Historydraft Logo
null
200 events on this timeline
  1. Huawei

    One of The World's First LTE/EPC Commercial Networks

    2009Oslo, Norway

    Huawei delivered one of the world's first LTE/EPC commercial networks for TeliaSonera in Oslo, Norway in 2009.

  2. Zlatan Ibrahimović

    The League's Top goalscorer

    Thursday Jan 1, 2009Italy

    Ibrahimović ended the 2008–09 Serie A season as the league's top goalscorer with 25 goals.

  3. George Weah

    Returning From The United States

    2009Liberia

    Weah also remained active in Liberian politics, returning from the United States in 2009 after getting a degree in business administration at DeVry University in Miami to successfully campaign for the Congress for Democratic Change candidate in the Montserrado County senatorial by-election.

  4. Facebook, Inc.

    China Blocked Facebook

    2009China

    China blocked Facebook in 2009.

  5. Bitcoin

    Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as an open-source code

    Jan, 2009Japan

    Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as an open-source code and released it in January 2009. Nakamoto's identity remains unknown.

  6. Warren Buffett

    Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd (Swiss Re)

    2009Zurich, Switzerland

    In 2009, Buffett invested $2.6 billion as a part of Swiss Re's campaign to raise equity capital.

  7. HTC

    HTC HD2

    2009Taoyuan City, Taiwan

    In November 2009 HTC released the HTC HD2, the first Windows Mobile device with a capacitive touchscreen.

  8. Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    The Big Three automobile manufacturers received a bailout from the TARP program

    Jan, 2009U.S.

    January 2009: The Big Three automobile manufacturers received a bailout from the TARP program.

  9. Hong Kong independence

    The construction of the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou (XRL) escalated to a series of massive protests

    2009Hong Kong, China

    In 2009 and 2010, the construction of the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou (XRL) escalated to a series of massive protests. Many protesters accused of the Hong Kong government spending HK$69.9 billion (US$9 billion) for an unnecessary railway just to please Beijing.

  10. Mobile Phones

    Looking To data-optimized 4th-generation Technologies

    2009U.S.

    By 2009, it had become clear that, at some point, 3G networks would be overwhelmed by the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications like streaming media. Consequently, the industry began looking to data-optimized 4th-generation technologies, with the promise of speed improvements up to 10-fold over existing 3G technologies. The first two commercially available technologies billed as 4G were the WiMAX standard (offered in the U.S. by Sprint) and the LTE standard, first offered in Scandinavia by TeliaSonera.

  11. Second Chechen War

    Russia had severely disabled the Chechen separatist movement and large-scale fighting ceased

    2009Chechnya, Russia

    By 2009, Russia had severely disabled the Chechen separatist movement and large-scale fighting ceased. Russian army and interior ministry troops no longer occupied the streets. Grozny underwent reconstruction efforts and much of the city and surrounding areas were rebuilt quickly.

  12. Lacoste

    Hayden Christensen became The Face of The Challenge Fragrance

    2009Troyes, France

    In 2009, Hayden Christensen became the face of the Challenge fragrance for men.

  13. Warren Buffett

    Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

    2009Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.

    In 2009, Buffett acquired Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp for $34 billion in cash and stock.

  14. Facebook, Inc.

    Compete.com Study

    Jan, 2009Palo Alto, California, U.S.

    A January 2009 Compete.com study ranked Facebook the most used social networking service by worldwide monthly active users

  15. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Compensations

    2009Hudson River, New York, U.S.

    Each passenger later received a letter of apology, $5,000 in compensation for lost baggage (and $5,000 more if they could demonstrate larger losses) and a refund of the ticket price. In May 2009 they received any belongings that had been recovered. In addition, they reported offers of $10,000 each in return for agreeing not to sue US Airways.

  16. Marvel Studios

    Marvel attempted to hire a team of writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties

    2009U.S.

    In 2009, Marvel attempted to hire a team of writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, such as Black Panther, Cable, Iron Fist, Nighthawk, and Vision.

  17. Papa John's Pizza

    Schnatter reacquired the Camaro back

    2009Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.

    In 2009, Schnatter reacquired the Camaro back after offering a reward of $250,000 for the car.

  18. Warren Buffett

    The World's Greatest Money Maker

    2009London, U.K.

    Buffett was the subject of the BBC production The World's Greatest Money Maker (2009).

  19. American Sniper: Christopher Scott Kyle

    Post-military life

    2009Midlothian, Texas, U.S.

    Kyle left the U.S. Navy in 2009, and moved to Midlothian, Texas, with his wife, Taya, and two children. He was president of Craft International, a tactical training company for the U.S. military and law enforcement communities.

  20. Marvel Studios

    Sony returned all Spider-Man television rights

    2009U.S.

    In early 2009, Sony returned all Spider-Man television rights (including live action) in exchange for an adjustment to the movie rights.

  21. Kobe Bryant

    Youngest player to 25,000 point

    2009Los Angeles, California, U.S.

    Bryant also became the youngest player (31 years, 151 days) to reach 25,000 points in his career during the season, surpassing Chamberlain.

  22. Android

    2009 market share

    2009Mountain View, California, U.S.

    Research company Canalys estimated in the second quarter of 2009, that Android had a 2.8% share of worldwide smartphone shipments.

  23. Amancio Ortega

    Industrias de Diseño Textil Sociedad anónima (Inditex Group)

    2009Arteixo (A Coruña), Spain

    In 2009, Zara was part of the Inditex group, of which Ortega owned 59.29%, and aside from over 6,000 stores included the brands Zara, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Zara Home, Kiddy's Class, Tempe, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear, Bershka and has more than 92,000 employees.

  24. Google LLC

    Google Joined The PRISM Program

    2009Mountain View, California, U.S.

    According to leaks of said program, Google joined the PRISM program in 2009.

  25. Bank of America

    Bank of America purchased Merrill Lynch

    Thursday Jan 1, 2009New York City, New York, U.S.

    Around the same time, Bank of America was reportedly also in talks to purchase Lehman Brothers, however a lack of government guarantees caused the bank to abandon talks with Lehman. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy the same day Bank of America announced its plans to acquire Merrill Lynch. This acquisition made Bank of America the largest financial services company in the world. Shareholders of both companies (Bank of America and Merrill Lynch) approved the acquisition on December 5, 2008, and the deal closed January 1, 2009.

  26. Bitcoin

    The genesis block

    Saturday Jan 3, 2009Japan

    On 3 January 2009, the bitcoin network was created when Nakamoto mined the starting block of the chain, known as the genesis block. Embedded in the coinbase of this block was the text "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks". This note references a headline published by The Times and has been interpreted as both a timestamp and a comment on the instability caused by fractional-reserve banking.

  27. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Takeoff

    Monday Jan 5, 200903:24:00 PMNew York, U.S.

    The flight was cleared for takeoff to the northeast from LaGuardia's Runway 4 at 3:24:56 pm Eastern Standard Time (20:24:56 UTC). With Skiles in control, the crew made its first report after becoming airborne at 3:25:51 as being at 700 feet (210 m) and climbing. The weather at 2:51 p.m. was 10 miles (16 km) visibility with broken clouds at 3,700 feet (1,100 m), wind 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) from 290°; an hour later it was few clouds at 4,200 feet (1,300 m), wind 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) from 310°. At 3:26:37 Sullenberger remarked to Skiles: "What a view of the Hudson today."

  28. Prince Harry

    The Royal Household

    Tuesday Jan 6, 2009England

    On 6 January 2009, the Queen granted Harry and William their own royal household.

  29. Bitcoin

    Finney received ten bitcoins from Nakamoto

    Monday Jan 12, 2009U.S.

