2010

Events in the year **2010 in the United States**.

Governors
* Governor of Alabama: Bob Riley (Republican)
* Governor of Alaska: Sean Parnell (Republican)
* Governor of Arizona: Jan Brewer (Republican)
* Governor of Arkansas: Mike Beebe (Democratic)
* Governor of California: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican)
* Governor of Colorado: Bill Ritter (Democratic)
* Governor of Connecticut: Jodi Rell (Republican)
* Governor of Delaware: Jack Markell (Democratic)
* Governor of Florida: Charlie Crist (Republican)
* Governor of Georgia: Sonny Perdue (Republican)
* Governor of Hawaii: Linda Lingle (Republican) (until December 6), Neil Abercrombie (Democratic) (starting December 6)
* Governor of Idaho: Butch Otter (Republican)
* Governor of Illinois: Pat Quinn (Democratic)
* Governor of Indiana: Mitch Daniels (Republican)
* Governor of Iowa: Chet Culver (Democratic)
* Governor of Kansas: Mark Parkinson (Democratic)
* Governor of Kentucky: Steve Beshear (Democratic)
* Governor of Louisiana: Bobby Jindal (Republican)
* Governor of Maine: John Baldacci (Democratic)
* Governor of Maryland: Martin O'Malley (Democratic)
* Governor of Massachusetts: Deval Patrick (Democratic)
* Governor of Michigan: Jennifer Granholm (Democratic)
* Governor of Minnesota: Tim Pawlenty (Republican)
* Governor of Mississippi: Haley Barbour (Republican)
* Governor of Missouri: Jay Nixon (Democratic)
* Governor of Montana: Brian Schweitzer (Democratic)
* Governor of Nebraska: Dave Heineman (Republican)
* Governor of Nevada: Jim Gibbons (Republican)
* Governor of New Hampshire: John Lynch (Democratic)
* Governor of New Jersey: Jon Corzine (Democratic) (until January 19), Chris Christie (Republican) (starting January 19)
* Governor of New Mexico: Bill Richardson (Democratic)
* Governor of New York: David Paterson (Democratic)
* Governor of North Carolina: Bev Perdue (Democratic)
* Governor of North Dakota: John Hoeven (Republican) (until December 7), Jack Dalrymple (Republican) (starting December 8)
* Governor of Ohio: Ted Strickland (Democratic)
* Governor of Oklahoma: Brad Henry (Democratic)
* Governor of Oregon: Ted Kulongoski (Democratic)
* Governor of Pennsylvania: Ed Rendell (Democratic)
* Governor of Rhode Island: Donald Carcieri (Republican)
* Governor of South Carolina: Mark Sanford (Republican)
* Governor of South Dakota: Mike Rounds (Republican)
* Governor of Tennessee: Phil Bredesen (Democratic)
* Governor of Texas: Rick Perry (Republican)
* Governor of Utah: Gary Herbert (Republican)
* Governor of Vermont: Jim Douglas (Republican)
* Governor of Virginia: Tim Kaine (Democratic) (until January 16), Bob McDonnell (Republican) (starting January 16)
* Governor of Washington: Christine Gregoire (Democratic)
* Governor of West Virginia: Joe Manchin (Democratic) (until November 15), Earl Ray Tomblin (Democratic) (starting November 15)
* Governor of Wisconsin: Jim Doyle (Democratic)
* Governor of Wyoming: Dave Freudenthal (Democratic)

Lieutenant Governors
* Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Jim Folsom Jr. (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Craig Campbell (Republican) (until December 6), Mead Treadwell (Republican) (starting December 6)
* Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Bill Halter (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of California: Mona Pasquil (Democratic) (until April 27), Abel Maldonado (Republican) (starting April 27)
* Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Barbara O'Brien (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Michael Fedele (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Matthew Denn (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Jeff Kottkamp (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Casey Cagle (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Duke Aiona (Republican) (until December 6), Brian Schatz (Democratic) (starting December 6)
* Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Brad Little (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: vacant
* Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Becky Skillman (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Patty Judge (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: Troy Findley (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Daniel Mongiardo (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana:
	+ until May 3: Mitch Landrieu (Democratic)
	+ May 3 – May 17: vacant
	+ May 17 – November 22: Scott Angelle (Republican)
	+ starting November 22: Jay Dardenne (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Anthony Brown (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Tim Murray (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: John D. Cherry (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Carol Molnau (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Phil Bryant (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: Peter Kinder (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Montana: John Bohlinger (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: Rick Sheehy (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Brian Krolicki (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey: Kim Guadagno (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Diane Denish (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of New York: Richard Ravitch (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Walter H. Dalton (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Jack Dalrymple (Republican) (until December 7), Drew Wrigley (Republican) (starting December 7)
* Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: Lee Fisher (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: Jari Askins (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Joseph B. Scarnati (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Elizabeth H. Roberts (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: André Bauer (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Dennis Daugaard (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: Ron Ramsey (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Texas: David Dewhurst (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Utah: Greg Bell (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Brian Dubie (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Bill Bolling (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Brad Owen (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Barbara Lawton (Democratic)

