2012

2012 was a significant year globally, marked by major events in politics, science, culture, and popular mythology. Here’s a breakdown of some key highlights:

Politics & World Events

• U.S. Presidential Election:Barack Obama was re-elected, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
• European Debt Crisis:The crisis deepened, with severe austerity measures in Greece and Spain, and a major bailout for Spanish banks.
• Arab Spring Aftermath:The conflict in Syria escalated into a full-scale civil war. Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood became Egypt's first democratically elected president, though his tenure was short-lived.
• China's Leadership Transition:Xi Jinping was appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party, succeeding Hu Jintao, and began his decade-long leadership.

Science & Technology

• Higgs Boson Discovery (July 4):Scientists at CERN announced the discovery of a new particle consistent with the long-sought Higgs boson, a fundamental piece of the Standard Model of physics.
• Curiosity Rover on Mars (August):NASA's car-sized rover successfully landed on Mars in a dramatic "Seven Minutes of Terror" and began its mission to assess Martian habitability.
• Tech Milestones:Facebook reached 1 billion monthly active users. The iPhone 5 was released with a taller screen.

Culture & Entertainment

• Movies:The year was dominated by blockbusters:

  • The Avengers(Marvel's first major cinematic crossover).
  • The Dark Knight Rises(Christopher Nolan's Batman finale).
  • Skyfall(the celebrated James Bond film).

• Music:PSY's "Gangnam Style" became a worldwide viral sensation, breaking YouTube's view counter at the time.
• Literary Phenomenon:Fifty Shades of Greyby E.L. James became a global bestseller, popularizing the "mommy porn" genre.

The "2012 Phenomenon"

• A widespread cultural fascination, based on a misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, suggested the world would end on December 21, 2012. This sparked countless documentaries, survivalist trends, and pop culture references, all of which culminated in... a normal day.

Sports

• London 2012 Summer Olympics:The Games were held in London, with standout moments like Usain Bolt defending his 100m and 200m titles, and Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time.
• Euro 2012:Spain won the UEFA European Football Championship, defeating Italy 4-0 in the final.

Notable Passings

• Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon)
• Whitney Houston (iconic singer)
• Nora Ephron (renowned writer and filmmaker)

In summary, 2012 was a year of both anticipated milestones (like the Olympics and the Higgs boson) and unexpected global moments. It is often remembered as the year the world didn'tend, but instead saw significant progress and memorable cultural shifts.