports Awards, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE: Sportsman: Usain Bolt; Sportswoman: Serena Williams; Team: Brawn F1 team
Usain Bolt
Serena Williams
- Mar 11 Sebastián Piñera becomes Chilean president for the 1st time
- Mar 13 31st Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: #7 West Virginia beats #22 Georgetown, 60-58
- Mar 14 57th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #4 Duke beats Georgia Tech, 65-61
- Mar 14 51st SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Mississippi State, 75-74 (OT)
- Mar 20 56th National Film Awards (India): "Antaheen" wins the Golden Lotus
- Mar 20 France edges England, 12-10 at Stade de France, Saint Denis to complete a Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship; France's 17th title
- Mar 22 NASA's rover 'Spirit' gets caught in a sand trap on Mars and ceases communications with Earth [1]
- Mar 24 Lee Kun-hee returns to Samsung Electronics chief executive officer (CEO) position after his resignation in April 21, 2008
Event of Interest
Mar 24 The World Health Organization appoints Craig David as a Goodwill Ambassador against tuberculosis on World Tuberculosis Day
Craig David
WrestleMania
Mar 28 WrestleMania XXVI, Uni of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ (72,219): Chris Jericho defeats Edge; John Cena downs Batista; The Undertaker beats Shawn Michaels
John Cena
Shawn Michaels
- Mar 29 Two female suicide bombers hit the Moscow Metro system at the peak of the morning rush hour, killing 40
- Apr 2 Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant signs a three-year contract extension with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers worth $87 million
- Apr 3 Matt Smith's first appearance as the 11th Doctor in BBC program "Doctor Who" during "The Eleventh Hour" episode
- Apr 4 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Yani Tseng of Taiwan wins her 2nd major title by 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Suzann Pettersen of Norway
- Apr 4 Africa's tallest monument, the African Renaissance Monument, dedicated outside Dakar, Senegal, designed by Pierre Goudiaby to commemorate Senegal's 50th anniversary of independence
- Apr 5 72nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Duke beats Butler, 61-59; Blue Devils' forward Kyle Singler, 19 points
- Apr 6 29th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Stanford, 53-47; UConn forward Maya Moore scores 23 points
- Apr 10 Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board including President Lech Kaczyński
- Apr 10 163rd Grand National: Tony McCoy wins aboard 10/1 joint-favourite Don't Push It by 5 lengths ahead of Black Apalachi
US Masters Golf
Apr 11 74th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson wins his 3rd green jacket by 3 strokes from England's Lee Westwood
Phil Mickelson
- Apr 11 "The night of Sora Aoi", Japanese porn actress Sora Aoi joins twitter prompting many Chinese fans to try and circumnavigate Chinese censorship
- Apr 12 A train derailed near Merano, Italy, after running into a landslide, causing nine deaths and injuring 28 people.
- Apr 14 Icelandic Volcano Eyjafjallajökull begins erupting from the top crater in the centre of the glacier
- Apr 15 Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland leads to the closure of airspace over most of Europe.
Music Awards
Apr 18 45th Academy of Country Music Awards: Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, and Miranda Lambert win
- Apr 19 114th Boston Marathon: Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot of Kenya wins 4th men's title in 2:05:52; Teyba Erkesso of Ethiopia women's champion in 2:26:11
- Apr 20 The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes, killing 11 and causing the rig to sink, causing a massive oil discharge into the Gulf of Mexico and an environmental disaster
Film Premier
Apr 21 "Shrek Forever After" directed by Mike Mitchell with voices by Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival
- Apr 22 NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford first pick by St. Louis Rams
Event of Interest
Apr 24 Christy Turlington’s directorial debut, "No Woman, No Cry", is released in the U.S.