## Events

### January

* January 1
	+ Same-sex marriage becomes legal in New Hampshire.
	+ Illinois' ban on texting while driving goes into effect. Additionally, cellular telephone use is banned entirely while driving through a highway construction or school speed zone in Illinois.
* January 2 – North Carolina bans smoking in bars, restaurants, public places, and vehicles. The new law exempts cigar bars, private clubs, and some hotel/motels.
* January 9 – A 6.5 Mw Eureka earthquake shakes the north coast of California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (*Strong*), causing $21.8–43 million in losses and 35 injuries.
* January 13
	+ Google announces that they were the target of a cyber attack from China. The incident prompts the company to consider pulling out of China.
	+ The U.S. Department of State confirms 104 American people are among the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, including at least four people directly affiliated with the U.S. government.
	+ U.S. President Barack Obama holds a press conference discussing the operations of the U.S. government organizations such as USAID and the U.S. Department of Defense in the response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
* January 14 – U.S. President Barack Obama commits $100,000,000 to help Haiti recover from the 2010 earthquake, while calling on former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to assist Haiti.
* January 16 – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and USAID Director Rajiv Shah travel to Haiti.
* January 19 – The U.S. special election is held in Massachusetts to elect a new Senator to take the vacant seat held by the late Ted Kennedy. Republican Scott Brown beats State Attorney General Martha Coakley, who had earlier been considered a certain winner.
* January 21 – *Citizens United vs. FEC*: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that the First Amendment prohibits restrictions on independent political expenditures by corporations, associations, and unions.
* January 25
	+ U.S. President Barack Obama hosts the Los Angeles Lakers at the White House for winning the 2009 NBA Finals.
	+ *Team Umizoomi* premieres on Nickelodeon.
* January 27 – U.S. President Barack Obama in his first State of the Union Address emphasizes the nation's economy, job creation, putting an end to the don't ask, don't tell policy in the military, and restated his commitment for healthcare reform in the nation.
* January 28 – U.S. President Barack Obama travels to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, where he met with crew helping with the humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, before holding a town hall meeting at the University of Tampa.

### February

* February 1 – Japanese car company Toyota announces a fix for car accelerator problems and recalls cars in the United States.
* February 2 – The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs opens a worshipping site for earth-centered religions on their campus promoting religious tolerance.
* February 3 – The job market hits a post-recession bottom of 129,655,000 payroll employees, a decline of 8,710,000 from the peak in December 2007.
* February 5 – The Tea Party movement, which gained momentum in 2009 during the national healthcare debate, host their first convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
* February 7
	+ A gas line explodes at a Middletown, Connecticut power plant under construction, killing 5 people.
	+ Super Bowl XLIV: The New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31–17 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
* February 8 – The 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.
* February 11 – Mentally disabled woman Jennifer Daugherty is tortured and stabbed to death by six people in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The perpetrators become known as "The Greensburg Six".
* February 12
	+ Amy Bishop, a biology professor at the University of Alabama, opens fire at the Huntsville campus, killing at least three people. When she was 21, Bishop fatally shot her 18-year-old brother, Seth Bishop, on December 6, 1986, at their home in Braintree, Massachusetts. The incident was initially classified as an "accident" by Braintree police. On June 16, 2010, Bishop was charged with first degree murder in her brother's death nearly 24 years after his shooting.
	+ The single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" was released and debuted on 12 February 2010 during an opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
	+ The United States compete at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia and win 9 gold, 15 silver, and 13 bronze medals.
* February 17
	+ Three employees of Tesla Motors are killed when the small aircraft they were flying crashes into a house in a residential neighborhood.
	+ Haiti frees most of the members of an Idaho Baptist missionary group who were charged with child trafficking and kidnapping in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
* February 18
	+ The Women's Medical Society abortion clinic in Philadelphia is raided by the FBI in an investigation into suspected illegal drug prescription use. The raid uncovers extreme unsanitary operations, use of untrained staff, and eventually leads to charges against a number of staff members for murdering babies at the clinic.
	+ After setting fire to his home, Andrew Joseph Stack commits suicide by flying his private plane directly into an IRS building in Austin, Texas.
	+ U.S. President Barack Obama issues Executive Order 13531, establishing the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
* February 23 – The United States Navy officially announces that it will end its ban of women in submarines.
* February 25 – Incident at SeaWorld Orlando: A SeaWorld employee in Orlando, Florida, is killed by a killer whale during a live performance.
* February 26 – New York Governor David Paterson announces that he will not be a candidate in the Democratic primary for the November gubernatorial election.

### March

* March 1
	+ U.S. tomato shortage, which lasts until April, begins.
	+ First section of Brooklyn Bridge Park opens in New York.
* March 3 – The District of Columbia's same-sex marriage law goes into effect.
* March 5 – Former Jefferson County, Alabama, commission president and mayor of Birmingham Larry Langford is sentenced to 15 years in prison for soliciting bribes related to municipal bond swaps.
* March 7 – The 82nd Academy Awards, hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, are held at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Kathryn Bigelow's *The Hurt Locker* wins six awards out of nine nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, with Bigelow the first female to win the latter. The film is tied in nominations with James Cameron's *Avatar*. The telecast garners over 41.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched Oscar broadcast since 2005. The awards are marked by the reintroduction of the Best Picture award featuring 10 nominees, the first occurrence since 1944.
* March 8 – *Friendly Fire: The Illusion of Justice* memoir is published.
* March 19 – NASA announces that 2010 will likely become the warmest year on record due to global warming, based on an analysis of temperature record data from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
* March 21 – The United States House of Representatives passes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its companion, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 by votes of 219–212 and 220–211, respectively.
* March 23
	+ U.S. President Barack Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, aiming to insure 95% of Americans.
	+ 14 states (Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington, Idaho, and South Dakota) announce plans to sue the federal government over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
* March 28 – Nine people thought to be Hutaree militia members are arrested in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana for their alleged involvement in a plot to kill police officers and possibly civilians using explosives and/or firearms.