    The receiver of the first bitcoin transaction was cypherpunk Hal Finney, who had created the first reusable proof-of-work system (RPoW) in 2004. Finney downloaded the bitcoin software on its release date, and on 12 January 2009 received ten bitcoins from Nakamoto. Other early cypherpunk supporters were creators of bitcoin predecessors: Wei Dai, creator of b-money, and Nick Szabo, creator of bit gold.

  30. Kaká

    A Bid from Manchester City

    Tuesday Jan 13, 2009Milan, Italy

    BBC reported on 13 January 2009 that Manchester City made a bid for Kaká for over £100 million.

  31. Kim Jong-un

    The Successor

    Thursday Jan 15, 2009North Korea

    On 15 January 2009, the South Korean news agency reported that Kim Jong-il had appointed Kim Jong-un to be his successor.

  32. Qasem Soleimani

    Meeting in Iraq

    2009Iraq

    In 2009, The Economist stated based on a leaked report that Christopher R. Hill and General Raymond T. Odierno (America's two most senior officials in Baghdad at the time) met with Soleimani in the office of Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, but withdrew the story after Hill and Odierno denied the occurrence of the meeting.

  33. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Evacuation

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    Sullenberger opened the cockpit door and gave the order to evacuate. The crew began evacuating the passengers through the four overwing window exits and into an inflatable slide/raft deployed from the front right passenger door (the front left slide failed to operate, so the manual inflation handle was pulled). A panicked passenger opened a rear door, which a flight attendant was unable to reseal. Water was also entering through a hole in the fuselage and through cargo doors that had come open, so as the water rose the attendant urged passengers to move forward by climbing over seats. One passenger was in a wheelchair. Finally, Sullenberger walked the cabin twice to confirm it was empty.

  34. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Landing Decesion

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    Sullenberger asked controllers for landing options in New Jersey, mentioning Teterboro Airport. Permission was given for Teterboro's Runway 1, Sullenberger initially responded "Yes", but then: "We can't do it ... We're gonna be in the Hudson". The aircraft passed less than 900 feet (270 m) above the George Washington Bridge. Sullenberger commanded over the cabin address system, "Brace for impact", and the flight attendants relayed the command to passengers. Meanwhile, air traffic controllers asked the Coast Guard to caution vessels in the Hudson and ask them to prepare to assist with the rescue.

  35. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Post-Evacuation

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:00:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    The air and water temperatures were about 19 °F (−7 °C) and 41 °F (5 °C) respectively. Some evacuees waited for rescue knee-deep in water on the partially submerged slides, some wearing life-vests. Others stood on the wings or, fearing an explosion, swam away from the plane. One passenger, after helping with the evacuation, found the wing so crowded that he jumped into the river and swam to a boat.

  36. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Flight Details

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:24:00 PMNew York, U.S.

    On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 with call sign 'CACTUS 1549' was scheduled to fly from New York City's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Charlotte Douglas (CLT), with direct onward service to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. The aircraft was an Airbus A320-214 powered by two GE Aviation/Snecma-designed CFM56-5B4/P turbofan engines.

  37. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Pilot Detail

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:24:00 PMNew York, U.S.

    The pilot in command was 57-year-old Chesley B. Sullenberger, a former fighter pilot who had been an airline pilot since leaving the United States Air Force in 1980. At the time, he had logged 19,663 total flight hours, including 4,765 in an A320; he was also a glider pilot and expert on aviation safety. First officer Jeffrey B. Skiles, 49, had accrued 20,727 career flight hours, but this was his first Airbus A320 assignment since qualifying to fly it. There were 150 passengers and three flight attendants on board.

  38. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Bird Strike

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:27:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    At 3:27:11 the plane struck a flock of Canada geese at an altitude of 2,818 feet (859 m) about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-northwest of LaGuardia. The pilots' view was filled with the large birds; passengers and crew heard very loud bangs and saw flames from the engines, followed by silence and an odor of fuel.

  39. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    NY terminal radio call

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:27:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    At 3:27:33, Sullenberger radioed a mayday call to New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON): "... this is Cactus 1539 [sic – correct call sign was Cactus 1549], hit birds. We've lost thrust on both engines. We're turning back towards LaGuardia". Air traffic controller Patrick Harten told LaGuardia's tower to hold all departures and directed Sullenberger back to Runway 13. Sullenberger responded, "Unable".

  40. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Ditching

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:31:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    About ninety seconds later, at 3:31 pm, the plane made an unpowered ditching, descending southwards at about 125 knots (140 mph; 230 km/h) into the middle of the North River section of the Hudson tidal estuary, at 40.7695°N 74.0046°W on the New York side of the state line, roughly opposite West 50th Street (near the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum) in Manhattan and Port Imperial in Weehawken, New Jersey. Flight attendants compared the ditching to a "hard landing" with "one impact, no bounce, then a gradual deceleration." The ebb tide then began to take the plane southward.

  41. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Rescue

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:55:00 PMHudson River, New York, USA

    Sullenberger had ditched near boats, which facilitated rescue. NY Waterway ferries Thomas Jefferson and then Governor Thomas H. Kean both arrived within minutes and began taking people aboard using Jason's cradle. Sullenberger advised the ferry crews to rescue those on the wings first, as they were in more jeopardy than those on the slides, which detached to become life rafts. As the plane drifted, passengers on one slide, fearing that the boat would crush them, shouted for it to steer away. The last person was taken from the plane at 3:55 pm. About 140 New York City firefighters responded to nearby docks, as did police, helicopters, and various vessels and divers. Other agencies provided medical help on the Weehawken side of the river, where most passengers were taken.

  42. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Aftermath

    Thursday Jan 15, 200904:05:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    There were five serious injuries, including a deep laceration in flight attendant Doreen Welsh's leg. Seventy-eight people were treated, mostly for minor injuries and hypothermia; twenty-four passengers and two rescuers were treated at hospitals, with two passengers kept overnight. One passenger now wears glasses because of eye damage from jet fuel. No pets were being carried on the flight.

  43. YouTube

    YouTube launched "YouTube for TV"

    Jan, 2009San Bruno, California, U.S.

    In January 2009, YouTube launched "YouTube for TV", a version of the website tailored for set-top boxes and other TV-based media devices with web browsers, initially allowing its videos to be viewed on the PlayStation 3 and Wii video game consoles.

  44. Bank of America

    Bank of America received $20 billion in the federal bailout from the U.S. government

    Friday Jan 16, 2009U.S.

    Bank of America received $20 billion in the federal bailout from the U.S. government through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) on January 16, 2009, and a guarantee of $118 billion in potential losses at the company.

  45. Bank of America

    Massive Losses

    Friday Jan 16, 2009U.S.

    The bank, in its January 16, 2009, earnings release, revealed massive losses at Merrill Lynch in the fourth quarter, which necessitated an infusion of money that had previously been negotiated with the government as part of the government-persuaded deal for the bank to acquire Merrill. Merrill recorded an operating loss of $21.5 billion in the quarter, mainly in its sales and trading operations, led by Tom Montag. The bank also disclosed it tried to abandon the deal in December after the extent of Merrill's trading losses surfaced, but was compelled to complete the merger by the U.S. government. The bank's stock price sank to $7.18, its lowest level in 17 years, after announcing earnings and the Merrill mishap. The market capitalization of Bank of America, including Merrill Lynch, was then $45 billion, less than the $50 billion it offered for Merrill just four months earlier, and down $108 billion from the merger announcement.

