The year 2009 is a common year starting on Thursday and the last year of the 2000s decade. According to the Chinese calendar, is the Year of the Ox.

The following events took place in 2009:

• January 3 – Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza.
• January 7 – Russia shuts off all gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly endorses the move and urges that international observers be brought into the energy dispute.
• January 13 – Ethiopian military forces begin pulling out of Somalia, where they have tried to maintain order for nearly two years.
• January 15 – US Airways Flight 1549, en route to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, ditches in the Hudson River off Manhattan. All 155 passengers and crew are evacuated and taken to safety. The plane is apparently brought down by a flock of Canada Geese.
• January 17 – Israel declares a unilateral cease-fire against Hamas militants and puts an end to attacks after 22 days of violence in Gaza.
• January 20 – Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th, and first African-American, President of the United States.
• January 22 – U.S. President Barack Obama signs an order to close Guantanamo Bay detention camp within one year.
• January 26 – The Icelandic government and banking system collapse; Prime Minister Geir Haarde immediately resigns.
• February 7- The deadliest bushfires in Australian history begin; they kill 210 people, injure 500 more, and leave 7,500 homeless. The fires come after Melbourne records the highest-ever temperature (46.4°C, 115°F) of any capital city in Australia. Both arson[18][19] and global warming[20][21] are suspected causes.
• February 10 – A Russian and an American satellite collide over Siberia, creating a large amount of space debris.
• February 11 – Morgan Tsvangirai is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Zimbabwe following the power-sharing deal between him and President Robert Mugabe signed in September, 2008.
• February 12 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a home in Clarence Center, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, killing 49 on the plane and one on the ground
• February 19th: Rick Santelli goes on a rant about bailouts and homeowners on CNBC. It eventually leads to a short rivalry with Jon Stewart of the Daily Show as well as small “tea parties” around the U.S.
• February 25 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 135 passengers on board, crashes into a field outside Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, killing nine and injuring 84.
• March 10 – Michael McLendon kills at least 11 people in Alabama, including himself, during a mass killing spree. He shot other family members and strangers, and shot and killed his mother and burned her house. The killings took place in Coffee and Geneva counties, and ended with McLendon’s suicide. Detectives have discovered a hit list in his home targeting several corporations.
• March 11 – A 17 year old former student goes on a rampage at his former school in Winnenden, Germany, killing at least fifteen, before turning the gun on himself.
• March 12th: Jon Stewart of The Daily Show (Comedy Central) interviews Jim Cramer of Mad Money (CNBC) and basically reads him the riot act.
• June 25th: Farrah Fawcett Dies at the age of 62, Succumbs to Cancer
• June 25th: Michael Jackson dies at the age of 50.

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