Worldwide --- Mayan Calendar
The end of the Mayan calendar, or the end of the world as some believed, is observed with little to no consequence.
More Information and Timeline For Mayan Calendar
Many people believed that the Mayan Calendar marked the end of the world when the calendar stopped. The date that was believed to correspond to the end of the calendar was December 21st, 2012. There was a faction of people who actually believed that this date would mark the end of the world and it was a much discussed topic in social media, news sources and there were even television specials dedicated to the topic. The world did not end however, and there were no catastrophic incidents to report.
United Kingdom - Diamond Jubilee
1. Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee beginning in February of 2012.
2. Events were held throughout the Commonwealth for the duration of the year to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of her ascension to the throne.
3. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband toured around England for the Jubilee while her children and grandchildren toured the rest of the Commonwealth as her representatives.
4. Notable events included the Thames Jubilee Pageant and “The World Comes to Windsor” equine pageant.
5. The only other time a British monarch celebrated a Diamond Jubilee was in 1897 for Queen Victoria.
United States - Endeavour's Last Flight
The space shuttle Endeavour has its final flight in September.
More Information for the Space Shuttle Endeavour
The Space Shuttle Endeavour has its final flight during September of 2012. The spacecraft flew on top of a modified 747 aircraft, touring across California for a four and a half hour flight before landing at the Los Angeles International Airport. The Space Shuttle Endeavour had 25 total missions and traveled about 123 million miles before its retirement from the shuttle program. After it landed it was carefully transported to its new permanent home at the California Science Center where it would be put on display.
United Kingdom
The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II celebrating the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne in 1952 takes place, with celebrations throughout the year in the United Kingdom and around the world.
United States
A gunman opens fire at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado, killing twelve and injuring fifty-eight people on July 20th. The suspected shooter James Holmes was captured by police and his trial was scheduled for February of 2014.
United States
The Mars Science Laboratory or "Curiosity Rover" successfully lands on Mars.
United Kingdom
The Summer Olympics are held in London, England from July 27th to August 12. The top three medal winning countries during the games were the United States, China and Great Britain. US Swimmer Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time after bringing his medal count to twenty-two at these games.
United States
Austrian Felix Baumgartner becomes the first person to break the sound barrier without mechanical assistance when he jumps over New Mexico on October 14th.
Marvel's The Avengers
The film "Marvel's The Avengers" is released and becomes one of the highest-grossing films.
More Information for the Avengers Movie.
The popular film “Marvel’s The Avengers” premieres in Hollywood, California during April of 2012. The film was adapted from the comic books of the same name and written and directed by Joss Whedon. Actors Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Jeremey Renner, and Tom Hiddleston all played leading roles. The film was a tremendous success and became the third highest-grossing film of all time, making over one billion dollars in ticket sales alone. The Avengers was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects.
Denmark same-sex marriage
Denmark's parliament overwhelmingly approved a law allowing same-sex marriage, the law also covered same-sex weddings in the Church of Denmark. The country was the first in the world to recognize same-sex civil partnerships in 1989 but had not made any mention of same-sex marriage.
US Space Shuttle Endeavour
The retired US Space Shuttle Endeavour has arrived at is final destination in a museum in Los Angeles after its journey was delayed due to trees, street lights, power lines and other such objects being in the way of its path.
China Shenzou-9 capsule
China launched its latest space mission that would include the country's first woman astronaut. Liu Yang, a 33 year old military pilot, was a part of the crew aboard the Shenzou-9 capsule that would spend a week at the Tiangong space lab to test systems and conduct experiments.
Russia
Russia lifts a 26 year old ban on the importation of British beef and lamb after an agreement was made. It had been banned previously due to concerns over the initial BSE (Mad Cow Disease) outbreak in the country.
Transit of Venus
Earth observes the Transit of Venus, a rare astronomical event.
More Information and Timeline for the Transit of Venus
An extremely rare astronomical event called the “Transit of Venus” happens for the second and last time in this century. The event occurred when Venus passed across the front of the Sun, creating a visible shadow of the planet that could be seen on Earth. The event will not happen again until the year 2117 when it is unlikely that anyone living in 2012 would still be alive. The event took place over seven hours spanning across June 5th and 6th and it was visible across seven continents.
Technology 2012
Windows releases the Windows 8 operating system meant for tablets and touch screens.
Sally Ride, the first woman in space, dies at the age of 61 on July 23rd.
The popular iOS photo filter application Instagram releases a version for the Android operating system.
Facebook goes public and its initial stock offering was at $38.00 per share, the current price is $348.83 (Aug. 3rd, 2021). Initial investors were worried about the social media website's ability to make money and approached with caution, this forced Facebook to think of creative ways to monetize the company.
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, dies at the age of eighty-two on August 5.
Major World Political Leaders & Political Leaders 2012
China President Ma Ying-jeou (re-elected - January 14)
Russia President Vladimir Putin (newly elected - March 4)
France President Francois Hollande (newly elected - April 22)
Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto (newly elected - July 1)
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez (re-elected - October 7)
United States President Barack Obama (re-elected - November 6)
South Korea President Park Geun-hye (newly elected - December 19)
Park Geun-hye is elected as the first female president of South Korea on December 19th.
Democrat Barack Obama wins his second term as US President after competing with Republican candidate Mitt Romney
Vladimir Putin is elected president of Russia after previously serving as the Prime Minister, his election is met with some protest.
Hugo Chavez is re-elected as the president of Venezuela, however his failing health prevents him from leading as he undergoes several surgeries and he dies in early 2013.
