Jan. 4: World's Tallest Building Opens

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On Jan. 4, the Burj Khalifa, the new tallest building in the world, opened in downtown Dubai.

Jan. 12: Earthquake Devastates Haiti

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On Jan. 12, a massive 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, destroying the capitol city of Port-au-Prince and killing 300,000 people.

Jan. 21: John and Elizabeth Edwards Separate

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On Jan. 21, former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, filed for separation. The former North Carolina senator had fathered a child through an extramarital affair with campaign worker Rielle Hunter.

Jan. 27: The iPad Debuts

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On Jan. 27, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, Apple's first tablet device.

Jan. 28: Toyota Troubles

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After several reports of uncontrolled acceleration in some of their most popular models, Toyota announced a recall on Jan. 28. They blamed the problem on the design of their pedals.

Feb. 18: IRS Building In Austin Attacked

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On Feb. 18, a suicidal man crashed his small plane into the IRS building in Austin, Texas.

Feb. 19: Tiger Woods Apologizes

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On Feb. 19, Tiger Woods offered an apology for disappointing his fans and wife after numerous women went public claiming they had affairs with the superstar.

Feb. 24: Killer Whale Kills SeaWorld Trainer

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On Feb. 24, Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by Tilikum, a killer whale who grabbed her pony tail.

Feb. 27: 8.8-Magnitude Quake Hits Chile

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On Feb. 27, a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake hit Chile, killing 497 people.

Mar. 15: Body Scanners Land At O'Hare

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On Mar. 15, full body scanners began being used at Chicago's O'Hare airport. The scanners set off a debate about privacy and security.

Mar. 23: Obama Signs Health Care Reform Bill

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On Mar. 23, President Barack Obama signed his signature health care reform bill into law after a year-long, bitter, partisan debate.

Mar. 23: South Korean Ship Cheonan Sinks

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On Mar. 23, a South Korean military vessel after an explosion. Evidence pointed to a North Korean attack on the vessel.

Mar. 30: Big Bang Simulated

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On Mar. 30, scientists with CERN used the large hadron collider to simulate a miniature Big Bang in order to learn more about the origins of the universe.

Apr. 1: 2010 Census Begins

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On Apr. 1, the U.S. government began conducting the census.

Apr. 14: Iceland Volcano Eruption

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On Apr. 14, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland began erupting. The plume of ash caused severe disruption in flights to and from Europe.

Apr. 20: Deepwater Horizon Explodes

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On Apr. 20, BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig exploded, causing massive environmental damage. Oil would spill into the gulf for months.

Apr. 23: Arizona's Controversial Immigration Law

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On Apr. 23, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a controversial bill empowering law enforcement to stop people suspected of being illegal aliens.

May 1: Times Square Bombing Attempt

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On May 1, radicalized American citizen Faisal Shahzad attempted to blow up a car bomb in New York City's Times Square.

May 31: Israeli Flotilla Raided

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On May 31, Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla attempting to break a blockade of Gaza. 9 people were killed in the clash.

June 3: Joran van der Sloot Arrested

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On June 3, Joran van der Sloot was arrested in Peru, accused of killing Stephany Flores Ramírez. Van der Sloot was long suspected of killing Natalee Holloway.

June 23: Gen. McChrystal Resigns

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On June 23, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, resigned after his disparaging remarks about Vice President Biden and other administration officials appeared in Rolling Stone magazine.

June 27: Russian Spy Ring Broken Up

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On June 27, Anna Chapman was one of 11 people in the U.S. and Cyprus arrested and accused of being a 'sleeper agent' for Russia. The spies were later swapped with Russia.

July 11: Barefoot Bandit' Busted

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On July 11, Colton Harris-Moore, the so-called 'Barefoot Bandit,' was arrested after crashing a stolen private plane in the Bahamas. Harris-Moore had become an internet sensation after his alleged theft spree.

July 21: Obama Signs Financial Reform Bill

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On July 21, President Barack Obama signed a law intended to prevent another massive meltdown of the financial system.

July 25: Wikileaks Discloses Afghanistan Cables

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On July 25, the website WikiLeaks released 90,000 U.S. diplomatic reports about Afghanistan, alleging massive corruption.

