• LightBox

LightBox 365: A Year in Photographs 2011

1 minute read

2011 was packed with drama and shock, tragedy and surprise. How history will judge these 12 months is another question: historians usually come at things once all the men and women behind the news are gone. But those of us who have followed the twists and turns of 2011 know how much it has gotten into our sinews and our psyches—from the sting of tear gas to the ambivalence of long delayed vengeance.

LightBox has compiled this yearbook for 2011, literally picking a photo for each day of this astonishing year. It is a remarkable memorial to its high and low points, to agony and to exhilaration. But let the pictures speak for themselves.

-Howard Chua-Eoan, news director, TIME

January 1, 2011. Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight in England. Thousands of people lined the banks of the River Thames in central London to see in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display. Dan Kitwood—Getty Images
January 2, 2011. Egyptian Christians touch a blood-splattered image of Jesus Christ, inside the Coptic Orthodox church in Alexandria. A bomb killed at least 21 people outside the church early on New Year's Day and blood was splattered onto the image, which is located near the side gate of the church compound, during the bomb attack. Amr Abdallah Dalsh—Reuters
January 3, 2011. A Pakistani man and a boy collect wood to be used for heating on a cold and foggy morning in Islamabad, Pakistan.Muhammed Muheisen—AP
January 4, 2011. A man watches a partial solar eclipse through a filter in Galyateto, some 100 km (62 miles) east of Budapest.Bernadett Szabo—Reuters
January 5, 2011. A fisherman arranges a fishing net as his wife paddles their boat in the waters of the Periyar river on the outskirts of Kochi, India.Sivaram V—Reuters
January 6, 2011. A young woman stumbles as she tries to carry a large basket of coal while illegally scavenging at an open-cast mine in Bokapahari, India.Kevin Frayer—AP
January 7, 2011. A policeman fires a teargas shell towards protesters during a demonstration in Hyderabad, India. Supporters of Telangana statehood say the interior region has been neglected in favor of Andhra Pradesh's dominant coastal districts. Reuters
January 8, 2011. In this handout image provided by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama talks with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer concerning the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others. Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in the head at a public event entitled "Congress on your Corner" when a gunman opened fire outside a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Arizona. Pete Souza—The White House/Getty Images
January 9, 2011. A man gestures next to the body of a relative, one of the three victims found in the neighborhood La Cima, in Acapulco, a day after 15 other bodies were found beheaded in this Mexican beach resort.Pedro Pardo—AFP/Getty Images
January 10, 2011. A Tunisian demonstrator covers his face as he holds a rock during clashes with security forces in Regueb. AFP/Getty Images
January 11, 2011. Eclas Ahomed, a 20-year-old internal refugee from Northern Sudan cares for her malnourished baby in the intensive care ward at an Aweil hospital. Q. Sakamaki—Redux
January 12, 2011. A false-color mosaic showing the tail of Saturn's huge northern storm. Red and orange colors in this view indicate clouds that were deep in the atmosphere. NASA/Zuma Press
January 13, 2011. Indian Hindu pilgrims sleep at the Gangasagar fair ground some 180 kms south of Kolkata. A large number of Hindu pilgrims converged on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, a holy day of the Hindu calendar.Deshakalyan Chowdhury—AFP/Getty Images
January 14, 2011. Novak Djokovic of Serbia casts his shadow as he walks across the court during a training session at Melbourne Park ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament.Petar Kujundzic—REUTERS
Janurary 15, 2011. A worker stands next to coffins of victims of landslides at a cemetery in Nova Friburgo. Nearly four days after rains sparked floods and massive landslides, officials in the Brazilian town of Teresopolis were still struggling to cope with the catastrophe that killed at least 564 people in the region north of Rio de Janeiro.Ricardo Moraes—Reuters
January 16, 2011. A man rides his horse through flames during the "Luminarias" annual religious celebration in the Spanish village of San Bartolome de los Pinares.Andrea Comas—Reuters
January 17, 2011. A dog walks by a cross on the ground at a cemetery in central Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The death toll from devastating floods and landslides reached 640.Mauricio Lima—AFP/Getty Images
January 18, 2011. Egyptian soldiers stand alert at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheik, Egypt in preparation for the Arab economic summit.Amr Nabil—AP
January 19, 2011. President Barack Obama (R) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) walk to the White House residence following a State arrival ceremony in Washington, DC. Alex Wong—Getty Images
January 20, 2011. A dead oak tree glows under a full moon in a salt pan on the southern end of the Salton Sea near Niland, California. Erosion and high toxicity levels from farm runoff has left the Salton Sea increasingly contaminated, and lake-side towns all but deserted. Jim Lo Scalzo—EPA
January 21, 2011. In this aerial, A NATO military re-supply convoy kicks up dust in the desert as seen from a medevac helicopter of the U.S. Army's Task Force Shadow "Dust Off", Charlie Company 1-214 Aviation Regiment in the volatile Helmand Province of southern Afghanistan.Kevin Frayer—AP
January 22, 2011. A couple sit near the debris left by landslides and floods in the municipality of Nova Friburgo, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Xinhua/Eyevine/Redux
January 23, 2011. An Afghan detainee sits while guarded by U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion 8th, Bravo during an operation in Musa Qala district of Helmand province in Afghanistan.Dmitry Kostyukov—AFP/Getty Images
January 24, 2011. A man walks across a frozen river in Benxi, northeastern China's Liaoning province.Ng Han Guan—AP
January 25, 2011. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., works on his Blackberry after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in the House Chamber. Many Senators and Representatives from opposite sides of the aisle chose to sit with each other to help alleviate partisanship.Tom Williams—Roll Call/Getty Images
January 26, 2011. Pakistani boys gather by a vendor selling tropical fish on his bicycle on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan.Muhammed Muheisen—AP
January 27, 2011. Blue ocean.ESA/NASA
January 28, 2011. An Egyptian demonstrator confronts riot police during demonstrations in Cairo demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, who would step down in February.Khaled Desouki—AFP/Getty Images
January 29, 2011. A protester holding empty glass bottles takes cover behind a wall during uprisings against the government of Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Egypt.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME
January 30, 2011. The outline of 10 bodies, the casualtieso f a train crash, are seen in the melted snow on the scene of the accident in Hordorf, Germany.Odd Andersen—AFP/Getty Images
January 31, 2011. Transit officers are reflected on the hearse after a memorial ceremony for their slain colleagues at the police headquarters in Monterrey, Mexico.Tomas Bravo—Reuters
February 1, 2011. A crowd lifts a demonstrator during a protest march in Cairo's Tahrir Square.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
February 2, 2011. An injured Egyptian woman receives treatment at an unidentified makeshift emergency treatment location as pro-Mubarak and anti-Mubarak protesters clash in Tahrir square, in Cairo, Egypt. Andre Liohn—EPA
Feburary 3, 2011. Anti-Mubarak protesters (seen) clash with pro-Mubarak protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.Ed Ou—The New York Times/Redux
February 4, 2011. Southern Sudanese from the pastoralist Taposa tribe take part in a nationalist celebration in the remote area of Kapoeta. Pete Muller—AP
February 5, 2011. Miniature model railway landscape shows a demonstration scene as part of the Castor protest events in Stadthagen, Germany. A group of students built this miniature landscape, which is inspired by the real events of the anti-nuclear protests against the Castor nuclear transport. Peter Steffen Photo—Newscom
February 6, 2011. An exterior view of Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.Mehmet Kacmaz—Narphotos/Redux
Feburary 7, 2011. Egyptian youth post video they shot earlier in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. A group of Egyptian youth had been collecting testimonies from the protesters and publishing them on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Ed Ou—Reportage by Getty Images
February 8, 2011. Anti-government demonstrator Fatma Garber, 16, in Tahrir Square during the second week of protests against Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