### April

* April 1 – Official tabulation of the 2010 U.S. Census begins.
* April 4 – The 7.2 Mw Baja California earthquake occurred on Easter Sunday with a moment magnitude a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (*Very strong*). The shock originated at 15:40:41 local time south of Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico. The 89-second quake was widely felt throughout the Western United States, some southern states, and northwest Mexico and was also felt across a large swath of North America. It was also the strongest to rock Southern California in at least 18 years (since the 1992 Landers earthquake, M 7.3). Most of the damage occurred in the twin cities of Mexicali and Calexico on the Mexico–United States border. There were at least two fatalities in Mexicali, one of which was caused by a collapsed house. Major damage to irrigation systems occurred, severely impacting over 80,000 acres of agriculture in the Mexicali Valley.
* April 5
	+ A coal mine owned by Massey Energy in Montcoal, West Virginia, explodes, killing at least 25 miners.
	+ North Dakota joins the 14 other states suing the federal government over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
	+ *Adventure Time* premieres on Cartoon Network.
	+ STS-131: Space Shuttle *Discovery* delivers a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to the International Space Station.
* April 6 – Arizona becomes the 16th state to sue the federal government over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
* April 8 – The Pittsburgh Penguins play the final regular season game at Civic Arena with a 7-3 victory over the New York Islanders the arena will be torn down to make way for PPG Paints Arena which will open next season. The last game ever is a 5-2 playoff loss to the Montreal Canadiens on May 12.
* April 13 – Georgia becomes the 17th state to sue the federal government over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
* April 15 – President Barack Obama delivers a major speech on the future of NASA's human spaceflight program. He commits to increasing NASA funding by $6 billion over five years and completing the design of a new heavy-lift launch vehicle by 2015 and to begin construction thereafter. He also predicts a U.S. crewed orbital Mars mission by the mid-2030s.
* April 20
	+ An explosion occurs on BP's *Deepwater Horizon* oil rig, killing 11 workers, causing the rig to sink two days later and initiating a massive offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; this environmental disaster is now considered the largest in U.S. history.
	+ Alaska becomes the 18th state to sue the federal government over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
* April 22 – A Boeing X-37B is launched from Cape Canaveral on mission USA-212.
* April 23 – Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signs the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, which is the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in decades. It receives national and international attention and has spurred considerable controversy.
* April 27 – Network administrator Terry Childs is found guilty of network tampering.

### May

* May 1 – 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt: Car bomb fails to go off in Times Square, New York City.
* May 6 – The "flash crash" occurs at the New York Stock Exchange, temporarily depleting 1,000 points off of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It is the largest intra-day fall ever.
* May 7 – *Iron Man 2*, directed by Jon Favreau, is released by Marvel Studios as the third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the direct sequel to 2008's *Iron Man*.
* May 12 – The Pittsburgh Penguins play their final game at Civic Arena a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
* May 14 – Three states (Nevada, Indiana, and Mississippi) join the other 18 states that are suing the federal government over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
* May 20 – Two police officers are murdered by a father and son during a routine stop in West Memphis, Arkansas. Joseph Kane and Jerry Kane Jr. were later killed after a shootout with pursuing officers.

### June

* June 4 – Kyron Horman disappeared from Skyline Elementary School in Portland, Oregon during a science fair.
* June 18
	+ The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act is introduced in the U.S. Senate.
	+ Pixar Animation Studios' eleventh feature film, *Toy Story 3*, the sequel to 1999's *Toy Story 2*, is released in theaters, surpassing 2003's *Finding Nemo* as the studio's biggest financial success.
* June 19 – China announces it will raise the yuan against the U.S. Dollar after the U.S. Congress announces it will penalize China unless it does so, causing widely imported Chinese goods to the United States to become more expensive, and to raise demand for US goods.
* June 21 – *Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project* is decided in the Supreme Court: "a criminal prohibition on advocacy carried out in coordination with, or at the direction of, a foreign terrorist organization is constitutionally permissible".
* June 28 – The United States Department of Justice rounds up 10 suspects alleged to have participated in the Illegals Program, a multi-year effort by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service to infiltrate the U.S.

### July

* July 1
	+ Swell art survey exhibit opens to the public.
	+ Texting while driving bans go into effect in Iowa, Wyoming, Alabama, and Georgia.
* July 8 – Illegals Program: Ten people uncovered by the FBI as Russian spies plead guilty in court to conspiracy to act as foreign agents.
* July 9
	+ Illegals Program: The Russian spies are deported from the United States in exchange for four people imprisoned for alleged contact with Western intelligence bodies.
	+ *Despicable Me* is released in theaters.
* July 15 – The BP Oil Spill is stopped for the first time, 86 days after oil started leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.
* July 16 – First (test) Instagram posts made by co-developers Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom in San Francisco; the service launches publicly on October 6.
* July 21 – The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is signed into law by Barack Obama.
* July 24 – A dam in Delhi, Iowa, collapses due to stress following heavy rain causing massive flooding along the Maquoketa River and in the city of Manchester, Iowa.

