2012 - stifled yawn or furrowed brow of concern?

[sp1814]

In your opinion, what was the news story that you'll remember 2011 for?

The death of Gadaffi?
The British riots/looting?
The Eurozone crisis?
Anders Behring Breivik introducing the world to an alternative form of terrorism?
The end of the News Of The World / hacking scandal?
The Japanese earthquake?
The continuing efforts of Frankie Boyle and Jeremy Clarkson to prove themselves 'Britain's Biggest fungal infection'?

Or has this been just another slightly boring year? 

[boxtops]

I'd go for the Gadaffi story, liberation of Libya.

[237SJ]

The Arab Spring

[HonestJezza]

when it was shown that the Prius was less fuel efficient than the M3, that was a major shock

[tiggerblue10]

The death of Osama Bin Laden.
Japanese earthquake.
The riots (particularly in Croydon, very near to me).

[sara3]

I'd say Bin Laden, too..

[askyourgran]

Japanese earthquake.

[owdhamer]

2012 could be a clenched buttocks year

[seadogg]

Something a bit more personal. Rising inflation and falling stock markets.

[sp1814]

Just chatting with three mates and we all put the riots near the top of the list - and then looked up 'top news stories uk 2011' in Google...and we'd all completely forgotten the royal wedding.

Don't know what that says.

Personally, my biggest news story is successfully giving up smoking after 30 years. Much more important that Pippa's bottom...

[mushroom25]

maybe kim-jong-il will sneak in under the wire - who knows what the north korean military will do to divert attention from internal turmoil.....

[emmie]

Kim il jong won't be sneaking under any wire, seeing how he has passed away. And probably would go for the Eurozone crisis.

[VHG]

>>Kim il jong won't be sneaking under any wire, seeing how he has passed away.

That is what mushroom25 was alluding to, his death, and he may "sneak under the wire" as a late entrant to top news item of 2011.

[emmie]

VHG, wasn't sure, anyway another despot gone the way of all man, but will his son be any different ?

[maggiebee]

Another slightly boring year for me.

[Kromovaracun]

Lots of prolific writers who I admire/have "grown up" reading and watching have died this year (Richard Holmes & Christopher Hitchens immediately spring to mind, but some others as well). But I'm a mere youngling so it probably made a bit more of an impression on me. Meaning no disrespect, I get the impression I'm a little bit less used to familiar figures/influences dying than other ABers might be :P.

The riots for me were easily the most fascinating thing to happen in 2011, albeit in an uncomfortable way. In terms of current affairs, it's probably them and the Arab Spring I'll mostly remember the year for. (I had no interest at all in the Royal Wedding so I probably won't remember the year for it). Feels a bit weird to isolate them though as the year has been extremely eventful both for me and the world, and like most people I'm far more likely to remember the year for events in my own life.

I think 2011 does quite well to demonstrate the Chinese proverb about the misfortune of living in interesting times, though... (Forgive the paraphrasing, I can't remember the exact wording).