February 9, 2011. AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation) officer Janet Mandera, 25-years-old, from Magui County, treats a woman that suffers from malnutrition at a center in Southern Sudan. Marco Di Lauro—Reportage by Getty Images
February 10, 2011. Suspected Somali pirates sit with their faces covered during a media interaction on board an Indian Coast guard ship off the coast of Mumbai. Punit Paranjpe—AFP/Getty Images
February 11, 2011. Children jump off barges on the side of the river Nile as mass anti-government protests continue a few meters behind them.Guy Martin—Panos
February 12, 2011. A murmuration of starlings, numbering well over a million birds, form a mushroom cloud as they drop in to roost at dusk on the Avalon Marshes at Shapwick Heath Nature Reserve in Somerset, U.K.Tim Graham—Getty Images
February 13, 2011. An Uyghur citizen waits for lunch in a farmhouse.Carolyn Drake—Panos
February 14, 2011. A view of Bahia Anegada, Argentina.ESA/NASA
February 15, 2011. An Egyptian visitor watches a nearly empty light and sound show at the Giza pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. John Moore—Getty Images
February 16, 2011. Tunisian youth spend the day in their room at the emergency hostel, in Lampedusa, Sicily.Gabriele Stabile—cesuralab
February 17, 2011. A day in the life of Tunisian youth in Lampedusa means sudden departures, walks around the emergency hostel and soccer games.Gabriele Stabile—cesuralab
February 18, 2011. Kashmiri Muslims watch as an unseen priest shows a relic believed to be a hair from the beard of the Prophet Muhammed at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar.Tauseef Mustafa—AFP/Getty Images
February 19, 2011. U.S. Marines from the First Batallion Eigth Marines Alpha Company stop during a patrol to speak with villagers at Kunjak in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province.Finbarr O'Reilly—Reuters
February 20, 2011. A victim of a mass rape campaign in the town of Fizi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Her identity has been concealed for security reasons and because rape carries strong social stigma in the nation.Pete Muller—AP
February 21, 2011. Sido Bizinungu, a close associate of Lt. Col. Mutuare Daniel Kibibi, smokes a cigarette after being convicted of crimes against humanity in the town of Baraka, Congo. Pete Muller—AP
February 22, 2011. Office workers look for a way out of a high-rise building in central Christchurch. A strong earthquake killed at least 65 people in New Zealand's second-biggest city in February.Simon Baker—Reuters
February 23, 2011. A policeman is seen in flames as he tries to escape after a petrol bomb was thrown at him during riots in front of the parliament in Athens, Greece.Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images
February 24, 2011. Demonstrators drilled into this jail to look for prisoners in a compound belonging to government security forces in Benghazi, Libya.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
February 25, 2011. A young Iraqi protester runs amid Iraqi riot policemen during clashes near Baghdad. Angry protesters hurled stones in Baghdad as thousands of demonstrators flooded streets across Iraq for a "Day of Rage" that left at least seven people dead in clashes with police. Ahmad Al-Rubaye—AFP/Getty Images
February 26, 2011. In this handout image provided by NASA, back dropped by a blue and white part of Earth, space shuttle Discovery approaches the International Space Station during STS-133 rendezvous and docking operations in Space. NASA via Getty Images
February 27, 2011. A refugee from Libya prays near a military field hospital run by the Tunisian army at the Ras Jdir border post, near the Tunisian city of Ben Guerdane. Mohamed Messara—EPA
February 28, 2011. President Barack Obama watches Vice President Joe Biden from the Butler's Pantry as Samantha Tubman, Deputy Associate Director of the White House Social Office, listens for the cue introducing the President to a bipartisan group of governors in the State Dining Room of the White House. Pete Souza—The White House
March 1, 2011. A U.S. Army soldier with the 10th Special Forces Group and his military working dog jump off the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during water training over the Gulf of Mexico in this U.S. military handout image. Ho New—Reuters
March 2, 2011. Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi salutes to journalists from inside a custom-made golf-cart as he leaves the Rixos Al Nasr Tripoli Hotel where he presided over the Libyan People General Congress.Moises Saman—Magnum
March 3, 2011. Rebels hold a young man, whom they accused of being a Gaddafi loyalist, at gunpoint between the towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf.Goran Tomasevic—Reuters
March 4, 2011. People watch from a nearby building as a fire burns in a slum in Mumbai. A fire gutted a large shanty town, home to hundreds of residents, next to Bandra station in Mumbai's suburbs. Vivek Prakash—Reuters
March 5, 2011. Opposition troops take position as they push west outside of Ras Lanuf, after taking the city back from troops loyal to Gaddafi.Lynsey Addario—VII
March 6, 2011. Anti-Gaddafi protesters hanging effigies of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are reflected in a photo of a youth who was killed in clashes in Benghazi.Suhaib Salem—Reuters
March 7, 2011. Revelers of the Salgueiro samba school participate in the second night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome.Ueslei Marcelino—Reuters
March 8, 2011. Dead fish in the harbor area of Redondo Beach, south of Los Angeles, California. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters
March 9, 2011. Libyan rebels advance during a battle with government troops as an oil facility burns. Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
March 10, 2011. Afghan money changers and customers do business in the Sarai Shahzada Money Market in Kabul, Afghanistan. Adam Ferguson—VII for TIME
March 11, 2011. Rebels flee under fire from the Libyan army in Ras Lanuf.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
March 12, 2011. Amid tsunami flood waters, burning houses and ships are piled in a mass of debris in Kisenuma city, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. EPA
March 13, 2011. The Engadine cross-country skiing marathon from Maloja to S-Chanf in south Eastern Switzerland. Around 12,000 people participated in the event.Alessandro Della Bella—EPA
March 14, 2011. An aerial view taken during an AFP-chartered flight shows cars burned by fires triggered by the Japanese tsunami in Miyagi prefecture.Norobur Hashimoto—AFP/Getty Images
March 15, 2011. A lone house in an overflowed river in Kesennuma, Japan.James Nachtwey for TIME
March 16, 2011. A Chadian refugee waits in line for food distribution at the Libya-Egypt border after fleeing fighting in eastern Libya.Finbarr O'Reilly—Reuters
March 17, 2011. Horses jump a fence in The Pertemps Final during the Cheltenham Festival horse racing meet in Gloucestershire, western England. Eddie Keogh—Reuters
March 18, 2011. Inside the Hotel Rixor in Tripoli, Libya.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
March 19, 2011. Locals and fishermen clean up the area in and around Japan's Misawa port.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME
March 20, 2011. The body of a Muammar Gaddafi loyalist lies on the ground as smoke billows from damaged tanks belonging to Gaddafi forces in al-Wayfiyah, Libya.Alfred/SIPA
March 21, 2011. A child swings on a rope as a police armored vehicle patrols outside of Sakhi Shrine on occasion of Nawroz, a new year ceremony, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Musadeq Sadeq—AP
March 22, 2011. A general night view taken with a longer exposure, shows destroyed houses and debris in the tsunami-damaged city of Rikuzentakata, in Japan's Iwate prefecture.Nicolas Asfouri—AFP/Getty Images
March 23, 2011. A supporter of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi holds a poster overlooking a demonstration in Ban-Waled.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
March 24, 2011. A 15 meter (49-feet) tall head is fixed on a torso with cranes and integrated into the floating stage on Lake Constance near Bregenz, Austria. Felix Kaestle—AP
March 25, 2011. In this aerial image, members of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force continue post-tsunami rescue work on a muddy field in Shichigahama, Miyagi, Japan. The Asahi Shimbun—Getty Images
March 26, 2011. Protesters stand in front of a burning barricade in Jermyn Street during clashes with police after a march in protest against government cuts in London, England. Dan Kitwood—Getty Images
March 27, 2011. Libyan rebels scrawl graffiti on a wall near a hospital in Ras Lanuf. The wall was previously decaded, in green, by Gaddafi troops. Yori Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
March 28, 2011. Refugess wait for hours to be let through the border of Libya and Tunisia in Ras Ajdir. Refugees flooded the western border of Libya after weeks of unrest and the threat of civil war plagued the country.Nadia Shira Cohen
