2009 CE

2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Johannes Kepler. It was also declared as the International Year of Natural Fibres by the United Nations General Assembly, as well as the International Year of Reconciliation and the Year of the Gorilla (UNEP and UNESCO).

In the 2000s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 20 – Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first African-American to hold the office.source
February 6: Mathurin Nago, President of the Beninese National Assembly, visits with Eyadéma at the Presidential PalaceTogo source
February 8 – 2009 Liechtenstein general election: The Patriotic Union led by Klaus Tschütscher wins a majority of 13 seats in the Landtag.source
April 1 – Albania and Croatia join NATO.source
May 1 – The state stamp maker Azermarka issued postage stamps dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Azerbaijan's cooperation with NATO.Azerbaijan source
May 15 – France–Pakistan Atomic Energy Framework bilateral energy treaty is signed.source
17 May - Dalia Grybauskaitė is elected as President of Lithuania in the 2009 Lithuanian presidential election.Lithuania source
June 2: The Community of the People wins Greenland's parliamentary election.Greenland source
June 21 – Greenland gains self-rule.source
June - European Parliament electionSlovakia source
July 16 – Iceland's national parliament, the Althingi, votes to pursue joining the EU.source
August 3 – Bolivia becomes the first South American country to declare the right of indigenous people to govern themselves.source
August 6 - The Presidents of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Joseph Kabila and Paul Kagame, pledge to boost economic and security ties after a rare meeting.Rwanda source
August 14 – The United Kingdom imposes direct rule on the Turks and Caicos Islands after an inquiry that found evidence of government corruption.source
October 2 – Ireland holds a second referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty. The amendment is approved by the Irish electorate, having been rejected in the Lisbon I referendum held last year.source
October 15 – The United Nations General Assembly elects Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria to serve two-year terms on the United Nations Security Council as non-veto-holding members.Bosnia and Herzegovina source
October 20 – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is inaugurated for a second term as President of Indonesia.source
November 3 – The Czech Republic becomes the final member-state of the European Union to sign the Treaty of Lisbon, thereby permitting that document's initiation into European law.source
November 3 – The Prime Minister of Belgium, Herman Van Rompuy, is designated the first permanent President of the European Council, a position he takes up on December 1, 2009.source
December 1 – The Treaty of Lisbon comes into force.source
December 22 – Serbia applied for membership to the European Union.source
The first female minister, Norah Al Faiz, was appointed to the Saudi Arabian government.Saudi Arabia source

Conflict & Security

January 1 – Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda assume their seats on the United Nations Security Council.source
January 2 - Ethiopia withdraws its military forces from Somalia after two years of helping the Transitional Federal Government combat insurgents.Somalia source
10 January – Russia's gas dispute with Ukraine cuts supplies to Bulgaria, resulting in a severe energy shortage lasting several weeks and widespread anger at the government's energy policies.Bulgaria source
January 18 – Gaza War: Hamas announces that they will accept the Israel Defense Forces offer of a ceasefire, ending the conflict.source
January 21 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending its three-week war with Hamas. However, intermittent air strikes by both sides continue in the following weeks.source
March 17 – The President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, is overthrown in a coup d'état, following a month of unrest in Antananarivo.source
May 13 - The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda kill at least 90 people in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.Rwanda source
May 15 - Sudan accused Chad for two air bombardments in its territory done by the Chadian government to attack Chadian rebel groups' bases in Sudan.Chad source
May 15 – Sudan accused Chad of two air bombardments in its territory done by the Chadian government to attack Chadian rebel groups' bases in Sudan.Sudan source
May 18 – Following more than 25 years of fighting, the Sri Lankan Civil War ends with the total military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.source
June 13 – Mass protests erupt across Iran following a disputed presidential election in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected president, the largest demonstrations in the country since the Iranian Revolution.source
June 19 – War in Afghanistan: British forces began Operation Panther's Claw, in which more than 350 troops made an aerial assault on Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan.source
June 28 – The Military of Honduras ousts Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in a coup d'état, condemned by OAS.source
July 2 – The Heydar Aliyev Airport suspended its night schedule. The airport operated under normal conditions from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. According to an AZAL spokesperson, this rule was implemented to allow the population to rest peacefully during the night. He noted that the restrictions do not apply to humanitarian, state, sanitary, or rescue flights, nor to flights that were caught in bad weather and need to land urgently.Azerbaijan source
July 26 – The Islamic extremist group Boko Haram initiates an uprising in Bauchi State, Nigeria and quickly spreads throughout the northern part of the country.source
September 28 – At least 157 demonstrators are massacred by the Guinean military at the Stade du 28 Septembre during a protest against the government that came to power in a coup d'état the previous year.source
October 25 – Two suicide attacks in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 155 people and injure at least 721 people.source
November 10 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released.source
December 8 – A series of attacks in Baghdad, Iraq kill at least 127 people and injure at least 448 more.source
December 9: French embassy secretary expelled from TogoTogo source
In the 2009 Lebanese general election, the American-backed party March 14 Alliance defeated Hezbollah in the polls.Lebanon source