### August

* August 3 – Omar Thornton goes on a killing spree at a Hartford Distributors plant in Manchester, Connecticut, killing eight before committing suicide.
* August 4
	+ Forty U.S. billionaires announce plans to give half of their wealth to charitable organizations.
	+ Proposition 8, the voter initiative amendment to the California Constitution that eliminated "the right of same sex couples to marry", is ruled unconstitutional by Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The case, *Perry v. Schwarzenegger*, eventually reached the Supreme Court under the name *Hollingsworth v. Perry*.
* August 7 – Former Solicitor General of the United States Elena Kagan is sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
* August 19 – Iraq War: The last U.S. combat troops leave Iraq.
* August 31 – Iraq War: U.S. president Barack Obama declares an end to combat operations in Iraq.

### September

* September 1 – James J. Lee takes three hostages at the Discovery Channel headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. The standoff ends when Lee is fatally shot. None of the hostages are harmed.
* September 2
	+ Another oil rig explodes and catches fire in the Gulf of Mexico. Thirteen workers that were on the rig were rescued from the water. The rig was not in production of oil or natural gas at the time of the explosion and no hazardous materials entered the waters of the Gulf.
	+ U.S. launches direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Washington D.C., United States.
* September 6 – The Fourmile Canyon Fire, the most costly wild fire in Colorado state history, begins west of Boulder, Colorado.
* September 9 – A Pacific Gas and Electric Company natural gas line explosion in San Bruno, California, destroys 53 homes and damages 120 others. Eight people die and 58 are injured.
* September 11
	+ The Medal of Honor is awarded to a living recipient for the first time since the Vietnam War; U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta received the medal for his actions during the War in Afghanistan.
	+ Pastor Terry Jones says that the Dove World Outreach Center will not burn the Koran.
* September 16 – A severe storm in the New York City area drenches the city streets, uproots trees, and spawns two tornadoes. A woman is killed by a falling tree in Brooklyn.
* September 21 – The U.S. Senate strikes down a bill that would end the controversial don't ask, don't tell with a vote of 56–43, almost completely along party lines.
* September 23 – The United States and other western nations including Britain, Sweden, Australia, Belgium, Uruguay and Spain walk out of the United Nations General Assembly following claims by the President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the "majority of the American people as well as most nations and politicians around the world" say that the 9/11 attacks were the work of the government of the United States trying to protect Israel.
* September 30 – Massachusetts bans text messaging for all drivers. Massachusetts is the 29th U.S. state to enact a text messaging while driving ban. Violators may be fined $100.

### October

* October 1 – Rahm Emanuel resigns as White House Chief of Staff to run for Mayor of Chicago. Senior Advisor Pete Rouse takes over his duties temporarily until a permanent replacement is announced.
* October 4 – The Vox 4 smartphone is introduced.
* October 13 – U.S. Federal Judge Virginia Phillips declares "don't ask, don't tell" unconstitutional and temporarily ends the policy. The U.S. Department of Justice immediately appeals the ruling as is required when a federal judge rules on a national law.
* October 19 – A U.S. Federal Judge strikes down the appeal of the Department of Justice. The US Military begins accepting applications for gay service members. "Don't ask, don't tell" temporarily ends.
* October 20 – Barack Obama's administration announces it will also appeal the judge's ruling on the constitutionally of "don't ask, don't tell" even though Obama announced earlier in the year that he wished to end the policy.
* October 26 – A U.S. federal judge orders Limewire to shut down after they ruled that the website's ability to share music for free was illegal and violated copyright laws.
* October 29 – President Barack Obama confirms that two packages sent to the US from Yemen were filled with explosives.
* October 31 – *The Walking Dead* debuts on AMC.

### November

* November 1
	+ The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stays Judge Virginia Phillips' injunction on "don't ask, don't tell" pending appeal.
	+ The San Francisco Giants defeat the Texas Rangers to win their first world series in 56 years.
* November 2 – Midterm elections: The Democrats keep control of the Senate, but the Republicans gain 6 seats, reducing the Democrats' majority. The Republicans gain control of The House with a gain of at least 64 seats, making it the largest seat change for any party since the 1948 election and the largest for any midterm since the 1938 midterm elections. Republicans also win a majority of Governorships, adding 12 to the other 11 who won their reelection bids, and a majority of State Legislatures.
* November 4 – The U.S. Federal Reserve announces it will buy $600 billion in bonds to encourage economic growth.
* November 8 – An unexplained plume, seemingly from a "mystery missile", near Los Angeles, California, makes national headlines. It is later determined to be the contrail of a commercial jet as similar photos appear the next day coinciding with daily commercial flights.
* November 9
	+ The San Francisco Board of Supervisors bans Happy Meal toys served by McDonald's, on obesity concerns.
	+ A Boeing Dreamliner makes an emergency landing in Laredo, Texas, after smoke was reported in the cabin.
* November 10
	+ Washington and Michigan ban the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko. New York bans it a few days later.
	+ The chairmen of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform issue a controversial draft report proposing cuts in funding, tax increases, and other changes to reduce the federal deficit.
* November 12 – The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to intervene on the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy while it is on appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
* November 16 – Eighteen-year-old Joshua Wilkerson is murdered in Pearland, Texas by Hermilo Moralez, an illegal immigrant to the United States from Belize.
* November 17 – Midterm elections: Republican incumbent Lisa Murkowski wins the Alaska Senate race, defeating the tea party favorite, Joe Miller, and becoming the first Senate write-in winner since 1954.
* November 18 – General Motors returns to trading on the New York Stock Exchange after declaring bankruptcy in July 2009, 16 months earlier.
* November 19 – Darvocet, a common pain medication, is removed from the market at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
* November 24 – Walt Disney Animation Studios' 50th feature film, *Tangled*, is released in theaters. The most expensive animated film of all time, it receives critical acclaim and commercial success, the studio's best performance in both fields since the Disney Renaissance.
* November 28 – United States diplomatic cables leak: WikiLeaks publicly releases the first of thousands of confidential documents sent by U.S. diplomats.
* November 30 – General Motors holds a ceremony at its Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant to introduce the first Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid electric vehicle off the assembly line.