March 29, 2011. The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue stands in darkness after the lights that illuminate it were switched off to observe an hour of voluntary darkness for the global "Earth Hour" campaign in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Felipe Dana—AP
March 30, 2011. A group funeral at a temple in Miniami Sanriku, Japan. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME
March 31, 2011. A boy helps his relatives as they recover items around a ship swept inland by the tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.Damir Sagolj—Reuters
April 1, 2011. Sand blows across the coastal highway near Brega in eastern Libya. Finbarr O'Reilly—Reuters
April 2, 2011. A couple sits near a panorama in Cairo depicting Egypt's war with Israel.Thomas Dworzak—Magnum
April 3, 2011. The Turkish boat, the Ankara, brings wounded Libyans from the cities of Misrata and Benghazi to Turkey.Sebastian Meyer—Polaris
April 4, 2011. An Afghan protester holds a burning effigy of the American pastor, Terry Jones, during a demonstration in Shinwar, Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. Rahmat Gul—AP
April 5, 2011. U.S. Army medic SSG Quincy Northern from "Dustoff" team, C Company, 1-214 Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade walks toward his medevac helicopter as it casts a shadow on a hospital wall at Camp Dwyer in Helmand province, Afghanistan.Denis Sinyakov—Reuters
April 6, 2011. Flowers are in bloom in the Rose Garden as Marine One carrying U.S. President Barack Obama takes off from the south lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images
April 7, 2011. A survivor of a recent massacre in Fangak, southern Sudan. The massacre occurred when forces loyal to rebel General George Athor attacked the town of Fangak in February, leaving more than 200 dead.Pete Muller—AP
April 8, 2011. Justin Bieber serenades the audience from a floating heart-shaped lift during a concert.Joachim Ladefoged—VII for TIME
April 9, 2011. Leaflets added by protesters calling for the release of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei are seen on his Sunflower Seeds installation in the main hall of the Tate Modern in central London.Carl Court—AFP/Getty Images
April 10, 2011. On the Wouri River banks in Douala, Cameroon. Isabelle Eshraghi—Agence VU
April 11, 2011. "What will it take for a commoner to fill a queen’s shoes? Lots of training. Unending patience. A comfort with discomfort. And acceptance of the fact that not a square centimeter of your body will go unphotographed from this day forth and forevermore. Kate Middleton tested the spotlight one last time before her wedding, starting a girls’ track race in Lancashire, England. Some 5,000 well-wishers went to see her. Next time, she’ll be in white."—Nancy Gibbs, deputy managing editor, TIMEDarren Staples—Reuters
April 12, 2011. A woman mourns as a bird passes by her at the entrance to the Oktyabrskaya station of the Minsk subway in Belarus. The Belarusian government said a bomb placed under a bench at the subway station exploded on April 11 as people were riding the trains during the evening rush hour. Twelve were killed.Sergei Grits—AP
April 13, 2011. Mohamed, 10, stands guard at the frontline along the western entrance of Ajdabiyah, Libya. Yannis Behrakis—Reuters
April 14, 2011. A car being prepared for a wedding ceremony in Benghazi, Libya.Guy Martin—Panos
April 15, 2011. President Barack Obama meets with Press Secretary Jay Carney, left, and Senior Advisor David Plouffe, center, before an interview with Ben Feller of the Associated Press, in Chicago, Illinois.Pete Souza—The White House
April 16, 2011. An old Japanese man surveys the area devastated by a March earthquake and tsunami.Dominic Nahr—Magnum
April 17, 2011. Pope Benedict XVI peers through incense during the liturgical celebration of Palm Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Italy.Fabio FrustaciI—Eidon/UPPA/Zuma Press
April 18, 2011. Cherry blossoms cover a tree in an area destroyed by the March earthquake and tsunami in Natori, Japan.Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images
April 19, 2011. Smoke rises from an uncontrolled wildfire burning near Possum Kingdom, Texas. LM Otero
April 20, 2011. Chris Hondros photographed a rebel fighter braving a burning stairwell in pursuit of government troops while ensconced in a building on Tripoli Street in Misrata, Libya, on April 20. Later that day, Hondros and photographer Tim Hetherington were killed while covering the battle between the rebels and Gaddafi loyalists.Chris Hondros—Getty Images
April 21, 2011. A man works on the roof of a campaign hospital built by the "Expedicionarios da Saude" (Brazilian Health Expeditions) on the first day of the medical expedition at the Kayapo tribe in Sao Felix, northern Brazil. Ricardo Moraes—Reuters
April 22, 2011. A woman says maghreb prayers on the rooftop of Karachi's Labour Square Flats in Pakistan.Alixandra Fazzina—NOOR
April 23, 2011. An aerial view from the rotunda inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem that shows the Tomb of Christ as the miracle of the Holy Fire occurs the day before Easter. Abir Sultan—EPA
April 24, 2011. Rebels invade a house that served as a base for pro-government forces in the western city of Misrata, Libya.Andre Liohn—EPA
April 25, 2011. A trained monkey wears a mask during a Topeng Monyet (Monkey Mask) show, a traditional Indonesian street performance, in east Jakarta, Indonesia.Beawiharta—Reuters
April 26, 2011. U.S. Special Operations service members with Special Operations Task Force South board two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters following a clearing operation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.Daniel P. Shook—U.S. Department of Defense/Zuma
April 27, 2011. Burned cars are seen next a plume of black smoke in the port of Misrata, Libya. Bernat Armangue—AP
April 28, 2011. Chinese artists perform on stage during the opening ceremony of the International Horticultural Exposition 2011 in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province of China. ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images
April 29, 2011. Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot at Westminster Abbey in London.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
April 30, 2011. U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama stand behind an honor guard soldier at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner at a hotel in Washington, D.C.Jason Reed—Reuters
May 1, 2011. President Barack Obama and his national security team watch the Osama bin Laden mission in the White House Situation Room. Please note: a classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured. Pete Souza—The White House
May 2, 2011. Michelle Hindmarch, of Arlington, Virginia, places flowers at the Pentagon's 9/11 Memorial just hours after President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden. Andrew Cutraro—Redux for TIME
May 3, 2011. Locals gather outside the compound where Osama bin Laden was reportedly killed in an operation by U.S. Navy Seals in Abottabad, Pakistan. Warrick Page—Getty Images
May 4, 2011. Cars are seen soaked in floods in the town of Cairo, Illinois after intense storms and record-breaking rains brought about heavy flooding in southern parts of the state.Xinhua/Landov
May 5, 2011. Akasha, a two-year-old female Bengal tiger, swims after a chunk of meat thrown into her pool at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California.Nancy Chan—Six Flags Discovery Kingdom/Reuters
May 6, 2011. Palestinian youths throw bricks and stones at an Israeli car that mistakenly drove into the mostly Arab neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem.Baz Ratner—Reuters
May 7, 2011. An Afghan farmer raises his hands as he looks at a U.S. Marine in Sistani, Afghanistan.Bay Ismoyo—AFP/Getty Images
May 8, 2011. Members of military historical clubs, dressed in military uniforms, re-enact a World War II battle in Kiev, Ukraine.Genya Savilov—AFP/Getty Images
May 9, 2011. An aerial view of King Sound coastline, Western Australia.ESA/NASA
May 10, 2011. Police spray Ugandan opposition party leaders with colored water during demonstrations in the capital Kampala. President Yoweri Museveni had vowed to crush the protests and blamed rising food and fuel costs on drought and global increases in oil prices. James Akena—Reuters
May 11, 2011. A young Afghan boy who was shot in the stomach lays on a stretcher as he is taken to hospital in a medevac helicopter in the volatile Helmand Province of southern Afghanistan.Kevin Frayer—AP
May 12, 2011. A worker uses a high pressure hose to clean the roof of Congress, in Brasilia, Brazil. Ueslei Marcelino—Reuters
May 13, 2011. Dancers during a performance of Swan Lake at the Ballet Nacional de Cuba in Havana.Peter Hapak for TIME
May 14, 2011. A man claps his hands in front of a new painting depicting three presidents on inauguration day for newly-elected Haitian President Michel Martelly in the Petionville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.Allison Shelley—Getty Images
May 15, 2011. Civilian volunteers of the rebel army clear an obstacle course during training in Benghazi, Libya.Mohammed Salem—Reuters
May 16, 2011. This citizen journalism photo taken with a cell phone by Stefanie Gordon aboard a passenger flight from New York to Palm Beach, Fla. shows the space shuttle Endeavor as it streaks toward orbit shortly after liftoff.Stefanie Gordon—AP
