2010 (MMX) will be a common year starting on Friday in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It will also be the first year of the 2010s decade.

Proclaimed by the United Nations, 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity.

Pronouncing 2010 and subsequent years

Among experts and the general public, there is a debate as to how specific years of the 21st century should be pronounced in English. Although the majority of English-speakers say "two thousand 'X" for years of the current decade, in theory this could mean any year up to 2999.

One article suggests that since, for example, former years such as 1805 and 1905 were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh-five" and "nineteen oh-five", the year 2005 should naturally be pronounced as "twenty oh-five", and that majority usage of "two thousand (and) X" is a result of influences from the Y2K hype, as well as the way "2001" was pronounced in the influential 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

In addition, the Vancouver Olympics, taking place in 2010, are being officially referred to by Vancouver 2010 as "the twenty-ten Olympics". The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 has restricted the commercial use of the terms "two thousand and twelve" and "twenty twelve", to protect the London 2012 Olympics.

According to a recent press release, David Crystal, author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, has predicted that the change of pronunciation to "twenty X" will occur in 2011, as "twenty eleven", explaining that the way people pronounce years depends on rhythm, rather than logic. Crystal claims that the rhythm or "flow" of "two thousand and ten", beats that of "twenty ten", but the flow of "twenty eleven" beats "two thousand and eleven". Alternatively, Ian Brookes, editor-in-chief of Chambers Dictionary, suggests the change will occur in 2013 (as 2012 is often referred to as "two thousand and twelve").

Predicted and scheduled events

January

• January 1 – Spain takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Sweden.
• January 15 – Annular eclipse occurs in Indian ocean. It can be seen in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Maldives, southeastern of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, central China. It is also the longest annular eclipse in the 21st century.
• January 29 – Mars opposition with Earth will occur.

February

• February 12–28 – The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

March

• March 12–21 – 2010 Winter Paralympics scheduled in Vancouver and Whistler Canada.
• March 18 – On STS-131, the Space Shuttle Atlantis will use the MPLM Raffaello to deliver science racks to the laboratories of the International Space Station.

April

• April 8 – On STS-131, the Space Shuttle Discovery will carry an integrated cargo carrier, and deliver a Russian Mini Research Module to the Zarya module of the International Space Station.

May

• May 1 – October 30 – 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
• May 14 – On STS-132, the Space Shuttle Atlantis will carry an integrated cargo carrier to deliver maintenance and assembly hardware, including spare parts for space station systems.

June

• June 6 – Conjunction between Jupiter and Uranus, Jupiter 28' south. First conjunction of triple conjunction Jupiter/Uranus.
• June 11 – July 11 – 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

July

• July 1 – Belgium takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Spain.
• July 11 – Total solar eclipse (visible only in the South Pacific (esp. Easter Island) and southern South America).

August

• August 14–26 – The inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held in Singapore.

September

• September 16
  • On STS-133, the Space Shuttle Discovery will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4), a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MLPM) and critical spare components to the International Space Station. It currently marks the tentative end to the Space Shuttle program.
• September 22 – Conjunction between Jupiter and Uranus, Jupiter 53' south. Second conjunction of triple conjunction Jupiter/Uranus.
• September 29 – Final mission of American Space Shuttle (STS-134) is slated to begin. Space Shuttle Discovery is set to fly one of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometers and ExPRESS Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station and leave them there permanently.

October

• October 10 – The Netherlands Antilles is scheduled to be dissolved and the islands split up into a new constitutional status.

November

• November – The first Peruvian nanosatellite will be launched from Russia.

December

Unknown dates

• The East African Community will implement a common currency called the East African shilling
• General Motors had expected to produce a commercially viable model of its hydrogen-fueled drive-by-wire concept car, the Hy-wire, as per a 2003 announcement.
• GM expects to release a production model of the Chevrolet Volt electric car.
• Israel will complete its Security Barrier and will use it as the basis for the definitive border between Israel and a Palestinian state, according to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as reported March 10 2006 by the Wall Street Journal and many other newspapers and other news media. All Israeli settlements not protected by the barrier will have been evacuated.
• JAXA PLANET-C orbiter to Venus.
• The KEO satellite time capsule will be launched, but possibly delayed until 2011.
• MS Queen Elizabeth, a ship ordered by Cunard Line October 2007 will be finished. She will act as sister ship to MS Queen Victoria.
• The International Space Station will be completed.
• The Space Shuttle program will be retired by NASA and replaced by Project Constellation. This project will include new space vehicles called Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles, as well as the Orion capable of traveling to the Space Station, to the Moon, and eventually to Mars.

