<strong>January 1:</strong> Fireworks light up the London skyline just after Big Ben struck midnight, kicking off 2012. Photographers worldwide captured deadly conflicts, devastating storms, presidential politics and other memorable moments throughout the year. Click through the gallery to see 2012 unfold from beginning to end. Then check out <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/29/worldsport/gallery/2012-sports-moments/index.html" target="_blank">75 amazing sports moments you missed this year.</a>
2012: The year in pictures —
January 1: Fireworks light up the London skyline just after Big Ben struck midnight, kicking off 2012. Photographers worldwide captured deadly conflicts, devastating storms, presidential politics and other memorable moments throughout the year. Click through the gallery to see 2012 unfold from beginning to end. Then check out 75 amazing sports moments you missed this year.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
<strong>January 7:</strong> This portrait of Mitt Romney was made in New Hampshire shortly before its primary and appeared as part of an instantly classic photo essay by photographer Christopher Anderson for New York magazine.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 7: This portrait of Mitt Romney was made in New Hampshire shortly before its primary and appeared as part of an instantly classic photo essay by photographer Christopher Anderson for New York magazine.
Christopher Anderson/Magnum Photos
<strong>January 9:</strong> Members of the Alabama Crimson Tide hold the BCS trophy after defeating the LSU Tigers to win the National Championship college football title in New Orleans.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 9: Members of the Alabama Crimson Tide hold the BCS trophy after defeating the LSU Tigers to win the National Championship college football title in New Orleans.
JEFF HAYNES/REUTERS/LANDOV
<strong>January 10:</strong> "Voodoo spirits" walk the streets in Ouidah, Benin, for the annual Voodoo festival. Ouidah is the Voodoo heartland in this West African nation and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 10: "Voodoo spirits" walk the streets in Ouidah, Benin, for the annual Voodoo festival. Ouidah is the Voodoo heartland in this West African nation and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
<strong>January 10: </strong>A surfer walks past cargo containers washed ashore from the stricken container ship Rena at Waihi Beach in New Zealand. The ship was stranded on a reef for more than three months before breaking up and sinking in rough seas, littering beaches with cargo and debris.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 10: A surfer walks past cargo containers washed ashore from the stricken container ship Rena at Waihi Beach in New Zealand. The ship was stranded on a reef for more than three months before breaking up and sinking in rough seas, littering beaches with cargo and debris.
Brendon O'Hagan/Bloomberg/Getty Images
<strong>January 15: </strong>The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the Italian island of Giglio. The ship struck a rock and turned on its side on January 13, killing 32 people from eight countries.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 15: The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the Italian island of Giglio. The ship struck a rock and turned on its side on January 13, killing 32 people from eight countries.
John Cantlie/Getty Images
<strong>January 16:</strong> A man rides a horse through a bonfire in the small village of San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, in honor of San Anton, the patron saint of animals.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 16: A man rides a horse through a bonfire in the small village of San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, in honor of San Anton, the patron saint of animals.
Jasper Juinen/Getty Images
<strong>January 20:</strong> The amorphous black blob, a group of performers huddled underneath stretched black material, makes its way among the Occupy Wall Street West protests in San Franscico's Financial District. The Occupy movement marked its one-year anniversary on September 17.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 20: The amorphous black blob, a group of performers huddled underneath stretched black material, makes its way among the Occupy Wall Street West protests in San Franscico's Financial District. The Occupy movement marked its one-year anniversary on September 17.