### December

* December 1 – The unemployment rate ends the year at 9.3%.
* December 2 – The U.S. House of Representatives passes H.R. 4853 that extends tax cuts for families making under $250,000, but raises taxes on those making over that amount with a 234–188 vote.
* December 3 – USA-212 lands at Vandenberg Air Force Base, completing the first mission of the Boeing X-37B.
* December 4 – The U.S. Senate rejects H.R. 4853 with a vote of 53–36.
* December 5 – President Barack Obama begins negotiating with Republicans and comes up with a bill that would let all tax cuts remain in effect for two years and extends unemployment benefits for another 13 months.
* December 13 – A Virginia federal judge rules that parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, specifically the individual mandate that would require all Americans to get health care by 2014, is unconstitutional.
* December 15
	+ The U.S. Senate passes the Obama-GOP tax compromise with a vote of 81–19.
	+ The U.S. House of Representatives passes a stand-alone bill that repeals the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy with a vote of 250–175.
* December 16
	+ Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announces he will not have enough votes to pass a $1.1 trillion spending bill that would fund the federal government for fiscal year 2011.
	+ The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Obama-GOP tax compromise with a vote of 277–148.
* December 17 – President Obama signs the tax compromise bill, known as the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010.
* December 18
	+ The U.S. Senate rejects discussion of the controversial DREAM Act from reaching the Senate floor with a vote of 55–45.
	+ The U.S. Senate votes to repeal the controversial don't ask, don't tell policy with a vote of 65–31.
* December 21
	+ The results of the 2010 U.S. Census are released. The U.S. population grows by 9.7% to 310 million, the smallest percentage increase since the Great Depression.
	+ The Federal Communications Commission passes new net neutrality laws with a 3–2 vote.
	+ The U.S. Senate passes a spending bill that will keep the federal government running through March 4, 2011.
* December 22
	+ President Barack Obama signs the don't ask, don't tell repeal into law.
	+ The U.S. Senate passes the START Treaty with Russia and a bill that would give free healthcare to 9/11 first responders.
* December 31 – The United States Navy's ban on smoking in submarines goes into effect.

## Memoriam

### January

* January 1 – Lhasa de Sela, singer and songwriter (aged 37; Montreal, QC, USA)
* January 2 – Deborah Howell, journalist (aged 68; New Zealand)
* January 3 – Mary Daly, feminist (aged 81; Gardner, MA, USA)
* January 4 – Lew Allen, USAF general (aged 84; Potomac Falls, VA, USA)
* January 5
	+ Beverly Aadland, actress (aged 67; Lancaster, CA, USA)
	+ Kenneth Noland, abstract painter (aged 85; Port Clyde, ME, USA)
	+ Murray Saltzman, Russian-American rabbi and activist (aged 80; Fort Myers, FL, USA)
* January 6 – James von Brunn, criminal (aged 89; St. Louis, MO, USA)
* January 7
	+ Stephen Huneck, wood carver (aged 61; Littleton, NH, USA)
	+ Jim White, wrestler (aged 67; Memphis, TN, USA)
	+ Hardy Williams, politician (aged 78; Philadelphia, PA, USA)
* January 8 – Art Clokey, animator (aged 88; Los Osos, CA, USA)
* January 10 – Jayne Walton Rosen, singer and actress (aged 92; San Antonio, TX, USA)
* January 11 – Dennis Stock, journalist and photographer (aged 81; Sarasota, FL, USA)
* January 12 – Ann Prentiss, actress (aged 70; Chowchilla, CA, USA)
* January 13
	+ Teddy Pendergrass, singer and songwriter (aged 59; Bryn Mawr, PA, USA)
	+ Jay Reatard, musician (aged 29; Memphis, TN, USA)
* January 15 – Marshall Warren Nirenberg, biologist and Nobel Prize laureate (aged 82; New York City, NY, USA)
* January 16 – Carl Smith, country singer-songwriter (aged 82; Franklin, TN, USA)
* January 17 – Erich Segal, author, screenwriter, and educator (aged 72; London, England, UK)
* January 19
	+ Ida Mae Martinez, wrestler (aged 78; MD, USA)
	+ William Vitarelli, educator and architect (aged 99; Haiku, HI, USA)
* January 22 – Jean Simmons, British-American actress (aged 80; Santa Monica, CA, USA)
* January 23 – Earl Wild, pianist (aged 94; Palm Springs, CA, USA)
* January 24 – Pernell Roberts, actor (aged 81; Malibu, CA, USA)
* January 27
	+ Lee Archer, Air Force pilot (aged 90; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Zelda Rubinstein, actress (aged 76; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ J. D. Salinger, author (aged 91; Cornish, NH, USA)
	+ Howard Zinn, historian (aged 87; Santa Monica, CA, USA)

