Wikipedia:2012 Top 50 Report

Annual Top 50
Based on the Zeitgeist data and prepared with commentary by:

Commentary


 * {| class="wikitable"

! Rank ! Article ! Class ! Image ! About
 * 1
 * Facebook
 * image
 * commentary
 * 2
 * Deaths in 2012
 * image
 * commentary
 * 3
 * YouTube
 * Youtube logo.jpg
 * The online video sharing platform is a consistently popular article, and as such frequently features on the Top 25 Report.
 * 4
 * Fifty Shades of Grey
 * image
 * commentary
 * 5
 * One Direction
 * image
 * commentary
 * 6
 * The Avengers (2012 film)
 * image
 * commentary
 * 7
 * 2012 phenomenon
 * 2012-illustration davidrevoy.jpg
 * This year saw a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, and festivities took place on 21 December 2012 to commemorate the event in the countries that were part of the Maya civilization (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador), with main events at Chichén Itzá in Mexico and Tikal in Guatemala.
 * image
 * commentary
 * 6
 * The Avengers (2012 film)
 * image
 * commentary
 * 7
 * 2012 phenomenon
 * 2012-illustration davidrevoy.jpg
 * This year saw a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, and festivities took place on 21 December 2012 to commemorate the event in the countries that were part of the Maya civilization (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador), with main events at Chichén Itzá in Mexico and Tikal in Guatemala.
 * 2012 phenomenon
 * 2012-illustration davidrevoy.jpg
 * This year saw a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, and festivities took place on 21 December 2012 to commemorate the event in the countries that were part of the Maya civilization (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador), with main events at Chichén Itzá in Mexico and Tikal in Guatemala.
 * This year saw a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, and festivities took place on 21 December 2012 to commemorate the event in the countries that were part of the Maya civilization (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador), with main events at Chichén Itzá in Mexico and Tikal in Guatemala.

Various astronomical alignments and numerological formulae were proposed for this date. A New Age interpretation held that the date marked the start of a period during which Earth and its inhabitants would undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 21 December 2012 would mark the beginning of a new era. Others suggested that the date marked the end of the world or a similar catastrophe. Scenarios suggested for the end of the world included the arrival of the next solar maximum, an interaction between Earth and the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy, Earth's collision with a mythical planet called Nibiru, or even the heating of Earth's core.

Scholars from various disciplines quickly dismissed predictions of cataclysmic events as they arose. Mayan scholars stated that no classic Mayan accounts forecast impending doom, and the idea that the Long Count calendar ends in 2012 misrepresented Mayan history and culture. Astronomers rejected the various proposed doomsday scenarios as pseudoscience refuted by elementary astronomical observations. And just like when the people thought the world would end after Y2k, absolutely nothing happened on or around 21 December 2012.
 * 8
 * The Dark Knight Rises
 * image
 * commentary
 * 9
 * United States
 * image
 * commentary
 * 10
 * The Hunger Games
 * image
 * commentary
 * 11
 * The Big Bang Theory
 * image
 * commentary
 * 12
 * Game of Thrones
 * image
 * commentary
 * 13
 * How I Met Your Mother
 * image
 * commentary
 * 14
 * Barack Obama
 * Barack Obama with artistic gymnastic McKayla Maroney 2.jpg
 * "Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward."
 * image
 * commentary
 * 13
 * How I Met Your Mother
 * image
 * commentary
 * 14
 * Barack Obama
 * Barack Obama with artistic gymnastic McKayla Maroney 2.jpg
 * "Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward."
 * Barack Obama
 * Barack Obama with artistic gymnastic McKayla Maroney 2.jpg
 * "Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward."
 * "Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward."