May 17, 2011. Two men, who illegally attempted to enter the U.S., run across the dry Rio Grande river back to Juarez, Mexico after being spotted by the U.S. Border Patrol. Paolo Pellegrin—Magnum
May 18, 2011. A levee protects a home surrounded by floodwater from the Yazoo River near Vicksburg, Mississippi. Heavy rains left the ground saturated and caused widespread flooding along the Mississippi River from Illinois to Louisiana. Scott Olson—Getty Images
May 19, 2011. A man suspected of having ties to a suicide bomber walks at a police office in Cirebon, Indonesia. Widodo Yusuf—Reuters
May 20, 2011. An old school bus sits in floodwaters from the rising Mississippi River in St. Francisville, Louisiana, where a dozen homes and businesses and several camps were flooded.Gerald Herbert—AP
May 21, 2011. A view from the United States Military Academy’s commencement in West Point, N.Y.Joachim Ladefoged—VII for TIME
May 22, 2011. Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano during eruption. Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson—Arctic Images
May 23, 2011. A U.S. Marine from 3rd Battalion 9th Marines Kodiak Company checks handcuffs of a detainee arrested after an early morning operation in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.Massoud Hossaini—AFP/Getty Images
May 24, 2011. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama talk with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace in London, England. Pete Souza—The White House
May 25, 2011. A U.S. Marine from 3rd Battalion 9th Marines Kodiak Company walks to his patrol base in Block 9th of Marjah district in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.Massoud Hossaini—AFP/Getty Images
May 26, 2011. Icebergs covered in ash from the Grimsvotn volcano eruption, in the glacier lagoon at the base of Vatnajokull, Iceland. Ingolfur Juliusson—Reuters
May 27, 2011. Abandoned wheelchairs scattered in the parking lot at the devastated Greenbriar Nursing Home in Joplin, Mo. Eleven residents died after an EF-5 tornado struck the facility. Edward Keating—Contact Press Images for TIME
May 28, 2011. A merry-go-round turns inside of the cooling tower of the former nuclear power plant in Kalkar, western Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. The plant was constructed from 1977 to 1986, but never operated as nuclear power plant. Today, the plant serves as a leisure fun park, welcoming some 600,000 visitors a year.Patrik Stollarz—AFP/Getty Images
May 29, 2011. The shadow of a worker using a stick to club a dog before slaughter is seen, at Bambanglipuro village in Bantul, near the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta. Dwi Oblo—Reuters
May 30, 2011. Israeli border policeman enters through a window as a Jewish worshiper prays in Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus. Ronen Zvulun—Reuters
May 31, 2011. An Indian woman covers herself during a candlelight vigil against corruption outside Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi, India. The activists were rallying to show their support to yoga Guru Ramdev and his call for a hunger strike, beginning June 4, to fight corruption in the country. Kevin Frayer—AP
June 1, 2011. California's Central Valley is traditionally a rich farmland that has been recently hit by drought, leading to significant unemployment among the large population of migrant farm workers that live in the area.Joakim Eskildsen for TIME
June 2, 2011. Pall bearers carry the open coffin of Abkhazia's president Sergei Bagapsh to his funeral in the village of Dzhgiarda.Sergey Karpov—Reuters
June 3, 2011. The Pankisi Gorge, home to a centuries-old community of Chechens called the Kist, which has become an infamous hideout for bandits and Chechen rebels during the two wars between Russia and Chechnya. Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
June 4, 2011. Food supplies for U.S. Marines hanging off small parachutes are dropped from a plane as a sandstorm approaches Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. Anja Niedringhaus—AP Photo
June 5, 2011. A cloud of ash billowing from Puyehue volcano near Osorno in southern Chile.Claudio Santana—AFP/Getty Images
June 6, 2011. A boy sits on his bicycle in Majdal Shams, Israel, near Israel's border with Syria. Jack Guez—AFP/Getty Images
June 7, 2011. Armed supporters of dissident tribal leader Sadiq al-Ahmar inspect damage at his house in Sana'a, Yemen.Ahmad Gharabli—AFP/Getty Images
June 8, 2011. Dead fish float in the Nilahue River near the Puyehue volcano that erupted in Chile. Carlos Succo—AP
June 9, 2011. Pilgrims make their way to the shrine of El Rocio during the annual pilgrimage in Villamanrique, Spain.Miguel Angel Morenatti—AP
June 10, 2011. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Jim Goldberg—Magnum for TIME
June 11, 2011. A display horse waits to be led onto the track before the sixth race at the 143 Belmont stakes, the final leg of racing's Triple Crown at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Andrew Burton—Reuters
June 12, 2011. A butterfly hovers over a flower as smoke rises around the Lee Valley Recreational area in the Apache National Forest in Big Lake, Arizona.Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images
June 13, 2011. Canadian soldiers search inside a barn during a patrol in the Panjwai district of Kandahar, Afghanistan.Baz Ratner—Reuters
June 14, 2011. The devastated town of Minamisanriku, Japan is reflected in the windows of a newly-constructed fish market shack.David Guttenfelder—AP
June 15, 2011. Riot police walk in the street as a couple kiss in Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver broke out in riots after their hockey team the Vancouver Canucks lost in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.Rich Liam—Getty Images
June 16, 2011. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) arrives to announce his resignation in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The resignation came 10 days after the congressman admitted to sending lewd photos of himself on Twitter.Spencer Platt—Getty Images
June 17, 2011. Muhammed Fahem, 18.Massimo Berruti—Agence VU
June 18, 2011. A child sleeps in a hammock along the roadside in Noida, located in India's northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Parivartan Sharma—Reuters
June 19, 2011. Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open golf tournament in Bethesda, Maryland.Fred Vuich—Sports Illustrated
June 20, 2011. A Lockheed Martin F16 Fighting Falcon performs its demonstration flight, on the first day of the Paris air show, at Le Bourget airport.Francois Mori—AP
June 21, 2011. Raby, 8 years old, sits at the transit center of Wau, Northern Bar el Ghazal in South Sudan.Cedric Gerbehaye—Agency VU
June 22, 2011. Canadian army soldiers sun bathe in Seprwan Ghar foward fire base in the Panjwai district of Kandahar, Afghanistan.Baz Ratner—Reuters
June 23, 2011. A U.S. soldier stands on a guard tower as the sun rises at Combat Outpost (COP) Sabari in Khost province in the east of Afghanistan.Ted Aljibe—AFP/Getty Images
June 24, 2011. The tall ship Alexander von Humbolt cuts through waves and weather during Kieler Woche, the world's largest sailing event in the world in Kiel, Germany.Eduard Bopp—Zuma Press
June 25, 2011. Women exiting the stage after the bikini judging at the IBB Pro Greater Gulf States bodybuilding competition. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
June 26, 2011. Representative Michele Bachmann has a radio interview after she formally announced her bid for the Republican presidential nomination in Waterloo, Iowa, her childhood home. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIME
June 27, 2011. Italian police officers in riot gear clash with demonstrators in Chiomonte, Italy, over plans to build the Turin-Lyon high-speed train.AP
June 28, 2011. Students from the University of the Philippines in Manila march to protest an increase in hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.Dondi Tawatao—Getty Images
June 29, 2011. Swooping gracefully through the water like giant bats, these huge manta rays gather to feed on microscopic plankton in Manifaru Bay in the Maldives. Warren Baverstock—Zuma Press
June 30, 2011. A Muslim woman holds her scarf as she prays upon seeing a relic of Prophet Mohammed during Meeraj-un-Nabi celebrations at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, India.Fayaz Kabli—Reuters
July 1, 2011. Drama unfolded in the air as two parachutists got in a tangle during an event at the 2011 Airpower air show in Zeltweg, Austria. Both soldiers were injured and taken to a nearby hospital. Mario Kuhnke—EPA
July 2, 2011. In tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri, residents light July 4 fireworks amid the ruins of their community.Damon Winter—The New York Times/Redux
July 3, 2011. A wide view of Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action against Spain's Rafael Nadal during the Men's final match at All England Club.Simon Bruty—Sports Illustrated
July 4, 2011. Umi Adan Olow, 3 months old, is weighed by Daniel Wanyoike, a community therapeutic nurse for Save the Children in Mathahalibah, Kenya. Per-Anders Pettersson—Eyevine/Redux
