--- description: What a year you were 2014 - here's some of the highlights title: The Highs and Lows of 2014 in 165 seconds image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8404ec01305eda2f/698777365f570f6670b146b6/456326450.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Watch the Highs and Lows of 2014 in 165 Seconds by [Francesca Trianni](/author/francesca-trianni/) and [Carlos Martinelli](/author/carlos-h-martinelli/) Dec 24, 2014 7:00 PM CUT  HONG KONG - SEPTEMBER 29: Protesters wave their cell phones in the air in the streets outside the Hong Kong Government Complex on September 29, 2014 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Thousands of pro democracy supporters have remained in the streets of Hong Kong for another day of protests. Protestors are unhappy with Chinese government's plans to vet candidates in Hong Kong's 2017 elections. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) HONG KONG - SEPTEMBER 29: Protesters wave their cell phones in the air in the streets outside the Hong Kong Government Complex on September 29, 2014 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Thousands of pro democracy supporters have remained in the streets of Hong Kong for another day of protests. Protestors are unhappy with Chinese government's plans to vet candidates in Hong Kong's 2017 elections. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)Chris McGrath—Getty Images by [Francesca Trianni](/author/francesca-trianni/) and [Carlos Martinelli](/author/carlos-h-martinelli/) Dec 24, 2014 7:00 PM CUT 2014 was a year of bearing witness. From grainy footage of police confrontations in the U.S. to acts of senseless violence abroad, this year we saw, we shared and ultimately – we connected. We watched borders being redrawn in Eastern Europe, the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the spread of a microscopic, yet formidable, enemy: the Ebola virus. Some led thousands into [protest](http://time.com/3633973/protest-photos-2014/ "undefined"); some led countries into battle, others [began to heal](http://time.com/3641853/know-right-know-us-cuba/ "undefined") rifts that began half a century ago. Whether it was tragedy, transition or triumph, here’s a look at the most significant actions that helped shape 2014. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3646830/video-highs-lows-2014/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3646830/video-highs-lows-2014/"},"headline":"Watch the Highs and Lows of 2014 in 165 Seconds","datePublished":"2014-12-24T19:00:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-30T11:40:28.834Z","description":"What a year you were, 2014 - here's some of the highlights","url":"https://time.com/3646830/video-highs-lows-2014/","keywords":["Ukraine","Barack Obama","Crime","movies","2014","ISIS","ebola","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8404ec01305eda2f/698777365f570f6670b146b6/456326450.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Francesca Trianni","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/francesca-trianni/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Carlos Martinelli","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/carlos-h-martinelli/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8404ec01305eda2f/698777365f570f6670b146b6/456326450.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pro Democracy Supporters Attempt To Bring Hong Kong To A Stand Still With Mass Rally","caption":"Pro Democracy Supporters Attempt To Bring Hong Kong To A Stand Still With Mass Rally","creditText":"Chris McGrath—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3646830/video-highs-lows-2014/","name":"Watch the Highs and Lows of 2014 in 165 Seconds"}}]}] ```