### February

* February 1 – Justin Mentell, actor (aged 27; Mineral Point, WI, USA)
* February 3
	+ Frank Fasi, politician (aged 89; Honolulu, HI, USA)
	+ Frances Reid, actress (aged 95; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
* February 4 – Phillip Martin, Native American political leader (aged 83; Jackson, MS, USA)
* February 7 – Janie Lou Gibbs, serial killer (aged 77; Douglasville, GA, USA)
* February 9 – Walter Frederick Morrison, inventor (aged 90; Monroe, UT, USA)
* February 10
	+ Frederick C. Weyand, army general (aged 93; Honolulu, HI, USA)
	+ Charlie Wilson, naval officer and Texas politician (aged 76; Lufkin, TX, USA)
* February 11
	+ Arthur H. Hayes Jr., Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (aged 76; Danbury, CT, USA)
	+ Caroline McWilliams, actress (aged 64; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* February 12 – Leroy Nash, murderer (aged 94; Florence, AZ, USA)
* February 14 – Doug Fieger, singer and songwriter (aged 57; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* February 16 – Andrew Koenig, actor, film director, editor, writer, and human rights activist (aged 41; Vancouver, BC, Canada)
* February 17 – Kathryn Grayson, actress and opera soprano (aged 88; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* February 19 – Jamie Gillis, pornographic actor (aged 66; New York City, NY, USA)
* February 20 – Alexander Haig, 59th United States Secretary of State from 1981 to 1982 and army General (aged 85; Baltimore, MD, USA)
* February 26 – Violet Barclay, illustrator (aged 87; New York City, NY, USA)
* February 27 – Jonathan May, cellist (aged 51; Winter Park, FL, USA)

### March

* March 1
	+ Barry Hannah, novelist (aged 67; Oxford, MS, USA)
	+ Ruth Kligman, artist (aged 80; New York City, NY, USA)
* March 4 – Nan Martin, actress (aged 82; Malibu, CA, USA)
* March 5
	+ Hal Trumble, hockey administrator and referee (aged 83; San Clemente, CA, USA)
	+ Edgar Wayburn, environmentalist (aged 103; San Francisco, CA, USA)
* March 6 – Mark Linkous, singer-songwriter (aged 47; Knoxville, TN, USA)
* March 9 – Richard Edwin Parris Jr., musician (aged 46; Charlotte, NC, USA)
* March 10 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (aged 38; Burbank, CA, USA)
* March 11 – Merlin Olsen, American football player and actor (aged 69; Duarte, CA, USA)
* March 14 – Peter Graves, actor and brother of James Arness (aged 83; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* March 17 – Alex Chilton, singer-songwriter (aged 59; New Orleans, LA, USA)
* March 18 – Fess Parker, actor (aged 85; Santa Ynez, CA, USA)
* March 20 – Liz Carpenter, journalist and author (aged 89; Austin, TX, USA)
* March 23 – Midge Costanza, social and political activist (aged 77; San Diego, CA, USA)
* March 24 – Robert Culp, actor (aged 79; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* March 28
	+ Fred Ascani, air force General (aged 92; Alexandria, VA, USA)
	+ Dan Duncan, businessman and philanthropist (aged 77; Houston, TX, USA)
	+ Herb Ellis, jazz guitarist (aged 88; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ June Havoc, Canadian-born actress and sister of Gypsy Rose Lee (aged 97; Stamford, CT, USA)
	+ John Purdin, baseball player (aged 67; Charleston, SC, USA)
* March 30 – David Mills, journalist, television writer and producer (aged 48; New Orleans, LA, USA)

### April

* April 1 – John Forsythe, actor (aged 92; Santa Ynez, CA, USA)
* April 2
	+ Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (aged 72; Orlando, FL, USA)
	+ Chris Kanyon, wrestler (aged 40; Queens, NY, USA)
	+ Thomas J. Moyer, lawyer and judge (aged 70; Columbus, OH, USA)
* April 3 – Jim Pagliaroni, baseball player (aged 72; Grass Valley, CA, USA)
* April 4 – Clifford M. Hardin, politician (aged 94; Lincoln, NE, USA)
* April 6 – Luigi Waites, jazz drummer (aged 82; Omaha, NE, USA)
* April 7 – Christopher Cazenove, British actor (aged 66; London, England, UK)
* April 10 – Dixie Carter, actress (aged 70; Houston, TX, USA)
* April 14 – Peter Steele, singer (aged 48; Scranton, PA, USA)
* April 15
	+ Benjamin Hooks, civil rights activist (aged 85; Memphis, TN, USA)
	+ Michael Pataki, voice actor (aged 72; North Hollywood, CA, USA)
* April 16 – Daryl Gates, police chief for Los Angeles, California (aged 83; Dana Point, CA, USA)
* April 19 – Guru, rapper (aged 48; New York City, NY, USA)
* April 20 – Dorothy Height, civil rights activist (aged 98; Washington, DC, USA)
* April 21 – Whitney Robson Harris, attorney (aged 97; Frontenac, MO, USA)
* April 22 – Ambrose Olsen, fashion model (aged 24; New York City, NY, USA)
* April 24 – W. Willard Wirtz, politician (aged 98; Washington, DC, USA)
* April 25 – Dorothy Provine, actress (aged 75; Bremerton, WA, USA)
* April 29 – Walter Sear, recording engineer (aged 80; New York City, NY, USA)
* April 30 – Owsley, musician (aged 44; Franklin, TN, USA)

