2012 in review

Costa Concordia

Captain Schettino left the ship before the evacuation ended.

💡 Did you know? The wreck's salvage became the most expensive in history.

Joachim Gauck

Wulff had fallen over a loan and media affair.

💡 Did you know? Gauck previously headed the Stasi records agency.

Higgs boson

Peter Higgs had predicted it almost 50 years earlier.

💡 Did you know? Higgs and Englert received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Curiosity

The rover is still exploring Gale Crater today.

💡 Did you know? It once played "Happy Birthday" to itself: all alone on Mars.

London

Usain Bolt repeated his Beijing sprint double.

💡 Did you know? In the opening film, the Queen "parachuted" in with James Bond.

4-0

Spain became the first team to win Euro, World Cup and Euro in a row.

💡 Did you know? Germany had fallen to Italy in the semi-final: a Balotelli double.

39 kilometres

Millions watched the Red Bull Stratos jump live online.

💡 Did you know? His exit line: "I'm coming home now."

Gangnam Style

The song topped charts for weeks.

💡 Did you know? YouTube had to upgrade its view counter because of the video.

Barack Obama

Obama won nearly all the battleground states.

💡 Did you know? His victory tweet was then the most-shared of all time.

Vladimir Putin

Dmitry Medvedev had "kept the seat warm" for four years.

💡 Did you know? The presidential term had meanwhile been extended from four to six years.

21 December

The calendar didn't end: it simply began a new cycle.

💡 Did you know? The Hollywood film "2012" had fuelled the hype considerably.

Sandy

Over 200 people died along its path; the damage was enormous.

💡 Did you know? The NYSE closed for two weather days: a first since 1888.

Euphoria

Loreen even won Eurovision a second time in 2023.

💡 Did you know? Only one man ever won twice: Johnny Logan.

Borussia Dortmund

It was their second straight championship.

💡 Did you know? Bayern answered in 2013 with the treble.

Facebook

The share price slumped at first before soaring later.

💡 Did you know? Nasdaq glitches overshadowed the first trading day.

Neil Armstrong

His ashes were buried at sea.

💡 Did you know? He always insisted his Moon quote contained a swallowed "a".

Diamond Jubilee

The highlight was a 1,000-boat pageant on the Thames.

💡 Did you know? Only Queen Victoria had reached a Diamond Jubilee before.

James Bond

Adele's theme song won the Oscar.

💡 Did you know? Bond number one was 1962's "Dr. No".

Syria

The war would last more than a decade.

💡 Did you know? By 2015, the refugee movement reached Europe on a large scale.

The Avengers

It cemented the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Hollywood's biggest franchise.

💡 Did you know? The shawarma post-credits scene was shot after the premiere.