compiled by Diana McDermott ’13

January

Cruise Ship Capsizes near Italy

The Costa Concordia, a cruise liner, runs into a coral reef near the Italian island Giglio, killing 30. The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, is charges with manslaughter for taking the ship off its intended course.

February

Pop Superstar Whitney Houston Dies

Whitney Houston, 48, is found dead the night before the Grammy awards. The singer’s fame peaked from the mid 1980s to the 1990s.

March

Beginning of ‘Kony 2012’

A campaign is launched by Invisble Children, a non-profit which works to help children in Africa, to find Joesph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army operating in Uganda. The campaign spread via social media sites, targeting youth to get involved in a major world conflict on a mass scale.

April

Uncertain Cease-Fire Begins in Syria

(Apr. 12): A United Nations (UN) backed cease-fire begins in Syria. (Apr. 13): Thousands of Syrians protest across the country. The demonstrations are seen as a test of the day-old cease-fire. (Apr. 18): While UN representatives attempt to reach an agreement with Syria on how to monitor the cease-fire, government forces attack the city of Homs. (Apr. 19): The UN notes that Syria has not implemented the cease-fire, and the war continues.

May

White Births No Longer Hold Majority in the U.S.

The Census Bureau releases data showing that for the first time, white births no longer compose the majority of births in the United States. Asians, blacks, Hispanics and mixed races make up 50.4 percent of all U.S. births.

June

Supreme Court Upholds Obama’s Health Care Law

The Supreme Court rules that the requirement in President Obama’s health care law for nearly all Americans to secure insurance by 2014 or be fined is constitutional.

July

12 Killed in Aurora, Colorado Theater Shooting

During a late-night screening of “The Dark Knight Rises,” James Holmes, 24, opens fire on the audience. Twelve people were killed and 38 others were wounded. Holmes is arrested and charged with 142 felony.

August

Michael Phelps Wins 22nd Olympic Medal; 18th Gold

Michael Phelps holds the record for being the most decorated Olympian ever, having received 22 medals, 18 of which are gold. Phelps also wins the most Olympic medals in the same event (200 meter Individual Medley) during the summer Olympics in London.

September

YouTube Film Sparks Protests and U.S. Deaths

Protests all over the Middle East break out in respone to a controversial YouTube video made in California. The movie was interpreted as an insult towards Islam. U.S. Libyan Ambassador Chris Stevens loses his life in a planned terrorist attack around the same time.

October

Hurricane Sandy Strikes

Hurricane Sandy, a category four hurricane at its peak, starts in the Caribbean and then hits the Eastern U.S. The storm causes an estimated 60 billion dollars in damages, making it one of the costliest storms in U.S. history.

November

Petraeus Resigns from Post as CIA Director

David Petraeus, a retired four-star general, resigns from his post as director of the CIA, after admitting to an extra-marital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Petraeus had the job since September 2011.

December

Country Veers Closer to the Fiscal Cliff

The “fiscal cliff” is the term for the projected series of tax increases and automatic spending cuts that will take effect with the start of next year unless compromise negotiations succeed. While the plan will reduce the size of federal deficit, most experts and politicians worry that it will send the country back into a recession.