Highest-Grossing Movies 2014 - Business Insider

The Highest-Grossing Movies Of 2014

• MALLORY SCHLOSSBERG
 

• DEC. 24, 2014, 12:20 PM

Guardians of the Galaxy trailerChris Pratt led the box office with two huge movies this year.

This year's box office was one of the worst in recent years.

A lack of really huge summer blockbusters resulted in the lowest domestic box-office since 2007. According to BoxOffice.com, this year's movies made an approximate total gross of $9.9 billion to date.

Superhero movies, family-friendly flicks, and high-profile book adaptations were big hits this year. Marvel did particularly well with several major releases. 

We know "Guardians of The Galaxy" was an unexpected summer blockbuster and that "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" performed well, but which movie reigned supreme at the box office?

We've compiled the highest-grossing movies of 2014.*

*Grosses as of 12/28/14. We will continue to update this post accordingly.

16. "Lucy": $458.9 million

Jessica Forde/Universal Studios

Studio: Universal
Release date: Jul. 25, 2014
Estimated budget: $40 million
Domestic gross:  $126.7 million

The critically divisive sci-fi indie starring Scarlett Johansson as a young woman who could unlock the full potential of the human brain exploded at the box office. It helped that the film made this out to be a female superhero movie starring a popular "Avengers" character. There’s been a lot of anticipation for Johansson to get her own spin-off Black Widow film. "Lucy" proved that even without the rest of the Avengers at her side, Johansson can bring in a large audience. After the film's success, both Warner Bros. and Marvel announced future female standalone movies.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

15. "The LEGO Movie": $468.1 million

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Studio: Warner Bros.
Release date: Feb. 7, 2014
Estimated budget: $60 million
Domestic gross: $257.8 million

"The LEGO Movie" debuted at number one on the box-office charts with a $69.1 million opening weekend, making for one of the biggest February openings ever.

The universal praise for the movie and a catchy theme song from the talented writer-director team of Christopher Miller and Phil Lord ("Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs," "21 Jump Street") helped prove everything about a LEGO movie is awesome. The film's combination of smart, subversive commentary about conformity, pop culture references and Easter eggs, along with top-notch voice talent (Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, and Elizabeth Banks) all made for an appealing movie for both kids and adults. Warner Bros. already has three sequels in the works including a Batman spin-off. 

With no Pixar film this year, "The LEGO Movie" has a good chance at taking home the Oscar for best-animated film. 

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

14. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles": $477.2 million

Paramount Pictures

Studio: Paramount
Release date: Aug. 8, 2014
Estimated budget: $125 million
Domestic gross:  $191.2 million

Even though the movie was critically panned, it still managed to be a box-office success, showing nostalgia and sheer curiosity are powerful tools for bringing in audience members. The movie also starred Megan Fox.

"Ninja Turtles" debuted at number one opening weekend, knocking "Guardians Of The Galaxy" off its box-office throne with $65.6 million opening weekend. The film went on to be one of the highest-grossing movies of the summer. Paramount has no plans on retiring this franchise; it already has a sequel planned for June 2016.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

13. "Rio 2": $498.8 million

Youtube.com/Rio

Studio: Fox
Release date: Apr. 11, 2014
Estimated budget: $103 million
Domestic gross: $131.5 million

The animated Amazon adventure from the makers of the "Ice Age" trilogy featured an all-star cast, including the voices of Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Tracy Morgan, and Bruno Mars. Despite a cast of A-listers, the movie only grossed $39.3 million in its opening weekend. However, it continued to steadily bring in audiences throughout the spring and summer, and became a big hit overseas grossing $367.2 million outside of the US.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

12. "Godzilla": $525 million

Warner Bros./Godzilla trailer

Studio: Warner Bros.
Release date: May 16, 2014
Estimated budget: $160 million
Domestic gross:  $200.7 million

"Godzilla" crushed the box office, grossing a whopping $93.2 million in its opening weekend. It's unsurprising the movie performed well despite lukewarm reviews; "Godzilla" is a bankable name, and with newer technology, the giant lizard monster was more real-looking than ever. 

