What Happened in 2012 – What would you Remember? Vote Now
Disclaimer : All efforts have been made to make this image accurate. However Compare Infobase Limited, its directors and employees do not own any responsibility for the correctness or authenticity of the same.
The year 2012 saw many important events. While some received a warm welcome, some were not quite pleasant. Here is a compilation of the events that created a stir and dominated the world's attention in 2012.
Do tell us what you think and which event, according to you, rings out the loudest in 2012? Vote now and see what the others are talking about!
Costa Concordia, the cruise ship owned by Costa Cruises, ran aground in the Tyrrhenian Sea near Isola del Giglio, Italy, on the night of Friday, January 13, 2012, killing 32 and forcing 4200 to evacuate in lifeboats.Read more...
On February 11, 2012, American pop icon, Whitney Houston was found unconscious at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in the suite 434. houston was found submerged in the hot water of her bathtub and was soon declared dead.Read more...
On Friday, July 20, 2012, news of a mass shooting inside the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during the midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises, shook the US. The gunman killed 12 people and injured 58 when he set off tear gas grenades and shot multiple rounds from an assortment of firearms.Read more...
On Thursday, October 25, 2012, US President Barack Obama endorsed a same-sex marriage referendum in the Washington state ballot. He also came out with a formal endorsement of a similar measure in the ballot in Maine and in Maryland.Read more...
On December 14, 2012, an armed gunman, Adam Lanza, shot and wounded two, and killed twenty children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, US.Read more...
On February 6, 1952, the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was celebrated across United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne Read more...
After many weeks of debate and over 12 hours of talks, the finance ministers of the Eurozone countries agreed to give Greece a 130 billion Euros (US $170 billion) second bailout on February 21, 2012. Read more...
On April 1, 2012, the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar (Burma) announced that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi had been elected to the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of the Burmese parliament. This was a historic victory for iconic champion of democracy who had spent over 15 years under house arrest by the military junta.Read more...
On May 23, 2012, Egypt threw its doors open to a historic presidential poll, in a grand culmination of the revolution that started in early 2011. Mohammed Morsi was elected president.Read more...
The US Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed on September 11, 2012, when Islamist militants stormed a lightly defended United States diplomatic mission in Benghazi. Apart from the US diplomat, three other Americans were killed in the attacks.Read more...
On November 15, 2012, Xi Jinping was named the general secretary of China's Communist Party Central Committee, succeeding the incumbent President Hu Jintao. Xi will formally take over as the PRC head of state in March 2013Read more...
On November 29, 2012, the Palestinian National Authority secured a non-member state observer status at the UN General Assembly. The outcome was decided by an overwhelming vote of the General Assembly members.Read more...
The United States formally recognized the opposition forces of Syria as "the legitimate representative" of the Syrian people on December 11, 2012.Read more...
After 244 years of publication, Encyclopedia Britannica stopped production of its iconic multi-volume print edition. The announcement was made on March 13, 2012.
Read more...
Visa, MasterCard, and Discovery sent out a warning to a number of American banks cautioning them about a massive security breach at one of their American credit-card processors on March 30, 2012. Read more...
The social networking giant Facebook Inc. launched its initial public offering (IPO) on May 18, 2012. The IPO was touted to be one of the biggest in technology in what media watchers called a "cultural touchstone". The offering was certainly the biggest in the history of Internet companies Facebook achieved a market capitalization of over $104 billion with the IPO.Read more...
In the biggest protest in the history of the Internet, a number of series of coordinated dissent was staged across the World Wide Web on January 18, 2012, against two proposed laws in the US Congress - the SOPA & PIPARead more...
In one of the rarest celestial phenomena, Planet Venus moved across the face of the Sun as viewed from Earth on June 5 & 6, 2012. A Venus transit of the sun is a very rare astronomical event and the next transit is not likely to be seen in the next 105 years.
Read more...
On Wednesday July 4, 2012, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) revealed in a convention in Geneva that they now have evidence of a subatomic particle, the Higgs Boson, referred to as the God Particle, which provides all other particles their mass and size.
Read more...