July 31: Chelsea Clinton Marries

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On July 31, Chelsea Clinton married Marc Mezvinsky.

Aug. 4: Prop 8 Struck Down

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On Aug. 4, a California judge struck down Proposition 8, which barred same-sex couples from marrying.

Aug. 7: Elena Kagan Sworn In

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On Aug. 7, Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. She's the court's 4th female justice.

Aug. 9: Ted Stevens Killed

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On Aug. 9, former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was killed in a small plane crash.

Aug. 9: Flight Attendant's Dramatic Exit

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On Aug. 9, JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater created a sensation after an incident with a passenger prompted him to quit on the spot. He grabbed some beer and left the plane via the emergency exit slide.

Aug. 13: Obama Sounds Off On 'Ground Zero' Mosque

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President Obama weighed in on the debate on plans to build an Islamic community center near New York City's Ground Zero. The president noted on Aug. 13, 2010, the Constitutional right for the mosque and community center to be built in that location.

Aug. 13: Hundreds Of Millions Of Eggs Recalled

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One of the nation's largest egg distributor, Wright County Egg in Iowa, announced on Aug. 13, 2010, a recall of 380 million eggs linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning.

Aug. 15: Alleged 'Craigslist Killer' Commits Suicide

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Accused "Craigslist killer" Philip Markoff killed himself on Aug. 15, 2010, in jail. Officials discovered his body with a plastic bag tied over his head. He was awaiting trial in the murder case of Julissa Brisman, a 25-year-old New Yorker.

Aug. 17: Rod Blagojevich Cleared Of 23 Charges

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Disgraced former Chicago Gov. Rod Blagojevich was cleared by a jury on Aug. 17, 2010, of 23 felony counts and convicted of a single charge of lying to FBI agents about his activities in campaign funding.

Aug. 25: Bedbugs Make Way Across The Nation

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Pest control company Terminix revealed on Aug. 25, 2010, a list of the 15 most bedbug-infested cities in the United States. Topping the list were New York City, Philadelphia, and Detroit.

Aug. 28: Glenn Beck Hosts Rally To 'Restore Honor'

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Conservative Fox News commentator Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin hosted on Aug. 28, 2010, a "Restoring Honor" rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Aug. 31: Obama Declares End To Combat Missions In Iraq

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In his second nationally-televised Oval Office address on Aug. 31, 2010, President Obama lauded the end of "Operation Iraqi Freedom," more than seven years after the war was launched by previous President George W. Bush.

Sept. 9: Gas Explosion Devastates California City

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At least four people were killed and dozens more hospitalized when a gas line exploded on Sept. 9, 2010, in San Bruno, Calif. The explosion resulted in a massive fire in a residential community near San Francisco's International Airport.

Sept. 11: Florida Pastor Calls Of Quran-Burning

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The Rev. Terry Jones announced on Sept. 9, 2010, that he no longer plans to burn copies of the Quran on the 9th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The Florida pastor said he changed mind after meeting with a New York imam.

Sept. 14: Iran Releases American Sarah Shourd

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Iran released American hiker Sarah Shourd on Sept. 14, 2010, after keeping her detained in prison for 14 months. Her fiance Shane Bauer and friend Josh Fattal remain imprisoned in Iran.

Sept. 21: Repeal Of Military Ban On Gays Blocked

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The effort to lift the military's ban on gays serving openly in failed when the Senate voted down on Sept. 21, 2010, a defense bill that includes the conditional repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Sept. 22: Facebook Founder Donates $100M To Schools

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Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed on Sept. 22, 2010, on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" his donation of $100 million to the Newark public school system.

Sept. 22: Students Kills Self After Sex Encounter Broadcast

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Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide on Sept. 22, 2010, after his dorm roommate secretly used a webcam to stream Clementi's homosexual encounter on the Internet. Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge.

Oct. 1: Rahm Emanuel Leaves White House Post

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White House Chief of Staff Rahm Israel Emanuel resigned on Oct. 1, 2010, from his post, which he held since Jan. 20, 2009. Emanuel leaves to pursue a campaign run for mayor of Chicago.

Oct. 6: Christine O'Donnell Releases 'I'm Not A Witch' Ad

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In her first campaign add of the primary season, Tea Party-propelled candidate Christine O'Donnell appeared Oct. 6, 2010, in a video in which she says, "I'm not a witch." It was meant to fight rumors around her admission of dabbling in witchcraft.