Exploration & Expansion

January 20 – The microfinance bank AccessBank Liberia is established.Liberia source
10 February – Nicolas Sarkozy became the first French president to visit Iraq in a surprise stopover during a Persian Gulf tour.Iraq source
March 6 - The European Union will transfer to Kenya suspected Somali pirates captured during Operation Atalanta.Somalia source
March 29 - Micah Kogo breaks the 10 Kilometres road running world record at Parelloop race in Brunssum, The Netherlands by timing 27:01 minutes.Kenya source
May 14 – The South Korean Navy destroyer Mummu the Great and the U.S. Navy cruiser Gettysburg capture 17 suspected Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.South Korea source
October 29: Two hundred Tunisian families crossed the border between Algeria and Tunisia in late October. They occupied tents in the El Mezara region, in the town of Bir El Ater, Tébessa Province. They have requested political asylum from Algerian authorities after fleeing Hogra injustice.Algeria source
December 13 – Rail service between Sarajevo and Belgrade resumes after an 18-year hiatus.Bosnia and Herzegovina source
December 22: reconstruction of São Pedro Airport (now Cesária Évora Airport) finished, it became an international airportCape Verde source

Religion & Belief

1 January – The official adaptation of Hanyu Pinyin in Taiwan.Taiwan source
19–25 January – Tour de San LuisArgentina source
February 1 – Patriarch Kirill of Moscow is enthroned as the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church following the death of his predecessor, Alexy II in 2008.source
March 15 – Luis León Sánchez wins the Paris–Nice.Spain source
March 21 – Khadijeh Saqafi, 93, Iranian widow of religious/political leader Ruhollah Khomeini, after long illness.Iran source
April 24 - Eliud Wabukala is elected the new archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya, replacing the outgoing Benjamin NzimbiKenya source
May 11–15 – Pope Benedict XVI visits the Palestinian territories and Israel. During his visit, the pope condemned Holocaust denials and called for cooperation between the Palestinians and Israelis.Palestine source
22 June - A protest by European milk farmers outside a Council of the European Union meeting in Luxembourg City ends in rioting.Luxembourg source
June 26 – The Ruins of Loropéni were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Ruins were the second out of three total sites in Burkina Faso to be added to the list, and was the country's first cultural UNESCO site.Burkina Faso source