July 5, 2011. Dolphins perform at Cuba’s National Aquarium in Havana. When the aquarium was opened in 1960, it consisted of 13 small-volume fishbowls. It now has a tank in which up to eight trained dolphins can put on a show.Javier Galeano—AP
July 6, 2011. Shadows of Indian policeman are cast on ground as they salute during a wreath laying ceremony for their colleague Shabir Ahmed in Srinagar, India. Dar Yasin—AP
July 7, 2011. A Libyan bride is pictured during a group wedding party held for 25 couples in support of Muammar Gaddafi at his Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli.Mohamed Messara—EPA
July 8, 2011. Mateo Chipps, 5, rides his bike after a rainstorm in Cherry Creek, a remote community about an hour's drive from Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Joakim Eskildsen for TIME
July 9, 2011. Thousands of people gather in Juba, South Sudan, to hear the declaration of independence read aloud as the region celebrated its independence. Ruth Fremson—The New York Times/Redux
July 10, 2011. A female passerby adjust her hair using the glass in the front door of the temporary residence of Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. Jemal Countess—WireImage/Getty Images
July 11, 2011. A would-be immigrant wrapped in a blanket rests on a rescue ship after arriving at the southern Spanish port of Motril.Jon Nazca—Reuters
July 12, 2011. Protesters march with a giant Egyptian national flag at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. Nasser Nasser—AP
July 13, 2011. An aerial view shows the biggest marijuana plantation found in San Quintin, Mexico.Jorges Duenes—Reuters
July 14, 2011. A French Rafale jet (R) flanked by two Mirage 2000-N flies over La Defense district in western Paris during the Bastille Day military parade.Anne-Christine Poujoulat—AFP/Getty Images
July 15, 2011. Preparing for their dual wedding ceremony, Iranian brothers Javad, left, and Mehdi Jafari pose with their brides-to-be before donning their own formal dress in Ghalehsar.Vahid Salemi—AP
July 16, 2011. A woman pays a visit to the Caylee Anthony memorial located at the site in Orlando where the 2-year-old child's remains were found in December 2008. Mark Wilson—Getty Images
July 17, 2011. Vadim Kaptur and Timofei Hordeichik of Belarus compete in the Men's 10m Platform Synchro preliminary round during Day Two of the 14th FINA World Championships at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. Adam Pretty—Getty Images
July 18, 2011. Libyan rebel cadets train to become freedom fighters in Kabaw's military academy in Libya's western mountains.Gaia Anderson—AP
July 19, 2011. A leopard attacks a forest guard at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri. Six people were mauled by the leopard after the feline strayed into the village area before it was caught by forestry department officials.Diptendu Dutta—AFP/Getty Images
July 20, 2011. Carcasses of livestock pictured in Athibohol, northeast of Nairobi. Close to 1.4 million people in the region are in dire need of relief food, as a result of the prolonged drought.Simon Maina—AFP/Getty Images
July 21, 2011. Setting out from the embankment below their home in rural Muzaffargarh, brothers Shaista Kawnal and Muhammad Aqib push away from the shore using a bamboo pole as they head out across the flood waters in Pakistan.Alixandra Fazzina—NOOR
July 22, 2011. Supporters of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh attend a rally after painting their faces with the Yemeni flag colors following Friday prayers in Sana'a.Suhaib Salem—Reuters
July 23, 2011. Wedding cake at Brooklyn Borough Hall on the first day Gay Marriage became legal in New York. Lauren Fleishman for TIME
July 24, 2011. Madina, 7, bathes in the Aral Sea on her third trip to the sea visiting family friends.Paulo Siqueira and Nadia Shira Cohen
July 25, 2011. People place roses in front of Oslo's town hall after as many as 150,000 people gathered for a flower vigil in the capital, in a show of solidarity with the victims of deadly attacks in Norway. Jonathan Nackstrand—AFP/Getty Images
July 26, 2011. Four brothers from the Morales family in their room in centro Havana, Cuba. Tomas Munita
July 27, 2011. A malnourished child in a hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia. The United Nations declared famine in two areas of the nation in July.Tyler Hicks—The New York Times/Redux
July 28, 2011. A welder works below ground level as work continues on the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center site in New York. The memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Mike Segar—Reuters
July 29, 2011. A rescuer rests during a break at Sukhodolskaya-Vostochnaya coal mine in the Lugansk region of eastern Ukraine. Eighteen miners died and another 20 were missing after an explosion in the coal mine. Alexander Khudoteply—AFP/Getty Images
July 30, 2011. Lava spewed from a crater of the giant Etna volcano in the southern Italy island of Sicily in Catania. Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe.Marcello Paternostro—AFP/Getty Images
July 31, 2011. One and a half-year-old Muskan, internally displaced by the 2010 Pakistan floods, sleeps in a hammock over cooking utensils inside her family's tent set up along a roadside in Jamshoro, in Sindh province. Akhtar Soomro—Reuters
August 1, 2011. People stand on a memorial on the shore of Tyrifjorden lake overlooking Utoeya island in Norway, where anti-Islam extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 68 people in a shooting rampage in July. Stoyan Nenov—Reuters
August 2, 2011. Indian Muslims break their fast at the Jama Masjid Mosque on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in New Delhi.Manan Vatsyayana—AFP/Getty Images
August 3, 2011. Water levels in New Mexico's Elephant Butte Reservoir in the Rio Grande Valley, whcih are at extreme lows.George Steinmetz for TIME
August 4, 2011. A refugee woman from Somalia carries sticks along with her baby in a new area of Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.Adam Ferguson—VII
August 5, 2011. An Indian Muslim prays after breaking the Ramadan fast at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India. Kevin Frayer—AP
August 6, 2011. A suspected rebel member of Al-Shabab was captured by Amisom (African mission in Somalia) in Mogadishu shortly after the militant group withdrew from the last four districts that they held after heavy fighting through out the night.Antoine de Ras—EPA
August 7, 2011. Fire rages through a building in Tottenham, north London as trouble flared after members of the community took to the streets to demand "justice" after Mark Duggan, 29, was shot dead by police.Lewis Whyld—PA Photos/Landov
August 8, 2011. A Kashmiri Muslim woman cries as she prays at Shah-e Hamdan mosque in Srinagar, India. Altaf Qadri—AP
August 9, 2011. A malnourished sick with TB is being washed by his mother in Banadir hospital. A day after this photo was taken, the child died.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME
August 10, 2011. Fighters with Afghanistan's Taliban militia stand at a cemetery located west of Kabul, near the site where a CH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying US troops crashed, killing 38 personnel including 30 U.S. soldiers.AFP/Getty Images
August 11, 2011. Notes are pinned up at a "Peace Wall" on a boarded-up window of a discount store in Peckham, London, following days of rioting.Marius Becker—DPA/Landov
August 12, 2011. A farmer talks to his daughter in his wooden shed amid a vegetable farm on the outskirts of Hefei in China.Reuters
August 13, 2011. Fireworks brighten the sky over Soma, Japan. The display commemorated those who died after the massive earthquake and tsunami in March.William Daniels—Panos for TIME
August 14, 2011. A Libyan child looks at the sea on a corniche seaside in the rebel stronghold city of Benghazi. Gianluigi Guercia—AFP/Getty Images
August 15, 2011. Pakistani Nargis Shah, 13, plays on a swing along with other children on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan.Nathalie Bardou—AP
August 16, 2011. Niagara Falls, Canada shown at dusk.Paul Sakuma—AP
August 17, 2011. A Jewish Hasidic community member prays in a cave of an old Arab house where they live in Lifta, Jerusalem, Israel. Abir Sultan—EPA
August 18, 2011. A security guard beats a woman for trying to enter a feeding center at a camp for Somalis displaced by drought and famine in Mogadishu, Somalia. John Moore—Getty Images
August 19, 2011. Israeli army troops rest on the Israeli-Egyptian border, following a series of coordinated gun and roadside bomb attacks against military and civilian targets north of the Red Sea town of Eilat, Israel. Uriel Sinai—Getty Images
August 20, 2011. Lightning illuminates the sky as a storm occurs the during a Vigil as part of the World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain. David Ramos—Getty Images
August 21, 2011. Semena (R), a ten-year old wounded Afghan girl, lies in a Medevac helicopter of U.S. Army 159th Brigade Task Force Thunder while being airlifted to a Kandahar hospital.Johannes Eisele—AFP/Getty Images
August 22, 2011. The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall in Washington.Charles Dharapak—AP