  46. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Investigation

    Saturday Jan 17, 2009Hudson River, New York, USA

    The partially submerged plane was moored to a pier near the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan, roughly 4 miles (6 km) downstream from the ditching location. The left engine, detached by the ditching, was recovered from the riverbed. On January 17 the aircraft was barged to New Jersey. The initial National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) evaluation that the plane had lost thrust after a bird strike was confirmed by analysis of the cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Two days earlier the plane had experienced a less severe compressor stall, but the affected engine was restarted. A faulty temperature sensor was replaced, and inspection verified the engine had not been damaged in that incident.

  47. Galileo Galilei

    Plan to erect a statue of Galileo on the grounds of the Vatican had been suspended

    Jan, 2009Vatican City

    A month later, however, the head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Gianfranco Ravasi, revealed that the plan to erect a statue of Galileo on the grounds of the Vatican had been suspended.

  48. Kaká

    Officially ended the bid

    Monday Jan 19, 2009Milan, Italy

    On 19 January, Silvio Berlusconi announced that Manchester City had officially ended their bid after a discussion between the clubs, and that Kaká would remain with Milan.

  49. George W. Bush

    Last day as President

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009Washington D.C., U.S.

    Last day as President.

  50. Barack Obama

    A President

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009U.S.

    Obama as the 44th President took place on January 20, 2009.

  51. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Crew awards and honors

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009U.S.

    The crew, especially Sullenberger, was praised, notably by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York State Governor David Paterson, who said: "We had a Miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we have had a Miracle on the Hudson." U.S. President George W. Bush said he was "inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew," and praised the emergency responders and volunteers. President-elect Barack Obama said that everyone was proud of Sullenberger's "heroic and graceful job in landing the damaged aircraft." He thanked the crew, whom he invited to his inauguration five days later.

  52. Joe Biden

    First term (2009–2013)

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009U.S.

    At noon on January 20, 2009, Joe Biden became the 47th vice president of the United States, sworn into the office by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Biden is the first United States vice president from Delaware and the first Roman Catholic to attain that office.

  53. Joe Biden

    Vice President

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009U.S.

    Biden was the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and became the first Roman Catholic to serve as vice president of the United States.

  54. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    NTSB foundings

    Wednesday Jan 21, 2009Washington D.C., U.S.

    On January 21, the NTSB found evidence of soft-body damage in the right engine along with organic debris including a feather. The left engine also evidenced soft body impact, with: "dents on both the spinner and inlet lip of the engine cowling. Five booster inlet guide vanes are fractured and eight outlet guide vanes are missing." Both engines, missing large portions of their housings, were sent to the manufacturer for examination. On January 31, the plane was moved to Kearny, New Jersey. The bird remains were later identified by DNA testing to be Canada geese, which typically weigh more than engines are designed to withstand ingesting.

  55. Donald Trump

    Back to the Republicans

    2009U.S.

    Trump returned back to the Republican Party in 2009.

  56. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

    The relationship between Israel and Turkey worsened

    Wednesday Jan 28, 2009Davos, Switzerland

    The relationship between Israel and Turkey worsened at the 2009 World Economic Forum conference over Israel's actions during the Gaza War. Erdoğan was interrupted by the moderator while he was responding to Peres, and left the panel, accusing the moderator of giving Peres more time than all the other panelists combined. Tensions increased further following the Gaza flotilla raid in May 2010. Erdoğan strongly condemned the raid, describing it as "state terrorism", and demanded an Israeli apology. In February 2013, Erdoğan called Zionism a "crime against humanity", comparing it to Islamophobia, antisemitism, and fascism.

  57. Vodafone

    Vodafone in UAE

    Wednesday Jan 28, 2009Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    On 28 January 2009, the Vodafone group announced a partner network agreement with Du, the second-largest operator in the United Arab Emirates. The agreement involved co-operation on international clients, handset procurement, mobile broadband, etc.

  58. Rafael Nadal

    2nd Longest match in Australia open

    Friday Jan 30, 2009Melbourne, Australia

    At the 2009 Australian Open, Nadal won his first five matches without dropping a set, before defeating compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals in the second longest match in Australian Open history at 5 hours and 14 minutes.

  59. HTC

    HTC Sense debut

    2009Taoyuan City, Taiwan

    HTC Sense debuted 2009 as a user interface which continues to be used as of 2018.

  60. Garry Kasparov

    Coached Magnus Carlsen

    Feb, 2009Russia

    Kasparov actively coached Magnus Carlsen for approximately one year beginning in February 2009. The collaboration remained secret until September 2009.

  61. Colombian conflict

    Releasing 6 Hostages

    Feb, 2009Colombia

    In February 2009, the guerrilla released 6 hostages as a humanitarian gesture.

  62. Warren Buffett

    Buffett Sold Some Procter & Gamble Co. Shares

    Feb, 2009Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

    In February 2009, Buffett sold some Procter & Gamble Co. shares from his personal portfolio.

  63. Best Buy

    Best Buy Mobile

    Feb, 2009U.S., and United Kingdom

    In February 2009, Best Buy leveraged its partnership with The Carphone Warehouse to launch Best Buy Mobile, a Best Buy-branded mobile retailer. Best Buy Mobile standalone stores were opened in shopping malls and urban downtowns. These Best Buy Mobile outlets were also added in all Best Buy-branded stores.

  64. Kobe Bryant

    Madison Square Garden record

    Monday Feb 2, 2009Madison Square Garden, New York, U.S.

    In a game against the Knicks on February 2, 2009, Bryant scored 61 points, setting a record for the most points scored at Madison Square Garden.

  65. Kevin Hart

    Kevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man

    Tuesday Feb 3, 2009U.S.

    Hart's comedy tours began in 2009 with his act titled I'm a Grown Little Man.

  66. Disasters with highest death tolls

    Black Saturday Bushfires

    Saturday Feb 7, 2009Victoria, Australia

    The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009 and were among Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire; there were 173 direct identified fatalities, The figure was later increased to 180 fatalities, after several people had succumbed to their injuries. Many were left homeless as a result.

  67. IBM

    SPSS

    2009U.S.

    In 2009, it acquired software company SPSS Inc.

  68. Facebook, Inc.

    The "Like" Button Was First Enabled

    Monday Feb 9, 2009Menlo Park, California, U.S.

    The "like" button, stylized as a "thumbs up" icon, was first enabled on February 9, 2009, and enables users to easily interact with status updates, comments, photos and videos, links shared by friends and advertisements.

  69. Richard Branson

    Branson's Virgin organization was reported as bidding to buy the former "Honda Formula One" team

    Feb, 2009United Kingdom

    In February 2009, Branson's Virgin organization was reported as bidding to buy the former "Honda Formula One" team. Branson later stated an interest in Formula One but claimed that, before the Virgin brand became involved with Honda or any other team, Formula One would have to develop a more economically efficient and environmentally responsible image.

  70. Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

    Friday Feb 13, 2009U.S.

    February 13, 2009, President Barack Obama signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

  71. Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

    Friday Feb 13, 2009U.S.

    February 13, 2009: Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package.

  72. Hugo Chávez

    Referendum to abolish The Two-term Limit For all Public Offices

    Sunday Feb 15, 2009Caracas, Venzuela

    Under the 1999 constitution, he could not legally stand for re-election again, and so brought about a referendum on 15 February 2009 to abolish the two-term limit for all public offices, including the presidency. Approximately 70% of the Venezuelan electorate voted, and they approved this alteration to the constitution with over 54% in favor, allowing any elected official the chance to try to run indefinitely.

  73. IKEA

    UNICEF announcement at The ECOSOC Event

    Monday Feb 23, 2009New York, U.S.

    On 23 February 2009, at the ECOSOC event in New York, UNICEF announced that IKEA Social Initiative has become the agency's largest corporate partner, with total commitments of more than US$180 million.

