As 2012 draws to a close, some of the biggest websites are pausing to reflect back on the trends that defined the year. Facebook on Wednesday released its own "Year in Review," focusing on some of the most important events, songs, people,
memes and more shared by users.
Facebook "took the pulse of the global community" by observing conversations among its 1 billion users over the course of the year to see what "created the most buzz," according to a post on the Facebook Newsroom blog. Along with its roundup of hot topics, the social network also released a tool that lets users make their own mini-Timeline, highlighting the 20 most important events on their individual profiles.
Browse our gallery below to see the nine biggest moments -- from political to cultural to sporting events, as well as national tragedies -- according to Facebook activity in the U.S. You can also visit Facebook's master list for a comprehensive look at Facebook trends among U.S. users and users around the world in 2012. Feeling even more nostalgic? Then take a look back at Facebook's 2011 retrospective, with galleries of the most-shared news stories from that year, and 2011's most popular Facebook memes.
Then, check out more of our ongoing 2012 year-end coverage by clicking over to our galleries on the top trending topics on Google, the most-shared posts on Twitter, the most popular questions on Ask.com, the top tracks on Spotify, the most-queried consumer gadgets on Yahoo and the biggest news stories searched on Bing.
