The end of the __ calendar came and went on December 21, without incident
Mohamed __ was elected President of Egypt, replacing Hosni Mubarak
Superstorm __ made a mess of New York and New Jersey
President Bashar al-Assad of __ faced civil war and pressure to leave office
__ hosted the Summer Olympic Games where Michael Phelps dominated
Congress debated and shelved SOPA: the Stop Online __ Act
Teachers in __ went on strike to protest proposed changes in compensation
Pop star Whitney __ was found dead at the Beverly Hills Hilton at age 48
Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to the Parliament of __, surprising many
The U.S. and Israel continued to watch Iran deny building __ weapons
_ _ sponsored the stratospheric freefall jump of Felix Baumgartner of Austria
An anti-Islamic video on __ __ caused widespread rioting in the Middle East
U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was killed in an attack in __, Libya
The state of __ had its worst wildfire season ever, with 346 homes burned
__ was welcomed to NASDAQ, but has had a bumpy ride since
CIA Director and retired four-star General David __ resigned due to an affair
Government __ took center stage in debates on the fiscal cliff and debt ceiling
__ Putin was elected President of Russia for the third time, amid protests
Kate Middleton, Duchess of __, became pregnant with a Royal baby
The Costa __ ran aground near an Italian island, costing 32 lives
NASA landed the rover __ on Mars to look for evidence of life
__ II celebrated 60 years as Queen of the UK and Commonwealth
The __ __ win the NBA Championship; Giants win the World Series
The UN approves non-member state status to __; the U.S. and Isreal object
Trayvon Martin was shot by George __ in Florida
Sandy Hook __ School suffered one of the worst shootings in U.S. history
Physicists at CERN, Switzerland discovered the __ __, after years of research
President Obama won reelection against __ __, surprising conservatives