The incumbent president won the 2012 presidential election against #15. Obama won his reelection bid by a margin of 51.06 to 47.21%. This was the first time since 1944, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt won re-election, that a Democratic president had won by a majority of the electoral votes and over 51% of the popular vote twice. Obama is pictured here alongside artistic gymnastic McKayla Maroney, who was not impressed.
 * 15
 * Mitt Romney
 * [[File:P112912PS-0444 - President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in the Oval Office - crop.jpg|100px]]
 * The former Governor of Massachusetts lost the 2012 presidential election to #14.
 * 16
 * The Walking Dead (TV series)
 * image
 * commentary
 * 17
 * 2012 Summer Olympics
 * image
 * commentary
 * 18
 * Whitney Houston
 * Whitney Houston (cropped3).JPEG
 * Among the famous faces to die this year (#2) was "The Voice", who was known for her powerful, soulful vocals and vocal improvization skills in her three-decade career in music. She accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills on February 11, 2012, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and was covered internationally.
 * 19
 * Gangnam Style
 * Gangnam Style PSY 17logo (8037750783).jpg
 * The viral horse dancing music video for Psy's K-pop song made history as the first YouTube video to hit 1 billion views.
 * 20
 * Justin Bieber
 * image
 * commentary
 * 21
 * Adele
 * image
 * commentary
 * 22
 * Nicki Minaj
 * image
 * commentary
 * 23
 * World War II
 * image
 * commentary
 * 24
 * Breaking Bad
 * image
 * commentary
 * 25
 * India
 * image
 * commentary
 * 26
 * United Kingdom
 * image
 * commentary
 * 27
 * RMS Titanic
 * Stöwer Titanic.jpg
 * This year marked the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
 * 28
 * Adolf Hitler
 * image
 * commentary
 * 29
 * Lionel Messi
 * image
 * commentary
 * 30
 * Eminem
 * image
 * commentary
 * 31
 * The Hunger Games (film)
 * image
 * commentary
 * 32
 * Illuminati
 * image
 * commentary
 * 33
 * List of How I Met Your Mother episodes
 * image
 * commentary
 * 34
 * Rihanna
 * image
 * commentary
 * 35
 * Elizabeth II
 * Elizabeth II (1).jpg
 * Her Majesty celebrated her Diamond Jubilee this year.
 * 36
 * List of The Big Bang Theory episodes
 * image
 * commentary
 * 37
 * Abraham Lincoln
 * image
 * commentary
 * 38
 * World War I
 * image
 * commentary
 * 39
 * Skyfall
 * image
 * commentary
 * 40
 * Mila Kunis
 * image
 * commentary
 * 41
 * 2012 in film
 * image
 * commentary
 * 42
 * Once Upon a Time (TV series)
 * image
 * commentary
 * 43
 * UEFA Euro 2012
 * image
 * commentary
 * 44
 * New York City
 * image
 * commentary
 * 45
 * Glee (TV series)
 * image
 * commentary
 * 46
 * Lana Del Rey
 * image
 * commentary
 * 47
 * Stop Online Piracy Act
 * image
 * A controversial proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. Wikipedia was among an estimated 7,000 other websites that ceased standard operation as part of a coordinated service blackout as an attempt to spread awareness and objection to the bill.
 * 48
 * Selena Gomez
 * image
 * commentary
 * 49
 * Steve Jobs
 * image
 * Still dead.
 * 50
 * Marilyn Monroe
 * image
 * commentary
 * }
 * 39
 * Skyfall
 * image
 * commentary
 * 40
 * Mila Kunis
 * image
 * commentary
 * 41
 * 2012 in film
 * image
 * commentary
 * 42
 * Once Upon a Time (TV series)
 * image
 * commentary
 * 43
 * UEFA Euro 2012
 * image
 * commentary
 * 44
 * New York City
 * image
 * commentary
 * 45
 * Glee (TV series)
 * image
 * commentary
 * 46
 * Lana Del Rey
 * image
 * commentary
 * 47
 * Stop Online Piracy Act
 * image
 * A controversial proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. Wikipedia was among an estimated 7,000 other websites that ceased standard operation as part of a coordinated service blackout as an attempt to spread awareness and objection to the bill.
 * 48
 * Selena Gomez
 * image
 * commentary
 * 49
 * Steve Jobs
 * image
 * Still dead.
 * 50
 * Marilyn Monroe
 * image
 * commentary
 * }
 * Stop Online Piracy Act
 * image
 * A controversial proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. Wikipedia was among an estimated 7,000 other websites that ceased standard operation as part of a coordinated service blackout as an attempt to spread awareness and objection to the bill.
 * 48
 * Selena Gomez
 * image
 * commentary
 * 49
 * Steve Jobs
 * image
 * Still dead.
 * 50
 * Marilyn Monroe
 * image
 * commentary
 * }
 * 50
 * Marilyn Monroe
 * image
 * commentary
 * }
 * commentary
 * }

← Last year's report | Next year's report →