  74. Nancy Pelosi

    Pelosi was re-elected speaker

    2009U.S.

    Pelosi was re-elected speaker in 2009.

  75. Shaquille O'Neal

    O'Neal scored 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds

    Friday Feb 27, 2009Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

    On February 27, 2009, O'Neal scored 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his 49th career 40-point game, beating the Toronto Raptors 133–113.

  76. Lula da Silva

    G-20 summit

    2009London, England

    Before a G-20 summit in London in March 2009, Lula caused an uproar by declaring that the economic crisis was caused by "the irrational behavior of white people with blue eyes, who before seemed to know everything, and now have shown they don't know anything".

  77. Colombian conflict

    Releasing The Swedish Hostage

    Mar, 2009Colombia

    In March, the guerrilla released Swedish hostage Erik Roland Larsson.

  78. Marc Patrick O'Leary: Washington and Colorado Serial Rapist (Unbelievable)

    Marie Charges

    Mar, 2009Lynnwood, Washington, U.S.

    In March 2009, she was charged with a gross misdemeanor: she was fined $500, put on probation and made to attend counseling. Marie had been sexually and physically abused in early life and was in foster care for most of her childhood. She joined Project Ladder at age 18, a program designed to help young adults transition from foster care to living alone. The project offered subsidized housing and Marie had a job at Costco.

  79. Diego Maradona

    Italian officials announced that Maradona still owed the Italian government

    Mar, 2009Italy

    In March 2009, Italian officials announced that Maradona still owed the Italian government €37 million in local taxes, €23.5 million of which was accrued interest on his original debt. They reported that at that point, Maradona had paid only €42,000, two luxury watches and a set of earrings.

  80. Shaquille O'Neal

    O'Neal was outscored by Magic center Dwight Howard

    Tuesday Mar 3, 2009Orlando, Florida, U.S.

    In a match-up against Orlando on March 3, 2009, O'Neal was outscored by Magic center Dwight Howard, 21–19. "I'm really too old to be trying to outscore 18-year-olds", O'Neal said, referring to the then 23-year-old Howard.

  81. Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    The Dow Jones hit its lowest level of 6,443.27

    Friday Mar 6, 2009U.S.

    March 6, 2009: The Dow Jones hit its lowest level of 6,443.27.

  82. Uber

    Uber was originally founded as Ubercab

    Mar, 2009San Francisco, California, U.S.

    In 2009, Uber was originally founded as Ubercab by Garrett Camp, a computer programmer and the co-founder of StumbleUpon, and Travis Kalanick, who sold his Red Swoosh startup for $19 million in 2007.

  83. Kim Jong-un

    The Rubber stamp parliament of North Korea

    Sunday Mar 8, 2009North Korea

    On 8 March 2009, BBC News reported that Kim Jong-un was on the ballot for elections to the Supreme People's Assembly, the rubber stamp parliament of North Korea.

  84. Mass Shootings in the United States

    Geneva County Massacre

    Tuesday Mar 10, 2009Geneva County, Alabama, U.S.

    The Geneva County massacre occurred in southern Alabama on March 10, 2009. Ten people were killed in a shooting spree by Michael Kenneth McLendon, in three small communities in two counties: Kinston, Samson, and Geneva, Alabama. Five of McLendon's victims were family members, starting with his mother, and two were children. After engaging in an exchange of fire with police, McLendon committed suicide, bringing the total number of dead to eleven in the related incidents. Officials at the time said this was the worst shooting event in Alabama history.

  85. Carlos Slim

    the world's third-richest person 2009

    Wednesday Mar 11, 2009U.S.

    On March 11, 2009, Forbes ranked Slim as the world's third-richest person, behind Gates and Buffett and ahead of Larry Ellison.

  86. Robin Williams

    Heart problems

    Friday Mar 13, 2009California, U.S.

    In March 2009, he was hospitalized due to heart problems. He postponed his one-man tour for surgery to replace his aortic valve, repair his mitral valve, and correct his irregular heartbeat. The surgery was completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic.

  87. Ciro Immobile

    Seria A

    Saturday Mar 14, 2009Turin, Italy

    On 14 March 2009, Immobile made his Serie A debut in a 4–1 home win against Bologna, replacing Juventus' captain Alessandro Del Piero in the 89th minute.

  88. PlayStation

    The PlayStation 3 "slim" model

    2009Tokyo, Japan

    Like its predecessors, the PlayStation 3 was re-released in 2009 as a "slim" model. The redesigned model is 33% smaller, 36% lighter, and consumes 34% to 45% less power than previous models.

  89. Bank of America

    Bank of America received an additional $5.2 billion in government bailout money according to The New York Times

    Sunday Mar 15, 2009New York City, New York, U.S.

    According to an article in The New York Times published on March 15, 2009, Bank of America received an additional $5.2 billion in government bailout money, channeled through American International Group.

  90. Plague

    Plague is reported in Libya

    2009Libya

    Plague is reported in Libya, after 25 years without a case of the disease.

  91. Second Chechen War

    President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev met with Alexander Bortnikov, the Director of the Federal Security Service to discuss the official ending of counter-terrorism operations

    Friday Mar 27, 2009Russia

    On 27 March 2009, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev met with Alexander Bortnikov, the Director of the Federal Security Service to discuss the official ending of counter-terrorism operations in Chechnya.

  92. Richard Branson

    It was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team

    Mar, 2009Australia

    At the start of the 2009 Formula One season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team, with discussions also underway about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term.

  93. Donald Trump

    Twitter

    Mar, 2009U.S.

    Trump's presence on social media has attracted attention worldwide since he joined Twitter in March 2009.

  94. Lionel Messi

    Argentina's number 10

    Saturday Mar 28, 2009Argentina

    During that game, played on 28 March 2009 vs Venezuela, Messi wore Argentina's number 10 shirt for the first time, following the international retirement of Riquelme.

  95. Magdi Yacoub

    The Aswan Heart Center

    Apr, 2009Aswan, Egypt

    He established the Aswan Heart Center in April 2009.

  96. Symbian OS

    Symbian community

    Apr, 2009Espoo, Finland

    Nokia became the major contributor to Symbian's code since it then possessed the development resources for both the Symbian OS core and the user interface. Since then Nokia maintained its own code repository for the platform development, regularly releasing its development to the public repository. Symbian was intended to be developed by a community-led by the Symbian Foundation, which was first announced in June 2008 and officially launched in April 2009.

  97. Symbian OS

    Symbian Foundation

    Apr, 2009Espoo, Finland

    The platform was designated as the successor to Symbian OS, following the official launch of the Symbian Foundation in April 2009.

  98. Colombian conflict

    The Colombian Armed Forces launched strategic leap

    Apr, 2009Arauca, Colombia

    In April 2009, the Colombian armed forces launched Strategic Leap, an offensive in borders areas where the FARC's forces still has a strong military presence, especially in Arauca, near the Venezuelan border.

  99. Shaquille O'Neal

    The 2008–09 season improved for O'Neal

    2009U.S.

    The 2008–09 season improved for O'Neal, who averaged 18 pts, 9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks through the first half (41 games) of the season, leading the Suns to a 23–18 record and 2nd place in their division. He returned to the All-Star Game in 2009 and emerged as co-MVP along with ex-teammate Kobe Bryant.

  100. Shaquille O'Neal

    O'Neal did not participate in the playoffs

    2009U.S.

    The 2009 NBA Playoffs was also the first time since O'Neal's rookie season in 1992–93 that he did not participate in the playoffs. He was named as a member of the All-NBA Third Team. The Suns notified O'Neal he might be traded to cut costs.