Economy & Finance

January 1 – Slovakia adopts the euro as its national currency, replacing the Slovak koruna.source
January 1 - Slovakia changes currency, replacing the koruna with the euro.Slovakia source
January 23 - Amos Kimunya is appointed the Minister of Trade. Kimunya resigned from the post of Minister of Finance in July 2008 due to Grand Regency Scandal. Former minister of Trade Uhuru Kenyatta is now appointed for the vacant position of Minister of Finance.Kenya source
24 January – Muttiah Muralitharan got his 500th ODI wicket (vs Pakistan)Sri Lanka source
January 26 – The Icelandic government and banking system collapse. Prime Minister Geir Haarde immediately resigns.source
April 1: Togolese government announces plans to abandon the West African CFA franc, although this never comes to fruitionTogo source
June 1: Algerian Minister of Energy and Mines, Chakib Kelil, says that hydrocarbons revenues in 2009 will likely vary between $40 and $45 billion. He estimates that oil prices may reach $70 to $75 per barrel in 2010 if the United States and European economies recover. Until the conclusion of this year Kelil surmises oil prices will stabilize between $60 and $65 per barrel.Algeria source
September 8 – The IFC invested $2 million into the mining economy of Burkina Faso for exploration of natural resources.Burkina Faso source
September 22 – WikiLeaks exposes the contents of Kaupthing Bank's internal documents prior to the Icelandic Financial Crisis. These documents showed suspicious amounts of money were loaned to bank owners, and debts being written off.source
November 4 - The Cambodian government announces that ousted prime minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra has been appointed as a government adviser.Cambodia source
December 7–18 – The UNFCCC's 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference is held in Copenhagen, Denmark.source
Nimero, a Bulgarian software company is founded.Bulgaria source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 3 – The first ("Genesis") block of the blockchain of the cryptocurrency and decentralized payment system Bitcoin is established by the creator of the system, known as Satoshi Nakamoto.source
January 28 – WikiLeaks releases 86 intercepted telephone recordings of politicians and businessmen involved in the 2008 Peru oil scandal.source
February 22 – Dung Quất Refinery were inauguratedVietnam source
February 25: Nigeria and Algeria began talks in Abuja about completing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The agreement would implement the Trans Sahara Gas Pipeline, which will transport gas from Nigeria to be delivered to Mediterranean and European gas markets. The gas line will also pass through Niger and Algeria.Algeria source
April 21 – UNESCO launches The World Digital Library.source
May 9 - Chad captures 150 rebels near Am-Dam after having crossed over the eastern border with Sudan. This was a single event in part of a larger conflict.Chad source
May 17 – Video game Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time, is first released to the public.source
May 22 – Israel's El-Al Airlines Boeing 777 flying from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Baku. The engine problem was fixed, and the plane continued its flight.Azerbaijan source
May 27 - At&t Stadium opens to the public home of the NFL Dallas Cowboyssource
June 12 – Analog television ends in the United States as part of the digital television transition.source
July 23 - The SEACOM cable becomes operational, raising hopes of higher speed and lower cost internet connections in Kenya.Kenya source
September 9 – The Dubai Metro, the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula, officials opens.source
October 22 – Microsoft releases Windows 7 to all computers and laptops, including an edition for ATMs.source
October 25 - The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place for the first time at the Yas Marina Circuit.United Arab Emirates source
December 15 – First flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.source
December - 2009 Southeast Asian GamesLaos source
Marin Čilić won the 2009 Chennai Open on January 10.Croatia source