Director Gareth Edwards brought the monster back to its terrifying roots after 1998's widely-panned disaster starring Matthew Broderick. It helped that marketing heavily revolved around Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") even though he wasn't the main star of the movie. Warner Bros. announced a sequel soon after the movie's release in May. 

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

11. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies": $573.6 million

Warner Bros. / MGM

Studio: Warner Bros. / MGM
Release date: Dec. 17, 2014
Estimated budget: n/a
Domestic gross: $168.5 million

Easily the best "Hobbit" film of the trilogy so far, the final installment should end up even higher on this list, but its rapid ascension up the box office charts and its $90.6 million opening are impressive. Given the heavy anticipation for the film and its loyal fan base, it's unsurprising that this end-of-the-year movie performed so well. The first two "Hobbit" movies made nearly $2 billion combined.

10. "How To Train Your Dragon 2": $618.9 million

DreamWorks Animation

Studio: Fox
Release date: Jun. 13, 2014
Estimated budget: $145 million
Domestic gross: $177 million

DreamWorks Animation's big summer tentpole had the unfortunate timing of being released while hits including "22 Jump Street," "The Fault in Our Stars," and Kevin Hart's "Think Like a Man Too" dominated the box office. Although "Dragon" never hit number one at the box office, the anticipated sequel to the 2010 hit steadily continued to bring in audiences throughout the summer. The movie also made headlines for featuring a subtle — but notable — animated coming-out scene. 

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

9. "Interstellar": $641.3 million

Paramount Pictures

Studio: Paramount
Release date: Nov. 5, 2014
Estimated budget: $165 million
Domestic gross: $171.5 million

Despite the initial hype, this time-travel sci-fi feature starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway opened to a significantly smaller box office than anticipated. However, director Christopher Nolan's latest has continued to bring in audience members throughout the fall, particularly through a surge in IMAX screenings — even throughout the release of "Mockingjay," which was not released in the format. Since beautiful visuals are central to "Interstellar," it's likely that audiences shelled out extra to see the film in the more expensive IMAX format and that Nolan fanboys saw it multiple times to fully comprehend the existential plot. 

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

8. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1": $669.7 million

Lionsgate/The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part I trailer

Studio: Lionsgate
Release date: Nov. 21, 2014
Estimated budget: $125 million
Domestic gross: $289.4 million

The highly-anticipated sequel to 2013's "Catching Fire" arrived right before Thanksgiving, and while reviews were mixed, fans of the franchise still flocked to movie theaters to see Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) back in action and fighting the Capitol.

Audience members were likely anxious to see how the movie would handle the tragic death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose character, Plutarch Heavensbee, is central to "Mockingjay." Though predictions called for a $150 million opening, the film opened to $121.9 opening weekend. However, it wasn't anything to complain over. That figure helped give "Mockingjay" the biggest opening weekend of the year. 

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

7. "Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes": $708.3 million

20th Century Fox

Studio: Fox
Release date: Jul. 11, 2014
Estimated budget: $170 million
Domestic gross:  $208.5 million

The sequel to the 2011 film topped the box-office in its first two weekends in theaters, and continued to steadily profit throughout the summer and early fall, even without headline-maker James Franco! An entirely new director, Matt Reeves, was at the helm of the latest installment of the franchise. Reeves along with motion capture guru Andy Serkis may have accounted for how well "Dawn" performed. Generally solid reviews and impressive special effects certainly helped this movie in its mission to conquer the box office.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

6. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2": $709 million

Sony Pictures

Studio: Sony/Columbia
Release date: May 2, 2014
Estimated budget: $200 million
Domestic gross: $202.9 million

The latest installment in the revamped "Spider-Man" trilogy might have performed well with a seemingly impressive $91.6 million opening weekend but given Spidey's brand recognition (he's the best-selling superhero toy) and a lot of hype for the sequel, it probably should have been the first $100 million opening weekend of the year.