  101. Huawei

    One of The World's First LTE/EPC Commercial Networks

    2009Oslo, Norway

    Huawei delivered one of the world's first LTE/EPC commercial networks for TeliaSonera in Oslo, Norway in 2009.

  102. Zlatan Ibrahimović

    The League's Top goalscorer

    Thursday Jan 1, 2009Italy

    Ibrahimović ended the 2008–09 Serie A season as the league's top goalscorer with 25 goals.

  103. George Weah

    Returning From The United States

    2009Liberia

    Weah also remained active in Liberian politics, returning from the United States in 2009 after getting a degree in business administration at DeVry University in Miami to successfully campaign for the Congress for Democratic Change candidate in the Montserrado County senatorial by-election.

  104. Facebook, Inc.

    China Blocked Facebook

    2009China

    China blocked Facebook in 2009.

  105. Bitcoin

    Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as an open-source code

    Jan, 2009Japan

    Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as an open-source code and released it in January 2009. Nakamoto's identity remains unknown.

  106. Warren Buffett

    Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd (Swiss Re)

    2009Zurich, Switzerland

    In 2009, Buffett invested $2.6 billion as a part of Swiss Re's campaign to raise equity capital.

  107. HTC

    HTC HD2

    2009Taoyuan City, Taiwan

    In November 2009 HTC released the HTC HD2, the first Windows Mobile device with a capacitive touchscreen.

  108. Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    The Big Three automobile manufacturers received a bailout from the TARP program

    Jan, 2009U.S.

    January 2009: The Big Three automobile manufacturers received a bailout from the TARP program.

  109. Hong Kong independence

    The construction of the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou (XRL) escalated to a series of massive protests

    2009Hong Kong, China

    In 2009 and 2010, the construction of the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou (XRL) escalated to a series of massive protests. Many protesters accused of the Hong Kong government spending HK$69.9 billion (US$9 billion) for an unnecessary railway just to please Beijing.

  110. Mobile Phones

    Looking To data-optimized 4th-generation Technologies

    2009U.S.

    By 2009, it had become clear that, at some point, 3G networks would be overwhelmed by the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications like streaming media. Consequently, the industry began looking to data-optimized 4th-generation technologies, with the promise of speed improvements up to 10-fold over existing 3G technologies. The first two commercially available technologies billed as 4G were the WiMAX standard (offered in the U.S. by Sprint) and the LTE standard, first offered in Scandinavia by TeliaSonera.

  111. Second Chechen War

    Russia had severely disabled the Chechen separatist movement and large-scale fighting ceased

    2009Chechnya, Russia

    By 2009, Russia had severely disabled the Chechen separatist movement and large-scale fighting ceased. Russian army and interior ministry troops no longer occupied the streets. Grozny underwent reconstruction efforts and much of the city and surrounding areas were rebuilt quickly.

  112. Lacoste

    Hayden Christensen became The Face of The Challenge Fragrance

    2009Troyes, France

    In 2009, Hayden Christensen became the face of the Challenge fragrance for men.

  113. Warren Buffett

    Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

    2009Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.

    In 2009, Buffett acquired Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp for $34 billion in cash and stock.

  114. Facebook, Inc.

    Compete.com Study

    Jan, 2009Palo Alto, California, U.S.

    A January 2009 Compete.com study ranked Facebook the most used social networking service by worldwide monthly active users

  115. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Compensations

    2009Hudson River, New York, U.S.

    Each passenger later received a letter of apology, $5,000 in compensation for lost baggage (and $5,000 more if they could demonstrate larger losses) and a refund of the ticket price. In May 2009 they received any belongings that had been recovered. In addition, they reported offers of $10,000 each in return for agreeing not to sue US Airways.

  116. Marvel Studios

    Marvel attempted to hire a team of writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties

    2009U.S.

    In 2009, Marvel attempted to hire a team of writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, such as Black Panther, Cable, Iron Fist, Nighthawk, and Vision.

  117. Papa John's Pizza

    Schnatter reacquired the Camaro back

    2009Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.

    In 2009, Schnatter reacquired the Camaro back after offering a reward of $250,000 for the car.

  118. Warren Buffett

    The World's Greatest Money Maker

    2009London, U.K.

    Buffett was the subject of the BBC production The World's Greatest Money Maker (2009).

  119. American Sniper: Christopher Scott Kyle

    Post-military life

    2009Midlothian, Texas, U.S.

    Kyle left the U.S. Navy in 2009, and moved to Midlothian, Texas, with his wife, Taya, and two children. He was president of Craft International, a tactical training company for the U.S. military and law enforcement communities.

  120. Marvel Studios

    Sony returned all Spider-Man television rights

    2009U.S.

    In early 2009, Sony returned all Spider-Man television rights (including live action) in exchange for an adjustment to the movie rights.

  121. Kobe Bryant

    Youngest player to 25,000 point

    2009Los Angeles, California, U.S.

    Bryant also became the youngest player (31 years, 151 days) to reach 25,000 points in his career during the season, surpassing Chamberlain.

  122. Android

    2009 market share

    2009Mountain View, California, U.S.

    Research company Canalys estimated in the second quarter of 2009, that Android had a 2.8% share of worldwide smartphone shipments.

  123. Amancio Ortega

    Industrias de Diseño Textil Sociedad anónima (Inditex Group)

    2009Arteixo (A Coruña), Spain

    In 2009, Zara was part of the Inditex group, of which Ortega owned 59.29%, and aside from over 6,000 stores included the brands Zara, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Zara Home, Kiddy's Class, Tempe, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear, Bershka and has more than 92,000 employees.

  124. Google LLC

    Google Joined The PRISM Program

    2009Mountain View, California, U.S.

    According to leaks of said program, Google joined the PRISM program in 2009.

  125. Bank of America

    Bank of America purchased Merrill Lynch

    Thursday Jan 1, 2009New York City, New York, U.S.

    Around the same time, Bank of America was reportedly also in talks to purchase Lehman Brothers, however a lack of government guarantees caused the bank to abandon talks with Lehman. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy the same day Bank of America announced its plans to acquire Merrill Lynch. This acquisition made Bank of America the largest financial services company in the world. Shareholders of both companies (Bank of America and Merrill Lynch) approved the acquisition on December 5, 2008, and the deal closed January 1, 2009.

  126. Bitcoin

    The genesis block

    Saturday Jan 3, 2009Japan

    On 3 January 2009, the bitcoin network was created when Nakamoto mined the starting block of the chain, known as the genesis block. Embedded in the coinbase of this block was the text "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks". This note references a headline published by The Times and has been interpreted as both a timestamp and a comment on the instability caused by fractional-reserve banking.

  127. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Takeoff

    Monday Jan 5, 200903:24:00 PMNew York, U.S.

    The flight was cleared for takeoff to the northeast from LaGuardia's Runway 4 at 3:24:56 pm Eastern Standard Time (20:24:56 UTC). With Skiles in control, the crew made its first report after becoming airborne at 3:25:51 as being at 700 feet (210 m) and climbing. The weather at 2:51 p.m. was 10 miles (16 km) visibility with broken clouds at 3,700 feet (1,100 m), wind 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) from 290°; an hour later it was few clouds at 4,200 feet (1,300 m), wind 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) from 310°. At 3:26:37 Sullenberger remarked to Skiles: "What a view of the Hudson today."

  128. Prince Harry

    The Royal Household

    Tuesday Jan 6, 2009England

    On 6 January 2009, the Queen granted Harry and William their own royal household.

  129. Bitcoin

    Finney received ten bitcoins from Nakamoto

    Monday Jan 12, 2009U.S.