Science & Discovery

January 26 – An annular solar eclipse takes place over the Indian Ocean, the 50th solar eclipse of Saros cycle 131.source
5 February – Muttiah Muralitharan broke the record of wickets taken with 503, in ODIs, when he dismissed Gautam Gambhir.Sri Lanka source
February 13 – At 23:31:30 UTC, the decimal representation of Unix time reached 1234567890 seconds. Celebrations were held around the world, among various technical subcultures, to celebrate the 1234567890th second.source
March 5 - Somali pirates release Egypt's MV Blue Star.Somalia source
March 7 – NASA's Kepler Mission, a space photometer that will search for extrasolar planets in the Milky Way galaxy, is launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, USA.source
April 5 – North Korea launches a rocket from its Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground, which it says is carrying the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite, prompting an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.source
May 11–24 – Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope on May 11, landing at Edwards Air Force Base May 24.source
31 May – last flight of the Polish airline CentralwingsPoland source
May - Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009Lithuania source
June 18 – NASA launches the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter / LCROSS probes to the Moon, the first American lunar mission since Lunar Prospector in 1998.source
July 19 – Amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley is the first to report that a new dark spot has developed on the planet Jupiter. This event would come to be known as the 2009 Jupiter impact event.source
July 22 – The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting up to 6 minutes and 38.86 seconds (0.14 seconds shorter than 6 minutes and 39 seconds), occurs over parts of Asia and the Pacific Ocean.source
October 1 – Paleontologists announce the discovery of an Ardipithecus ramidus fossil skeleton, deeming it the oldest remains of a human ancestor yet found.source
October 1 – Burkina Faso's government designates 12 areas of interest as Ramsar Sites.Burkina Faso source
October 8: 2009 Sulawesi superbolideIndonesia source
November 13 – Having analyzed the data from the LCROSS lunar impact, NASA announces that it has found a "significant" quantity of water in the Moon's Cabeus crater.source
December 16 – Astronomers discover GJ 1214 b, the first-known exoplanet on which water could exist.source
Tek It or Leave It ends February 17Belize source
Blanka Vlašić successfully defended her high jump world title on August 20.Croatia source

Health & Medicine

January – Start of an meningitis outbreak in four West African countries, including Nigeria.Nigeria source
April 27 – Due to the 2009 swine flu pandemic, Azerbaijan severed the import of animal husbandry goods from the United States. The country also introduced sanitary inspections at railroads and in Heydar Aliyev International Airport. All swine-breeding farms were subjected to strict prophylactic control.Azerbaijan source
May 25 – North Korea announces that it has conducted a second successful nuclear test in North Hamgyong Province. The United Nations Security Council condemns the reported test.source
May 31 – First H1N1 case in VietnamVietnam source
June 11 – The outbreak of the H1N1 influenza strain, commonly referred to as "swine flu", is deemed a global pandemic.source
June 20: Algeria's initial case of swine flu has been detected at Houari Boumediene Airport. The sick woman is an Algerian national who resides in Frankfurt, Germany and came to Algiers from Miami, Florida. She was conveyed to El Kettar Hospital for treatment.Algeria source
July 3 – First Swine Flu case was confirmed by a female from AustraliaCroatia source
July 28 - AIDS campaigners and human rights groups accuse the Cambodian government of herding HIV-affected families into an "Aids colony" outside Phnom Penh.Cambodia source
August 24- Long-distance buses and matatus are banned for entering the Nairobi CBD, in order to reduce traffic congestionsKenya source
September 21 – China becomes the first country to succeed a completed clinical trial by a company for the 2009/H1N1 vaccine in the world during the swine flu pandemic.source
October 18 - A Rwandan doctor working in a French hospital is suspended after a nurse locates an Internet Interpol arrest warrant, accusing him of a 1994 "genocide, war crimes".Rwanda source

