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2011 defining moments A look at some of the defining moments of 2011.
Jan. 8th, 2011
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and husband Mark Kelly are interviewed by Diane Sawyer on ABC's “20/20” on Nov. 14. The show featured the first public interview Giffords had given since she was shot in the head in Tucson in January.
Ida Mae Astute
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AP
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Feb. 6, 2011
Green Bay Packers' safety Nick Collins, front, celebrates with teammate Clay Matthews after returning an interception for a touchdown during the first quarter of the NFL’s Super Bowl XLV game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Arlington, Tex. The Packers won 31-25. At week 14 of this year’s NFL season, the team is undefeated.
Paul Sancya
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AP
March 14, 2011
Jordan Wier, left, and her mother, Ann Luskey, walk by a makeshift memorial that sits outside the Lululemon Athletica store in Bethesda, after Jayna Murray was brutally killed in the store by her co-worker, Brittany Norwood. Norwood was convicted of first-degree murder on Nov. 2 in Montgomery County Circuit Court.
Matt McClain
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The Washington Post
March 20, 2011
Vehicles belonging to forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi explode after an airstrike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah. The protests to oust Gaddafi turned into an armed conflict after security forces clashed with protesters in Benghazi in mid-February.
Goran Tomasevic
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Reuters
March 22, 2011
A boat sits atop a building in Otsuchi, Iwate prefecture, Japan, following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated a vast area of northeastern Pacific coast of Japan, killing nearly 16,000 people. It is estimated that reconstruction efforts could cost as much as $300 billion, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in history.
Hiroto Nomoto
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AP
April 2, 2011
Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar waves a flag while celebrating victory during the final of ICC Cricket World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Prakash Singh
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AFP/Getty
April 6, 2011
Protesters demonstrate in front of Capitol Hill, urging government spending cuts. Arguments over government spending have been a major obstacle in Congress all year, with the most recent budget deadline missed over Thanksgiving.
Jewel Samad
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AFP/Getty
April 19, 2011
In April, an air traffic controller allowed a plane carrying first lady Michelle Obama to get closer to another plane than allowed under FAA rules. It was forced to abort its landing at Andrews Air Force Base.
Dario Lopez-Mills
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AP
April 20, 2011
A plane is shown at takeoff in this long-exposure photograph of the control tower at Reagan National Airport in Alexandria. Controversy hit at the airport in April, when a control tower supervisor failed to respond to two planes attempting to land at Reagan National Airport -- one carrying 97 passengers and the other 320 -- because he allegedly fell asleep on the job.
Ricky Carioti
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The Washington Post
April 27, 2011
Donald Trump talks with reporters at the Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, N.H. The “Apprentice” host flirted with a presidential bid earlier this year, during which time he repeatedly raised the issue of President Obama’s country of birth. He ultimately opted against a bid, but he’s gone on to meet with most of the Republican presidential candidates in recent months.
Jim Cole
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AP
April 27, 2011
President Obama's birth certificate, which was released by the White House on April 27. The White House released a longer version of Obama's U.S. birth certificate to try to quiet a debate within Republican circles that he was not born in the United States.
The White House
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Reuters
April 29, 2011
Britain's Prince William kisses his wife, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding in London. Millions tuned in to watch the event, which also broke online streaming records.
Matt Dunham
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AP
April 29, 2011
The Pippa effect: Pippa Middleton earned the unofficial bridesmaid-of-the-year crown after her much-talked-about appearance during the nuptials of her sister, Catherine, and Britain's Prince William. The party planner and socialite remains one of London's most eligible bachelorettes.
Pool
May 1, 2011
In this image released by the White House and digitally altered by the source to obscure the details of a document in front of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Obama and Vice President Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update May 1 on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House in Washington. Hidden from view, standing just outside the frame of this photograph, was a career CIA analyst whose job for nearly a decade was finding the al-Qaeda leader.
Pete Souza/AP
May 2, 2011
People burn a photograph of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as they celebrate his death in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. helicopter raid on a mansion near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, officials said, ending a nearly 10-year worldwide hunt for the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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Reuters
May 2, 2011
People gather in Times Square shortly after the announcement from President Obama that al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden was dead and the United States had his body. Bin Laden was killed in a mansion close to Islamabad, Pakistan, after evading capture for a decade.