    The receiver of the first bitcoin transaction was cypherpunk Hal Finney, who had created the first reusable proof-of-work system (RPoW) in 2004. Finney downloaded the bitcoin software on its release date, and on 12 January 2009 received ten bitcoins from Nakamoto. Other early cypherpunk supporters were creators of bitcoin predecessors: Wei Dai, creator of b-money, and Nick Szabo, creator of bit gold.

  130. Kaká

    A Bid from Manchester City

    Tuesday Jan 13, 2009Milan, Italy

    BBC reported on 13 January 2009 that Manchester City made a bid for Kaká for over £100 million.

  131. Kim Jong-un

    The Successor

    Thursday Jan 15, 2009North Korea

    On 15 January 2009, the South Korean news agency reported that Kim Jong-il had appointed Kim Jong-un to be his successor.

  132. Qasem Soleimani

    Meeting in Iraq

    2009Iraq

    In 2009, The Economist stated based on a leaked report that Christopher R. Hill and General Raymond T. Odierno (America's two most senior officials in Baghdad at the time) met with Soleimani in the office of Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, but withdrew the story after Hill and Odierno denied the occurrence of the meeting.

  133. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Evacuation

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    Sullenberger opened the cockpit door and gave the order to evacuate. The crew began evacuating the passengers through the four overwing window exits and into an inflatable slide/raft deployed from the front right passenger door (the front left slide failed to operate, so the manual inflation handle was pulled). A panicked passenger opened a rear door, which a flight attendant was unable to reseal. Water was also entering through a hole in the fuselage and through cargo doors that had come open, so as the water rose the attendant urged passengers to move forward by climbing over seats. One passenger was in a wheelchair. Finally, Sullenberger walked the cabin twice to confirm it was empty.

  134. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Landing Decesion

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    Sullenberger asked controllers for landing options in New Jersey, mentioning Teterboro Airport. Permission was given for Teterboro's Runway 1, Sullenberger initially responded "Yes", but then: "We can't do it ... We're gonna be in the Hudson". The aircraft passed less than 900 feet (270 m) above the George Washington Bridge. Sullenberger commanded over the cabin address system, "Brace for impact", and the flight attendants relayed the command to passengers. Meanwhile, air traffic controllers asked the Coast Guard to caution vessels in the Hudson and ask them to prepare to assist with the rescue.

  135. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Post-Evacuation

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:00:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    The air and water temperatures were about 19 °F (−7 °C) and 41 °F (5 °C) respectively. Some evacuees waited for rescue knee-deep in water on the partially submerged slides, some wearing life-vests. Others stood on the wings or, fearing an explosion, swam away from the plane. One passenger, after helping with the evacuation, found the wing so crowded that he jumped into the river and swam to a boat.

  136. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Flight Details

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:24:00 PMNew York, U.S.

    On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 with call sign 'CACTUS 1549' was scheduled to fly from New York City's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Charlotte Douglas (CLT), with direct onward service to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. The aircraft was an Airbus A320-214 powered by two GE Aviation/Snecma-designed CFM56-5B4/P turbofan engines.

  137. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Pilot Detail

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:24:00 PMNew York, U.S.

    The pilot in command was 57-year-old Chesley B. Sullenberger, a former fighter pilot who had been an airline pilot since leaving the United States Air Force in 1980. At the time, he had logged 19,663 total flight hours, including 4,765 in an A320; he was also a glider pilot and expert on aviation safety. First officer Jeffrey B. Skiles, 49, had accrued 20,727 career flight hours, but this was his first Airbus A320 assignment since qualifying to fly it. There were 150 passengers and three flight attendants on board.

  138. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Bird Strike

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:27:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    At 3:27:11 the plane struck a flock of Canada geese at an altitude of 2,818 feet (859 m) about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-northwest of LaGuardia. The pilots' view was filled with the large birds; passengers and crew heard very loud bangs and saw flames from the engines, followed by silence and an odor of fuel.

  139. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    NY terminal radio call

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:27:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    At 3:27:33, Sullenberger radioed a mayday call to New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON): "... this is Cactus 1539 [sic – correct call sign was Cactus 1549], hit birds. We've lost thrust on both engines. We're turning back towards LaGuardia". Air traffic controller Patrick Harten told LaGuardia's tower to hold all departures and directed Sullenberger back to Runway 13. Sullenberger responded, "Unable".

  140. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Ditching

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:31:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    About ninety seconds later, at 3:31 pm, the plane made an unpowered ditching, descending southwards at about 125 knots (140 mph; 230 km/h) into the middle of the North River section of the Hudson tidal estuary, at 40.7695°N 74.0046°W on the New York side of the state line, roughly opposite West 50th Street (near the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum) in Manhattan and Port Imperial in Weehawken, New Jersey. Flight attendants compared the ditching to a "hard landing" with "one impact, no bounce, then a gradual deceleration." The ebb tide then began to take the plane southward.

  141. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Rescue

    Thursday Jan 15, 200903:55:00 PMHudson River, New York, USA

    Sullenberger had ditched near boats, which facilitated rescue. NY Waterway ferries Thomas Jefferson and then Governor Thomas H. Kean both arrived within minutes and began taking people aboard using Jason's cradle. Sullenberger advised the ferry crews to rescue those on the wings first, as they were in more jeopardy than those on the slides, which detached to become life rafts. As the plane drifted, passengers on one slide, fearing that the boat would crush them, shouted for it to steer away. The last person was taken from the plane at 3:55 pm. About 140 New York City firefighters responded to nearby docks, as did police, helicopters, and various vessels and divers. Other agencies provided medical help on the Weehawken side of the river, where most passengers were taken.

  142. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Aftermath

    Thursday Jan 15, 200904:05:00 PMHudson River, New York, U.S.

    There were five serious injuries, including a deep laceration in flight attendant Doreen Welsh's leg. Seventy-eight people were treated, mostly for minor injuries and hypothermia; twenty-four passengers and two rescuers were treated at hospitals, with two passengers kept overnight. One passenger now wears glasses because of eye damage from jet fuel. No pets were being carried on the flight.

  143. YouTube

    YouTube launched "YouTube for TV"

    Jan, 2009San Bruno, California, U.S.

    In January 2009, YouTube launched "YouTube for TV", a version of the website tailored for set-top boxes and other TV-based media devices with web browsers, initially allowing its videos to be viewed on the PlayStation 3 and Wii video game consoles.

  144. Bank of America

    Bank of America received $20 billion in the federal bailout from the U.S. government

    Friday Jan 16, 2009U.S.

    Bank of America received $20 billion in the federal bailout from the U.S. government through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) on January 16, 2009, and a guarantee of $118 billion in potential losses at the company.

  145. Bank of America

    Massive Losses

    Friday Jan 16, 2009U.S.

    The bank, in its January 16, 2009, earnings release, revealed massive losses at Merrill Lynch in the fourth quarter, which necessitated an infusion of money that had previously been negotiated with the government as part of the government-persuaded deal for the bank to acquire Merrill. Merrill recorded an operating loss of $21.5 billion in the quarter, mainly in its sales and trading operations, led by Tom Montag. The bank also disclosed it tried to abandon the deal in December after the extent of Merrill's trading losses surfaced, but was compelled to complete the merger by the U.S. government. The bank's stock price sank to $7.18, its lowest level in 17 years, after announcing earnings and the Merrill mishap. The market capitalization of Bank of America, including Merrill Lynch, was then $45 billion, less than the $50 billion it offered for Merrill just four months earlier, and down $108 billion from the merger announcement.

