Justin Bieber sweeps American Music Awards

Chronology of news events July-Dec. 2010 

By The Associated Press
JULY
July 6
Queen Elizabeth II addresses U.N. for first time since 1957 during first New York visit in over 30 years; lays wreath at ground zero.
July 8
In biggest spy swap since Cold War, 10 Russian agents who infiltrated suburban America are deported in exchange for four Americans.
During ESPN prime-time special, basketball free agent LeBron James announces he's leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.
July 11
Over din and drone of vuvuzela horns in Johannesburg, South Africa, Andres Iniesta's goal late in extra time gives Spain 1-0 World Cup victory over the Netherlands.
July 13
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, 80, dies two days after death of team's longtime announcer Bob Sheppard at 99.
July 15
After 85 days, BP stops flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, estimated to have exceeded 200 million gallons.
Securities and Exchange Commission announces Goldman Sachs & Co. will pay record $550 million penalty to settle charges the Wall Street giant misled buyers of mortgage investments.
July 19
Agriculture Department pressures Shirley Sherrod, an administrator in Georgia, to resign after a conservative website posted edited video it claimed showed her making racist remarks. After reviewing entire video, the White House apologized.
July 20
Actress Lindsay Lohan begins 14-day jail sentenced -- reduced from 90 due to overcrowding -- for violating probation in 2007 drug case.
July 21
Obama signs most sweeping overhaul of lending and high-finance rules since Great Depression.
July 23
Daniel Schorr, longtime journalist with stints at CBS, CNN and NPR, dies at 93.
July 25
WikiLeaks posts 90,000 leaked U.S. military records from Afghanistan war.
July 28
After Huntsville, Ala., television station reports on an alleged attack on his sister, Antoine Dodson's advice to "hide your kids, hide your wife and hide your husband" becomes viral online music video and chart-topping song.
July 29
Army Spc. Bradley Manning flown to Virginia military jail to await trial on charges of giving military secrets to WikiLeaks.
July 31
Chelsea Clinton weds investment banker Marc Mezvinsky.
AUGUST
Aug. 2
The Washington Post Co. announces 91-year-old billionaire Sidney Harman will buy Newsweek for $1 and assumes magazine's debts.
Aug. 3
Warehouse driver Omar Thornton kills eight co-workers and himself in shooting rampage at Manchester, Conn., beer distributorship.
Aug. 5
In Chile, 33 miners reported missing in mine collapse.
Aug. 7
Elena Kagan sworn in as 112th justice, fourth woman and first Hispanic to serve on Supreme Court.
Aug. 8
Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Neal, who overcame strokes, dies at 84.
Aug. 9
JetBlue Airways flight attendant Steven Slater curses passengers, grabs beer and slides down plane's emergency chute.
Aug. 10
Talk radio host Laura Schlessinger uses N-word 11 times on air while discussing interracial marriage, later apologizing.
Aug. 14
Off-road truck overturns during race in the Mojave Desert, killing eight spectators.
Aug. 15
Philip Markoff, charged with killing masseuse he met through Craigslist, commits suicide in Boston jail.
Aug. 16
Nearly 2,000 killed and millions left homeless in Pakistan after monsoon rains cause three weeks of record flooding.
Aug. 17
Mistrial declared on 23 corruption charges against ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, accused of trying to sell Obama's old Senate seat. Jury convicts him on just one charge, lying to the FBI.
Aug. 19
Last American combat brigade exits Iraq, seven years and five months after U.S.-led invasion began.
Aug. 22
Note returns from mine in Chile 17 days after it collapsed saying, "All 33 of us are fine," but experts estimate freeing miners may take four months.
Aug. 27
"Toy Story 3" joins "Alice in Wonderland" in making Walt Disney the first studio to release two movies that surpassed $1 billion in worldwide tickets sales in a single year.
Aug. 28
Conservative commentator Glenn Beck and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin headline "Restoring Honor" rally attended by tens of thousands in Washington.
Aug. 29
"Mad Men" receives third consecutive Emmy Award for best drama series.
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 9
Natural gas pipeline explosion kills eight and destroys dozens of homes in San Francisco suburb of San Bruno, Calif.
Sept. 11
Florida pastor Terry Jones drops threat to burn Quran on 9/11 in protest of planned Islamic center near ground zero.
Sept. 12
Lady Gaga sweeps MTV Video Music Awards with eight wins, wearing dress made of meat to accept video of the year award for "Bad Romance."