The latest and perhaps most successful mission to Mars is the robotic space probe, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). On August 6, 2012 at 1:32 EDT, MSL successfully landed a rover, Curiosity in Gale Crater on the surface of Mars.
Read more...
On Friday, July 27, 2012, Queen Elizabeth II declared the London Olympics open after playing a cameo role in a ceremony celebrating the nation that invented modern sport. The Summer Olympic Games were held between July 27 and August 12, 2012. USA topped the medal tally with 46 golds, 29 silvers, and 29 bronze medals. China followed with 38 golds, 27 silvers and 23 bronze medals.Read more...
The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) threw up a shocker in July 2012 when they commenced formal procedures against seven times Tour de France winner and professional road racing cyclist, Lance Armstrong, for having used illicit performance enhancing drugs. On August 24, 2012, the USADA striped Armstrong of all his wins since August 1998 including his Tour de France wins and handed him a lifetime ban from competitive cyclingRead more...
On October 29, Super storm Sandy charted a destructive course through the eastern coast of the US causing many deaths and much destruction in NYC, New Jersey and many eastern states. The death toll from Sandy in the US has been pegged at 125.Read more...
The year 2012 saw many important events. While some received a warm welcome, some were not quite pleasant. Here is a compilation of the events that created a stir and dominated the world's attention in 2012.
Do tell us what you think and which event, according to you, rings out the loudest in 2012?
Vote now and see what the others are talking about!
People & Society
13-Jan
Costa Concordia Runs Aground
Costa Concordia, the cruise ship owned by Costa Cruises, ran aground in the Tyrrhenian Sea near Isola del Giglio, Italy, on the night of Friday, January 13, 2012, killing 32 and forcing 4200 to evacuate in lifeboats.Read more...
09-Feb
Whitney houston Dies
On February 11, 2012, American pop icon, Whitney Houston was found unconscious at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in the suite 434. houston was found submerged in the hot water of her bathtub and was soon declared dead.Read more...
20-Jul
Aurora Shooting Shocks US
On Friday, July 20, 2012, news of a mass shooting inside the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during the midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises, shook the US. The gunman killed 12 people and injured 58 when he set off tear gas grenades and shot multiple rounds from an assortment of firearms.Read more...
25-Aug
Neil Armstrong Dies
On August 25, 2012, US astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on the Moon, died at the age of 82.Read more...
25-Oct
Obama Supports Same-Sex Marriage
On Thursday, October 25, 2012, US President Barack Obama endorsed a same-sex marriage referendum in the Washington state ballot. He also came out with a formal endorsement of a similar measure in the ballot in Maine and in Maryland.Read more...
14-Dec
Sandy Hook Elementary School Shootings
On December 14, 2012, an armed gunman, Adam Lanza, shot and wounded two, and killed twenty children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, US.Read more...
21-Dec
Doomsday Predictions Fall Flat
Doomsday predictions fell flat on December 21, 2012Read more...
Politics
6-Feb
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II Celebrated
On February 6, 1952, the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was celebrated across United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne Read more...
21-Feb
Second Bailout Package for Greece Approved
After many weeks of debate and over 12 hours of talks, the finance ministers of the Eurozone countries agreed to give Greece a 130 billion Euros (US $170 billion) second bailout on February 21, 2012. Read more...
1-Apr
Aung San Suu Kyi Wins Seat In Myanmar Parliament
On April 1, 2012, the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar (Burma) announced that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi had been elected to the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of the Burmese parliament. This was a historic victory for iconic champion of democracy who had spent over 15 years under house arrest by the military junta.Read more...
23-May
Egyptian Presidential Election Commences
On May 23, 2012, Egypt threw its doors open to a historic presidential poll, in a grand culmination of the revolution that started in early 2011. Mohammed Morsi was elected president.Read more...
11-Sep
US Ambassador To Libya Killed
The US Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed on September 11, 2012, when Islamist militants stormed a lightly defended United States diplomatic mission in Benghazi. Apart from the US diplomat, three other Americans were killed in the attacks.Read more...