### May

* May 1
	+ Danny Aiello III, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, director, and actor (aged 53; Hillsdale, NJ, USA)
	+ Helen Wagner, actress (aged 91; Mount Kisco, NY, USA)
* May 2 – Lynn Redgrave, British-born actress (aged 67; Kent, CT, USA)
* May 3 – Jack Friedman, businessman (aged 70; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* May 4 – Ernie Harwell, baseball sportscaster (aged 92; Novi, MI, USA)
* May 5 – Joseph Kearney, athletic director (aged 83; Tucson, AZ, USA)
* May 6 – Robin Roberts, baseball player (aged 83; Temple Terrace, FL, USA)
* May 7 – Wally Hickel, 2nd Governor of Alaska from 1966 to 1969 and from 1990 to 1994 (aged 90; Anchorage, AK, USA)
* May 9 – Lena Horne, singer and actress (aged 92; New York City, NY, USA)
* May 10 – Frank Frazetta, artist (aged 82; Fort Myers, FL, USA)
* May 11 – Doris Eaton Travis, dancer and actress (aged 106; Commerce, MI, USA)
* May 16
	+ Ronnie James Dio, singer and songwriter (aged 67; Houston, TX, USA)
	+ Hank Jones, pianist (aged 91; Bronx, NY, USA)
* May 22 – Martin Gardner, science writer (aged 95; Norman, OK, USA)
* May 24 – Paul Gray, bassist and songwriter (aged 38; Urbandale, IA, USA)
* May 26 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-born television variety host (aged 97; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* May 28 – Gary Coleman, actor (aged 42; Provo, UT, USA)
* May 29 – Dennis Hopper, actor, director, and writer (aged 74; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* May 31
	+ William A. Fraker, cinematographer (aged 86; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Louise Bourgeois, French-born sculptor (aged 98; New York City, NY, USA)

### June

* June 1 – William H. Ginn Jr., general (aged 81; Alexandria, VA, USA)
* June 3 – Rue McClanahan, actress (aged 76; New York City, NY, USA)
* June 4 – John Wooden, basketball player and coach (aged 99; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* June 6 – Marvin Isley, singer-songwriter and bass player (The Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley) (aged 56; Chicago, IL, USA)
* June 12 – Les Richter, American football player (aged 79; Riverside, CA, USA)
* June 13 – Jimmy Dean, country music singer, television and film actor, and entrepreneur (aged 81; Varina, VA, USA)
* June 18 – Ronnie Lee Gardner, murderer (aged 49; Draper, UT, USA)
* June 19
	+ Manute Bol, Sudanese-born basketball player (aged 47; Charlottesville, VA, USA)
	+ Paul Thiebaud, art dealer (aged 49; Sacramento County, CA, USA)
* June 28 – Robert Byrd, U.S. Senator from West Virginia from 1959 to 2010 (aged 92; Merrifield, VA, USA)
* June 30 – Elliott Kastner, film producer (aged 80; London, England, UK)

### July

* July 1 – Ilene Woods, actress and singer (aged 81; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* July 5 – Bob Probert, Canadian ice hockey player (aged 45; Windsor, ON, Canada)
* July 11
	+ Bob Sheppard, American football and baseball public address announcer (aged 99; Baldwin, NY, USA)
	+ Walter Hawkins, pastor and gospel music singer (aged 61; Ripon, CA, USA)
* July 12 – Harvey Pekar, comic book writer (aged 70; Cleveland Heights, OH, USA)
* July 13 – George Steinbrenner, baseball owner (aged 80; Tampa, FL, USA)
* July 16 – James Gammon, actor (aged 70; Costa Mesa, CA, USA)
* July 19 – Lorenzen Wright, professional basketball player (aged 34; Memphis, TN, USA)
* July 22 – Phillip Walker, singer and guitarist (aged 73; Palm Springs, CA, USA)
* July 23 – Daniel Schorr, journalist (aged 93; Washington, DC, USA)
* July 27 – Maury Chaykin, American-born Canadian actor (aged 61; Toronto, ON, Canada)
* July 28 – George P. Lee, religious leader (aged 67; Provo, UT, USA)
* July 31 – Mitch Miller, record producer, classical musician, and singer (aged 99; New York City, NY, USA)

### August

* August 8 – Patricia Neal, actress and wife of Roald Dahl (aged 84; Edgartown, MA, USA)
* August 9 – Ted Stevens, U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009 (aged 86; Dillingham Census Area, AK, USA)
* August 13
	+ Lance Cade, American professional wrestler (aged 29; San Antonio, TX, USA)
	+ Edwin Newman, journalist, (aged 91; Oxford, England, UK)
* August 14 – Abbey Lincoln, singer and actress (aged 80; New York City, NY, USA)
* August 16 – Bobby Thomson, Scottish-born baseball player (aged 86; Skidaway Island, GA, USA)
* August 20 – Jack Horkheimer, astronomy television show host (aged 72; Miami, FL, USA)
* August 26 – William B. Lenoir, engineer and astronaut (aged 71; Sandoval County, NM, USA)
* August 29 – Peter Lenz, amateur motorcycle racer (aged 13; Indianapolis, IN, USA)
* August 30 – Lynn Turner, poisoner convicted of the murder of two of her husbands (aged 42; Atlanta, GA, USA)