Sept. 13
On premiere of 25th and final season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Winfrey announces audience will receive trips to Australia.
Sept. 14
Sarah Shourd, one of three American hikers detained by Iran, freed on $500,000 bail after 410 days in prison.
Sept. 22
Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi jumps off Hudson River bridge after intimate gay encounter in dormitory room is broadcast online.
Sept. 23
Children's show "Sesame Street" announces it won't televise online video where Elmo character sings with bustier-clad pop star Katy Perry.
Sept. 24
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 26, pledges $100 million to Newark, N.J., schools a week before release of critical biographical movie "The Social Network."
Sept. 27
Southwest Airlines announces $1.4 billion purchase of AirTran.
Temperatures reach 113 degrees in downtown Los Angeles, highest in records kept since 1877.
Sept. 30
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton apologizes to Guatemalan leaders for 1940s U.S.-led experiments that infected occupants of a Guatemala mental hospital with syphilis.
OCTOBER
Oct. 1
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, planning Chicago mayoral run, relinquishes post to Pete Rouse.
CNN announces firing of anchor Rick Sanchez following satellite radio comments branding comedian Jon Stewart a bigot and questioning whether Jews should be considered a minority.
Oct. 4
Long-shot Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell disputes claims about her past: "I'm not a witch. I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you." She loses in general election.
Oct. 5
Failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad tells judge to expect future bloodshed from Muslim terrorists as he is sentenced to life in prison.
Oct. 7
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie cancels construction of decades-in-the-making train tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan, citing cost overruns that ballooned price tag from $5 billion to $10 billion or more.
Oct. 13
All 33 trapped Chilean miners lifted from mine one by one after 69 days underground.
Oct. 14
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid taunted by Republican challenger Sharron Angle, who tells him during Nevada debate to "Man up, Harry Reid," about financial stability of Social Security.
Oct. 16
"Leave it to Beaver" matriarch Barbara Billingsley dies at 94.
Oct. 19
"Happy Days" patriarch Tom Bosley dies at 83.
Oct. 22
WikiLeaks releases 391,831 purported Iraq war logs that suggest over 100,000 Iraqi civilians died in the conflict.
Oct. 28
Stars of 1965 movie "The Sound of Music" reunited on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" broadcast.
Oct. 29
Computer printer toner cartridges rigged as bombs are seized from airplanes in England and the United Arab Emirates. Devices were shipped from Yemen and bound for Chicago-area synagogues.
Oct. 30
Comedians Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart headline "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" in Washington attended by tens of thousands.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 1
San Francisco Giants win World Series with 3-1 victory over the Texas Rangers in fifth game.
Nov. 2
Republicans win control of U.S. House of Representatives, picking up 63 seats in midterm elections, while Democrats retain majority Senate; Republican governors outnumber Democrats after gaining six states.
Nov. 3
Obama acknowledges Democrats took "a shellacking" in midterm elections.
Federal Reserve announces plan to buy $600 billion in Treasury bonds over next eight months in attempt to boost lending and stimulate economy.
Nov. 4
Motion-tracking Microsoft Kinect video games debut for Xbox 360 console.
Hall of Fame baseball team manager Sparky Anderson dies at 76.
Nov. 5
Regulators shutter four small banks, for total of 143 bank closures so far in 2010, more than all of 2009.
News channel MSNBC suspends host Keith Olbermann for two shows for making unapproved political donations.
Actress Jill Clayburgh dies at 66.
Nov. 6
Obama begins 10-day Asia tour in India, where he endorses nation's bid for a U.N. Security Council seat.
Nov. 8
Engine fire aboard Carnival Splendor cruise ship leaves nearly 4,500 aboard without electricity during three-day tow to San Diego.
Talk show host Conan O'Brien debuts on TBS.
Nov. 9
Former President George W. Bush reveals in his memoir, "Decision Points," that a low point in his presidency was when musician Kanye West said Bush "doesn't care about black people" during a Hurricane Katrina telethon.
Release of video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops" shatters entertainment records, selling 5.6 million copies and raking in $360 million.
Nov. 10
Obama's visit to boyhood home in Indonesia abbreviated by plume from ongoing eruption of Mount Merapi volcano.
Miranda Lambert receives three Country Music Association Awards on her 27th birthday, including album of the year, as Brad Paisley is named entertainer of the year.
Nov. 13
Amid passenger discontent with full-body scanners and more intimate pat-down searches, software engineer John Tyner warns San Diego airport security worker, "If you touch my junk, I'm gonna have you arrested."
