1| Remembering 9/11
Robert Peraza, who lost his son Robert David Peraza in 9/11, pauses at his son’s name at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial.
Two lights from the former site of the World Trade Centers shine for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
2| Mission Against Osama Bin Laden
Firefighters of Ladder Company 4 — which lost seven men on 9/11 — perched together on their aerial ladder, watching a news bulletin in Times Square declaring that Osama bin Laden was dead on May 2.
3| The Japanese Earthquake
A whirlpool forms off the Japanese coast after the tsunami on March 11.
This sightseeing boat, Hama Yuri, was pulled 1300 feet from the coast and somehow balanced itself on a two story house during the tsunami in Japan.
A woman cries while sitting on a road amid the destroyed city of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan after the massive earthquake and tsunami.
An aerial shot of the damage immediately following the Japanese tsunami.
A girl in isolation for radiation screening looks at her dog through a window in Nihonmatsu, Japan on March 14.
4| The Occupy Portland Protest
A protester gets sprayed in the face with pepper spray at an Occupy Portland protest.
5| Opposition March – Baku, Azerbaijan
A policeman detains an opposition activist in Baku on March 12. Azerbaijan police detained more than 30 activists of the opposition Musavat Party when its members took to the street of Baku to protest against the ruling elite following a similar rally a day before.
6| Tahrir Square – Cairo, Egypt
Christians protect Muslims during prayer in Cairo, Egypt.
7| Occupy UCD Demonstration
A University of California Davis police officer pepper-sprays students during their sit-in at an “Occupy UCD” demonstration in Davis, California.
8| Devastating Tornado – Concord, Alabama
A mother comforts her son in Concord, Alabama, near his house which was completely destroyed by a tornado in April.
9| Chile’s Puyehue Volcano
Chile’s Puyehue volcano erupts, causing air traffic cancellations across South America, New Zealand, Australia and forcing over 3,000 people to evacuate.
10| Steve Jobs Death
A boy looks at a figure of Steve Jobs next to flowers laid in his tribute at an Apple store in Hong Kong, China.
11| Chicago’s ”Snowpocalypse” In February
Cars are abandoned on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive during the “Snowpocalypse” in February.
12| The Uprisings In The Middle East
Facebook played an extremely important role in the uprisings throughout the Middle East.
13| Seattle, Washington
84-year-old Dorli Rainey was pepper sprayed during a peaceful march in Seattle, Washington. She would have been thrown to the ground and trampled, but luckily a fellow protester and Iraq vet was there to save her.
14| Kiss Amid Chaos - Vancouver, Canada
Australian Scott Jones kisses his Canadian girlfriend Alex Thomas after she was knocked to the ground by a police officer’s riot shield in Vancouver, British Columbia. Canadians rioted after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins.
15| Hurricane Irene, North Carolina, USA
Billy Stinson comforts his daughter Erin Stinson as they sit on the steps where their cottage once stood on August 28 in Nags Head, N.C. The cottage, built in 1903 and destroyed by Hurricane Irene, was one of the first vacation cottages built on Albemarle Sound in Nags Head.
16| Amy Winehouse Dies – London, UK
Flowers and tributes are seen outside the home of Amy Winehouse in London on July 24.
17| Starvation Strikes – Dadaab, Kenya
Mihag Gedi Farah, a seven-month-old child, is held by his mother in a field hospital of the International Rescue Committee in the town of Dadaab, Kenya. The baby has since made a full recovery.
18| The London Riots – UK
A woman jumps from a burning building during the London riots in August.
19| The New Zealand Earthquake
Office workers look for a way out of a high rise building in central Christchurch, New Zealand on February 22. A strong earthquake killed at least 180 people.
20| Protests In Europe
A demonstrator shows his bottom to riot police during a protest by European workers and trade union representatives to demand better job protection in the European Union countries in Brussels on March 24.
21| Free Benghazi - Libya
A woman rebel fighter supporter fires an AK-47 rifle as she reacts to the news of the withdrawal of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces from Benghazi on March 19.
22| Gay Marriages – New York, USA
Phyllis Siegel, 76, left, and Connie Kopelov, 84, both of New York, embrace after becoming the first same-sex couple to get married at the Manhattan City Clerk’s office.
23| Civil Protests – Kampala, Uganda
Police spray Ugandan opposition party leaders with colored water during demonstrations in the capital Kampala on May 10.
24| Students Speak Out – Chile
A student is punched in the face by a police officer in Chile. Students in Chile are demanding a new framework for education.
25| Wajir, The Kenya-Somalia Border
An aid worker using an iPad captures an image of a dead cow’s decomposing carcass in Wajir near the Kenya-Somalia border on July 23.
26| Gadhafi’s Fall - Libya
A Libyan rebel is pictured with Gadhafi’s golden gun.
27| Wall Street Struggles – NY, USA
A phone hangs off the hook on Wall Street.
28| US Gay Service Members Claim Rights
US gay service members march in a gay pride parade for the first time ever.
29| Bangkok’s Flooded Streets – Thailand
A woman hangs onto a street sign in chest deep water along the flooded streets in Rangsit on the outskirts of Bangkok on October 24.
30| Bride Attempts suicide – China
A distressed bride attempts suicide in China after her fiance abruptly called off their marriage. Still in her wedding gown, she tried to kill herself by jumping out of a window of a seventh floor building. Right as she jumped, a man managed to catch and save her.
31| Friendliness Amid Abuse Rumors – Afghanistan
A U.S. Army soldier takes five with an Afghan boy during a patrol in Pul-e Alam, a town in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan.
