Britannica Book of the Year 2010

882 Pages·71.59 MB·English

by  Encyclopaedia Britannica

E N C Y C L O P Æ D I A
Britannica
2010
B Y
®
OOK OF THE EAR
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Chicago • London • New Delhi • Paris • Seoul • Sydney • Taipei • Tokyo
ENCYCLOPÆDIA
Britannica
2010
B Y ®
OOK OF THE EAR
DIRECTOR AND EDITOR SUPERVISOR, COMPOSITION HEAD LIBRARIAN
Karen Jacobs Sparks Carol A. Gaines Henry Bolzon
SENIOR EDITOR COMPOSITION STAFF CURATOR/GEOGRAPHY
Melinda C. Shepherd Cate Nichols Lars Mahinske
EDITORIAL STAFF MANAGER, MEDIA ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN
Adam Augustyn ASSET MANAGEMENT Robert M. Lewis
Patricia Bauer Jeannine Deubel
Heather Campbell ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Robert Curley MEDIA ASSET Barbara A. Schreiber
Laura Etheredge MANAGEMENT STAFF
Virginia Gorlinski Kurt Heintz EDITORIAL TECHNOLOGIES
Erik Gregersen Steven Bosco
David C. Hayes CARTOGRAPHY STAFF Lisa Braucher
Kathleen Kuiper Ken Chmielewski Bruce Walters
J.E. Luebering Michael Nutter Mark Wiechec
Amy McKenna
Lorraine Murray DIRECTOR, COPY DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR, MANUFACTURING
Jeannette L. Nolen Sylvia Wallace Kim Gerber
Kenneth Pletcher
John P. Rafferty COPY SUPERVISORS
Michael Ray Julian Ronning
Kara Rogers Barbara Whitney
DIRECTOR, STATISTICAL STAFF COPY EDITORS
Rosaline Jackson-Keys Yvette Charboneau
John Cunningham
SENIOR EDITOR, Kimberly Jeffries
STATISTICAL STAFF Glenn Jenne
Stephen Neher Claire Navarro ENCYCLOPÆDIABRITANNICA,INC.
Chairman of the Board
EDITOR, STATISTICAL STAFF SENIOR COORDINATOR, Jacob E. Safra
Thad King PRODUCTION CONTROL President
Marilyn L. Barton
Jorge Aguilar-Cauz
MANAGER, MEDIA
ACQUISITION DIRECTOR, INFORMATION Senior Vice President,
Kathy Nakamura MANAGEMENT AND RETRIEVAL Product Development/Technology
Carmen-Maria Hetrea and Education Manager
MEDIA EDITORS Michael Ross
Kimberly L. Cleary INDEX SUPERVISOR Senior Vice President and Editor
Nicole DiGiacomo Edward Paul Moragne
Dale H. Hoiberg
DIRECTOR, ART AND CONTENT ANALYSTS Executive Director,
COMPOSITION John Higgins Media and Production
Steven N. Kapusta Stephen S. Seddon Marsha Mackenzie
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Foreword
T
hough the year 2009 was a gloomy one in terms of the deep recession that
gripped the globe and the H1N1 flu pandemic that infected hundreds of
thousands, the year also offered a chance to reflect upon the 200th an-
niversary of the births of two historical giants—Abraham Lincoln and
Charles Darwin—who were born on the same day in 1809, as well as the
40th anniversary of the musical experience that became known as Wood-
stock. Though Mexico grappled with ferocious drug wars, Pakistan battled
Islamist extremists, and the recruitment of child soldiers remained a scourge, the future
looked promising in some respects. China prospered; electric cars geared up; and un-
manned aerial vehicles helped fight wars and defend borders. In the sciences, autism
therapies were tailored for youngsters, primate research became a key to understanding
what it means to be human, and “Ardi,” a possible ancestor older than the hominin skele-
ton Lucy, captured headlines. All of these topics are featured in Special Reports.
Safety also became a byword during the year as the National Football League adopted
new rules to protect players, particularly quarterbacks; central banks and regulatory bod-
ies adopted measures to avert another banking crisis, such as the one experienced in
2008–09; the Chalk River nuclear reactor in Ontario experienced a long-term shutdown
(probably into 2010) following a power outage and the detection of heavy water; and the
Australian Country Fire Authority urged homeowners to vacate their properties rather
than defend them following the deadly bushfires in February that claimed 173 lives on
“Black Saturday.” In the swimming world, the advent of nontextile swimwear led to the
smashing of hundreds of records. The Cuban Revolution marked a record of its own—a
50-year anniversary. In India, elections gave the governing Congress Party a stronger man-
date. Meanwhile, the online microblogging service Twitter became a worldwide sensation
as devotees “tweeted” in 140-character submissions, and the service’s users became adept
at circumventing censorship, especially during the Iranian elections.
