A monstrous dust storm tore through Phoeniz, Ariz. in July, delaying flights, causing power outages and swallowing the city. The "haboob" dust cloud reached heights of 8,000-10,000 feet, and in some areas about 50 miles wide.

Ten years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Robert Peraza pauses by his son Robert David's name at the 9/11 memorial.

Christian protesters protect Muslims during prayer in Cairo, Egypt. The Tahrir Square protests were a site of violent clashes between demonstrators and police this fall.

A female rebel fighter fires an AK-47 in the air to celebrate the withdrawal of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces from Benghazi during Arab Spring.

A policeman detains an opposition activist on March 12, 2011. Azerbaijan police detained more than 30 activists of the opposition Musavat Party when its members took to the street of Baku to protest against the ruling elite.

Members of Obama's national security team receive news that Osama bin Laden has been killed on May 1, 2011.

Hurricane is one of the terrifying natural disasters; it has claimed several lives and destroyed several properties.

A man in China saves a woman from committing suicide after her fiance called off their marriage. The startling image quickly became a viral sensation.

Lt. John Pike sprays UC Davis students with pepper spray during a peaceful campus protest. The incident sparked outrage, and hacker collective Anonymous attempted to launch a vendetta against Pike, publishing his contact information and urging people to spam him with hate mail.

An aerial shot of the aftermath of Japan's tsunami.

A phone hangs off the hook at the New York Stock Exchange.

Violence breaks out between demonstrators and riot police at occupy Oakland. Escalations between demonstrators and cops would lead to the injuring of Iraq war vet Scott Olsen.

Navy buddies celebrate the first Gay Pride Parade hosted by current and former U.S. servicemen and women.

A man sits in front of what remains of his home in Joplin, Miss. Tornadoes across Southern states like Missouri and Alabama devastated small towns in the spring of 2011.

Police spray opposition party leaders with colored water during demonstrations in Kampala, Uganda on May 10. Riots erupted after a brief stalemate when opposition leader Kizza Besigye said he had been barred from re-entering the country.

A student demonstrating in favor of education reform is punched by a police officer in Chile. Students were demanding a new framework

A supporter is reflected in her iPad as she listens to Sarah Palin at a Tea Party Express rally in Manchester, N.H. “At its most basic, and least cynical, political campaigns are about politicians trying to connect with voters, and voters connecting with a particular candidate," photographer Bryan Singer said.

A demonstrator shows his backside to riot police in Brussels as part of a March 24 protest by European workers and trade union representatives. The protesters were working toward better job protection in E.U. countries.

A protestor walks through flames caused by the London riots in August.

A U.S. Army soldier high-fives a young boy during patrol in Pul-e Alam, a town in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan.

Chile's Puyehue volcano erupts,forcing over 3,000 people to evacuate and causing air traffic cancellations across South America, New Zealand and Australia.

Helicopter footage reveals gunman Anders Behring Breivik prowling the edge of Utoeya island, near Oslo. Breivik's terror attacks were some of the worst mass killings in Norway's history.

A boy plays with a swing in a flooded street in Bangkok, Thailand. The record monsoon rains of mid-November were one of the country's worst recent natural disasters, killing hundreds and swamped some of the country's estimated 3,000 crocodile farms.

The face of Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs is replicated in "stickies" on the window of the Apple store in Munich, Germany. Jobs passed away after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.