Newsround looks back at 2012
- Published
How many of these amazing moments from 2012 do you remember? Who could forget the amazing Super Saturday in August when Team GB won three Olympic gold medals in less than an hour? Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Greg Rutherford made the country proud on 4 August after each taking gold in the Olympic stadium.
Newsround celebrated its birthday in April - we've been on air for 40 years! When Newsround launched in 1972, it was only as a six-week trial. Now there are bulletins nearly every day of the year.
Daniel Craig returned as James Bond in Skyfall. Released in October, the new Bond movie quickly became Britain's most successful film ever, making over £94million from ticket sales in just 40 days. It beat the previous record holder Avatar, which made £94million in 11 months.
One viral video became the surprise soundtrack of 2012! Psy's internet hit Gangnam Style topped the charts across the world and the dance routine was copied by everyone from X Factor stars to Blue Peter presenters, to the head of the UN Ban Ki Moon!
Top Hollywood actors and actresses often get their hand prints set in cement - and in June, it was Uggie the dog's turn! The thespian pooch became famous in the film The Artist. He celebrated his retirement by leaving his paw prints in cement.
One thousand boats sailed along the Thames in a River Pageant to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June. People from all over the world took park and Her Majesty seemed to be delighted by the ceremony - she was on her feet throughout!
Bradley Wiggins wins the Tour de France back in July, becoming the first British man ever to beat the gruelling race.
In August, cyclist Sarah Storey won four gold medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games. It took her career's total to 11 Paralympic golds, equalling the British record held by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and swimmer David Roberts.
David Beckham travelled with the flame from Greece to Cornwall and got to light one of the first London 2012 torches.
In November, President Barack Obama was re-elected for America's top job for another four years, beating Republican challenger Mitt Romney. America's first black president won more than the 270 votes in the electoral college needed to win the race.
Here are the Northern Lights, which appeared over northern England in January. Solar storms on the Sun's surface send out radiation, called the solar wind, that lights up the sky when it collides with Earth's magnetic field at the poles.
The London 2012 Paralympic Games finished with a bang, back in September - with a spectacular closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium.
The CBBC channel celebrated its tenth birthday in 2012. Recognise these faces? It's Sam and Mark with Radio 1's Fearne Cotton - they used to present programmes for CBBC together!
People in Queensland, Australia, had a special treat in November - they witnessed this, a total solar eclipse! Thousands turned out to watch as the Moon passed directly between Earth and the Sun, blocking out the star's light for a few minutes.
In April, a huge visitor attraction opened in Belfast, Northern Ireland, all about the Titanic ship, that tragically sank 100 years ago. Throughout April, events took place to commemorate the great ship's first voyage across the Atlantic, that ended when it hit an iceberg.
In June, it was a familiar story for England at Euro 2012, after they lost on penalties in the quarter-finals, to the mighty Italy. Ashley Young missed a crucial spot kick to end a disappointing tournament for Steven Gerrard's boys.
In showbiz, surely one of the biggest stories of the year is the incredible rise of One Direction, and especially their success in America. In March the lads became the first British group to get their first album to enter the US charts at number one. And then their second album hit the top spot too, in November.
Nasa scientists are excited about their biggest mission to Mars yet - the Curiosity rover touched down on the Red Planet early in August. Its mission will last two Earth years but its power systems will keep it active for much longer...
Andy Murray became the first British man since Fred Perry to win a Grand Slam tennis tournament when he beat Novak Djokovic to win the US Open in September. It was a brilliant year for Andy, who also reached the Wimbledon final and won gold and silver medals at the London Olympics.
Schoolgirl Martha Payne became an internet sensation with her blog about her school dinners, called NeverSeconds, in May. She got loads of supporters including celeb chef Jamie Oliver, and she's now gone on to write a book.
Who could forget the spectacular opening ceremony for London 2012 where 'The Queen' parachuted into the stadium with top movie spy James Bond? Newsround's Ricky says: "We had a temporary studio on top of a tower block near the stadium, so I could see some of the props and the stage arriving - but the show was full of surprises!"
In March, Jenna-Louise Coleman was announced as The Doctor's new companion in Doctor Who. Newsround's Nel says: "Jenna-Louise has already proved she's a great actress. I can't wait to see how her adventures with The Doctor play out!"
Back in April, Newsround's Joe showed some of your superhero designs to the cast of the Avengers film. Can you see your design here? Joe says: "It was amazing seeing Thor and The Hulk laughing their heads off at Multicoloured-Muscleman!"
Daredevil Felix Baumgartner successfully completed a space dive - he jumped out of a capsule at the edge of space and parachuted back down to Earth, in October. He travelled faster than the speed of sound. Newsround's Hayley says: "This story was one of my favourites - Felix is out of this world!"