Sarah Rice/Getty Images
<strong>January 25: </strong>Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hugs House Cloak Room attendant Ella Terry after resigning from Congress. Giffords stepped down to focus on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head she received last year in Tucson, Arizona. On August 7, Jared Lee Loughner plead guilty to 19 charges in the 2011 shooting that killed six people and wounded Giffords, among others.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 25: Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hugs House Cloak Room attendant Ella Terry after resigning from Congress. Giffords stepped down to focus on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head she received last year in Tucson, Arizona. On August 7, Jared Lee Loughner plead guilty to 19 charges in the 2011 shooting that killed six people and wounded Giffords, among others.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
<strong>January 26: </strong>An illuminated portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shines out as dusk settles over Damascus. About 40,000 civilians have been killed since the first protests began in March 2011 against al-Assad's government, according to the opposition Center for Documentation of Violations in Syria.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 26: An illuminated portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shines out as dusk settles over Damascus. About 40,000 civilians have been killed since the first protests began in March 2011 against al-Assad's government, according to the opposition Center for Documentation of Violations in Syria.
Tom Pilston/Panos Pictures
<strong>January 31: </strong>CIA director David Petraeus testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee during a committee hearing on worldwide threats. On November 9, Petraeus submitted his resignation to President Obama, citing personal reasons. He admitted to having an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell.
2012: The year in pictures —
January 31: CIA director David Petraeus testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee during a committee hearing on worldwide threats. On November 9, Petraeus submitted his resignation to President Obama, citing personal reasons. He admitted to having an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell.
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
<strong>February 5: </strong>Football fans watch the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI at Tonic Bar in New York. The Giants defeated the Patriots 21-17.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 5: Football fans watch the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI at Tonic Bar in New York. The Giants defeated the Patriots 21-17.
Allison Joyce/Getty Images
<strong>February 6: </strong>Anders Behring Breivik arrives for his court hearing in Oslo, Norway. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison on August 24 for killing 77 people in two terror attacks in Norway in 2011. Eight people died in a bombing in Oslo, while 69 young people were shot to death on nearby Utoya island.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 6: Anders Behring Breivik arrives for his court hearing in Oslo, Norway. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison on August 24 for killing 77 people in two terror attacks in Norway in 2011. Eight people died in a bombing in Oslo, while 69 young people were shot to death on nearby Utoya island.
HEIKO JUNGE/EPA/Landov
<strong>February 11: </strong>Villagers carry coal scavenged illegally from an open-cast coal mine in the village of Jina Gora, India. Claiming that a decades-old underground coal fire threatened the homes of villagers, the government relocated more than 2,300 families.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 11: Villagers carry coal scavenged illegally from an open-cast coal mine in the village of Jina Gora, India. Claiming that a decades-old underground coal fire threatened the homes of villagers, the government relocated more than 2,300 families.
Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images
<strong>February 13: </strong>Judges inspect a beagle during the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York. About 2,500 dogs competed.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 13: Judges inspect a beagle during the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York. About 2,500 dogs competed.
JUSTIN LANE/EPA/LANDOV
<strong>February 13: </strong>Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with a group of parents, teachers and students in Kurgan, a factory town at the southern end of the Ural Mountains. Putin won a third term as Russia's president on March 4.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 13: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with a group of parents, teachers and students in Kurgan, a factory town at the southern end of the Ural Mountains. Putin won a third term as Russia's president on March 4.
yuri kozyrev/NOOR
<strong>February 20: </strong>Israeli students wearing costumes visit an art exhibition in downtown Jerusalem. The special cultural project aimed to draw people out in spite of the cold weather to enjoy art in a party atmosphere.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 20: Israeli students wearing costumes visit an art exhibition in downtown Jerusalem. The special cultural project aimed to draw people out in spite of the cold weather to enjoy art in a party atmosphere.
ABIR SULTAN?EPA/LANDOV
<strong>February 22: </strong>Safeya Sayed Shedeed cries in Cairo while following the trial for former president Hosni Mubarak, who was tried on charges of corruption and giving orders to kill protesters. Her son was shot and killed by police officers on January 28, 2011, a day locals dubbed the "Friday of Rage." Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison in June.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 22: Safeya Sayed Shedeed cries in Cairo while following the trial for former president Hosni Mubarak, who was tried on charges of corruption and giving orders to kill protesters. Her son was shot and killed by police officers on January 28, 2011, a day locals dubbed the "Friday of Rage." Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison in June.
