With news events, it is often the images that stay with us. Looking only at 11 pictures on a page, see if you can identify some of the pivotal events of the past 12 months. Then read through a recap of the events, with comments from CNN Interactive staffers.

The past year has held a lot of big stories - events that may have overshadowed interesting discoveries or special presentations. Take a look at a few of our hidden gems - some of them are fun, some are heartwarming and others we're just plain proud of.