At A Glance

31 December 2009 at a glance

Day of the week
31 December 2009 was a Thursday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.
Top Film of 2009
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2009 was Avatar.
Bestselling Novel of 2009
“The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 2009.
Top-Rated TV Show
“American Idol” (FOX) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 2009–10 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 2009 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 December 2009 was Full Moon.

On this day: 31 December

  • 2001 Rwanda adopts a new national flag and anthem.
  • 2004 The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).
  • 2009 Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occur.
  • 2011 NASA succeeds in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites in orbit around the Moon.
  • 2015 A fire breaks out at the Downtown Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located near the Burj Khalifa, two hours before the fireworks display is due to commence. Sixteen injuries were reported; one had a heart attack, another suffered a major injury, and fourteen others with minor injuries.

Famous people born on December 31

  • Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
  • Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
  • Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
  • Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 2009 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '2009 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 15 – US Airways Flight 1549 loses power in both engines shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, forcing the pilot to ditch the aircraft in the Hudson River.
  • February 13 – Toon Disney and Jetix relaunched as Disney XD.
  • February 22 – The 81st Academy Awards, hosted by Hugh Jackman, are held at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire wins eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
More events of 2009 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 2009

President

Barack Obama

Gas (per gallon)

$2.35

Loaf of Bread

$1.50

Average House

$216,700

Weekly Wage

$700

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Famous Faces Born in the 2000s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Inde Navarrette3 March 2001ActressView their day →Ben Shelton9 October 2002Tennis playerView their day →Kaia Gerber3 September 2001Model & actressView their day →Sadie Sink16 April 2002ActressView their day →Olivia Rodrigo20 February 2003Singer-songwriter & actressView their day →Coco Gauff13 March 2004Tennis playerView their day →Sombr5 July 2005Singer-songwriterView their day →Caitlin Clark22 January 2002Basketball playerView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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