2010 (MMX) will be a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar.
Pronouncing 2010 and subsequent years
- See also: Year pronunciation
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 (and) X" for any specific year post–1999, it is often suggested that the continuation of this type of pronunciation for the entire 21st century would be inappropriate or unnatural, given the alternative "twenty X" option.
Academics suggest that since former years such as 1805 and 1905 were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh" or "nineteen oh" five, the year 2005 should naturally have been pronounced as "twenty oh-five".[1] Many experts agree 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.
Many people, including linguistic and academic experts, predict that the "twenty X" pronunciation method will eventually prevail, but a time frame as to when this change will occur often differs. The year 2010 is suggested by many[2][3], while 2011[1] and 2013 are popular as well. The latest time frames for change are usually placed at 2020[1] or 2100.
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 out that of "twenty ten", but the flow of "twenty eleven" beats out "two thousand (and) eleven".[1] Alternatively, Ian Brookes, editor-in-chief of Chambers Dictionary, suggests the change will occur in 2013. And finally, the UK Times has suggested 2020 as a final time frame for the change, saying "If people can have “twenty-twenty” vision, then surely they should also live in the year “twenty twenty”.[1] The team which organized the successful bid to host the Olympic Games of 2012 in London, styled the year they will hold the games as "twenty twelve".
In addition, some notable organizations are already switching to the "twenty" system. The favored description for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada is the "twenty ten" Winter Olympic Games, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is stated as the "twenty ten" FIFA World Cup, South Africa & the 2010 Commonwealth Games, India prefers the description of this Event as the "twenty-ten" Delhi Commonwealth Games, India.
Some suggestwho? that after the "twenty X" pronunciation for current and future 21st century years has taken hold, future references to early 21st century years will change accordingly from the previous "two thousand (and) X" method; thus, they say, future generations will refer to the date of the 9/11 attacks in the United States as September 11, "twenty oh-one", just as 1911 was referred to as "nineteen hundred and eleven"citation needed at the time, but is now called "nineteen eleven".
Others believe the "two thousand" pronunciation will imply only the decade of 2000-2009.
Predicted and scheduled events
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
Unknown dates
- 1300 year anniversary of transfer capital to Heijō-kyō, with anniversary festival at Nara, Japan.
- A general election will be held in Australia.
- Australia will have phased out the incandescent light bulb.
- Australia, Austria, Germany, Malta and Spain will cease analog television broadcasts.
- Central Florida Commuter Rail will begin operation, with full completion expected by 2013.
- General Motors will produce a commercially viable model of its hydrogen-fueled drive-by-wire concept car, the Hy-wire.[8]
- 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.
- Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey and Europe, is going to be the European Capital of Culture.
- JAXA PLANET-C orbiter to Venus.
- (July-September) - NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover expected landing to Mars; launch is scheduled for September 2009.
- Launch of the KEO satellite time capsule, if it was not launched in 2009.
- MS Queen Elizabeth, a ship ordered by Cunard Line October 2007 will be finished. It will act as sister ship to MS Queen Victoria.
- New Jets Stadium will open in Morristown, NJ.
- New Pittsburgh Arena will open.
- Proposed launch of the General Motors Chevrolet Volt electric car.
- 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. (Sources: National Geographic, October 2007; Scientific American, October 2007).
- The UK's analog TV Signal will be switched off in this year in favor of digital TV with HTV West and STV being the areas to switchover.[9]
- The World Lacrosse Championship will take place in Manchester, England.
Major religious holidays
2010 in fiction and popular culture
Computer and video games
Film
Literature
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 only feature on that format.
Television
- 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.
- Macross: The surface of the Earth is decimated in 2010 by the Zentradi in a final attack by the Zentradi, that also ends in the defeat of the Zentradi fleet due the operation Minmay Attack done as a counterattack by the humans.
- 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.
- The Simpsons : 2010 is the predicted death for Seymour Skinner. It is also the year that Lisa's Wedding takes place.
- In an episode of Rugrats, a movie that the kids were watching takes place in 2010.
- Set in 2010:
References
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