Timothy A. Clary
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AFP/Getty
May 5, 2011
Fred Store of Sacramento hands out literature on Constitution Avenue near the Mall in Washington. Store is among a group of about 60 people crisscrossing the United States spreading the message about the end of the world, which was supposed to take place on Oct. 21, 2011, as predicted by Harold Camping, a 90-year-old Christian radio broadcaster from California. Oct. 21, 2011, came and went, without a world-ending incident.
Nikki Kahn
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The Washington Post
May 9, 2011
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, kisses his wife, Maria Shriver, after taking his oath of office in Sacramento on Jan. 5, 2007. Shriver filed for divorce this year.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
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AP
May 17, 2011
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith appear with Oprah Winfrey during a star-studded double-taping of "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular," in Chicago. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" ended its run May 25, after 25 years.
Charles Rex Arbogast
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AP
May 22. 3011
A tattered flag flies from a battered tree in a devastated Joplin, Mo., neighborhood. The tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo., in May -- the United States’ deadliest in nearly 60 years -- left at least 117 people dead, 500 injured and much of the town essentially destroyed. Joplin, a city of about 50,000, took an especially brutal hit from a line of storms that stretched through the central United States, from Texas to Michigan.
Charlie Riedel
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AP
June 15, 2011
Riot police walk in the street as a couple kisses in Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver broke out in riots after its hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, lost in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. The crowd of more than 100,000 Canadian hockey fans turned violent after the game.
Rich Lam
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Getty
June 16, 2011
U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) announces his resignation June 16 in Brooklyn. The resignation came 10 days after the congressman admitted to sending lewd photos of himself on Twitter to multiple women.
Mario Tama
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Getty
July 1, 2011
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II of Monaco kiss on the balcony after their civil ceremony. Celebrations including concerts and firework displays were held across several days and attended by a guest list of global celebrities and heads of state.
Pascal Le Segretain
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Getty
July 5, 2011
Casey Anthony, center, is overcome with emotion after her acquittal on murder charges at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando. Anthony had been charged with killing her daughter, Caylee.
Red Huber
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AP
July 12, 2011
Rupert Murdoch, chief executive of News Corp., and his daughter Elisabeth Murdoch, center, are driven from his apartment in London. News Corp. closed down the News of the World publication after widespread allegations of phone-hacking.
Simon Dawson
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Bloomber News
July 17, 2011
United States' Abby Wambach scores her side's second goal during the final match between Japan and the United States at the Women’s Soccer World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany. Japan defeated the team in overtime.
Michael Sohn
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AP
July 22, 2011
A wounded woman is brought ashore opposite Norway’s Utaoya island (in the distance) after being rescued from a gunman who went on a killing rampage targeting participants in a Norwegian Labor Party youth organization event on the island. At least 17 were killed in the attacks in Norway, a bombing in central Oslo and a series of shootings on the island.
Svein Gustav Wilhelmsen
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AFP/Getty
July 24, 2011
Phyllis Siegel, left, displays her marriage license after she and Connie Kopelov, right, became the first homosexual couple to marry at the Manhattan City Clerk's office in New York. Gay marriages became legal in New York in July 2011, a move championed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and approved by the legislature in Albany one month prior on June 24, 2011.
Jin Lee
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Bloomberg News
Aug. 7, 2011
Firefighters and riot police survey the area as fire rages through a building in Tottenham, north London. A demonstration against the death of a local man turned violent and cars and shops were set ablaze.
Lewis Whyld
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AP
Aug. 18, 2011
Players from Georgetown University men's basketball team and China's Bayi Rockets men's basketball team fight during a game at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena in China. The Hoyas were hit with garbage from fans as they were leaving the stadium.
Feng Yongbin
Aug. 23, 2011
Office workers flee a building at 15th and K streets NW after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake. Although the quake was mild in comparison with many of the natural disasters that took place across the country this year, it did significant damage to some of the District’s biggest landmarks, including the Washington Monument and the National Cathedral.