The arts and music world experienced a particularly grave loss of talent with the deaths
of American painter Andrew Wyeth, German-born American composer Lukas Foss, Amer-
ican author John Updike, and pop superstar Michael Jackson. Also leaving the scene were
Walter Cronkite, the dean of American journalism, and Edward Kennedy, the lion of the
U.S. Senate. People in the news include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor,
Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, boxing phenomenon Manny Pacquiao, singing sensations
Susan Boyle and Taylor Swift, and first lady Michelle Obama.
I thus offer the Britannica Book of the Year 2010—a compilation of those events and
milestones of 2009 that stimulated our imaginations and provoked controversy. Was 2009
the end of the decade?
Karen Sparks
Director and Editor
Contents
2010
DATES OF 2009 H1N1 Flu: The Pandemic . . . . . . .194 Physical Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . .289
By Kara Rogers Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Space
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Exploration
Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 The Autism SpectruBmy S .i m. o. n. .B a. r.o n. -.C .o1h9e6n Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296
PEOPLE OF 2009 Sports and Games . . . . . . . . . . . .302
EVENTS OF 2009 Automobile Racing; Baseball; Basketball;
Nobel Prizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Bobsleigh, Skeleton, and Luge; Boxing;
Anthropology and Archaeology . .202
Biographies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Cricket; Curling; Cycling; Equestrian
Architecture and Sports; Football; FOOTBALLCHANGES
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Civil Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . .206 THERULES;Golf; Gymnastics; Ice
Hockey; Ice Skating; Sailing (Yachting);
SPECIAL REPORTS Art and Art Exhibitions . . . . . . . .211 Skiing; Squash; Swimming; THE
Art, Art Exhibitions, Photography SWIMSUITWAR;Tennis; Track and Field
The Great Recession . . . . . . . . . . .170
Business Overview . . . . . . . . . . . .216 Sports (Athletics); Volleyball;
By Joel Havemann
BANKINGEMERGESFROMTHE Weightlifting; Wrestling; Sporting Record
China and the WORLDWIDEFINANCIALCRISIS
New World Order . . . . . . . . . . . . .174 THE WORLD IN 2009
Computers and
By Janet H. Clark Information Systems . . . . . . . . . .221 World Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352
Mexico's Raging Drug Wars . . . . .176 TWITTERTAKESONTHEWORLD: United Nations, European Union,
By Jorge Chabat 140 CHARACTERSATATIME Multinational and Regional
Organizations, Dependent States,
Pakistan’s Precarious Earth Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228 Antarctica, Arctic Regions
Security Situation . . . . . . . . . . . . .178 Geology and Geochemistry, Geophysics,
By Lawrence Ziring Meteorology and Climate Countries of the World . . . . . . . .362
THEAUSTRALIAN“BLACKSATURDAY”
Child Soldiers: From Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232 BUSHFIRES; CHALKRIVERREACTOR
Recruitment to Reintegration . . . .180 Primary and Secondary Education, SHUTDOWN; THE50THANNIVERSARYOF
By Michael Wessells Higher Education THECUBANREVOLUTION; THEINDIAN
The Environment . . . . . . . . . . . .235 ELECTIONSOF2009
The Deeper Meaning
International Activities, National
of the Darwin-Lincoln
Double Bicentennial . . . . . . . . . .182 Developments, Environmental Issues, CONTRIBUTORS . . . . . . . . . . .493
Wildlife Conservation
By Adam Gopnik
Fashions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240 WORLD DATA . . . . . . . . .497
Woodstock Remembered:
The 40th Anniversary . . . . . . . . . .184 Health and Disease . . . . . . . . . . .243 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .857
By Chris Salewicz Life Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248
UAVs Crowd the Skies . . . . . . . . .186 Zoology, Botany, Molecular Biology and
Genetics, Paleontology
By Peter Saracino
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254
Electric Cars Gear Up . . . . . . . . . .188
English,German,French,Italian,Spanish,
By Lee Hudson Teslik
Portuguese,Russian,Persian,Arabic,
Chinese,Japanese
Ardipithecus:A Hominin
Ancestor for Lucy? . . . . . . . . . . . .190 Military Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270
By Stephen L. Zegura WMD, Arms Control, and Disarmament;
Conflicts; Military Technology; Armed
Primate Research: A Key Forces and Politics; Military and Society
to Understanding What
It Means to Be Human . . . . . . . . .192 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . .272
By Lisa M. Newbern Music, Dance, Theatre, Motion Pictures
German soldiers stand at attention
during a ceremony in Frankenberg on
March 6 to mark their deployment to
Afghanistan.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
DDaatteess ooff 22000099
Giantdominoes(above)placedinfrontoftheBrandenburg
GatefallinasymbolicactduringceremoniesonNovember9
tocommemoratethe20thanniversaryofthefallofthe
BerlinWall.Chinesenavalpersonnel(right)marchpast
TiananmenSquareinBeijingonOctober1aspartofChina’s
celebrationsmarking60yearsofcommunistrule.ASamoan
man(below)surveysdamageleftbehindbyatsunamithat
wasgeneratedbyamagnitude-8.0earthquakenearSamoa
onSeptember30.