Nov. 14
Nearly 5 million people watch premiere of television travelogue series "Sarah Palin's Alaska," a record for channel TLC.
Nov. 16
Engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton announced in London. Wedding later set for April 29.
Nov. 17
Hand-count of votes in Alaska affirms re-election of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, first Senate candidate in over 50 years to win write-in campaign.
House Democrats re-elect Nancy Pelosi as their leader for next Congressional term.
First Guantanamo detainee to face civilian trial, Ahmed Ghailani, convicted by federal jury on just one charge of conspiracy, among over 280 counts related to 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Ghailani's native Tanzania.
Nov. 20
Pope Benedict XVI expresses limited support for condom use to prevent AIDS, according to book excerpts in Vatican newspaper.
North Korea secretly built large uranium-enrichment facility, according to Stanford University nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker, describing visit to facility in The New York Times.
Nov. 21
Sixteen-year-old Justin Bieber receives four American Music Awards and is the youngest performer to win artist of the year.
Nov. 23
North Korea bombards South Korea's Yeongpyeong Island with artillery shells, killing four.
Nov. 24
Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay convicted of money laundering and conspiracy related to Republican campaign donations.
Nov. 28
WikiLeaks begins disclosing cache of over 250,000 private cables written by U.S. diplomats.
Leslie Nielsen, dramatic leading man-turned comedic star of "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun" movies, dies at 84.
Nov. 30
Pentagon leaders call for scrapping 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" ban after releasing survey about prospect of openly gay troops.
See '10 NEWS page A-7
DECEMBER
Dec. 1
Obama's deficit commission unveils recommendations including lower income taxes, fewer tax breaks and higher age for retirement benefits, but lacks consensus to send plan to Congress.
All 42 Senate Republicans sign letter vowing to block Democratic-backed legislation until budget measure extending Bush-era tax cuts is passed.
Dec. 3
Labor Department says U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly rose in November to 9.8 percent after three straight months at 9.6 percent.
Dec. 6
Obama announces compromise with GOP to extend Bush-era income tax cuts despite Democratic objections. Includes renewing unemployment benefits and reducing Social Security taxes for one year. Measure becomes law 11 days later.
Dec. 7
Elizabeth Edwards, estranged wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, dies at 61 following spread of breast cancer.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange surrenders to authorities in London, where he's jailed for nine days; fights extradition to Sweden for questioning in rape investigation.
Actor Wesley Snipes begins three-year federal sentence following 2008 conviction for tax evasion.
Dec. 9
London demonstrators surround and break window of Rolls Royce carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla during student protest over tuition increases.
Dec. 10
Norwegian Nobel Committee honors Chinese literary critic Liu Xiaobo, serving 11-year sentence for urging political reform, by presenting $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize diploma and medal to empty chair.
Dec. 11
The eldest son of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff, 46-year-old Mark Madoff, hangs himself in his Manhattan apartment on second anniversary of his father's arrest.
Dec. 12
Snowstorm causes rare collapse of Minneapolis Metrodome's inflatable roof.
Dec. 13
U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke dies at 69.
Dec. 14
Ex-con Clay Duke opens fire at a school board meeting in Panama City, Fla., but wounds and kills only himself.
Dec. 15
Filmmaker Blake Edwards dies at 88.
Dec. 16
Interviewer Larry King, joined by parade of former guests, concludes CNN talk show after 25 years.
Dec. 17
Bernard Madoff's victims stand to receive back over half their lost investments, as late philanthropist Jeffry Picower's widow Barbara agrees to return $7.2 billion paid out by Madoff's Ponzi scheme.
Dec. 18
U.S. Senate approves repeal of 17-year "don't ask, don't tell" ban on openly gay troops in 65-31 vote. Obama later signs it into law.
Dec. 20
"Barney Miller" actor Steve Landesberg dies at 65.
Dec. 22.
Obama wins bipartisan Senate ratification of New START treaty with Russia that would cap nuclear warheads for both nations and restart on-site weapons inspections if also approved by Russia.
"The Lone Ranger" announcer Fred Foy dies at 89.
Dec. 26
Powerful East Coast blizzard strands thousands of travelers and dumps more than a foot of snow in some areas.
Teena Marie, whose hit songs include "Lovergirl," "Square Biz," and "Fire and Desire," dies at age 54.
Dec. 28
Death toll for foreign troops in Afghanistan reaches 700 for 2010, by far the bloodiest year of the war, with U.S. troops representing nearly 500 of the deaths.