Bill O'Leary
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The Washington Post
Aug. 27, 2011
A wave crashes over a tidal wall along the boardwalk in Ocean City, Md., as Hurricane Irene approached. While the District largely avoided widespread damage from the storm, many areas across the Eastern Seaboard were hit hard with heavy rain and winds that downed trees and knocked out power for days.
Ricky Carioti
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The Washington Post
Aug. 31, 2011
Floodwaters from the Passiac River fill the streets, covering automobiles, days after Hurricane Irene hit Paterson, N.J. The hurricane caused widespread destruction along its path, killing more than 40 people.
Mark Dye
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Reuters
Sept. 1, 2011
Workers install industrial-strength netting as a precautionary measure against falling limestone, as the Washington National Cathedral prepares to reopen for scheduled events after the August earthquake. Officials said $25 million is needed to repair the damage the cathedral suffered in the earthquake.
Nikki Kahn
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The Washington Post
Sept. 3, 2011
A welcome sign at the entrance of Throckmorton, Tex., where Republican presidential hopeful and Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his family have a hunting camp. Perry received criticism this fall over the camp’s name, “Niggerhead,” which was painted in block letters across a large rock flanking the property’s entrance. Perry has called the name “offensive” and said his father painted over the word shortly after leasing the land.
Miguel Juarez
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For The Washington Post
Sept. 4, 2011
Sherri Schossler checks the rising Patuxent River water overtaking her yard and gaining on the skirt on her mobile home in the Wayson Mobile Court in Upper Marlboro, Md. Oversaturated rivers made some low spots along north and southbound Highway 4 impassable, backing traffic up at midday.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
Sept. 5, 2011
Maryland Terrapins’ quarterback Danny O'Brien has possession of the ball during a football game at Byrd Stadium. The team debuted a new uniform design this year, one that’s considerably louder than their past gear.
Toni L. Sandys
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The Washington Post
Sept. 7, 2011
Chaz Bono, right, and his dance partner, Lacey Schwimmer, laugh while rehearsing for the 13th season of "Dancing With the Stars" in Los Angeles. "I came on this show because I wanted to show America a different kind of man," Bono said after his elimination from the show. "I know that if there was somebody like me on TV when I was growing up, my whole life would have been different."
Matt Sayles
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AP
Sept. 11, 2011
Former first lady Laura Bush, former president George Bush, first lady Michelle Obama and President Obama attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks at Ground Zero in New York.
Carol Guzy
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The Washington Post
Sept. 12, 2011
Miss Angola Leila Lopes reacts after being named Miss Universe, before being crowned at the Miss Universe pageant in Sao Paulo. Lopes was the first Miss Universe from Angola and the first African beauty queen since 1999.
Andre Penner
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AP
Sept. 13, 2011
Members of the protest group Code Pink stand behind Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf at the start of a hearing on the national debt by the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. The panel, often called the "supercommittee,” was created out of the bipartisan compromise during the debt ceiling crisis in August.
J. Scott Applewhite
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AP
Sept. 27, 2011
A jet passes in the distance as Dave Megerle rappels to evaluate earthquake damage to the Washington National Monument in Washington, DC.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
Oct. 4, 2011
Amanda Knox, right, acknowledges the cheers of supporters while her mother, Edda Mellas, comforts her. Knox arrived back in her hometown of Seattle from Rome, after she and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito won their appeal against their conviction in 2009 of killing their British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. The pair had served nearly four years in jail after initially being sentenced to 26 and 25 years, respectively.
Stephen Brashear
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Getty
Oct. 10, 2011
Jacob Griesmer sits in his tent in Freedom Plaza as protesters from Occupy D.C. continue their demonstration. While many Occupy camps across the country have been dispersed by city officials, two camps in the District remain: one in McPherson Square and the other in Freedom Plaza.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
Oct. 13, 2011
South Korea's first couple, Kim Yoon-ok and President Lee Myung-bak, pose for photographs on the North Portico of the White House with Michelle and President Obama before attending a state dinner. Michelle wore a purple gown by the Korean-American designer Doo-Ri Chung.
Alex Wong
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Getty
Oct. 16, 2011
Drivers, including Dan Wheldon, in air at left, crash during a wreck that involved 15 cars during the IndyCar Series' Las Vegas Indy 300 auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas. Wheldon, 33, died in the crash.