The opening weekend for "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" was worse than any of the movies in the original "Spider-Man" trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, and overall, it's the lowest-performing "Spider-Man" movie of the five. Reviewers weren't particularly taken with the over-bloated installment; critics generally noted that the movie focused on building its franchise and not on storytelling. The movie was by no means a total failure, but it was a box-office disappointment putting into question the future of the Spidey franchise at Sony.

(Source: Box Office Mojo, IMDBpro)

5. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier": $714.1 million

Disney/Marvel

Studio: Buena Vista
Release date: Apr. 4, 2014
Estimated budget: $170 million
Domestic gross: $259.8 million

Marvel had quite the year, beginning with "Captain America" and its $95 million opening weekend. The movie, which saw Captain America (Chris Evans) join forces with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), held the number one position at the box office for three weeks, and it continued to do well throughout the spring and into the summer. Unsurprisingly, Marvel is already gearing up for a third "Captain America" installment in May 2016 called "Captain America: Civil War."  The third film in the series is already planning to be a knock-out with plenty of of superheroes, similar to "The Avengers."

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

4. "X-Men: Days Of Future Past": $746 million

20th Century Fox

Studio: Fox
Release date: May 23, 2014
Estimated budget: $200 million
Domestic gross: $233.9 million

The star-studded franchise took the Memorial Day weekend box office by storm with a $90.8 million opening weekend. Sexual assault allegations against director Bryan Singer didn't hurt the movie as viewers still flocked to the box office to see their favorite mutant action heroes fight Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage). A big draw to the film was the interaction and team up of X-Men from older movies (Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and Hugh Jackman) with those from the newer movies (Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender).

However, the real scene stealer was the introduction of a new fan-favorite, Quicksilver (Evan Peters) a goofy, fast mutant who rapidly frees a young Magneto (Fassbender) from a prison cell 100 floors below the Pentagon. A sequel to the film, "X-Men: Apocalypse" will be in theaters summer 2016.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

3. "Maleficent": $757.8 million

Disney

Studio: Buena Vista
Release date: May 30, 2014
Estimated budget: $180 million
Domestic gross: $241.4 million

The live-action re-telling of Disney's classic tale "Sleeping Beauty" yielded mixed reviews, but one thing was certain: Angelina Jolie was stellar as the titular villain. Despite a modest opening weekend of $69.4 million, the movie continued to pull in viewers throughout the summer. The majority of the movie's financial success came from foreign box offices, as it grossed $516.3 million from theaters outside of the US. 

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

2. "Guardians Of The Galaxy": $772.3 million

Guardians of the Galaxy trailer

Studio: Buena Vista
Release date: Aug. 1, 2014
Estimated budget: $170 million
Domestic gross: $332.5 million

This one was a gamble for Marvel. No one knew whether fans would go out to see an adaptation of an obscure comic. However, 2014 has been the year of Chris Pratt. The "Parks and Rec" star and a soundtrack carefully selected by the film's director James Gunn helped make "Guardians" a huge success. The film opened to one of the largest debuts of the summer ($93.2 million). Additionally, it recieved praise from critics for its mix of humor, action, science fiction, and heart. The movie was also responsible for the introduction of Baby Groot, the tiny, dancing spawn of Groot (Vin Diesel), who became an Internet sensation this summer.

It may also help that director James Gunn is very hands on with his film on social media, sharing behind-the-scenes images and interacting with his fanbase. Fans itching for more adventures with the Guardians can breathe a sigh of relief. A sequel is already in the works and is set for release on May 5, 2017.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

1. "Transformers: Age Of Extinction": over $1 billion

Paramount / Transformers Age of Extinction trailers

Studio: Paramount
Release date: Jun. 27, 2014
Estimated budget: $210 million
Domestic gross: $245.4 million