Crime & Justice

January 1 – A Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer shoots and kills Oscar Grant, an unarmed black man, at Fruitvale station in Oakland, United States. The event becomes one of the inciting incidents for the global Black Lives Matter movement.source
January 21 – Virginia Tech student Zhu Haiyang decapitates Yang Xin in the first campus murder since the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.source
January 26 – The first trial at the International Criminal Court opens. Former Union of Congolese Patriots leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is accused of training child soldiers to kill, pillage and rape.source
February 18: Al-Jazeera aired a recording by members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in which they claim to have kidnapped two Canadian diplomats, one of them a former advisor to Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau. The men were abducted in Niger in December 2008. Salah Abu Mohammed, spokesman for the Algerian/North African group, also claimed responsibility for the capture of four European tourists in January 2009. The four were kidnapped in Mali, and are a British citizen, two Swiss, and a German.Algeria source
February 18: Togolese security forces shoot and kill three serial robbers of patrons of the Lomé International AirportTogo source
February 26 – Former Serbian president Milan Milutinović is acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia regarding war crimes during the Kosovo War.source
March 4 – The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC since its establishment in 2002.source
April 8 - April 12 – Maersk Alabama Hijacking occurs, the ship being taken over by Somalian pirates off the coast of Somalia.source
April 14 - Somali pirates hijack the MV Irene of Greece and MV Sea Horse of Lebanon. They also attempted to hijack the MV Safmarine Asia.Somalia source
July 4 – Steve McNair, former NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, is shot and killed by his girlfriend in Nashville, Tennessee.source
October 6 - One of the most wanted suspects involved in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, Idelphonse Nizeyimana, is arrested in the Ugandan capital Kampala.Rwanda source
October 15 – It is revealed the company Trafigura has been using a super-injunction to stop The Guardian from reporting about the 2006 Côte d'Ivoire toxic dumping incident, which Trafigura was responsible for.source
October 20 – WikiLeaks leaked the membership listing of a radical political group known as the British National Party.source
November 23 – In the Philippines, at least 58 people are abducted and killed in the province of Maguindanao, in what the Committee to Protect Journalists called the single deadliest attack on journalists in history.source
Attorney General of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd is decided March 18Belize source
2008–09 Lithuanian Football CupLithuania source
Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009Slovakia source
Regina Chiluba, wife of former President Frederick Chiluba, was arrested on charges of fraud. On 3 March, she was sentenced to three and half years for illegally receiving government funds and properties.Zambia source

Disasters & Accidents

January 15 – US Airways Flight 1549 ditches in the Hudson River in an accident that becomes known as the "Miracle on the Hudson", as all 155 people on board are rescued.source
January 25 – Gianh River boat accidentVietnam source
January 31 – Tiféret Israel Synagogue attack, profanation of the oldest synagogue in Caracas, Venezuela.source
February 7 – Bushfires in Victoria leave 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia's history.source
February 11 - An oil tanker and a container ship collide off the coast of Dubai.United Arab Emirates source
February 12 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes in Clarence Center, New York while on final approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all 49 people on board the aircraft as well as one person on the ground.source
March 5 - Michael Jackson announces his This Is It concert residency in London, England. However, a fortnight before the concerts were supposed to begin, Jackson died at the age of 50 from acute propofol intoxication.source
March 23 – A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operated by FedEx suffers a bounced landing at Narita international airport resulting in the loss of 2 lives.source
April 12 - Captain Richard Phillips of the MV Maersk Alabama, who was abducted by Somali pirates, is rescued.Somalia source
April 27 – A monument to Meshadi Azizbekov in Baku was dismantled. Another monument to Prokopius Dzhaparidze in the capital was permanently removed shortly after.Azerbaijan source
June 1 – Air France Flight 447, en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 on board.source
June 29 – Viareggio train derailment occurred when a freight train carrying liquified petroleum gas derailed at Viareggio railway station in Lucca, Italy. The accident killed 32 people and injured 26 people.source
June 30 – Yemenia Flight 626 crashes off the coast of Moroni, Comoros, killing all but one of the 153 passengers and crew.source
July 5 – Violent riots broke out in Ürümqi, Xinjiang. PRC officials said that a total of 197 people died. two monorails of the Walt Disney World Monorail System collided at the Transportation & Ticket Center in Bay Lake, Florida, United States, killing one pilot and injuring seven others.source
July 15 – Caspian Airlines Flight 7908, en route from Tehran, Iran, to Yerevan, Armenia crashes into the Jannatabad village in Qazvin Province; killing all 168 on board.source
July 17 – Two bombs exploded separately at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 9 people (including 2 suicide bombers) and injuring 53.source
August 8 – A small plane and a tour helicopter collide over the Hudson River in the United States. (CNN)source
September 2 – 2009 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister helicopter crash. A helicopter carrying Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy went missing in the Nallamala Forest area. It was later confirmed to have crashed with all five people including Reddy pronounced dead.source
October 11 - At least 10 people die and seven are declared missing in a river ferry sinking on the Mekong in Kratié Province.Cambodia source
November 9 - A light cargo plane crashes at the Wilson Airport, killing two crew members. The plane was carrying miraa to Somalia (main article: 2009 Kenyan Beach 1990D crash)Kenya source
December 5 – Fire at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia kills 156 people. The nightclub owner was sentenced to nearly ten years in prison.source
December 9: The Algerian army destroyed 5,700 mines from the pre-Algerian independence era, in November 2009. The mines, most of them raised by the French arm], were part of a demining program, which continues 47 years after Algerian independence. As of November 30, 2009, 426,599 mines, 358,515 antipersonnel mines, 65,873 anti-group mines, and 2,211 illuminating mines had been eliminated in the operation.Algeria source
December 25 – A Nigerian terrorist plotted an attempted terrorist bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route from Amsterdam to Detroit.source
25 December – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, an Islamic extremist, attempted to bomb the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 while it was travelling from Amsterdam to Detroit.Nigeria source