Christy Turlington
- Apr 25 IPL Cricket Final, DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs; Suresh Raina 57 no (35)
Film Premier
Apr 26 "Iron Man 2", directed by Jon Favreau, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, premieres in Los Angeles
Robert Downey Jr
Gwyneth Paltrow
Event of Interest
May 1 Canadian singer Bryan Adams is given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts
Bryan Adams
Event of Interest
May 4 Julia Louis-Dreyfus receives the 2,407th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, although on the original star her name is spelled incorrectly
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- May 8 Last piece of Yankee Stadium falls in the Bronx, New York, marking the end of the two year demolition process
- May 8 Barrow AFC wins English FA Trophy at Wembley, makes them only team to win it at both Old & New Wembley stadiums
- May 9 Oakland A's Dallas Braden becomes 19th pitcher to throw a perfect game (4-0 vs Tampa Bay)
- May 9 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: South African Tim Clark fires a final round 67 for his first PGA Tour victory, 1 stroke ahead of Robert Allenby of Australia
Event of Interest
May 10 Flavor Flav guest hosts the wrestling show WWE Raw
Flavor Flav
Election of Interest
May 11 Imelda Marcos wins election to the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing Ilocos Norte province
Imelda Marcos
Election of Interest
May 11 David Cameron becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after forming a coalition government between the Liberal Democrats and his own Conservative Party
David Cameron
- May 12 An Afriqiyah Airways Flight crashes and kills everyone but one person on board
- May 14 The 51,700 seat Aviva Stadium is officially opened on the site of the famous old Lansdowne Road Stadium in Dublin by Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowan
- May 15 Jessica Watson at age 16 becomes the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world
- May 15 135th Preakness: Martin Garcia aboard Lookin At Lucky wins in 1:55.47
- May 15 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (88,335): Chelsea beats Portsmouth,1-0; Didier Drogba scores 59' winner; Blues' 6th title
- May 16 ICC Women's Cricket T20 World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: Elise Perry with 3 for 18 off 4 overs leads Australia (106/8) to 3 run victory over New Zealand 103/6
- May 18 Police officer James Crooker is asked to leave the Red and Black Café in Portland, Oregon after co-owner John Langley claimed Crooker's uniformed presence made him uncomfortable
Event of Interest
May 22 Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus' remains are reburied in Frombork Cathedral, Poland after a 200 year search for his tomb
Nicolaus Copernicus
- May 22 UEFA Champions League Final, Madrid: Internazionale beats Bayern Munich, 2-0; Inter's 3rd title and first treble (Italian Serie A & Cup)
- May 23 NHL Western Conference Finals: Chicago Black Hawks beat San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 0
- May 23 63rd Cannes Film Festival: "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul wins the Palme d'Or
- May 24 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Philadelphia Flyers beat Montreal Canadians, 4 games to 1
- May 24 Andrew Wakefield, doctor at the center of MMR vaccination scare, struck off the UK medical register after being found guilty of serious professional misconduct
Music Single
May 28 "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" single released by Alicia Keys (Billboard Song of the Year, 2010)
Alicia Keys
- May 29 Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Halladay becomes 20th pitcher to throw a perfect game (1-0 vs Florida Marlins), in Miami
- May 29 55th Eurovision Song Contest: Lena for Germany wins singing "Satellite" in Oslo
- May 29 Super Rugby Final, Orlando Stadium, Soweto: Bulls (Pretoria) successfully defend their title with a 25-17 win over the Stormers (Cape Town) in an all-South African final
- May 29 In an all South African Super 14 Rugby final, the Bulls (Pretoria) retain title, 25-17 over the Stormers (Cape Town) at the Orlando Stadium, Soweto; Morné Steyn kicks 6 penalties and a conversion for the Bulls
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Scotsman Dario Franchitti driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing wins his 2nd Indy title ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti
Event of Interest
May 30 Senior PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Colorado GC: Tom Lehman wins first of 3 Champions Tour major titles with a par on the first hole of a playoff with Fred Couples and David Frost
Fred Couples
- May 31 Gaza Flotilla raid: Israeli Shayetet 13 soldiers board ships trying to break blockade of Gaze, during violent confrontation aboard MV Mavi Marmara 9 activists killed and several activists and soldiers injured
Event of Interest
Jun 3 Canadian sportscaster Ron MacLean saves a man from drowning in the Delaware River in Philadelphia
Ron MacLean
French Open Men's Tennis
Jun 6 French Open Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal wins 5th French title; defeats Robin Söderling of Sweden 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Rafael Nadal