August 23, 2011. U.S. soldiers gather near a destroyed vehicle and protect their faces from rotor wash, as their wounded comrades are airlifted by a Medevac helicopter from the 159th Brigade Task Force Thunder to Kandahar Hospital Role 3. Johannes Eisele—AFP/Getty Images
August 24, 2011. The body of a gunman lies in the woods after a shootout with soldiers in Zirahuen near Morelia, Mexico.Leovigildo Gonzalez—Reuters
August 25, 2011. A rebel fighter leaps from a statue within Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli, Libya. Yori Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
August 26, 2011. A photo of Seif al-Islam and Saadi al-Gaddafi, the sons of Muammar Gaddafi, is seen in one of the homes within his former compound in Tripoli, Libya.Seamus Murphy—VII
August 27, 2011. The charred remains of more than 50 people, victims of an alleged massacre by Gaddafi loyalists, lie in a warehouse on a military base in Tripoli. Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
August 28, 2011. Brittney Reese of the U.S. competes during the women's long jump final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.Pawel Kopczynski—Reuters
August 29, 2011. Pro-Gaddafi soldiers rest in a school-turned-prison in Tripoli, Libya.Alexandre Meneghini—AP
August 30, 2011. U.S. Army Sgt. Don Stolle launches a Raven surveillance drone into the air from the Afghan government district center in Achin, Afghanistan. John Moore—Getty Images
August 31, 2011. Policemen and residents run as waves from a tidal bore surge past a barrier on the banks of the Qiantang River in Haining, China.China Daily/Reuters
September 1, 2011. A defaced portrait of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is pictured in Tripoli as the fallen strongman vowed again not to surrender, in a message broadcast on the 42nd anniversary of the coup which brought him to power.Patrick Baz—AFP/Getty Images
September 2, 2011. A U.S. soldier's helmet lies on a mountaintop position on at Observation Post Mustang in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. The area, in northeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, is a major infiltration route by Taliban fighters coming across from Pakistan and has seen some of the heaviest fighting of the war. John Moore—Getty Images
September 3, 2011. A Pakistani girl waits for a ration of rice during a donated food distribution at the Beri Iman, a shrine of famous Sufi Saint Beri Imam, in Islamabad, Pakistan.Muhammed Muheisen—AP
September 4, 2011. Supplies are dropped at Juan Fernandez islands, about 420 miles (670 km) off Chile's coast, during search and rescue operations for a crashed plane. Luis Hidalgo—Reuters
September 5, 2011. Muslim children take baths inside ancient Laddu Hindu Temple in Laddu south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. Yawar Nazir—Getty Images
September 6, 2011. Police officers rescue a girl who was held hostage by a man in Parramatta, an outer Sydney suburb. A man claiming to be carrying a bomb occupied a legal office in Sydney, holding his daughter captive in a security scare believed to be linked to a custody dispute, Australian media said. Daniel Munoz—Reuters
September 7, 2011. Afghan girls practice martial arts at a U.S. funded gym for women in Kabul, Afghanistan. The facility, called the Alzahra Cultural and Sport Association, is the only gym for women in western Kabul and received almost $10,000 as startup money from the U.S. Ambassador's Small Grants Program (ASGP).John Moore—Getty Images
September 8, 2011. An Israeli boy lies on a hammock at a coffee shop next to a part of Israel's separation barrier near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beit Horon. Uriel Sinai—Getty Images
September 9, 2011. Under an ominous sky, Eyadea Elspaie visits the grave site of his son, Tareq Elspaie, who was killed by Gaddafi loyalists in August.Moises Saman—Magnum
September 10, 2011. A plane flies through the "Tribute in Lights" in lower Manhattan in New York. Eric Thayer—Reuters
September 11, 2011. Robert Peraza, who lost his son Robert David Peraza, pauses at his son's name at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial during tenth anniversary ceremonies at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. Justin Lane—Getty Images
September 12, 2011. Residents of the area look on from across a small river at bodies of victims lying on the other side, after a pipeline explosion in Nairobi, Kenya. Ben Curtis—AP
September 13, 2011. A tear runs down a boy's face as he lies on a bench after being treated for his injuries at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan.Fayaz Aziz—Reuters
September 14, 2011. An Afghan police checks a shattered wall as he visits the building which was occupied by Taliban militants in Kabul, Afghanistan. Kamran Jebreili—AP
September 15, 2011. Bo, the Obama family dog, lounges in the West Garden Room of the White House.Chuck Kennedy—The White House
September 16, 2011. A girl runs across a flooded road as water recedes in Puri district, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) from the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneshwar.Biswaranjan Rout—AP
September 17, 2011. Throngs of people attend the Austin City Limits music festival to listen to Coldplay, Kayne West, among other artists in Austin, Texas.Lynsey Addario—VII for TIME
September 18, 2011. A Pakistani child displaced by floods sleep in a hammock at a shanty, in Badin district near Hyderabad, Pakistan.Muhammed Muheisen—AP
September 19, 2011. Roses bloom on a field in Bad Nauheim, Germany. Frank Rumpenhorst—Zuma Press
September 20, 2011. From left to right: Sue O'neal, 65, Texarkana, Mary Anne Green, 54, Wayne green, 59, all members of The Patriot Party, an offshoot of the Tea Party, bow their heads in prayer before a meeting at Big Jakes BBQ in Texarkana, Arkansas.Lynsey Addario—VII for TIME
September 21, 2011. Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during clashes at the Qalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem. Tara Todras-Whitehill—AP
September 22, 2011. A displaced Pakistani child looks on while being held by her mother as they and others take refuge in a college in Tando Muhammad Khan near Hyderabad, Pakistan, after fleeing their flood-hit homes. Muhammed Muheisen—AP
September 23, 2011. Supporters of Yemen's President Ali Abduallah Saleh gather at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, where a Palestinian flag hangs during a rally celebrating his return to Sana'a, Yemen.Hani Mohammed—AP
September 24, 2011. Palestinian woman Lafata Achemed Bedran, the mother of Issam Bedran, is comforted by a relative as family members and friends mourn at the funeral of her son in the West Bank village of Qusra.Heidi Levine—Sipa Press
September 25, 2011. Spain's bullfighter Jose Tomas performs at the Monumental bullring in Barcelona, Spain. Spain's powerful northeastern region of Catalonia bid farewell this year to the country's emblematic tradition of bullfighting with a final bash at the Barcelona bullring.Emilio Morenatti—AP
September 26, 2011. A kid playing with a hammock in Aldea Vasca, Guatemala. Pep Bonet—NOOR
September 27, 2011. An engineer begins the process of conducting a block-by-block inspection of the exterior of the Washington Monument while suspended by ropes in Washington, DC. Win McNamee—Getty Images
September 28, 2011. An Afghan burqa-clad woman leaves her home in Kabul. Ten years after the Taliban was toppled, most of Afghan women continue wearing burqas. Adek Berry—AFP/Getty Images
September 29, 2011. A camel reacts before being sacrificed in honor of those who died during the revolution overthrowing Moammar Gaddafi, during a gathering at the main square in Tripoli, Libya.Alexandre Meneghini—AP
September 30, 2011. "Zain," a Wall Street protester from upstate New York, holds up a sign on in New York City. "I came down because of the state of the economy, society and the system. The rich stomp on the poor, I feel we are at a tipping point," said Zain. Spencer Platt—Getty Images
October 1, 2011. Chinese ethnic minority performers carry baskets on their backs as they perform in a play in Lijiang, Yunnan province.Reuters
October 2, 2011. Ornithologist Cagan Sekercioglu prepares to release a songbird after collecting data and placing a metal tracking bracelet on its foot. Carolyn Drake—Panos
October 3, 2011. A young Israeli Arab boy stands in a mosque in the northern Israeli Bedouin village of Tuba-Zanghariyya, located in Upper Galilee after the mosque was set on fire. The mosque was allegedly vandalized by Jewish extremists. Oliver Weiken—EPA
October 4, 2011. Soldiers of the Transitional Federal Government TFG, army in Somalia performing drills at a base near a frontline.Tony Karumba—AFP/Getty Images
October 5, 2011. A portrait of Kim Il Sung, founder of the communist regime in North Korea, beams from a government building at 6 a.m. in the pariah state's capital, Pyongyang. Damir Sagolj—Reuters
October 6, 2011. A woman uses her iPhone to photograph notes left memorializing Steve Jobs on the exterior of Apple's 14th Street store in New York. Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs died on at the age of 56 after a years-long and highly public battle with cancer and other health issues. Lucas Jackson—Reuters
