Photos

The Most Surprising Photos of 2013

From selfies with the Pope to a bear on a rope

How The World Celebrates New Year's Eve

Around the globe, people say goodbye to 2013 and ring in '14

Window on Infinity: A New Year's Photo Album From Space

The universe has been around for 13.8 billion years, and has been gorgeous for every one of them-as this year-end collection of images from 2013 helps prove.

Christians Celebrate Across the Globe

Pictures from Christmas observances the world over

2013: The Year in Global Protest

Ice Storm Paralyzes Toronto

Winter storm Gemini brought freezing rain and wind, knocking out power for over 250,000 people

David Guttenfelder: TIME's Instagram Photographer of the Year

With his intimate photos from North Korea, the Associated Press photographer has managed to peel back the curtain of the Hermit Kingdom

Tiny Beauties: Life's Smallest Wonders As Seen Through a Microscope

Marking its 10th anniversary, the BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition attracts the works of microscopy lovers worldwide

South Africa's Poor Tune In to Mandela's Funeral

Residents of one of the country's impoverished townships watched Madiba's funeral from home

Nelson Mandela's Funeral in Pictures

The anti-apartheid leader was buried in his boyhood home of Qunu, South Africa

A Spiraling Crisis in the Central African Republic

International concerns deepen as clashes between Muslims and Christians in the troubled country continue

Mourning Madiba: South Africans Say Goodbye to Nelson Mandela

The day after Nelson Mandela's memorial service in Johannesburg, South Africans say goodbye to their beloved former president

Rain-Soaked Crowds Gather at Mandela Memorial

Leaders from around the world joined thousands of South Africans in Johannesburg on Tuesday to remember the legendary anti-apartheid advocate who passed away at the age of 95

The Year's Most Beautiful Photos From Space

Cosmic photography is always breathtaking, so a full year's worth of images provides plenty of choices. Here are some of 2013′s highlights.

Kiev's Pro-West Protests Paralyze Ukraine

Protesters are calling on Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych to not jettison his nation's move towards integration with the European Union

The World Reacts to Nelson Mandela's Death

Celebration and mourning for the anti-apartheid leader sprung up from Johannesburg to London to Washington

Thailand on the Brink

Anti-government protesters clashed with riot police in an attempt to unseat Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

Dozens of Tornadoes Devastate Midwest

Leaving at least 7 people dead

Shi'ite Muslims Around the World Celebrate Ashura

Typhoon Haiyan Cuts a Path of Destruction Across The Philippines

Sell, Give Away and Destroy: the Dismantling of America's Presence in Afghanistan

The exodus of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is a messy affair thanks to all the stuff brought in to fight a 12-year war

The 11 Most Mysterious Celebrity Deaths

Some say actor and comedian Andy Kaufman is still alive, but his is far from the superstar death

Stunning Pictures Show How People Around the World Watched the Rare Solar Eclipse

The sun underwent a rare "hybrid" solar eclipse Sunday. How people watched was as interesting as what they watched.

Burma's Small-Scale Oil Barons Get Their Hands Dirty

Manual drilling for 30 dollars a day

Window on Infinity: Pictures from Space

A comet closes in for a Holiday rendezvous with Earth, while new stars are born in the Elephant Trunk Nebula, and the coldest place in the universe shows its face. In other words, just another month in space.

Protests Over Brazilian Oil Auction Rock Rio

As international oil companies bid for rights to explore a vast oil field off the Brazilian coast at an auction in a swanky Rio de Janeiro hotel, protesters massed outside and clashed with police

Before Angelina: Portraits of Breast Cancer Previvors and Survivors

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, TIME photographed 15 women who chose to have preventative double mastectomies, years before Angelina Jolie's New York Times Op-ed renewed the conversation about the genetic risk factors and surgical decisions.

Australian Wildfires Feared to Fuse Into a 'Mega-Fire'

The wildfires raging in New South Wales, Australia's most crowded state, have razed homes and led to at least one death.

North Koreans Splash in New Water Park

Pakistan's Struggle for Power

In Karachi, Pakistan's coastal metropolis, countless residents deal with power cuts - and find creative ways to steal from and work around the country's deeply flawed electricity grid

Scenes from Peru's Cocaine Capital

For thousands of years in Peru-coca has been involved in daily life.

The Lone Family: Life in a Syrian Ghost Town

The only family remaining in the desolate village of Kfar Lata

Fukushima Fallout: The Half-Lives of Nuclear Refugees

To this day, the plant still leaks toxic, radioactive water and tens of thousands of "nuclear refugees" from nearby towns are still outcasts in their own land.

An Ancient Refuge for Those Fleeing Syria's War

Many refugees from Aleppo and neighboring Idlib province have fled to the countryside. Some have taken shelter in an ancient Roman ruins near Kafer Rouma.

Window on Infinity: Pictures from Space

From an explosion on the sun to a successful docking of a commercial spacecraft with the International Space Station, to a frog sent accidentally flying by a NASA rocket launch, it was an exciting month in the space biz-unless you're the frog.

Mars Like You've Never Seen It Before

In a stunning new book, This is Mars, editor and designer Xavier Barral makes visual magic from images captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Epic Earthquake Kills Hundreds in Pakistan

A massive 7.7 temblor in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan has wiped out whole villages and claimed at least 325 lives, with the death toll expected to climb.

A Rare Glimpse at The Sporting Life

Famed French photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue captures the spirit of early 20th-century athletics in a new anthology of black-and-white stills, out Oct. 31.

Nairobi Shopping Mall Shootout Leaves At Least 68 Dead

A group of masked gunmen opened fire at an upscale Nairobi mall Saturday, leading to a fierce firefight with police and injuring dozens.

Pakistanis Mourn Church Bombing Victims

A suicide attack by two bombers on a landmark church in Peshawar killed 75 and wounded many more, in one of the most violent attacks on Pakistani Christians in recent history.

D.C. Horror: Shooting at Navy Yard

The Monday morning rampage sent shockwaves through the city, grounding flights and locking down schools as the manhunt continues for those responsible.

Inside the Googleplex

Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters is as diverse-and sometimes bizarre-as the company's many innovative projects.

Sit and Stay: Iconic Images of Hollywood Stars and their Dogs

A selection of images from the new book 'Hollywood Dogs: Pictures from the John Kobal Foundation,' out Sept. 23.

The Death of an American Icon

Aerospace giant Boeing is planning to shut down a historic manufacturing facility in Long Beach, California, a vestige of a golden era in aviation when manufacturing jobs fueled the state's middle class.

Philippine Troops' Clash With Muslim Rebels

Deadly clashes continue in the southern city of Zamboanga, as Philippine government forces and fighters from the separatist Moro National Liberation Front face off for the ninth day

Intense Rains Cause Deadly Flash Floods in Northern Colorado

Torrential rains have caused at least 4 deaths near Boulder as floodwaters destroy roads and spark mudslides.

Voyager 1: Snapshots From the Journey

After 35 years spent journeying through the solar system, Voyager 1 is now, officially, an interstellar spacecraft. Here are some of its more elegant photos.

The Bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church

On September 15, 1963, two and a half weeks after Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, a dynamite bomb set by members of the Ku Klux Klan erupted at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Crowded and Epic: Climbing Japan's Mt. Fuji

300,000 people make the ascent yearly, with hundreds of climbers going for the the 12,388-ft. peak at a time

According to Assad's Instagram, It's All Smiles in Syria

Syria's embattled leader is using social media to broadcast his vision of the country to the world.