Laura El-Tantawy/Seven
<strong>February 26: </strong>Surrounded by the cast and crew, producer Thomas Langmann accepts the best picture award for "The Artist" during the 84th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood. The silent, black-and-white film garnered five Oscars.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 26: Surrounded by the cast and crew, producer Thomas Langmann accepts the best picture award for "The Artist" during the 84th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood. The silent, black-and-white film garnered five Oscars.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
<strong>February 29: </strong>A protester runs for cover as riot police clash with students during a demonstration in Barcelona, Spain. Tens of thousands of students protested education cuts announced by the Catalan government.
2012: The year in pictures —
February 29: A protester runs for cover as riot police clash with students during a demonstration in Barcelona, Spain. Tens of thousands of students protested education cuts announced by the Catalan government.
David Ramos/Getty Images
<strong>March 7: </strong>Children and adults scavenge for recyclables and other usable items at the Trutier dump on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Following the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 220,000 people, the number of daily scavengers at the landfill grew from about 200 to an estimated 2,000. Much of the country is still in crisis.
2012: The year in pictures —
March 7: Children and adults scavenge for recyclables and other usable items at the Trutier dump on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Following the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 220,000 people, the number of daily scavengers at the landfill grew from about 200 to an estimated 2,000. Much of the country is still in crisis.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
<strong>March 20: </strong>A soldier faints as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, arrive for a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Monument at Akershus Fortress in Olso, Norway. The royals were on a Diamond Jubilee tour of Scandinavia.
2012: The year in pictures —
March 20: A soldier faints as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, arrive for a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Monument at Akershus Fortress in Olso, Norway. The royals were on a Diamond Jubilee tour of Scandinavia.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
<strong>March 26: </strong>A Tibetan exile runs after setting himself on fire in New Delhi, India, during a protest against Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit.
2012: The year in pictures —
March 26: A Tibetan exile runs after setting himself on fire in New Delhi, India, during a protest against Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit.
stringer/reuters/landov
<strong>March 28: </strong>Sgt. 1st Class Paul Brady of the 182nd Infantry Massachusetts National Guard embraces his 6-year-old daughter, Regan, during a welcome home ceremony in Melrose, Massachusetts. The 182nd Infantry Regiment, one of the original units in the United States military, returned from a yearlong deployment in Afganistan.
2012: The year in pictures —
March 28: Sgt. 1st Class Paul Brady of the 182nd Infantry Massachusetts National Guard embraces his 6-year-old daughter, Regan, during a welcome home ceremony in Melrose, Massachusetts. The 182nd Infantry Regiment, one of the original units in the United States military, returned from a yearlong deployment in Afganistan.
CJ GUNTHER/EPA/LANDOV
<strong>April 1: </strong>A supporter kisses Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, as she visits polling stations in her constituency as Burmese vote in parliamentary elections in Kawhmu, Myanmar. She won a seat in parliament in Myanmar's first multiparty elections since 1990.
2012: The year in pictures —
April 1: A supporter kisses Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, as she visits polling stations in her constituency as Burmese vote in parliamentary elections in Kawhmu, Myanmar. She won a seat in parliament in Myanmar's first multiparty elections since 1990.
Mikhail Galustov/Getty Images
<strong>April 17: </strong>A Sudan Armed Forces soldier lies dead in a pool of oil next to a leaking oil facility. He had engaged in heavy fighting with Sudan People's Liberation Army troops from South Sudan.
2012: The year in pictures —
April 17: A Sudan Armed Forces soldier lies dead in a pool of oil next to a leaking oil facility. He had engaged in heavy fighting with Sudan People's Liberation Army troops from South Sudan.
