They say a good picture is worth a thousand words. In that sense, 2014 could easily be termed a year that even a billion words wouldn’t suffice to describe. As the year comes to a close, we bring to you 50 iconic images that can define this past year—some were happy, some bitter while some just broke our hearts. Take a look at these images and relive 2014!
1. Goetze’s extra-time wonder goal helped Germany lift the World Cup trophy for the fourth time in the history of their wins.
© Reuters
2. Indians were more than happy to flaunt that their social media savvy PM loved clicking selfies and encouraging the trend on Twitter too.
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3. The Ebola outbreak that left thousands dead in Africa shook the entire world.
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4. In July 2014, Israel launched a military operation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip that left close to 3000 people dead.
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5. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was one of the biggest trends that broke the Internet, where celebrities and regular people alike took part.
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6. The Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 went missing over the South China Sea, and 240 lives were lost.
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7. The famous Kim Kardashian photoshoot became the biggest talking point when she posed nude for the Paper Magazine.
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8. Kailash Satyarthi from India and Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan won the Nobel Peace Prize this year, which was a proud moment for the Indian sub-continent.
© AP
9. Indian satellite Mangalyaan landed on the Mars orbit successfully, and it was also the cheapest successful mission.
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10. Ellen Degeneres’ Oscar selfie became such a rage that even Twitter broke down.
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11. Taliban militants killed close to 150 kids in a Peshawar school, leaving the entire nation high and dry.
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12. Curiosity, a car-sized robotic rover exploring Gale Crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, sends a selfie.
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13. Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party became Delhi’s youngest CM, but unfortunately couldn’t stay in the position for more than 49 days.
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14. When 300 girls were kidnapped in the middle of the night by Boko Haram, the entire world got together asking for their release.
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15. Due to torrential rains, floods wreaked havoc on the entire Kashmir region, killing close to 300 people in India.
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16. The F1 champion Michael Schumacher suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident, which landed him in a coma.
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17. Tension escalated between Ukraine and Russia in the disputed territory of Crimea, leading to war and loss of lives.
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18. India’s 29th state, Telangana, was born, with K Chandrashekhar Rao as the Chief Minister.
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19. Salman Khan arranged for a grand wedding of his sister, Arpita Khan, in Hyderabad which saw the entire Bollywood fraternity, including Shah Rukh Khan where the two (erm) kissed and made up.
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20. Uruguay striker Louis Suarez was banned for a few matches after he showed his aggression on field by biting the Italian defender, Giorgio Chiellini.
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21. Shashi Tharoor’s wife, Sunanda Pushkar, died under mysterious circumstances in a Delhi hotel. Most called it a suicide.
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22. Boxer Sarita Devi had refused to accept her Asian Games bronze medal after a controversial bout in Incheon, following which she had to face a one-year ban.
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23. Indian PM Narendra Modi started the Swaccha Bharat Abhiyaan where he even challenged B-town celebs to follow the cleanliness drive.
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24. The famous cab service, Uber, was banned after a 27-year-old woman was raped by an Uber driver.
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25. Australian Cricketer Phil Hughes lost his life when he was injured during a match.
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26. Fawad Khan’s fan following increased manifold after he featured in the movie ‘Khoobsurat’ and on some Pakistani TV soaps.
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27. Congress lost the general elections in 2014 after many years of ruling the nation and BJP came back to power with Modi as the PM.
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28. An ongoing series of protests and civil disorder began the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri.
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29. Tarun Tejpal, the editor-in-chief of Tehelka, was involved in a sexual molestation case when a junior journalist complained of him misbehaving with her.
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30. The Supreme Court of India declared the transgenders as a third gender this year, leading to much joy and revelry in the nation.
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31. Famous actor Robin Williams passed away this year, leaving a big void in the industry.
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32. International heart-throb and actor George Clooney tied the knot this year with a famous lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
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33. Indian PM Modi delivered a fantastic and awe-inspiring speech at the Madison Square this year.
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34. Rihanna’s nude dress created ripples on the Internet after she wore that to CFDA Awards.
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35. Delhi witnessed a series of protests after Nido Tania, a 20-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh, became a victim of racial aggression and succumbed to his injuries.
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36. Political tensions fuelled religious riots between Hindus and Muslims in Trilokpuri area in Delhi.
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37. Kangana Ranaut won the hearts of billions with her amazing portrayal of a simple girl in the movie ‘Queen’ which was appreciated by public and critics alike.
© Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
38. Virat Kohli owned the year 2014 with great performances on the field as well as his alleged relationship with Anushka Sharma.
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39. Hudhud cyclone was a strong tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage and loss of life in eastern India and Nepal during October 2014.
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40. On 4 February 2014, Nadella was announced as the new CEO of Microsoft, the third chief executive in the company's history.
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41. Deepika took the Internet as well as Bollywood by storm by featuring in a series of movies.
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42. A special court in Bangalore sentenced Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa and her three associates to four years imprisonment in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case.
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43. Emma Watson strengthened her hold on feminism with her fantastic speech at the UN for the #HeForShe cause.
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44. Although Alia Bhatt was appreciated for her great work in ‘Highway’, she also proved that dumbness is an art which must be practised to the T.
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45. The massacre that happened in the name of mass sterilisation in Chhattisgarh left 13 women dead, a really sad incident that shook the whole nation.
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46. If there was one child who captured the fancy of millions across the globe, it was Prince George—Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son.
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47. The kiss of love protest was a rage across the nation, where every person came out to the streets and displayed their love for other human beings.
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48. India moved over the fanaticism for cricket and embraced football when the Indian Super League started this year, where a lot of b-town celebs owned the football teams.
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49. Rajkumar Hirani’s movie ‘PK’ made it to the news for two reasons—being absolutely brilliant as a movie and apparently hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.
© UTV Motion Pictures
50. After the Malaysian Airlines MH370 went missing and the MH17 was bombed, a third flight went missing in December—the AirAsia flight QZ 8501, where 162 people were on board.
© Reuters