  146. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Investigation

    Saturday Jan 17, 2009Hudson River, New York, USA

    The partially submerged plane was moored to a pier near the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan, roughly 4 miles (6 km) downstream from the ditching location. The left engine, detached by the ditching, was recovered from the riverbed. On January 17 the aircraft was barged to New Jersey. The initial National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) evaluation that the plane had lost thrust after a bird strike was confirmed by analysis of the cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Two days earlier the plane had experienced a less severe compressor stall, but the affected engine was restarted. A faulty temperature sensor was replaced, and inspection verified the engine had not been damaged in that incident.

  147. Galileo Galilei

    Plan to erect a statue of Galileo on the grounds of the Vatican had been suspended

    Jan, 2009Vatican City

    A month later, however, the head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Gianfranco Ravasi, revealed that the plan to erect a statue of Galileo on the grounds of the Vatican had been suspended.

  148. Kaká

    Officially ended the bid

    Monday Jan 19, 2009Milan, Italy

    On 19 January, Silvio Berlusconi announced that Manchester City had officially ended their bid after a discussion between the clubs, and that Kaká would remain with Milan.

  149. George W. Bush

    Last day as President

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009Washington D.C., U.S.

    Last day as President.

  150. Barack Obama

    A President

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009U.S.

    Obama as the 44th President took place on January 20, 2009.

  151. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    Crew awards and honors

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009U.S.

    The crew, especially Sullenberger, was praised, notably by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York State Governor David Paterson, who said: "We had a Miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we have had a Miracle on the Hudson." U.S. President George W. Bush said he was "inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew," and praised the emergency responders and volunteers. President-elect Barack Obama said that everyone was proud of Sullenberger's "heroic and graceful job in landing the damaged aircraft." He thanked the crew, whom he invited to his inauguration five days later.

  152. Joe Biden

    First term (2009–2013)

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009U.S.

    At noon on January 20, 2009, Joe Biden became the 47th vice president of the United States, sworn into the office by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Biden is the first United States vice president from Delaware and the first Roman Catholic to attain that office.

  153. Joe Biden

    Vice President

    Tuesday Jan 20, 2009U.S.

    Biden was the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and became the first Roman Catholic to serve as vice president of the United States.

  154. US Airways Flight 1549: Sully

    NTSB foundings

    Wednesday Jan 21, 2009Washington D.C., U.S.

    On January 21, the NTSB found evidence of soft-body damage in the right engine along with organic debris including a feather. The left engine also evidenced soft body impact, with: "dents on both the spinner and inlet lip of the engine cowling. Five booster inlet guide vanes are fractured and eight outlet guide vanes are missing." Both engines, missing large portions of their housings, were sent to the manufacturer for examination. On January 31, the plane was moved to Kearny, New Jersey. The bird remains were later identified by DNA testing to be Canada geese, which typically weigh more than engines are designed to withstand ingesting.

  155. Donald Trump

    Back to the Republicans

    2009U.S.

    Trump returned back to the Republican Party in 2009.

  156. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

    The relationship between Israel and Turkey worsened

    Wednesday Jan 28, 2009Davos, Switzerland

    The relationship between Israel and Turkey worsened at the 2009 World Economic Forum conference over Israel's actions during the Gaza War. Erdoğan was interrupted by the moderator while he was responding to Peres, and left the panel, accusing the moderator of giving Peres more time than all the other panelists combined. Tensions increased further following the Gaza flotilla raid in May 2010. Erdoğan strongly condemned the raid, describing it as "state terrorism", and demanded an Israeli apology. In February 2013, Erdoğan called Zionism a "crime against humanity", comparing it to Islamophobia, antisemitism, and fascism.

  157. Vodafone

    Vodafone in UAE

    Wednesday Jan 28, 2009Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    On 28 January 2009, the Vodafone group announced a partner network agreement with Du, the second-largest operator in the United Arab Emirates. The agreement involved co-operation on international clients, handset procurement, mobile broadband, etc.

  158. Rafael Nadal

    2nd Longest match in Australia open

    Friday Jan 30, 2009Melbourne, Australia

    At the 2009 Australian Open, Nadal won his first five matches without dropping a set, before defeating compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals in the second longest match in Australian Open history at 5 hours and 14 minutes.

  159. HTC

    HTC Sense debut

    2009Taoyuan City, Taiwan

    HTC Sense debuted 2009 as a user interface which continues to be used as of 2018.

  160. Garry Kasparov

    Coached Magnus Carlsen

    Feb, 2009Russia

    Kasparov actively coached Magnus Carlsen for approximately one year beginning in February 2009. The collaboration remained secret until September 2009.

  161. Colombian conflict

    Releasing 6 Hostages

    Feb, 2009Colombia

    In February 2009, the guerrilla released 6 hostages as a humanitarian gesture.

  162. Warren Buffett

    Buffett Sold Some Procter & Gamble Co. Shares

    Feb, 2009Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

    In February 2009, Buffett sold some Procter & Gamble Co. shares from his personal portfolio.

  163. Best Buy

    Best Buy Mobile

    Feb, 2009U.S., and United Kingdom

    In February 2009, Best Buy leveraged its partnership with The Carphone Warehouse to launch Best Buy Mobile, a Best Buy-branded mobile retailer. Best Buy Mobile standalone stores were opened in shopping malls and urban downtowns. These Best Buy Mobile outlets were also added in all Best Buy-branded stores.

  164. Kobe Bryant

    Madison Square Garden record

    Monday Feb 2, 2009Madison Square Garden, New York, U.S.

    In a game against the Knicks on February 2, 2009, Bryant scored 61 points, setting a record for the most points scored at Madison Square Garden.

  165. Kevin Hart

    Kevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man

    Tuesday Feb 3, 2009U.S.

    Hart's comedy tours began in 2009 with his act titled I'm a Grown Little Man.

  166. Disasters with highest death tolls

    Black Saturday Bushfires

    Saturday Feb 7, 2009Victoria, Australia

    The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009 and were among Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire; there were 173 direct identified fatalities, The figure was later increased to 180 fatalities, after several people had succumbed to their injuries. Many were left homeless as a result.

  167. IBM

    SPSS

    2009U.S.

    In 2009, it acquired software company SPSS Inc.

  168. Facebook, Inc.

    The "Like" Button Was First Enabled

    Monday Feb 9, 2009Menlo Park, California, U.S.

    The "like" button, stylized as a "thumbs up" icon, was first enabled on February 9, 2009, and enables users to easily interact with status updates, comments, photos and videos, links shared by friends and advertisements.

  169. Richard Branson

    Branson's Virgin organization was reported as bidding to buy the former "Honda Formula One" team

    Feb, 2009United Kingdom

    In February 2009, Branson's Virgin organization was reported as bidding to buy the former "Honda Formula One" team. Branson later stated an interest in Formula One but claimed that, before the Virgin brand became involved with Honda or any other team, Formula One would have to develop a more economically efficient and environmentally responsible image.

  170. Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

    Friday Feb 13, 2009U.S.

    February 13, 2009, President Barack Obama signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

  171. Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

    Friday Feb 13, 2009U.S.

    February 13, 2009: Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package.

  172. Hugo Chávez

    Referendum to abolish The Two-term Limit For all Public Offices

    Sunday Feb 15, 2009Caracas, Venzuela

    Under the 1999 constitution, he could not legally stand for re-election again, and so brought about a referendum on 15 February 2009 to abolish the two-term limit for all public offices, including the presidency. Approximately 70% of the Venezuelan electorate voted, and they approved this alteration to the constitution with over 54% in favor, allowing any elected official the chance to try to run indefinitely.

  173. IKEA

    UNICEF announcement at The ECOSOC Event

    Monday Feb 23, 2009New York, U.S.

    On 23 February 2009, at the ECOSOC event in New York, UNICEF announced that IKEA Social Initiative has become the agency's largest corporate partner, with total commitments of more than US$180 million.

