NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft entered interstellar space, becoming the first artificial object to do so.
Both Russia and Vanuatu joined the World Trade Organization raising the total number of members to 157.
England was defeated by South Africa, who became top of the world Test cricket rank.
Julian Assange, who founded WikiLeaks, was given political asylum by Ecuador.
Flooding in Manila, Philippines, claimed the lives of at least 72 people, and 850,000 others were forced to leave their homes.
Flammable vapor caught fire at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California.
Mount Tongariro in New Zealand erupted for the first time in 115 years.
NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars' Aeolis Palus plain.
Female rowing duo Heather Stanning & Helen Glover claimed Team GB's first Olympic medal at the London Olympics.
Queen Elizabeth II of England declared the 30th Olympics opened in London, UK.
The first US woman in space, Sally Ride, died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 61.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was named marshal, placing him at the highest rank in the military.
Ice Age: Continental Drift premiered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The world's tallest tower and Japan's biggest new landmark, the Tokyo Skytree, opened to the public.
The brand-new Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane crashes.
President Barack Obama officially declared his support of same-sex marriage.
The trial of Anders Behring Breivik begins in Oslo.
The Avengers premiered in Los Angeles, California, US.
George Clooney and Martin Luther King III were arrested at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, DC.
A tropical storm named Irina on the island of Madagascar killed 65 people.
The world's tallest tower is completed.
Thieves stole up to 68 Olympic artifacts from a museum in Greece.
NASA successfully put two satellites designed to study the Moon's interior structure into the Moon's orbit.
Former French President Jacques Chirac was convicted of diverting public funds and received a two-year suspended prison sentence.
NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory probe, which carried the Curiosity Rover to Mars.
American romantic fantasy movie 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part I' premiered at the Rome Film Festival.
NTC forces killed Muammar Gaddafi and his son after the Battle of Sirte.
The world's largest Legoland theme park opened in Winter Haven, Florida.
The US military policy 'don't ask, don't tell' came to an end.
Officers closed a highway in Alberta, Canada, after a truck carrying 104 beehives overturned.
Singer legend Amy Winehouse was found dead at her home in London, England.
NASA's space shuttle program finally came to a close when mission STS-135 landed.
The British newspaper, News of the World, published its last-ever edition following a phone-hacking scandal.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched for its final mission.
NASA's Endeavour Space Shuttle landed for its 25th and final time.
Germany abandons nuclear energy.
NASA launched the Endeavour Space Shuttle on the penultimate space shuttle mission.
The FBI's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, was killed by the US Navy Seals and CIA operatives in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot.
An EF4 multiple-vortex tornado destroyed areas of two major Alabama cities: Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.
The movie 'Thor' premiered in cinemas in Sydney, Australia.
The Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer formed.
15,899 lives were lost after a severe 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan.
Space Shuttle Discovery completed its last-ever mission and made its final landing onto Kennedy's runway at 11:57 am EST.
185 people are killed during an earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Myanmar's first elected parliament in half a century convenes.
The Egyptian government shut down 88% of the internet across the country.
The 2011 Egyptian revolution began after years of police brutality and corruption.
Estonia joined the Eurozone and adopted the Euro as its currency.
The 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy was repealed.