October 7, 2011. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay laments his team’s fate during the eighth inning of Game 5 of the National League Division Series. The St. Louis Cardinals, thanks to a masterly pitching performance by Chris Carpenter, beat Halladay and the Phillies 1-0 to advance to the League Championship Series against Milwaukee. Matt Rourke—AP
October 8, 2011. In the refugee camp "Hilaweyn," also called "Hells wind," a small boy overlooks the massive camp which is now grown to more than 40.000 refugees.Dollo Ado—NOOR
October 9, 2011. A hat that belonged to a member of Gaddafi's forces is seen on the ground amid spent bullet cartridges during heavy clashes against anti-Gaddafi forces outside the State Security compound in Sirt.Asmaa Waguih—Reuters
October 10, 2011. An Egyptian Christian woman mourns on the coffin of Coptic Christian Mina Daniel, who was killed during clashes with soldiers and riot police, at the morgue of the Coptic Hospital in Cairo.Mohamed Abd El-Ghany—Reuters
October 11, 2011. This file aerial picture shows cars submerged in floods waters at a Honda car factory outside the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok.Christophe Archambault—AFP/Getty Images
October 12, 2011. Four Iranian rapists are hanged in public in Isfahan. Parspix/ABACA USA/Polaris
October 13, 2011. A boy looks at a plume of smoke rising from fuel trucks after they were attacked by unidentified gunmen on a highway near Shikarpur, about 39 km (24 miles) from Sukkur in Pakistan's Sindh province. Nadeem Soomro—Reuters
October 14, 2011. Dew drops cling to spiderweb near Erfurt, Germany.Michael Reichel—EPA
October 15, 2011. A woman holds a wounded relative at a mosque turned into a hospital following clashes with security forces in Sana'a, Yemen. The New York Times/Redux
October 16, 2011. A horrifying 15-car crash cut short the IndyCar World Championship in Las Vegas. The fiery pileup, blamed on unsafe track conditions, claimed the life of driver Dan Wheldon, in car 77.Robert Laberge—Getty Images
October 17, 2011. Tents are pitched in front of St. Pauls' Cathedral on the third day of a protest to occupy the London Stock Exchange in London, England. Oli Scarff—Getty Images
October 18, 2011. In the company of members of his family, Israeli solider Gilad Shalit is guided from an army helicopter. After being captured by Hamas militants in 2006 and spending five years in captivity in Gaza, Shalit was freed in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinians from Israeli jails. Dror Art Zi—EPA
October 19, 2011. An Irish traveler resident holds up a cross for the media, in front of a burning barricade during evictions at the Dale Farm travelers site, near Basildon England, 30 miles east of London. Matt Dunham—AP
October 20, 2011. An image captured off a cellular phone camera shows the arrest of Libya's strongman Muammar Gaddafi in Sirt.Reproduction Philippe Desmazes/AFP/Getty Images
October 21, 2011. A Libyan rebel fighter covers a dead body of an alleged Muammar Gaddafi loyalist, killed by a NATO air strike in outskirts of Sirt, Libya.Guillem Valle—EPA
October 22, 2011. The body of former Libyan dictator Gaddafi lays in a refrigerated chamber usually used for storing vegetables in the Arab Market in Misrata.Lucy Young—Eyevine/Redux
October 23, 2011. An unidentified man holds a copy of the Holy Bible as he stands on the edge of the colonnade that surrounds St. Peter's square at the Vatican, during a beatification Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.Corbis
October 24, 2011. Smoke rises from burning tyres on Periferico Avenue in Guatemala City. Protesters gathered to demonstrate to demand that Congress pass a housing law that will guarantee adequate housing, services and infrastructure for people living in informal settlements without basic services, local media reported.William Gularte—Reuters
October 25, 2011. A woman mourns as she sits next to a grave of her relative, killed during an earthquake, in Ercis, Turkey.Morteza Nikoubazl—Reuters
October 26, 2011. Munition crates are seen at an unguarded storage facility in the desert, some 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of Sirt, Libya. David Sperry—AP
October 27, 2011. Indian men participate in a friendly wrestling competition on a make-shift ring at the juction of a busy road organized as a part of Diwali festivities in Kolkata. Diwali, the festival of light, marks the homecoming of the Hindu God Lord Ram after vanquishing the demon king Ravana and symbolises taking people from darkness to light and the victory of good over evil. Dibyangshu Sarkar—AFP/Getty Images
October 28, 2011. Afghan security men stand next to the wreckage of a civilian car which was hit by a roadside bomb as a U.S.-led coalition convoy moves by, in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. Rahmat Gul—AP
October 29, 2011. A policeman in riot gear arrests a protester at the "Occupy Denver" camp. Following a march by protesters, police tried to tear down some newly-errected tents at the encampment and scuffled with demonstrators. John Moore—Getty Images
October 30, 2011. The shadow of a resident of the restive city of Bani Walid, Libya is caste near the wreck of a rocket propelled grenade on the roof of a damaged building. Marco Longari—AFP/Getty Images
October 31, 2011. Blood is seen on the leg of an Afghan policeman after a suicide bomb attack near a building used by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kandahar.Ahmad Nadeem—Reuters
November 1, 2011. A woman sits next to a grave at a cemetery on the outskirts of Mexico City. Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead and pay homage to their dead relatives by preparing meals and decorating their graves. Berna—Reuters
November 2, 2011. MV Rena is battered by strong seas as it is stuck on Astrolabe Reef, in Tauranga, New Zealand. The stricken vessel encountered a three meter swell, which led authorities to fear it may finally break up.Graeme Brown—Maritime New Zealand/Getty Images
November 3, 2011. Israeli soliders role playing as mock victims lie on the ground during a drill simulating a missile attack in Holon, near Tel Aviv. Nir Elias—Reuters
November 4, 2011. Wide receiver Brice Butler, #19 of the USC Trojans, prepares to lead his team out of the locker room before a game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on in Boulder, Colorado.Justin Edmonds—Getty Images
November 5, 2011. Marcelo Cuadros in Oranjestad, Aruba.Andrew H. Walker—Getty Images
November 6, 2011. Lady Gaga performs at the MTV European Music Awards 2011, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Joel Ryan—AP
November 7, 2011. A young Indian Muslim girl gestures as others offer prayers during Eid al-Adha, meaning "Feast of Sacrifice," in New Delhi, India. Gurinder Osan—AP
November 8, 2011. A sedated Black Rhino is carried by military helicopter away from a poaching area in the hills of the Eastern Cape to a new home 15 miles away, Limpopo, South Africa. EPA/Green Renaissance
November 9, 2011. Supplies are airdropped by parachute from a helicopter for US Marines in the field as a UH-1 Yankee Huey combat helicopter is seen in the foreground at Forward Operating Base Edinburgh in Helmand province, Afghanistan.Behrouz Mehri—AFP/Getty Images
November 10, 2011. The Hohenzollern castle during an atmospheric inversion near Hechingen, Germany. Roland Beck—EPA
November 11, 2011. Tear gas canisters lobbed by Israeli soldiers land during clashes with Palestinian stone throwers following a weekly demonstration against Israeli settlement expansion, in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Abbas Momani—AFP/Getty Images
November 12, 2011. Military families ride through the Rocky Mountains at a Project Sanctuary retreat near Granby, Colorado. The six-day retreat is designed to give active duty and veteran family members time to reconnect with each other, often after years of separation due to military deployments.John Moore—Getty Images
November 13, 2011. Roses dropped at the statue of the disgraced football coach Joe Paterno reveal the conflicted state of mind at Penn State University. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIME
November 14, 2011. Mourners carry coffins and pictures of killed Major General Hassan Moqaddam during the funeral of members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards in Tehran.AFP/Getty Images
November 15, 2011. An Iranian student holds up an anti-U.S. poster as he attends a demonstration to show his support for Iran's nuclear program, before a ceremony to form a human chain around the Uranium Conversion Facility, in Isfahan, 450 km (280 miles) south of Tehran.Morteza Nikoubazl—Reuters
November 16, 2011. An abandoned dog sits on a concrete pipe at a flooded area in Bangkok, Thailand. Sukree Sukplang—Reuters
November 17, 2011. Protesters are seen through smoke from a tear gas canister throw by riot police outside the Embassy of the United States, right, in Athens, Greece.Petros Giannakouris—AP