The worst-reviewed movie on this list is also the highest-grossing one! "Transformers: Age of Extinction" became the highest-grossing film of the year after just two weeks in theaters. The fourth installment of Michael Bay's popular franchise succeeded in part to a $90 million opening in China, making it the largest opening ever in China. Unsurprisingly, a fifth untitled film is already in the works for 2016.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

al shabaab somalia - Business Insider

Al Shabaab's Leader May Be Dead, But The Long Fight Against The Group Provides A Sobering Reminder About ISIS

• ARMIN ROSEN
 
•  

• SEP. 5, 2014, 9:33 AM

APHundreds of newly trained Shabaab fighters perform military exercises in the Lafofe area some 18 kilometers south of Mogadishu on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011.

Some of the most significant news in international terrorism this week happened far away from Iraq and Syria. On September 2nd, a U.S. airstrike targeted Ahmed Abdi Godane, the head of Al Shabaab, the brutal Al Qaeda affiliate that once controlled much of Somalia. The Pentagon confirmed Godane's death on September 5th.

In recent years, Godane had consolidated power, dissolving Shabaab's Shura council and turning the group's secret police into its primary organizing mechanism. As analyst Abdi Aynte explained in an article for the Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, Godane wasn't grooming a successor, and his quest for absolute control had left the group inflexible and weak. "Without Godane as its leader," Aynte writes, "it is difficult to imagine al-Shabaab remaining a cohesive entity."

Even so, Al Shabaab has followed an erratic lifecycle, one that serves as a pessimistic commentary on the possibility of total victory against ambitious and deeply entrenched terrorist groups.

Al Shabaab coalesced after the 2006 U.S.-backed Ethiopian invasion that overthrew the conservative-Islamist Islamic Courts Union, which had set itself up as a de-facto government amidst Somalia's ongoing stateless vacuum. By 2009, an African Union peacekeeping mission was confined to a triangular area between Mogadishu's airport, seaport, and primary government buildings. The rest of the Somali capital, along with hundreds of miles of strategically-vital coastline, was under Shabaab control.

The group's fight against what it portrayed as the invading armies of majority-Christian nations, and its success in holding and defending territory made Somalia a magnet for foreign jihadists. The first documented American suicide bomber blew himself up in the service of Al Shabaab in 2011; Omar al-Hamami, one of the most infamous American jihadists in history, fought for Shabaab, which killed him during an ongoing internal dispute in 2013.

Siegfried Modola/ReutersAn African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) soldier keeps guard on top of an armored vehicle in the old part of Mogadishu on November 13, 2013.

Perhaps most significantly, Shabaab succeeded in transforming itself from a local insurgency into a trans-national jihadist group, killing scores of people in its first major attack outside Somalia — a bombing in Kampala, Uganda during the World Cup in 2010.

Then the Somali famine hit between 2010 and 2012, and Shabaab prohibited international aid organizations from entering hunger-stricken areas.

Over 250,000 people died in one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century — one that Shabaab exacerbated. The famine, and Shabaab's harsh restrictions on areas under its control, caused several of Somalia's major clans to turn on the group, and created the opportunity for the African Union coalition to reclaim territory.

By late 2011, most Mogadishu was under AU control. In 2012, an internationally recognized Somali government ruled from the city for the first time in nearly twenty years. 

Al Shabaab has been fractured and pushed back, its advance curtailed by infighting, opposition from the local population, and a large conventional force backed with Kenyan (and occasionally American) air support. That's turned the group from a territorial power into an insurgency, but it hasn't stopped it from terrorizing the Horn of Africa.

REUTERS

Shabaab has a large inland safe haven and a proven ability to strike throughout its neighborhood. It pulled off a bombing in Djibouti in May 2014, and mounted a devastating large-scale shooting attack at an upscale mall in Nairobi in September 2013. Shabaab is also widely suspected for a series of attacks on Kenyan resort cities throughout 2014.

In August of 2013, Doctors Without Borders took the nearly unprecedented step of shuttering its operations in the country, several years after the group's territorial high-water mark.