Photos:(background)Shutterstock;(above)GeroBreloer/AP;(right)AFP/GettyImages;
(below)PhilWalter—GettyImages
MembersoftheNewYorkYankees(left)celebratetheirtitle-clinchingwinoverthe
PhiladelphiaPhilliesingamesixoftheWorldSeriesonNovember4.SriLankanchildren
(right)participateinavictoryprocessiononMay20followingthecaptureofthefinal
enclaveoftheTamilTigerrebelsandanendtoSriLanka’slong-runningcivilwar.
Photos:(left)ChrisMcGrath—GettyImages;(right)ErangaJayawardena/AP
Photos:(right)RodolfoGonzalez/AP;(below)NASA
Familymembers(right)ofasoldierkilled
duringtheNovember5massshootingat
theU.S.ArmybaseatFt.Hood,Texas,
grieveduringamemorialservicehonouring
the13peoplewholosttheirlives.
AstronautAndrewFeustel(below)
performsworkontheHubbleSpace
TelescopeonMay14.
January
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand
that greatness is never a given. It must be earned.
Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.
U.S. Pres. Barack Obama
in his inauguration address, January 20
With the beginning of onciliation,asuicidebomber Mumbai (Bombay) in centre of the Milky Way
the new year, the killsatleast24people. November 2008 were linked Galaxy than had been
Czech Republic, led by to Pakistan; it demands that believed, which indicates
Prime Minister Mirek those responsible be tried in that the Galaxy is approxi-
Topolanek, assumes the After a week of aerial India. mately as large as Androme-
presidency of the European and naval assaults • da, much larger than previ-
Union. against Hamas tar- The new U.S. embassy com- ously thought.
• gets in the Gaza Strip, pound in Baghdad is dedi-
Russia ceases shipment of Israeli troops and tanks cated; it is the largest U.S.
natural gas to Ukraine; the cross the border into Gaza, embassy in the world. Some 40 Palestinians
previous day Ukraine had initiating a ground war • are killed by Israeli
rejected sharp price increas- there. At a meeting of the Ameri- shelling outside a UN
es demanded by Russia. • can Astronomical Society, educational facility that was
• John Atta Mills is declared researchers report their being used as a refuge in the
The Green Zone, a 14.5-sq- the winner of the runoff finding that the Sun is mov- Gaza Strip.
km (5.6-sq-mi) area in Bagh- presidential election held in ing more quickly around the •
dad that has been the centre Ghana in late December Nearly all natural gas deliv-
of the U.S. occupation, is 2008. ered from Russia through
turned over to Iraqi control. Ukraine to Europe and
• Turkey is halted.
TwonewspapersinMexico A suicide bomber •
reportthatmorethan5,000 detonates his weapon Sheikh Hasina Wazed
peoplewerekilledbygang- among a crowd of takes office as prime min-
stersindrug-relatedviolence pilgrims visiting a Shi!ite ister of Bangladesh; she
in2008,morethantwiceas shrine in Baghdad; at least previously held the post in
manyasdiedin2007. 40 people, many of them 1996–2001.(Photo left.)
Iranians, are killed. •
• In South Korea opposition
The government of For the second time since it lawmakers end a 12-day
Sri Lanka announces halted natural gas delivery occupation of the parlia-
that its military has to Ukraine, Russia raises the ment building after success-
captured the city of price that it requires fully blocking a vote on a
Kilinochchi, the administra- Ukraine to pay for delivery free-trade agreement with
tive centre of the Liberation of the fuel. the U.S. as well as other
Tigers of Tamil Eelam. legislation.
• •
Atagatheringofleadersofa India gives Pakistan U.S. Pres. George W. Bush
largetribeinYusufiyah, evidence that the ter- creates the largest marine
Iraq,todiscussnationalrec- rorists who attacked reserve in the world, totaling
Qamruzzaman—Xinhua/Landov
8
January
505,773 sq km (195,280 sq is at its lowest level since the have so far left some 820 sen as CEO of Internet com-
mi) in area, by designating founding of the bank in Palestinians dead, while pany Yahoo!.
the Mariana Trench, Pacific 1694. heavy rocket fire from Gaza
Remote Islands, and Rose • into Israel continues.