Dominic Nahr/MAGNUM PHOTOS
<strong>April 26: </strong>Rupert Murdoch, chief executive officer of News Corp., and his wife, Wendi, are driven from their London apartment. Testifying before an independent British inquiry into journalistic ethics, Murdoch admitted to a cover-up of abuses at the News of the World tabloid and apologized for not paying more attention to the phone-hacking scandal.
2012: The year in pictures —
April 26: Rupert Murdoch, chief executive officer of News Corp., and his wife, Wendi, are driven from their London apartment. Testifying before an independent British inquiry into journalistic ethics, Murdoch admitted to a cover-up of abuses at the News of the World tabloid and apologized for not paying more attention to the phone-hacking scandal.
Getty Images
<strong>May 7:</strong> A young girl looks over the Doro refugee camp in South Sudan in May. More than 500,000 people have fled from Sudan into South Sudan as a result of the ongoing conflict between the two states.
2012: The year in pictures —
May 7: A young girl looks over the Doro refugee camp in South Sudan in May. More than 500,000 people have fled from Sudan into South Sudan as a result of the ongoing conflict between the two states.
Christian Als/Panos Pictures
<strong>May 8: </strong>Tonya sticks her trunk out of a container during her removal from the Zoo Blijdorp in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She had to leave the zoo with her mother, Douanita, because she did not get along with the other elephants. They were moved to a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic.
2012: The year in pictures —
May 8: Tonya sticks her trunk out of a container during her removal from the Zoo Blijdorp in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She had to leave the zoo with her mother, Douanita, because she did not get along with the other elephants. They were moved to a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic.
MARCO DE SWART/EPA/LANDOV
<strong>May 15: </strong>Young Afghans bowl in Kabul at the Strikers, Afghanistan's only bowling alley. It has gained popularity since opening in the fall of 2011.
2012: The year in pictures —
May 15: Young Afghans bowl in Kabul at the Strikers, Afghanistan's only bowling alley. It has gained popularity since opening in the fall of 2011.
yuri kozyrev/NOOR
<strong>May 21: </strong>The sun is obscured by the moon during an annular solar eclipse in Tokyo.
2012: The year in pictures —
May 21: The sun is obscured by the moon during an annular solar eclipse in Tokyo.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg/Getty Images
<strong>June 5:</strong> Britain's Queen Elizabeth II waves from her seat in the 1902 State Landau coach during the carriage procession from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
2012: The year in pictures —
June 5: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II waves from her seat in the 1902 State Landau coach during the carriage procession from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>June 13: </strong>Taquoka plays with a log in a pond in his enclosure at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage, Alaska. The 2-year-old male brown bear began a trip to his new home in Sweden.
2012: The year in pictures —
June 13: Taquoka plays with a log in a pond in his enclosure at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage, Alaska. The 2-year-old male brown bear began a trip to his new home in Sweden.
Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News/MCT/Getty Images
<strong>June 15:</strong> Lebanese children and Syrian refugees play in a natural spring close to the Syrian border. Behind them, a line of trucks and tractors collect fresh water to supply villages in the area. Tens of thousands of people have fled from Syria to Lebanon since the conflict started.
2012: The year in pictures —
June 15: Lebanese children and Syrian refugees play in a natural spring close to the Syrian border. Behind them, a line of trucks and tractors collect fresh water to supply villages in the area. Tens of thousands of people have fled from Syria to Lebanon since the conflict started.
Espen Rasmussen/Panos Pictures
<strong>June 15:</strong> Aerialist Nik Wallenda walks the tighrope over Niagara Falls in Canada. Wallenda walked across the 1,800-feet-long, 2-inch-wide wire as the first person to cross directly over the falls from the United States into Canada.
2012: The year in pictures —
June 15: Aerialist Nik Wallenda walks the tighrope over Niagara Falls in Canada. Wallenda walked across the 1,800-feet-long, 2-inch-wide wire as the first person to cross directly over the falls from the United States into Canada.