Within Somalia, Shabaab has promised to kill off every member of the country's parliament one by one. It's killed six so far in 2014, including Saado Warsame, a former pop singer and one of the parliament's most high-profile female members. It's thrived because of a weak central state that's incapable of defeating it, and contraband networks that allow the group to replenish its coffers.

Aynte argues that Godane's death could greatly curtail Shabaab. But the group's history provides some cautionary lessons for international decision-makers looking for a way forward against the even more menacing terrorist pseudo-state a couple thousand miles to the north, in Iraq and Syria.

Shabaab was only weakened because of a sustained African Union mission in which hundreds of soldiers from neighboring countries were killed. It needed a shift in local attitudes — and a degree of U.S. air support — to finally succeed. And even then, "success" in Somalia meant the establishment of a weak and struggling government in Mogadishu, along with Shabaab's transformation into a virulent insurgency capable of striking beyond Somalia's borders.

If ISIS follows Shabaab's trajectory, the group will constantly morph, remaining dangerous even as its fortunes fade and its structure and nature change. And the effort to defeat it will take years of international vigilance, and locally driven reversals that outside players can't fully predict or control.

Best Photos Of 2014 - Business Insider

Peace on earth, goodwill to men:

Can we make 2015 better than this??

The 50 Most Unforgettable Photos Of 2014

• HARRISON JACOBS
 
•    

• DEC. 19, 2014, 11:26 AM

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

This was a tumultuous year. From revolution and war in Ukraine, Syria, and Israel to social unrest across the US and the Ebola outbreak in Africa, 2014 was anything but quiet. 

And, as the old adage goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

We compiled the most unforgettable images from the past 12 months, captured by photographers from around the world.

Beginning in November 2013, Ukrainians protested the government's decision to distance itself economically from Europe in a movement that became known as EuroMaidan. The protests exploded into violence and burning tires in January after anti-protest laws went into effect. Here, protesters took cover from water sprayed by a fire engine on Jan. 23.

REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

The anti-protest laws banned "face concealments." Protesters, like this one, deliberately disobeyed the law by wearing gas masks.

REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

The Tower of David in Caracas, Venezuela, is the tallest slum in the world. In February, Reuters photographer Jorge Silva went there to capture what life was actually like for those living there. Here, men rested after salvaging metal on the 30th floor.

REUTERS/Jorge Silva

After worries by many that Russia was unprepared for February's Sochi Olympics, this image from the opening ceremony became iconic. The fifth Olympic ring failed to open from the flower-shaped ball to the full Olympic ring.

REUTERS/David Gray

During February protests in Ankara, Turkey, against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (now the country's president) and the ruling Ak Party, riot police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse protesters.

REUTERS/Umit Bektas

At the beginning of the year, protests swept through Venezuela in response to high rates of violence and a lack of basic goods. On Feb. 18, one of the protest's leaders, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, was controversially arrested on charges of arson, terrorism, and homicide.

Reuters, Jorge Silva

Men carrying a casket containing the body of an anti-government protester killed in clashes with police from Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on Feb. 21.

Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

The ever-bloody civil war in Syria continued. This man was holding a baby saved from rubble in Aleppo in February. The baby survived what activists said was an airstrike by forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar Assad.

REUTERS/Hosam Kata

Despite a truce between then-Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych and opposition leaders on Feb. 20, anti-government protesters continued to clash with police in Independence Square in Kiev.

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

In May, after months of political unrest, the Royal Thai Armed Forces overthrew the government of Thailand. Here, members of the "Red Shirt" movement, which supports the overthrown government, attacked a Buddhist monk outside the National Anti-Corruption Commission office, on the outskirts of Bangkok in March.

REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

In the run-up to June's World Cup, Brazil deployed troops to the slums of Rio de Janeiro to rid them of violent crime, drugs, and gangs. The photo shows residents reacting to policemen taking up position before an operation in the Mare slums complex on March 26.

REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

In March, Brazil's national Indian agency, Funai, contacted Indians in the Amazon basin, who had never been contacted by the outside world. When this photographer flew over the Indians in a helicopter, the Indians raised their spears as if to attack the vehicle.

REUTERS/Lunae Parracho

A student at the General Yermolov Cadet School holding two rifles during a field exercise near the southern Russian city of Stavropol in April.

REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko

On April 11, riot police in Rio de Janeiro used pepper spray to clear out this building owned by a telecommunications company in the Telerj slum that homeless people had taken over.

REUTERS/Ana Carolina Fernandes

In early March, the federal government got into a standoff with rancher Cliven Bundy after threatening to impound his "trespass cattle." On April 12, armed protesters joined peaceful protesters against the roundup of the cattle. Here, the photographer caught a law enforcement officer aiming his weapon, as protesters gathered at the Bureau of Land Management's base camp.

REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

On April 14, a bomb exploded during rush hour in Abuja, Nigeria, killing 71. These bystanders reacted as victims of the blast arrived at the Asokoro General Hospital.

REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

Since February, fighting in eastern Ukraine has taken place between pro-Russian and nationalist Ukrainians. Here, an injured pro-Russian soldier was taken out of a car by medical staff at a hospital in Slaviansk in May.

REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Public opinion in Ukraine has been split. Pro-Russian protesters attacked a pro-Ukrainian protester at a rally in Donetsk on April 28. Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, has been an epicenter of fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine.

REUTERS/Marko Djurica

In April, Afghanistan began its first elections in which power would be democratically transferred. The election led to a runoff election in June between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani. This donkey transported ballot boxes to polling stations not accessible by the road.

REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

During the World Cup, Uruguay's Luis Suarez was caught biting the shoulder of Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during the countries' final game in the Group stage. Suarez was banned from nine international games by FIFA.

AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File

On July 8, Israel initiated Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip. Over the course of seven weeks, Israel and Hamas traded bombardment and rocket fire. Ground fighting killed 2,200 people, most of whom were Gazans. Here, one can see smoke and fire from an Israeli strike over Gaza City on July 29.

AP Photo/Hatem Moussa, File

Israelis watched the outgoing rocket fire from Gaza and waited to see Israeli airstrikes from a hill overlooking Gaza.

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The Israel-Gaza conflict resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 Gazans. This boy, the son of Gaza police chief Tayseer Al-Batsh, mourned during the funeral for his parents, who were killed in an airstrike on their home on July 13.

REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

On July 17, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukrainian airspace, near the Russian border. Many believe the plane to have been shot down by pro-Russian separatists with a surface-to-air missile. Debris is shown here shortly after the crash.

Pierre Crom/Getty Images

As the Islamic State (aka ISIS) group advanced across Iraq, people of the minority Yazidi sect, seen as infidels by ISIS, fled toward the Syrian border with hopes of eventually reaching Kurdish territory. Here, they were walking toward the border near the outskirts of Sinjar mountain on Aug. 10.

REUTERS/Rodi Said

Palestinians rescued 10-year-old Mahmoud al-Ghol from under the rubble of a house in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Aug. 3. Nine of the boy's relatives were killed in the airstrike of the house.

REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

On Aug. 9, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. Here, Michael Brown Sr. yelled as the casket was lowered at the funeral for his son on Aug. 25.

AP Photo/New York Times, Richard Perry, File Pool

Protests in Ferguson began in the days following Brown's death. The police response to protesters was aggressive, further inflaming tensions in the community.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Gabrielle Walker, 5, protested Brown's killing on Aug. 17 in Ferguson.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

The drought in California is, by some measures, among the worst on record in the state. Water levels in the state's lakes and reservoirs have reached historic lows. Lake Oroville in Oroville, California, is seen here, nearly dry, on Aug. 19.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Tear gas and eye irritant was used liberally on protesters in Ferguson. On Aug. 20, this man doused his face with milk to counteract the effect of pepper spray, which had been sprayed directly in his eye.

REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Protests erupted in Indonesia on Aug. 21 after losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto said the election was rife with fraud. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters, who were not expecting a violent reaction.

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

Hamas used underground tunnels to conduct raids in Israel. A Reuters photographer got exclusive access in August to see the tunnels used by the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, shown here.

REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa began in December 2013 but received renewed attention in July and August when Liberia closed its borders and began placing areas under quarantine. The woman here stood over her husband, who fell and became unconscious in the Ebola ward in Monrovia, Liberia.

John Moore/Getty Images

The quarantine did not go over well in West Point, Liberia. In August, clashes broke out between Liberian soldiers attempting to enforce the quarantine and the township's residences. The government blocked roads to the compound with barbed wire, tables, and chairs.

John Moore/Getty Images

 

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8. This man's fiancee was on board the plane. He was photographed here on Aug. 26 in the empty house in Tianjin, China, that he planned to decorate with her for their marriage.

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

An Egypt-brokered cease-fire was announced between Israel and Hamas on Aug. 26. Palestinian children held guns to celebrate what they said was a victory over Israel.

REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani

In June, ISIS took over the Iraqi city of Mosul. Kurdish peshmerga fighters have led the fight against ISIS in Iraq. Here, a fighter held a grenade launcher overlooking the edge of Mosul in September.

REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

On Sept. 19, a man scaled the north fence of the White House and broke in past several rings of security. The US Secret Service agent shown here hurried people out of the White House complex after the security alert.

REUTERS/Larry Downing

As Syrian Kurdish refugees fled from ISIS across the Turkish-Syrian border, many things, like this cradle, were left behind. This usually busy border crossing was deserted on Sept. 26.

REUTERS/Murad Sezer

In September, the Communist Party of China announced that while electoral reforms would go forward in Hong Kong, only candidates approved by a committee could run. The youth in Hong Kong responded with protests across the city. This man became a symbol, as protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from tear gas.

Bobby Yip / Reuters

Unrest has continued in Ferguson for more than five months. Activist Cornel West was knocked over by police during a protest at the Ferguson Police Department headquarters in October.

REUTERS/Jim Young

A Doctors Without Borders health worker in protective clothing carrying a child suspected of having Ebola in the group's treatment center on Oct. 5 in Liberia.

John Moore/Getty Images

A golfer hitting a tee shot as African migrants try to cross a border fence from Morocco into Spain's northern African enclave of Melilla in October.

REUTERS/Jose Palazon

In recent years, right-wing religious nationalist Jews have asserted a Jewish right to worship at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (known as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims). The Palestinian women shown here on Oct. 14 shouted and harassed Jewish passersby as they attempted to make their way to the compound. Both women were giving each other a gesture that, in the Middle East, is equivalent to the middle finger.

REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

A woman crawled toward the body of her sister as an Ebola burial team took her for cremation in October. The burial of loved ones is important in Liberian culture, making cremation traumatic for surviving family members.

John Moore/Getty Images

An explosion rocked Kobani, Syria, during a reported suicide car bomb attack by ISIS in the center of the city on Oct. 20.

Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images

During the Hindu religious festival of Chatt Puja in New Delhi on Oct. 30, a Hindu devotee worshipped in polluted waters. Pollutants from sewage waters flow into the Yamuna river.

REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

In August, the European Space Agency's Rosetta space probe rendezvoused with Comet 67P. In November, the Philae landed onto the comet. This is the first true color image of a comet.

AGU

Following the announcement that the Grand Jury declined to indict Ferguson officer Darren Wilson, protests erupted across the town. Twenty-five buildings were set on fire the night after the announcement. This is what the wreckage looked like the day after, Nov. 25.

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Protests against the grand jury decision in Ferguson spread across the country on Nov. 25. In this photo, Sergeant Bret Barnum hugged 12-year-old Devonte Hart at a Ferguson Rally in Portland, Oregon. Hart was holding a sign that said "Free Hugs," which Barnum asked for. The photo has gone viral.