Costa Concordia Disaster. The year in which the world would observe the Centennial Anniversary of the sinking of The Titanic began with another tragedy at sea when, on January 13, the Italian luxury cruise liner the Costa Concordia partially sank off the coast of Tuscany. More than 4,300 people were evacuated and more than 30 people lost their lives in the disaster.

The Death of Whitney Houston – February 11, 2012. Lauded by many as “The voice of her generation,” singer/actress/producer Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA on February 11. Speculation about the cause of the singer’s death abounded for weeks in the wake of her death at 48, and coverage of her 3 hour-long funeral service on February 18 dominated news worldwide.

The Conviction of Jerry Sandusky. The shocking allegations of sexual abuse in Happy Valley first broke in the fall of 2011. In June of this year, former Penn State Assistant Football Coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of 48 charges of sexual abuse against young boys; and in October, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison for his crimes.

The retirement of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Born out of the disaster of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the construction of Endeavour was approved by Congress in 1987. She would see her first flight in May of 1992. Endeavour was installed on October 14, 2012 in her final resting place at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, CA.

The London Summer Olympics. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England offered all of the pageantry thrills and drama that audiences have come to expect. Among some of the most powerful stories to emerge from the Games included US gymnast Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas – who would make history by becoming the first African-American gymnast to win the overall individual competition and the first American gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics.

Aurora, CO Shooting. In an eerie example of history repeating itself, the state of Colorado – the locale of the infamous Columbine Shootings of 1999 - was yet again rocked by a mass shooting tragedy when, on July 20, lone shooting suspect James Eagan Holmes set off tear gas and opened fire in a Century cinema during a midnight screening of the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises.

Lance Armstrong. The sports saga that would span a career, and anti-doping investigation that would span from June to October, came to an end with cycling champion Lance Armstrong being deemed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to be a “serial cheat” guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong would ultimately be banned from competition and stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles.

Trayvon Martin. Outrage and the calls for justice crossed class and color lines when details of the February 26^th fatal shooting of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman began to emerge. Zimmerman’s claim that Martin – who was dressed in a hoodie sweatshirt – looked “suspicious” sparked nationwide movements in which celebrities from Muhammad Ali to the Miami Heat released photos of themselves donning hoodies in support of justice for the slain youth.

Superstorm Sandy. From October 22 – October 31, the Category 2 storm ravaged the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States. Preliminary estimates of property damage and business interruption exceeded $65 billion dollars.

U. S. Presidential Election. In what many consider one of the most divisive and hotly contested campaigns in recent memory, U. S. President Barack Obama, on Tuesday, November 6, succeeded in his bid for re-election against Republican candidate and former Governor of Massachusetts Willard “Mitt” Romney.