Climate & Environment

March 14: Algerian border guards seized 3.5 tons of cannabis in a desert region close to the frontier with Morocco. The cannabis was confiscated near Erg Ferradj, approximately 100 kilometers from Béchar. More than 38 tons was seized in 2008 compared to only 4 tons in 2007.Algeria source
April 6 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 308 and injuring more than 1,500.source
April 6 - Kenyan minister of Justice Martha Karua resigns citing lack of progress with her reform agenda.Kenya source
June 2 - Oxfam International describes the humanitarian crisis in Somalia as "very dire".Somalia source
June–September – Several rivers throughout the country flooded, causing 150,000 people flee their homes, mostly in the capital Ouagadougou.Burkina Faso source
August 7 – Typhoon Morakot hits Taiwan, killing 673 and stranding more than 1,000 via the worst flooding on the island in half a century.source
September 21 - A 6.1 magnitude earthquake occurs in eastern Bhutan and is felt in northeast India, Tibet and Bangladesh, leaving at least 10 dead.Bhutan source
September 26 – Typhoon Ketsana, PAGASA Name: Ondoy, makes landfall in The Philippines, killing hundreds in Metro Manila and flooding in Huế, Vietnam.source
September 29 – A 8.1 Mw earthquake strikes Samoa, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong), leaving at least 192 people dead.source
September 30 – A 7.6 Mw earthquake strikes Sumatra, Indonesia, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving at least 1,115 people dead.source
October 15 - The Food and Agriculture Organization declared a humanitarian disaster within the country as Lake Chad continued to shrink, increasing water scarcity for many residents.Chad source
October 23 – The 2009 Cataño oil refinery fire began after an explosion at the refinery in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.source
2009 Swan Islands earthquake May 28Belize source
Flooding in Jeddah killed over 120 people with another 350 injured.Saudi Arabia source