Atoll as marine national Venezuela’s central bank Protests against
monuments. reports that the country’s economic condi-
• rate of inflation in 2008 was At the Golden tions in Sofia,
At the Macworld Expo trade 30.9%, higher than it had Globe Awards in Bulg., turn violent.
show in San Francisco, been for more than a Beverly Hills, •
Apple official Philip W. decade. Calif., best picture honours The U.S. Supreme Court
Schiller announces that anti- • go to Slumdog Millionaire rules that evidence found by
copying software will be The U.S. Department of andVicky Cristina Barcelona; arresting officers who had
removed from songs in its Labor releases statistics the award for best director been misled by a computer
iTunes Store, that record showing that the number of goes to Danny Boyle for file that had not been updat-
companies may set a variety people receiving unemploy- Slumdog Millionaire. ed into believing that there
of prices for songs, and that ment benefits at the end of was an outstanding warrant
users of iPhones will for the 2008 reached 4.61 million, for the defendant is not sub-
first time be able to down- the highest number since Pres. Lee Myung- ject to the exclusionary rule
load songs from iTunes over November 1982. Bak of South and can be used in trial.
wireless networks. • Korea and Prime •
The University of Florida Minister Taro Aso of Japan After several days of severe
defeats the University of agree to embark on a pro- flooding in Fiji, the country’s
B. Ramalinga Raju Oklahoma 24–14 in college gram of economic coopera- sugar farms have been deci-
resigns as chairman football’s Bowl Champi- tion in view of the global mated, 9,000 people have
of giant outsourcing onship Series title game in economic crisis. been evacuated, and at least
company Satyam Computer Miami to win the NCAA • 11 people have died.
Services in one of India’s Football Bowl Subdivision An appellate court in South •
largest-ever accounting championship. Africa rules that charges Nortel Networks, once one
scandals. against African National of the biggest telecommuni-
• Congress (ANC) leader cations equipment makers
North Korea sets legislative TheSirius Star,a Jacob Zuma should not have in the world, files for bank-
elections for March 8; the Saudi-owned super- been dismissed and thereby ruptcy protection in Canada,
decision had been post- tanker that was makes it possible for the where it is based.
poned for several months. seized by Somali pirates in charges to be reinstated.
• November 2008, is released •
Violent protests take place in in return for the payment of Health officials in Minneso- Israeli armed
Oakland, Calif., where $3 million in ransom; how- ta report that they have forces shell a hos-
demonstrators are angry ever, a boat carrying pirates linked an outbreak of salmo- pital run by the
over the slow response to an to shore capsizes, which nella that has affected some Palestine Red Crescent Soci-
incident in which an results in the drowning of 400 people in 43 states with ety and the headquarters of
unarmed young black man five of the pirates and the peanut butter that is sold to the United Nations Relief
was shot and killed early on loss of some of the ransom institutions. and Works Agency in Gaza
January 1 by a transit money. City; another attack kills
policeman on the platform • Said Siam, the head of
of a Bay Area Rapid Transit Julie L. Gerberding resigns Ethiopian troops Hamas security forces.
station. her post as head of the U.S. complete their •
• Centers for Disease Control withdrawal from The U.S. Senate votes to
The centenary of the U.K.’s and Prevention. Mogadishu, Som.; various allow the release of the sec-
domestic intelligence • Islamist groups, notably ond half of the fund created
agency, MI5, is marked by FormerU.S.treasurysecre- al-Shabaab, take over for the rescue of financial
the first-ever interview of taryRobertE.Rubinresigns vacated posts, and fighting institutions affected by the
the agency’s head by the asanadvisertotheboardof between Islamist forces and subprime lending debacle.
press as Jonathan Evans bankinggiantCitigroup, Ethiopian troops leaves at •
meets with reporters at MI5 whichisnegotiatingtosell least 15 people dead. Science Express,the online
headquarters in London. itsbrokeragebusiness • component of Sciencemaga-
SmithBarneytofinancial Some 10,000 people demon- zine, publishes a report by a
servicesproviderMorgan strate in Riga to show their team of scientists who found
The Bank of England Stanley. unhappiness with the trou- that the atmosphere of Mars
lowers its benchmark bled economy and with cor- contains methane, a gas that
interest rate by half a ruption in government in would decompose quickly in
percentage point, to 1.5%, in Israel warns resi- Latvia; rioting erupts. the Martian environment;
an effort to help the econo- dents of the Gaza • the presence of the gas indi-
my of the U.K., which is in Strip that it Carol Bartz, executive chair- cates that the planet is geo-
recession for the first time intends to intensify its oper- man of the design software logically alive or contains
in 17 years; the interest rate ations against Hamas, which company Autodesk, is cho- biological life.
9