Jessica Ebelhar
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AP
Oct. 16, 2011
A crush of spectators gathers to view the newly opened Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial after the dedication in Washington, D.C. The memorial is along the Tidal Basin.
Nikki Kahn
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The Washington Post
Oct. 19, 2011
A sign warning motorists that exotic animals are on the loose rests on Interstate 70 near Zanesville, Ohio. Police with assault rifles stalked a mountain lion, grizzly bear and monkey still on the loose after authorities said their owner apparently freed dozens of wild animals and then committed suicide.
Tony Dejak
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AP
Oct. 21, 2011
Moammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya with an iron fist for 40 years, was killed shortly after he was captured while hiding inside this tunnel in Sirte. He was later buried in an undisclosed location in the desert.
Esam Omran al-Fetor
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Reuters
Oct. 23, 2011
Rescue workers try to save people trapped under debris after an earthquake in Tabanli village near the eastern Turkish city of Van. The death toll in an earthquake that shook southeast Turkey rose to 366, with 1,301 people injured, the Disaster and Emergency Administration said.
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Reuters
Oct. 31, 2011
Newlyweds Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries with Jason Binn, left, and Colin Cowie, right, at “A Night of Style & Glamour” for the couple at Capitale in New York City. Kardashian and Humphries divorced only two months after their made-for-TV wedding.
Dimitrios Kambouris
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Getty
Oct. 31, 2011
An auction sign sits outside the bankrupt Solyndra headquarters in Fremont, Calif., before an auction Oct. 31. Newly released e-mails show that, contrary to White House claims, a major donor to President Obama pushed for a loan to a solar energy company that later went bankrupt. The donor, George Kaiser, pushed White House and Energy Department officials for a second loan for Solyndra in 2010, after the California company had already received a $528 million loan in 2009, the e-mails show. The second loan was not approved. Instead, an investment venture controlled by Kaiser made a private loan that resulted in the firm and other investors moving ahead of taxpayers in line for repayment in case of a default by Solyndra.
Paul Sakuma
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AP
Nov.1, 2011
A man pushes a supermarket trolley in a flooded street next to the Chao Praya river in Bangkok. Authorities insisted they could not ease the flooding crisis for everyone in the city, as anger and misery grew in inundated areas over the lack of assistance from officials. Official death toll topped 500 by early November as the government scrambled to evacuate residents from the flood zone. The Thai government has announced a $4 billion recovery plan.
Nicolas Asfouri
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AFP/Getty
Nov. 5, 2011
Former Penn State football defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky, center, is placed in a police car in Bellefonte, Pa., to be taken to the office of a Centre County Magisterial District Court judge. Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing boys during his tenure as a coach at Penn State, allegedly using a charity organization designed to help troubled boys to find his victims. Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and former Penn State vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz face charges of perjury and covering up a child-sex abuse scandal. Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and Penn State President Graham Spanier were forced to resign from their positions because of the scandal.
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Commonwealth Media Services
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AP
Nov. 10, 2011
The Occupy Wall Street encampment at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan on Nov. 10. The protesters were evicted days later, but the movement had spread across the world, with similar Occupy tent cities in major U.S. cities.
Mike Segar
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Reuters
Nov. 17, 2011
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore announce the launch of their DNA Foundation's "Real Men Don’t Buy Girls" campaign to help end child sex slavery during the Clinton Global Initiative on Sept. 23, 2010, in New York. The couple publicly announced their split just over a year later.
Evan Agostini
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AP
Nov. 27, 2011
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, right, waves to fans as she is presented a check during halftime of an NCAA college basketball game. Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball -- among both men’s and women’s teams -- announced in August that she was diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
Wade Payne
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AP
Nov. 30, 2011
U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Roy Sipe delivers mail to homes in Fairfax on Nov. 30. The Postal Service, which forecasts a record $14.1 billion loss for fiscal 2012, said it hired Evercore Partners to review and advise the agency on restructuring. On Dec. 5, the Postal Service unveiled proposed changes that would slow the delivery of the nation’s mail as the cash-strapped agency seeks to save billions of dollars by closing hundreds of mail processing facilities and cutting tens of thousands of jobs.
Andrew Harrer
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Bloomberg News
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