Culture & Society

January 1 – Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, becomes the American Capital of Culture and Vilnius and Linz become the European Capitals of Culture.source
February 1 – Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is appointed as the new Prime Minister of Iceland, becoming the world's first openly lesbian head of government.source
March 31 – Rachel Crandall Crocker founds the International Transgender Day of Visibility.source
22 April – Ten of thousands Ethiopians attend the state funeral of singer Tilahun Gessesse, becoming the largest lying of state since the funeral of Emperor Haile Selassie.Ethiopia source
May 6 – The Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall marked the upcoming 200th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin.Azerbaijan source
May 12–16 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 takes place in Moscow, Russia, and is won by Norwegian entrant Alexander Rybak with the song "Fairytale".source
May 15 – The album 21st Century Breakdown is released by American rock band Green Day, which sold over 5 million copies.source
May 19 – German football club RB Leipzig is founded by Red Bull.source
7 June - 2009 European Parliament election in Lithuania.Lithuania source
14 June – The final of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009, attended by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, took place at the International Children's Centre 'Artek' in Kyiv, and was hosted by commentator for Eurovision and Junior Eurovision Timur Miroshnychenko and three-time participant at the Ukrainian Junior national final Marietta.Ukraine source
July 7 – A public memorial service for Michael Jackson is held at Staples Center. It is watched by over 2.5 billion people worldwide.source
September 4 - Kenya set a new world record in the 4 x 1500 metres relay, 14:36.23 minutes at the Memorial Van Damme meeting in Brussels. Members of the team were Augustine Choge, William Biwott Tanui, Gideon Gathimba and Geoffrey Rono. The previous record in this rarely competed event was set by West Germany in 1977, making it the oldest world record when it was broken.Kenya source
October 2 – The International Olympic Committee awards Rio de Janeiro the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.source
October 18 – British racing driver Jenson Button won his first Formula One World Championship, driving for Brawn GP at the Brazilian Grand Prix.source
November 24 – The Avdhela Project, an Aromanian digital library and cultural initiative, is founded in Bucharest, Romania.source
2009 Birthday Honours announced 15 JuneBelize source
2009 Greenlandic Men's Football Championship.Greenland source
In September 2009, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology opened its first coeducational campus.Saudi Arabia source

Births

February 5 – Carren Eistrup, singer and entertainerPhilippines source
2 June – Hong Ryu-mi, footballerNorth Korea source
22 June – Dominik Kočik, darts playerSlovakia source
22 December – Yap Shing Xuen – Schoolgirl, Murder victim.Malaysia source

Deaths

January 3 – Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, 49, Palestinian senior Hamas leader, air strike.source
February 25 – Soldiers of Bangladeshi border security force Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny and take the commanding army officers and their families hostages at the force's headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka. 57 army officers are killed along with 17 civilians by the mutineers.source
March 2 – The President of Guinea-Bissau, João Bernardo Vieira, is assassinated during an armed attack on his residence in Bissau.source
6 March: Christon Tembo, former Vice President and Military commanderZambia source
April 7 – April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests: four people died and 270 were injured.source
April 30 – Thirteen people were killed in the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy shootings.Azerbaijan source
May 2 – Jack Kemp, 73, American politician and football player, candidate for Vice President (1996), cancer.source
June 13 – Mitsuharu Misawa, 46, Japanese professional wrestler (AJPW), spinal cord injury.source
June 25 – The death of American pop star Michael Jackson triggers an outpouring of worldwide grief. Online, reactions to the event cripple several major websites and services, as the abundance of people accessing the web addresses pushes internet traffic to unprecedented and historic levels.source
June 25 – Michael Jackson, 50, American Hall of Fame singer ("Thriller", "Billie Jean", "Smooth Criminal") and dancer, nine-time Grammy winner, acute propofol intoxication.source
August 1 – Former President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino dies at the age of 76 of cardiopulmonary arrest after complications of colon cancer. A memorial service and funeral is scheduled for August 5. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)source
August 1 – Corazon Aquino, 76, Filipino politician, first female President (1986–1992), colon cancer.source
August 30 – At least five people are killed and 275 injured in a train crash near Yaoundé, Cameroon. (BBC) (Press TV)source
8 September – Aleksandr Aksyonov, former Prime Minister of Byelorussian SSR and Soviet Ambassador to Poland (born 1924).Belarus source
September 22 - Rescue teams scour eastern Bhutan after at least 11 people are killed by an earthquake which struck the region.Bhutan source
October 24 – The 2009 El Ayyat railway accident occurred in Giza, Egypt, when a passenger train derailed due to stoppage of animals on the train tracks. 50 people were killed and 30 people were injured.source
November 5 – Fourteen people are killed during the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.source
December 30 – Abdurrahman Wahid, 69, Indonesian politician, President (1999–2001), heart failure.source