- Jun 6 56th British Academy Television Awards: "The Armstrong and Miller Show" Best Comedy, "Misfits" Best Drama
- Jun 7 MLB Draft: Southern Nevada outfielder Bryce Harper first pick by Washington Nationals
- Jun 9 44th CMT Music Awards: Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert & Keith Urban win
- Jun 9 Hungary comes out of recession after experiencing 0.9% growth in the first quarter as a result of growing exports and effective government spending measures
- Jun 9 Finland falls back into a state of recession after GDP contracted 0.4% in Q1 2010 and 0.2% in Q4 2009
- Jun 9 Stanley Cup Final, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA: Chicago Blackhawks edge Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3 in OT for a 4-2 series win; first Championship for Chicago since 1961
- Jun 13 64th Tony Awards: Memphis & Red win
- Jun 17 NBA Finals: Depending champion Los Angeles Lakers beat Boston Celtics, 83-79 in Game 7 for franchise's 16th NBA title; MVP: Kobe Bryant
- Jun 20 US Open Men's Golf, Pebble Beach GL: Irishman Graeme McDowell wins his first major title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Grégory Havret of France
- Jun 20 "Despicable Me" directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud with voices by Steve Carell and Jason Segel premieres at the Moscow Film Festival
- Jun 22 Danielle Steel’s novel “Family Ties” is published
- Jun 24 In the longest match in tennis history, American John Isner defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon after 11 hours, 5 minutes of play over 3 days
Film Premier
Jun 24 "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse", based on the book by Stephenie Meyer, directed by David Slade, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, premieres in Los Angeles
- Jun 24 NBA Draft: Kentucky point guard John Wall first pick by Washington Wizards
- Jun 25 NHL Draft: Windsor Spitfires (OHL) left wing Taylor Hall first pick by Edmonton Oilers
- Jun 27 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Locust Hill CC: American Christie Kerr takes her second major title with a 12 stroke win over Song-Hee Kim of South Korea
- Jul 2 Oil tanker truck explosion in South Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, kills at least 230 people
- Jul 2 FIFA World Cup: Ghana, only African team remaining in last 8, are beaten 4-2 on penalties by Uruguay; Netherlands upset Brazil 2-1
- Jul 3 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Serena Williams successfully defends her crown overpowering Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-3, 6-2
- Jul 4 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Spaniard Rafael Nadal beats Tomáš Berdych 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 for his second Wimbledon title
Album Release
Jul 6 Brandon Boyd announces the release of his debut solo album, "The Wild Trapeze"
Brandon Boyd
Film Premier
Jul 8 "Inception", directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, premieres in London
Leonardo DiCaprio
Christopher Nolan
- Jul 8 During 1st round of the John Deere Classic, Paul Goydos becomes the 4th, and oldest player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59; round included 12 birdies and 6 pars
- Jul 11 FIFA World Cup Final, Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa: Andrés Iniesta scores an extra time winner as Spain beats the Netherlands, 1-0 for first World Cup title
- Jul 11 US Open Women's Golf, Oakmont CC: Paula Creamer wins her first major championship, 4 shots ahead of runners-up Na Yeon Choi and Suzann Pettersen
- Jul 13 81st All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 3-1 at Angel Stadium, Anaheim
- Jul 14 18th ESPY Awards: Drew Brees, Lindsey Vonn win
- Jul 18 "150th Anniversary" British Open Golf, St Andrews: South African Louis Oosthuizen wins his only major title, 7 strokes clear of runner-up Lee Westwood of England
- Jul 22 43rd San Diego Comic-Con International opens at San Diego Convention Center
Event of Interest
Jul 23 One Direction is formed during the X Factor show as Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson join together
Harry Styles
Zayn Malik
- Jul 25 97th Tour de France won by Andy Schleck of Luxembourg
Golf Tournament
Jul 25 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Carnoustie: Bernhard Langer of Germany wins by 1 stroke from American Corey Pavin
Bernhard Langer
Famous Photo
Aug 1 200m x 250m photo mosaic commemorating the life of Filipino President Corazon Aquino is unveiled near Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta Park, Manila
Corazon Aquino
- Aug 1 Australian Stuart Appleby finishes with an 11-under-59 to win the Greenbrier Classic at White Sulphur Springs, to become only the 5th player and first non-American to break 60 on the PGA Tour
- Aug 1 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Sahalee CC: Berhard Langer of Germany wins by 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Fred Couples
- Aug 1 British Open Women's Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: 21 year old Yani Tseng of Taiwan becomes youngest-ever winner of 3 major championships, 1 stroke ahead of Katherine Hull of Australia
Event of Interest