November 18, 2011. University of California, Davis Police Lt. John Pike uses pepper spray to move Occupy UC Davis protesters while blocking their exit from the school's quad Friday in Davis, Calif. Two University of California, Davis police officers involved in pepper spraying seated protesters were placed on administrative leave November 20, 2011, as the chancellor of the school accelerates the investigation into the incident.Wayne Tilcock—The Enterprise/AP
November 19, 2011. Pope Benedict XVI waves to the Catholic faithful as he arrives at the basilica in Ouidah, Benin. Pope Benedict XVI called on Africa's leaders to stop depriving their people of hope and to govern responsibly, just hours before he planned to unveil a pastoral guide for the continent which attempts to use church doctrine to address Africa's problems.Rebecca Blackwell—AP
November 20, 2011. A man relaxes at the Rudas Bath during "Night of Baths" in Budapest. Bernadett Szabo—Reuters
November 21, 2011. Protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police, not seen, during clashes near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. Tara Todras-Whitehill—AP
November 22, 2011. A protester tosses a tear gas canister, which was earlier thrown by riot police, during clashes along a road which leads to the Interior Ministry, near Tahrir Square in Cairo.Amr Abdallah Dalsh—Reuters
November 23, 2011. A hardcore group of demonstrators remain by the front lines during a lull in the fighting with security forces near Tahrir Square.Moises Saman—Magnum
November 24, 2011. A balloon of video game icon "Sonic the Hedgehog" passes spectators on a balcony during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. John Minchillo—AP
November 25, 2011. A veiled Egyptian woman waits for Friday prayers in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.Tara Todras-Whitehill—AP
November 26, 2011. A dancer from the Guangzhou Military Region Soldier Acrobatic Troupe performs the Chinese "Acrobatic Swan Lake" in Beijing.Jason Lee—Reuters
November 27, 2011. A young girl from a mountain-village nearby the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa plays at a public water pump and waits for her turn to fill her canister. Andy Spyra
November 28, 2011. Police mounted on horses watch over anti-nuclear protesters demonstrating against the passing convoy of trucks transporting containers with nuclear waste in Laase, near Gorleben, Germany.Carsten Koall—Getty Images
November 29, 2011. An Egyptian man is seen through a window as he casts his vote on the second day of parliamentary elections in Cario, Egypt.Manu Brabo—AP
November 30, 2011. Cambodians work late into the night recycling garbage as fires burn at the local garbage dump in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Many children work there part time to help support their families while attending school during the day. Paula Bronstein—Getty Images
December 1, 2011. The Christ the Redeemer statue, top right, is lit in red light to commemorate the World AIDS Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Victor R. Caivano—AP
December 2, 2011. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) hugs Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they meet at Suu Kyi's house in Yangon. Soe Zeya Tun—Reuters
December 3, 2011. Anna Frost competes in the GORE-TEX 50 Mile Race in The North Face Endurance Challenge on December 3, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw—Getty Images
December 4, 2011. A man (2nd R) casts his ballot in his house during the parliamentary election, in the western Russian village of Gryaz, some 470 km (292 miles) from Moscow. Vasily Fedosenko—Reuters
December 5, 2011. Indian army soldiers in camouflage take part in exercise "Sudarshan Shakti" at Bugundi in Rajasthan state's Barmer desert near the India Pakistan border.AP
December 6, 2011. Minutes after a blast that killed more than 50 people during the Shiite holy day of Ashura, the explosion happened next to the Abdul Faz mosque in a crowd watching Hazara Afghans were performing performing ritual flagellation. Joel van Houdt
December 7, 2011. Li Jinlong (C) jumps ropes in Beijing. Students at Da Sun Ge Zhuang Central Primary School practiced skipping rope show as they prepared for a sports cultural exposition.Zhang Naijie—Xinhua/Zuma Press
December 8, 2011. A Congolese riot police officer carries chairs following clashes outside Congolese opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi's headquarters in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Jerome Delay—AP
December 9, 2011. Tom Hilde of Norway sits on a chair lift on his way to second round of the ski jumping World Cup event in Harrachov. Petr Josek—Reuters
December 10, 2011. A Palestinian mourns the body of Ramadan Bahajat Zaalan, 12, during his funeral in Gaza City.Hatem Moussa—AP
December 11, 2011. Palestinian boys throw oranges towards Israeli police during clashes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat. The clashes broke out during a protest against the construction of a new Israeli checkpoint nearby. Ronen Zvulun—Reuters
December 12, 2011. Jumeirah’s Global Brand Ambassador Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, completes a remarkable year with another amazing bunker shot on the helipad at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.David Cannon—Getty Images for Jumeirah
December 13, 2011. A Chinese paramilitary police officer looks at pigeons during a gathering to mourn for the victims in the 1937 Nanjing Massacre on its 74th anniversary, in Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu province.AP
December 14, 2011. Memoona, 23, a survivor of an acid attack, poses for a photograph inside her residence in Karachi, Pakistan.Insiya Syed—Reuters
December 15, 2011. A U.S. military soldier walks past cables for media use before the start of a casing ceremony where the United States Forces- Iraq flag was retired, signifying the departure of United States troops from Iraq, at the former Sather Air Base in Baghdad, Iraq. Mario Tama—Getty Images
December 16, 2011. Shadows of Syrians are reflected on a giant poster showing President Bashar Assad, during a supporting rally in Damascus, Syria. Muzaffar Salman—AP
December 17, 2011. Egyptian army soldiers arrest a female protester during clashes at Tahrir Square in Cairo. Reuters
December 18, 2011. People warm themselves as they wait for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails at Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip.Mohammed Salem—Reuters
December 19, 2011. An Egyptian book restorer lays-out burnt and damaged books to dry in the garden of the Institute of Egypt in central Cairo after the world-famous center caught fire during deadly clashes between security forces and protesters. Mohammed Abed—AFP/Getty Images
December 20, 2011. Indian men bathe on a water pipe above a sewage drain on a cold and foggy morning in New Delhi, India. Kevin Frayer—AP
December 21, 2011. Laser beams creating the image of a large lit Hanukkah menorah are projected on the Hiriya landfill, a former waste disposal site, now called the Ariel Sharon Park, near Tel Aviv, Israel, on the second evening of Hanukkah. Ariel Schalit—AP
December 22, 2011. A Typhoon Washi survivor rests at an evacuation center in the southern Philippines city of Cagayan de Oro. Residents of two southern Philippine cities battered by a storm that left over 1,000 people dead.Erik De Castro—Reuters
December 23, 2011. Hillary Clinton seen between columns during the state funeral of former Czech President Vaclav Havel in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Markus Schreiber—AP
December 24, 2011. Pope Benedict XVI holds up a candle at the window of his private apartment to celebrate the unveiling of the nativity scene in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican.Alessandro Bianchi—Reuters
December 25, 2011. A member of a guard of honor closes a curtain after a welcoming ceremony for the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.Andy Wong—AP
Dec. 26, 2011. An over-speeding car collides with a tree in Gurgaon, India. The car driver sustained minor injuries, according to a local newspaper report. AP
December 27, 2011. Nepalese mahouts guide their elephant with grass across the Rapati river before the eighth International Elephant Race at Sauraha in Chitwan, some 150 Kms southwest of Kathmandu. Prakash Mathema—AFP/Getty Images
December 28, 2011. The funeral motorcade, including a car exhibiting a large portrait of the late Kim Jong Il, drives by the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. Kyodo/Landov
December 29, 2011. A maintenance worker cleans the panels containing names of the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York City. Officials announced that in the 16 weeks since the September 11 memorial opened to the public, it has seen more than 1 million visitors. Spencer Platt—Getty Images
December 30, 2011 A base jumper flies off the Skypark of the Marina Bay Sands resort in downtown Singapore. Seven professional base jumpers from around the world launched themselves off the Public Observation Deck of the Sands SkyPark in quick succession as part of the resort's New Year celebrations. Stephen Morrison—EPA
December 31, 2011. The Circular Mound is illuminated as Beijing celebrates the New Year's Eve at the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing, China.Lintao Zhang—Getty Images

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com