Major religious holidays

• February 1 – Imbolc, a Cross-quarter day (Celebrated on February 2 in some places)
• February 16 – Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras, end of Mardi Gras / Carnival season
• February 17 – Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent)
• March 20 – Spring Equinox, also known as Ostara
• April 4 – Easter
• May 1 – Beltane, a Cross-quarter day
• August 1 – Lammas, a Cross-quarter day
• September 8–September 10 – Rosh Hashanah, the "Jewish New Year"
• September 17/18 – Yom Kippur, the holiest holiday in Judaism
• September 23 – Fall Equinox, also known as Mabon
• November 1 – Samhain, a Cross-quarter day and Neopagan new year
• November 16 – Eid al-Adha, a religious festival in Islam
• December 25 – Christmas

In fiction

Computer and video games

• SimCity (1989), Scenario about a Nuclear meltdown in Boston, Massachusetts is set in 2010.
• Street Fighter 2010 (1990)
• Mega Man 3 (1990)
• Psychic Force (1996)
• Dino Crisis 2 (2000)
• Uplink (2001)
• Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, also known as Ace Combat: Squadron Leader (2004): War breaks out between Yuktobania and Osea in September, ending on New Year's Eve.
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (2006)
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (2008), mostly set in 2010, the first level of the game is set in 2005
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (2008)

Film

• 2010 (1984)
• Jason X (2002)
• Banlieue 13 (2004)
• Friday the 13th (2009)
• District 9 (2009)

Literature

• 2010: Odyssey Two (1982) by Arthur C. Clarke.
• Tracy Hickman, The Immortals (1996)
• The Mayflower Project (2001) by K.A. Applegate.
• In The Presence of Mine Enemies (2003) by Harry Turtledove.
• In the Death Note manga, January 28, 2010 is the death of Light Yagami, the main character.

Music

• Pearl Jam's song "Do the Evolution" references the world in this year: "I crawled the earth, but now I'm higher. 2010, watch it go to fire."
• Bad Religion have a song titled "Ten in 2010" about this year on their album, The Gray Race.
• The Mint Chicks have a song titled "2010", which is their first song recorded as a 3 piece after the departure of bassist Mike in 2007. It is the b-side to the Walking Off A Cliff Again 7" vinyl, and will appear on their 2009 album Screens.

Television

• Macross: The surface of the Earth is decimated in 2010 by the Zentradi in a final attack that also ends in the defeat of their fleet due to the operation Minmay Attack done as a counterattack by the Humans.
• The Transformers (1986–1987 season)
• Alvin and The Chipmunks episode "Big Dreams" (1987), Simon's time machine reveals two possible future scenarios for The Chipmunks and Chipettes as adults in 2010; one shows them as being rich, the other as being poor.
• Knight Rider 2010 (1994 TV movie)
• The Simpsons: In the episode "Lisa's Wedding" (1995), the titular wedding is set for 2010.
• Maico 2010 (1998)
• The Simpsons: In the episode "Little Girl in the Big Ten" (2002), as Superintendent Chalmers is awarding Principal Skinner with the Seymour Skinner parking annex, the plaque states Skinner's year of birth and estimated year of death: 1953 - 2010.
• seaQuest DSV: In this show, the Florida Marlins win the World Series in 2010. Lucas Wolenczak wears a Marlins jersey with this notation during the show.
• Stargate SG-1 ("2010," 2001)
• Eureka ("Once in a Lifetime," 2006): Stark is given the opportunity to investigate "the Artifact." After it is tested, time is warped to 2010 and the town is a very different place.
• Code Geass: The Holy Britannian Empire begins the invasion of Japan. (2010 of the imperial calendar*=1955)
• Rugrats: There is an episode entitled "Reptar 2010" (first aired in 1993), where the main characters (babies) imagine themselves as their favorite fictional dinosaur, Reptar (a Godzilla-like creature), destroying a city. Most likely set in the year 2010.
• Doctor Who: The episode Planet of the Dead (2009) is partly set in 2010.

References

1. Times Online
2. TadmcIlWraith.com
3. London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 British Crown 2006; Accessed February 22, 2007
4. Experts clash over millennium bugbear—UK Times
5. Annular Solar Eclipse of 2010 January 15, NASA
6. Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 2001 to 2100 ( 2001 CE to 2100 CE ), NASA
7. NASA's Shuttle and Rocket Missions
8. Peru to launch a nanosatellite in 2010
9. Peru to launch its first nanosatellite into space by 2010
10. El primer nanosatélite peruano llegará al espacio (in spanish)
11. El Perú lanzará su primer satélite al espacio a mediados del 2010 (in spanish)
12. Sources: National Geographic, October 2007; Scientific American, October 2007