### September

* September 3
	+ Noah Howard, jazz saxophonist (aged 67; France)
	+ Robert Schimmel, comedian (aged 60; Scottsdale, AZ, USA)
* September 4 – Paul Conrad, political cartoonist (aged 86; Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA)
* September 7 – Glenn Shadix, actor (aged 58; Birmingham, AL, USA)
* September 8
	+ Rich Cronin, singer and songwriter (aged 36; Boston, MA, USA)
	+ John Kluge, German-American entrepreneur (aged 95; Charlottesville, VA, USA)
* September 11
	+ Harold Gould, actor (aged 86; Woodland Hills, CA, USA)
	+ Kevin McCarthy, actor (aged 96; Hyannis, MA, USA)
* September 16 – Donald Zilversmit, Dutch-American nutritional biochemist, researcher, and educator (aged 91; Canton, MA, USA)
* September 20 – Kenny McKinley, American football player (aged 23; Centennial, CO, USA)
* September 22 – Eddie Fisher, singer and actor (aged 82; Berkeley, CA, USA)
* September 26 – Gloria Stuart, actress (aged 100; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* September 27 – Sally Menke, film editor (aged 56; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* September 28 – Arthur Penn, film director (aged 88; New York City, NY, USA)
* September 29
	+ Greg Giraldo, comedian (aged 44; New Brunswick, NJ, USA)
	+ Tony Curtis, actor (aged 85; Henderson, NV, USA)
* September 30 – Stephen J. Cannell, television writer and producer (aged 69; Pasadena, CA, USA)

### October

* October 10 – Solomon Burke, singer and songwriter (aged 74; Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands)
* October 14
	+ Simon MacCorkindale, British actor and husband of Susan George (aged 58; London, England, UK)
	+ Benoit Mandelbrot, Polish-born French-American mathematician (aged 85; Cambridge, MA, USA)
* October 16 – Barbara Billingsley, actress (aged 94; Santa Monica, CA, USA)
* October 19 – Tom Bosley, actor (aged 83; Rancho Mirage, CA, USA)
* October 20
	+ W. Cary Edwards, politician (aged 66; Oakland, NJ, USA)
	+ Bob Guccione, pornographer (aged 79; Plano, TX, USA)
* October 23 – Fran Crippen, long-distance swimmer (aged 26; Fujairah, UAE)
* October 25 – Lisa Blount, actress and producer (aged 53; Little Rock, AR, USA)
* October 28 – James MacArthur, actor (aged 72; Jacksonville, FL, USA)
* October 29 – George Hickenlooper, documentary producer (aged 47; Denver, CO, USA)
* October 31
	+ John Selfridge, mathematician (aged 83; DeKalb, IL, USA)
	+ Ted Sorensen, lawyer, speechwriter (aged 82; New York City, NY, USA)

### November

* November 1 – Shannon Tavarez, actress (aged 11; New Hyde Park, NY, USA)
* November 5 – Jill Clayburgh, actress (aged 66; Lakeville, CT, USA)
* November 10 – Dino De Laurentiis, Italian film producer and husband of Silvana Mangano (aged 91; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
* November 13 – Ken Iman, American football player and coach (aged 71; Springfield, PA, USA)
* November 15
	+ Larry Evans, chess grandmaster (aged 78; Reno, NV, USA)
	+ Ed Kirkpatrick, baseball player (aged 66; Mission Viejo, CA, USA)
	+ William Edwin Self, actor, director, and producer (aged 89; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 16
	+ Ronni Chasen, publicist (aged 64; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
	+ Donald Nyrop, businessman (aged 98; Edina, MN, USA)
* November 21 – David Nolan, political activist (aged 66; Tucson, AZ, USA)
* November 24 – Annie Lee Cooper, civil rights activist (aged 100; Selma, AL, USA)
* November 25 – C. Scott Littleton, anthropologist and academic (aged 77; Pasadena, CA, USA)
* November 27 – Irvin Kershner, film director (aged 87; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 28 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-born actor (aged 84; Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA)

### December

* December 2 – Ron Santo, baseball player and sportscaster (aged 70; Scottsdale, AZ, USA)
* December 5 – Don Meredith, American football player and sportscaster, and actor (aged 72; Santa Fe, NM, USA)
* December 7 – Elizabeth Edwards, lawyer and wife of John Edwards (aged 61; Chapel Hill, NC, USA)
* December 10
	+ John B. Fenn, Nobel chemist (aged 93; Richmond, VA, USA)
	+ MacKenzie Miller, horse trainer and breeder (aged 89; Lexington, KY, USA)
* December 11 – Dick Hoerner, American football player (aged 88; Fullerton, CA, USA)
* December 13 – Richard Holbrooke, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1999 to 2001 (aged 69; Washington, DC, USA)
* December 15 – Blake Edwards, film director, screenwriter, producer, and husband of Julie Andrews (aged 88; Santa Monica, CA, USA)
* December 17 – Captain Beefheart, singer and songwriter (aged 69; Arcata, CA, USA)
* December 22 – Fred Foy, radio and television announcer (aged 89; Woburn, MA, USA)
* December 24 – Roy Neuberger, banker and philanthropist (aged 107; New York City, NY, USA)
* December 26 – Teena Marie, singer and songwriter (aged 54; Pasadena, CA, USA)
* December 28 – Billy Taylor, pianist (aged 89; Manhattan, NY, USA)