6-Nov
US Goes To Poll
On November 6, 2012, US went to poll in a much hyped presidential election in which US President Barack Obama was re-electedRead more...
15-Nov
Xi Jinping elected general secretary of China's Communist Party
On November 15, 2012, Xi Jinping was named the general secretary of China's Communist Party Central Committee, succeeding the incumbent President Hu Jintao. Xi will formally take over as the PRC head of state in March 2013Read more...
29-Nov
Palestine Secures "Non-member State Observer" Status At UN
On November 29, 2012, the Palestinian National Authority secured a non-member state observer status at the UN General Assembly. The outcome was decided by an overwhelming vote of the General Assembly members.Read more...
11-Dec
US Recognizes Syrian Opposition
The United States formally recognized the opposition forces of Syria as "the legitimate representative" of the Syrian people on December 11, 2012.Read more...
Business
13-Mar
Encyclopedia Britannica Discontinues Print Edition
After 244 years of publication, Encyclopedia Britannica stopped production of its iconic multi-volume print edition. The announcement was made on March 13, 2012. Read more...
30-Mar
Visa, Mastercard Report Massive Security Breach
Visa, MasterCard, and Discovery sent out a warning to a number of American banks cautioning them about a massive security breach at one of their American credit-card processors on March 30, 2012. Read more...
10-May
Facebook Launches IPO
The social networking giant Facebook Inc. launched its initial public offering (IPO) on May 18, 2012. The IPO was touted to be one of the biggest in technology in what media watchers called a "cultural touchstone". The offering was certainly the biggest in the history of Internet companies Facebook achieved a market capitalization of over $104 billion with the IPO.Read more...
Science & Technology
13-Jan
Protests Staged Against SOPA & PIPA
In the biggest protest in the history of the Internet, a number of series of coordinated dissent was staged across the World Wide Web on January 18, 2012, against two proposed laws in the US Congress - the SOPA & PIPARead more...
10-Apr
Apple Inc. Market Capitalization Reaches $600 Billion
Apple Inc., the world's most valuable company, surpassed the $600 billion value mark for the first time on April 10, 2012 Read more...
05-Jun
Solar Transit of Venus Commences
In one of the rarest celestial phenomena, Planet Venus moved across the face of the Sun as viewed from Earth on June 5 & 6, 2012. A Venus transit of the sun is a very rare astronomical event and the next transit is not likely to be seen in the next 105 years. Read more...
04-July
God Particle Discovered
On Wednesday July 4, 2012, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) revealed in a convention in Geneva that they now have evidence of a subatomic particle, the Higgs Boson, referred to as the God Particle, which provides all other particles their mass and size. Read more...
04-Aug
Mars Rover Curiosity Lands Successfully
The latest and perhaps most successful mission to Mars is the robotic space probe, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). On August 6, 2012 at 1:32 EDT, MSL successfully landed a rover, Curiosity in Gale Crater on the surface of Mars. Read more...
Sports
27-Jul
2012 Summer Olympic Games Opens To Gala Ceremony
On Friday, July 27, 2012, Queen Elizabeth II declared the London Olympics open after playing a cameo role in a ceremony celebrating the nation that invented modern sport. The Summer Olympic Games were held between July 27 and August 12, 2012. USA topped the medal tally with 46 golds, 29 silvers, and 29 bronze medals. China followed with 38 golds, 27 silvers and 23 bronze medals.Read more...
24-Aug
USADA Hands Lance Armstrong Lifetime Ban
The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) threw up a shocker in July 2012 when they commenced formal procedures against seven times Tour de France winner and professional road racing cyclist, Lance Armstrong, for having used illicit performance enhancing drugs. On August 24, 2012, the USADA striped Armstrong of all his wins since August 1998 including his Tour de France wins and handed him a lifetime ban from competitive cyclingRead more...
Natural Disasters
29-Oct
Super storm Sandy Hits US
On October 29, Super storm Sandy charted a destructive course through the eastern coast of the US causing many deaths and much destruction in NYC, New Jersey and many eastern states. The death toll from Sandy in the US has been pegged at 125.Read more...
Last Updated on: September 30th, 2021