John Moore/Getty Images
<strong>June 21: </strong>LeBron James of the Miami Heat celebrates with teammate Chris Bosh during the NBA Finals game between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Miami. The Heat won the series 4-1.
2012: The year in pictures —
June 21: LeBron James of the Miami Heat celebrates with teammate Chris Bosh during the NBA Finals game between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Miami. The Heat won the series 4-1.
DON EMMERT/AFP/GettyImages
<strong>June 24: </strong>Egyptians celebrate the election of President Mohamed Morsy in Tahrir Square in Cairo. He was sworn in on June 30 as the country's first democratically elected president.
2012: The year in pictures —
June 24: Egyptians celebrate the election of President Mohamed Morsy in Tahrir Square in Cairo. He was sworn in on June 30 as the country's first democratically elected president.
Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
<strong>June 27: </strong>Protesters run for cover as police arrive to disperse a rally demanding human rights reforms in the village of Buri, south of Bahrain's capital, Manama. A court in Bahrain sentenced prominent activist Nabeel Rajab to three years in prison in August "for participating in illegal rallies and gatherings."
2012: The year in pictures —
June 27: Protesters run for cover as police arrive to disperse a rally demanding human rights reforms in the village of Buri, south of Bahrain's capital, Manama. A court in Bahrain sentenced prominent activist Nabeel Rajab to three years in prison in August "for participating in illegal rallies and gatherings."
MAZEN MAHDI/EPA/LANDOV
<strong>Sometime in July:</strong> Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey's assistant sits on a rocking horse at his apartment on the water in Brooklyn, New York, for this fine-art photograph, "White Horse No. 2."
2012: The year in pictures —
Sometime in July: Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey's assistant sits on a rocking horse at his apartment on the water in Brooklyn, New York, for this fine-art photograph, "White Horse No. 2."
David Alan Harvey/Magnum Photos
<strong>July 8:</strong> A wild bull hurdles over people blocking the animal's way into the bullring at the close of the second bull run during the Fiesta de San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain. The festival attracts thousands of people who attempt to outrun the bulls through the narrow streets of the old city.
2012: The year in pictures —
July 8: A wild bull hurdles over people blocking the animal's way into the bullring at the close of the second bull run during the Fiesta de San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain. The festival attracts thousands of people who attempt to outrun the bulls through the narrow streets of the old city.
JIM HOLLANDER/EPA/LANDOV
<strong>July 19:</strong> Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, take part in a parachute game during a visit to Saumarez Park in St Peter Port, United Kingdom. They were taking part in a Diamond Jubilee visit to the Channel Islands.
2012: The year in pictures —
July 19: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, take part in a parachute game during a visit to Saumarez Park in St Peter Port, United Kingdom. They were taking part in a Diamond Jubilee visit to the Channel Islands.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
<strong>July 22:</strong> A Palestinian refugee plays in between makeshift tents in the Al-Zaiton neighborhood before breaking fast on the third day of the holy month of Ramadan in Gaza. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
2012: The year in pictures —
July 22: A Palestinian refugee plays in between makeshift tents in the Al-Zaiton neighborhood before breaking fast on the third day of the holy month of Ramadan in Gaza. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
ALI ALI/EPA/LANDOV
<strong>July 23:</strong> Icebergs from nearby glaciers float in the bay in Narsaq, Greenland.
2012: The year in pictures —
July 23: Icebergs from nearby glaciers float in the bay in Narsaq, Greenland.
Andrew Testa/Panos Pictures
<strong>July 28:</strong> Visitors gather and pray around a cross erected at a memorial set up across the street from the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. James Holmes is suspected of killing 12 people and injuring 58 others during a shooting rampage on July 20 at a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises."
2012: The year in pictures —
July 28: Visitors gather and pray around a cross erected at a memorial set up across the street from the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. James Holmes is suspected of killing 12 people and injuring 58 others during a shooting rampage on July 20 at a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises."
Joe Raedle/Getty Images