Aug 4 California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative prohibiting same-sex marriage passed by the state's voters in 2008, is overturned by Judge Vaughn Walker in the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Aug 4 On 3rd anniversary of his 500th MLB career home run, Alex Rodriguez reaches the 600 HR mark in the NY Yankees 5-1 win v Toronto; 7th and youngest to reach milestone
Event of Interest
Aug 5 Group led by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan & Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg is confirmed as winning bidder in court ordered auction of Texas Rangers MLB franchise (value $593m)
Nolan Ryan
Hall of Fame
Aug 7 Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, John Randle, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Floyd Little & Dick LeBeau are inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Emmitt Smith
Jerry Rice
- Aug 7 Hampered by a back injury Indian cricket batsman VVS Laxman scores a brave, unbeaten 103 to guide India to a 5 wicket win v Sri Lanka in Colombo; draw series
- Aug 14 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games opens in Singapore
- Aug 15 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Whistling Straits GC: Martin Kaymer of Germany wins his first major title by 1 stroke in 3-hole aggregate playoff with Bubba Watson
- Aug 19 Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, with the last of the United States brigade combat teams crossing the border to Kuwait
- Aug 21 New Zealand clinch their 10th Tri Nations Rugby Series with one match remaining, scoring 2 tries in the last 3 minutes to beat South Africa, 29–22 in the first-ever Test at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg
- Aug 22 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Crosswater Club: Fred Funk wins last of 3 Champions Tour majors by 1 stroke from Michael Allen and Taiwan's Lu Chien-soon
- Aug 23 Manila hostage crisis, which occurred at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, where a dismissed police officer took hostage a tour bus full of Chinese nationals.
Emmy Awards
Aug 29 62nd Emmy Awards: Mad Men, Modern Family, Bryan Cranston & Kyra Sedgwick win
Bryan Cranston
- Aug 29 Canadian Open Women's Golf, St. Charles CC: Michelle Wie wins by 3 from Suzann Pettersen, Jiyai Shin, Jee Young Lee & Kristy McPherson
- Sep 1 67th Venice Film Festival: "Somewhere" directed by Sofia Coppola wins Golden Lion
- Sep 4 Canterbury earthquake: a 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am causing widespread damage and several power outages.
Film Premier
Sep 6 "The King's Speech" directed by Tom Hooper starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush premieres at the Telluride Film Festival (Best Picture 2011)
Colin Firth
Geoffrey Rush
- Sep 8 Egypt's Minister of Finance, Dr. Youssef Butros Ghali, states that Egypt is emerging from the recession as indicated by increased total revenue from sales taxes and customs revenues
- Sep 9 A court in the Philippines orders Imelda Marcos to repay the government almost $280,000 for funds taken from the National Food Authority by Ferdinand Marcos in 1983
US Open Women's Tennis
Sep 11 US Open Women's Tennis: Belgian defending champion Kim Clijsters beats Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-2, 6-1 for her third US singles crown
Kim Clijsters
- Sep 13 US Open Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal wins his first US crown; beats Novak Đoković 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; first Spanish man to win US title since Manuel Orantes 1975
- Sep 17 The 54 year run of the soap opera As the World Turns ends as its final episode is broadcast.
- Sep 17 Documentary film "Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?" released theatrically
- Sep 19 35th Toronto International Film Festival: "The King's Speech" directed by Tom Hooper wins the People's Choice Award
- Sep 20 The National Bureau of Economic Research state today that the US left the recession in June 2009, with managing director Lakshman Achuthan of the Economic Cycle Research Institute saying GDP recovered to 70% of the pre-recession level
Film Premier
Sep 24 "The Social Network" directed by David Fincher and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake premieres at the New York Film Festival
Andrew Garfield
Justin Timberlake
- Sep 26 TV Period drama "Downton Abbey" premieres in the UK created by Julian Fellowes, starring Hugh Bonnevillle and an ensemble cast
Event of Interest
Sep 29 Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller become engaged
Seth Rogen
- Oct 2 20th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 31-13 in Chestnut Hill
- Oct 3 19th Commonwealth Games open in Delhi, India
- Oct 4 Ryder Cup Golf, Celtic Manor Resort, Wales: Europe wins 14½-13½; with scores level Irishman Graeme McDowell holds nerve to beat Hunter Mahan 3 & 1
- Oct 5 Injured Indian cricket batsman VVS Laxman is the hero with 73 not out as the home team chases down 216 to beat Australia with just 1 wicket to spare in the 1st Test at Mohali
- Oct 6 Phillies ace Roy Halladay pitches only the 2nd postseason no-hitter in MLB history in Game 1 NLDS, 4-0 v Cincinnati Reds, at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
- Oct 6 Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launch Instagram