Oct. 13: Chilean Miners Freed After Months Underground

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All 33 miners trapped thousands of miles beneath the earth in Chile were finally rescued on Oct. 13, 2010, after more than two months underground.

Oct. 29: Package Bombs Found On U.S.-Bound Flights

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Two package bombs headed for the United States were intercepted by authorities in Britain and Dubai that were meant to explode in-flight and to bring down the planes carrying them. The flights originated in Yemen.

Oct. 30: Stewart, Colbert Host 'Rally To Restore Sanity/Fear'

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Comedy Central duo, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, hosted the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on Oct. 30, 2010, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Around 215,000 people attended the free rally.

Nov. 2: Republicans Take Back Control Of Congress

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Midterm election results indicated on Nov. 2, 2010, that Republicans would win enough seats in the House of Representatives to take control of the chamber. John Boehner, R-Ohio, will be the Speaker of the House.

Nov. 9: George W. Bush Releases 'Decision Points' Memoir

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George W. Bush released his memoirs on Nov. 9, 2010, which covers his life before the presidency, his battle with alcoholism, the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and more. He was paid $7 million for the first 1.5 million copies.

Nov. 11: Disabled Cruise Ship Pulled Into San Diego Port

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Powerless cruise ship Carnival Splendor was pulled into the Unified Port of San Diego in California on Nov. 11, 2010 after a fire left the vessel without electricity. The ship had been drifting about 200 miles of the Mexican coast before returning to land hours later.

Nov. 16: Four Loko Drops Caffeine From Energy Drink

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The manufacturers of a popular caffeinated alcohol drink announced on Nov. 16, 2010, that they will remove the caffeine from its controversial products -- just before the FDA reveals its intention to ban the Four Loko beverage.

Nov. 23: North Korean Artillery Fire Kills Soldiers

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North Korea fired shells Nov. 23, 2010, at the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, near a disputed maritime border. South Korean soldiers were killed and civilians injured during the attack, which occurred during the South's military exercises.

Nov. 24: Tom DeLay Convicted Of Money Laundering

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Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was convicted Nov. 24, 2010, on charges he illegally gave corporate money to Texas political candidates in 2002. He was potentially facing decades in prison.

Nov. 26: Obama Gets Stitches For Busted Lip

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President Obama received 12 stitches in his lip on Nov. 26, 2010, after accidentally getting elbowed in the face during a basketball game with family and friends.

Nov. 28: WikiLeaks Releases 250,000 Diplomatic Cables

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Whistleblower website WikiLeaks released on Nov. 28, 2010, cables marked as "classified," "confidential," and "secret" from United States diplomats, revealing embarrassing and potentially politically-damaging information to the whole world.

Dec. 2: President Obama, GOP Hold 'Slurpee Summit'

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This post-primary election meeting between President Obama and GOP leaders was held Dec. 2, 2010, and dubbed the "Slurpee summit" in relation to Obama's comments about the GOP sitting on the sidelines "sipping Slurpees" during the economic crisis.

Dec. 2: House Censures Rep. Charles Rangel

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New York Democrat, Rep. Charles Rangel was official censured on Dec. 2, 2010, by the House of Representatives after an investigation revealed a series of ethics violations.

Dec. 6: President Obama Announces Tax Deal

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President Obama unveiled a compromise with Republicans to extend Bush-era tax cuts across the board for all Americans, including the wealthiest. Former President Bill Clinton urged reluctant Democrats to support Obama's plan.

Dec. 7: Elizabeth Edwards Succumbs To Cancer

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Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, lost her battle with cancer on Dec. 7, 2010. Edwards was seen as a face of resilience and grace amid her husband's affair with a campaign videographer.

Dec. 7: WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Arrested In UK

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WikiLeaks chief editor Julian Paul Assange was arrested Dec. 7, 2010, in the United Kingdom on sex-related charges. WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website, has released thousands of unclassified, confidential, and secret cables from United States diplomats.

Dec. 18: Congress Passes 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal

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On Dec. 18, the U.S. Senate voted to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gay men and women from serving openly in the military. The House voted to repeal days earlier.