Rare Bugatti found in British garage
On January 2, 2009, media outlets report that a rare unrestored 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe has been found in the garage of a British doctor. A month later,…
This Year in History:
2009
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
On January 2, 2009, media outlets report that a rare unrestored 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe has been found in the garage of a British doctor. A month later,…
On January 15, 2009, a potential disaster turns into a heroic display of skill and composure when Captain Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III safely lands the plane he was piloting on…
January 18, 2009, marks the final day of a week‑long auction in which auto giant General Motors (GM) sells off historic cars from its Heritage Collection. GM sold around 200…
On a freezing day in Washington, D.C., Barack Hussein Obama is sworn in as the 44th U.S. president. The son of a Black father from Kenya and a white mother…
After more than seven decades as the world’s largest automaker, General Motors (GM) officially loses the title on January 21, 2009, when it announces worldwide sales of 8.36 million cars…
The Toyota Motor Company announces on March 11, 2009 that it has sold more than 1 million gas‑electric hybrid vehicles in the U.S. under its six Toyota and Lexus brands.…
On March 30, 2009, President Barack Obama issues an ultimatum to struggling American automakers General Motors (GM) and Chrysler: In order to receive additional bailout loans from the government, he…
On April 8, 2009, the MV Maersk Alabama is hijacked off the coast of Somalia. The high‑profile incident drew worldwide attention to the problem of piracy, commonly believed to be…
On April 13, 2009, former Major League Baseball all‑star pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych is found dead at the age of 54 following an accident at his Massachusetts farm involving…
On April 27, 2009, the struggling American auto giant General Motors (GM) says it plans to discontinue production of its more than 80‑year‑old Pontiac brand. Pontiac’s origins date back to…
After decades of environmental damage and legal wrangling, General Electric finally begins its government‑mandated efforts to clean the Hudson River on May 15, 2009. One of America’s largest and most…
On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson, one of the most commercially successful entertainers in history, dies at the age of 50 at his home in Los Angeles, California, after suffering…
On August 8, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, Sotomayor is the first Hispanic…
On August 16, 2009, under the lights of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium at the World Championships, 22‑year‑old Usain Bolt strikes a lightning‑bolt pose and grins before taking his mark. Then the Jamaican,…
On August 25, 2009, Edward “Ted” Kennedy, the youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy and a U.S. senator from Massachusetts from 1962 to 2009, dies of brain cancer at…
On September 12, 2009, thousands of protesters participate in the “Taxpayer March on Washington,” one of the earliest and biggest Tea Party movement events. Marchers in the nation’s capital clogged…
On October 8, 2009, two people die and more than a dozen others are hospitalized following a botched sweat lodge ceremony at a retreat run by motivational speaker and author…
On November 5, 2009, 13 people are killed and more than 30 others are wounded, nearly all of them unarmed soldiers, when a U.S. Army officer goes on a shooting…
On December 4, 2009, 22‑year‑old American exchange student Amanda Knox is convicted of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in 2007 in Perugia, Italy. Knox received a 26‑year prison sentence,…
On December 10, 2009, Avatar, a 3‑D science‑fiction epic helmed by Titanic director James Cameron, makes its world debut in London. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver, the…