  174. Nancy Pelosi

    Pelosi was re-elected speaker

    2009U.S.

    Pelosi was re-elected speaker in 2009.

  175. Shaquille O'Neal

    O'Neal scored 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds

    Friday Feb 27, 2009Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

    On February 27, 2009, O'Neal scored 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his 49th career 40-point game, beating the Toronto Raptors 133–113.

  176. Lula da Silva

    G-20 summit

    2009London, England

    Before a G-20 summit in London in March 2009, Lula caused an uproar by declaring that the economic crisis was caused by "the irrational behavior of white people with blue eyes, who before seemed to know everything, and now have shown they don't know anything".

  177. Colombian conflict

    Releasing The Swedish Hostage

    Mar, 2009Colombia

    In March, the guerrilla released Swedish hostage Erik Roland Larsson.

  178. Marc Patrick O'Leary: Washington and Colorado Serial Rapist (Unbelievable)

    Marie Charges

    Mar, 2009Lynnwood, Washington, U.S.

    In March 2009, she was charged with a gross misdemeanor: she was fined $500, put on probation and made to attend counseling. Marie had been sexually and physically abused in early life and was in foster care for most of her childhood. She joined Project Ladder at age 18, a program designed to help young adults transition from foster care to living alone. The project offered subsidized housing and Marie had a job at Costco.

  179. Diego Maradona

    Italian officials announced that Maradona still owed the Italian government

    Mar, 2009Italy

    In March 2009, Italian officials announced that Maradona still owed the Italian government €37 million in local taxes, €23.5 million of which was accrued interest on his original debt. They reported that at that point, Maradona had paid only €42,000, two luxury watches and a set of earrings.

  180. Shaquille O'Neal

    O'Neal was outscored by Magic center Dwight Howard

    Tuesday Mar 3, 2009Orlando, Florida, U.S.

    In a match-up against Orlando on March 3, 2009, O'Neal was outscored by Magic center Dwight Howard, 21–19. "I'm really too old to be trying to outscore 18-year-olds", O'Neal said, referring to the then 23-year-old Howard.

  181. Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    The Dow Jones hit its lowest level of 6,443.27

    Friday Mar 6, 2009U.S.

    March 6, 2009: The Dow Jones hit its lowest level of 6,443.27.

  182. Uber

    Uber was originally founded as Ubercab

    Mar, 2009San Francisco, California, U.S.

    In 2009, Uber was originally founded as Ubercab by Garrett Camp, a computer programmer and the co-founder of StumbleUpon, and Travis Kalanick, who sold his Red Swoosh startup for $19 million in 2007.

  183. Kim Jong-un

    The Rubber stamp parliament of North Korea

    Sunday Mar 8, 2009North Korea

    On 8 March 2009, BBC News reported that Kim Jong-un was on the ballot for elections to the Supreme People's Assembly, the rubber stamp parliament of North Korea.

  184. Mass Shootings in the United States

    Geneva County Massacre

    Tuesday Mar 10, 2009Geneva County, Alabama, U.S.

    The Geneva County massacre occurred in southern Alabama on March 10, 2009. Ten people were killed in a shooting spree by Michael Kenneth McLendon, in three small communities in two counties: Kinston, Samson, and Geneva, Alabama. Five of McLendon's victims were family members, starting with his mother, and two were children. After engaging in an exchange of fire with police, McLendon committed suicide, bringing the total number of dead to eleven in the related incidents. Officials at the time said this was the worst shooting event in Alabama history.

  185. Carlos Slim

    the world's third-richest person 2009

    Wednesday Mar 11, 2009U.S.

    On March 11, 2009, Forbes ranked Slim as the world's third-richest person, behind Gates and Buffett and ahead of Larry Ellison.

  186. Robin Williams

    Heart problems

    Friday Mar 13, 2009California, U.S.

    In March 2009, he was hospitalized due to heart problems. He postponed his one-man tour for surgery to replace his aortic valve, repair his mitral valve, and correct his irregular heartbeat. The surgery was completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic.

  187. Ciro Immobile

    Seria A

    Saturday Mar 14, 2009Turin, Italy

    On 14 March 2009, Immobile made his Serie A debut in a 4–1 home win against Bologna, replacing Juventus' captain Alessandro Del Piero in the 89th minute.

  188. PlayStation

    The PlayStation 3 "slim" model

    2009Tokyo, Japan

    Like its predecessors, the PlayStation 3 was re-released in 2009 as a "slim" model. The redesigned model is 33% smaller, 36% lighter, and consumes 34% to 45% less power than previous models.

  189. Bank of America

    Bank of America received an additional $5.2 billion in government bailout money according to The New York Times

    Sunday Mar 15, 2009New York City, New York, U.S.

    According to an article in The New York Times published on March 15, 2009, Bank of America received an additional $5.2 billion in government bailout money, channeled through American International Group.

  190. Plague

    Plague is reported in Libya

    2009Libya

    Plague is reported in Libya, after 25 years without a case of the disease.

  191. Second Chechen War

    President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev met with Alexander Bortnikov, the Director of the Federal Security Service to discuss the official ending of counter-terrorism operations

    Friday Mar 27, 2009Russia

    On 27 March 2009, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev met with Alexander Bortnikov, the Director of the Federal Security Service to discuss the official ending of counter-terrorism operations in Chechnya.

  192. Richard Branson

    It was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team

    Mar, 2009Australia

    At the start of the 2009 Formula One season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team, with discussions also underway about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term.

  193. Donald Trump

    Twitter

    Mar, 2009U.S.

    Trump's presence on social media has attracted attention worldwide since he joined Twitter in March 2009.

  194. Lionel Messi

    Argentina's number 10

    Saturday Mar 28, 2009Argentina

    During that game, played on 28 March 2009 vs Venezuela, Messi wore Argentina's number 10 shirt for the first time, following the international retirement of Riquelme.

  195. Magdi Yacoub

    The Aswan Heart Center

    Apr, 2009Aswan, Egypt

    He established the Aswan Heart Center in April 2009.

  196. Symbian OS

    Symbian community

    Apr, 2009Espoo, Finland

    Nokia became the major contributor to Symbian's code since it then possessed the development resources for both the Symbian OS core and the user interface. Since then Nokia maintained its own code repository for the platform development, regularly releasing its development to the public repository. Symbian was intended to be developed by a community-led by the Symbian Foundation, which was first announced in June 2008 and officially launched in April 2009.

  197. Symbian OS

    Symbian Foundation

    Apr, 2009Espoo, Finland

    The platform was designated as the successor to Symbian OS, following the official launch of the Symbian Foundation in April 2009.

  198. Colombian conflict

    The Colombian Armed Forces launched strategic leap

    Apr, 2009Arauca, Colombia

    In April 2009, the Colombian armed forces launched Strategic Leap, an offensive in borders areas where the FARC's forces still has a strong military presence, especially in Arauca, near the Venezuelan border.

  199. Shaquille O'Neal

    The 2008–09 season improved for O'Neal

    2009U.S.

    The 2008–09 season improved for O'Neal, who averaged 18 pts, 9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks through the first half (41 games) of the season, leading the Suns to a 23–18 record and 2nd place in their division. He returned to the All-Star Game in 2009 and emerged as co-MVP along with ex-teammate Kobe Bryant.

  200. Shaquille O'Neal

    O'Neal did not participate in the playoffs

    2009U.S.

    The 2009 NBA Playoffs was also the first time since O'Neal's rookie season in 1992–93 that he did not participate in the playoffs. He was named as a member of the All-NBA Third Team. The Suns notified O'Neal he might be traded to cut costs.