COVER
Person of the Year: Barack Obama (2012 Person Of The Year / BARACK OBAMA)
The campaign wasn't pretty, and the economy worse. But he reasserted himself as a potent architect for a changing America
2012 Person Of The Year (2012 Person Of The Year)
No 2: The Fighter Malala Yousafzai (2012 The Short List / Malala Yousafzai)
In trying to silence this Pakistani schoolgirl, the Taliban amplified her voice. She is now a symbol of the struggle for women's rights all over the world
No 3: The Technologist Tim Cook (2012 The Short List / Tim Cook)
He inherited the most valuable company in the world from one of the greatest innovators in history. In 2012 he made apple his own
No 4: The Power Broker Mohamed Morsi (2012 The Short List / Mohamed Morsi)
Egypt's new president won kudos abroad and curses at home. What he does next could determine the shape of the middle east
No 5: The Discoverer Fabiola Gianotti (2012 The Short List / Fabiola Gianotti)
Finding the tiny Higgs boson took the biggest machine in the arsenal of physics--and help from one woman obsessed with the nature of reality
The Year In Connections (2012 In Brief)
Every romance, bromance and breakup that mattered
The Year In Kims (2012 In Brief)
One controls the media. The other is the leader of North Korea. Other than that, Kim Kardashian and Kim Jong Un have a lot in common
The Year In Quotes (2012 In Brief)
Speech that shaped the world
The Year In Social Media (2012 In Brief)
How we shared and shaped the news on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more
The Year In Pictures (2012 In Brief)
The news through 10 important images
The Year In Things (2012 In Brief)
The definitive robot, recall, painting, pregnancy, IPO, blackout and reunion, plus 19 more top things of 2012
Setting The Stage For A Second Term (2012 Person Of The Year / Barack Obama)
Obama speaks on Dec. 12 with TIME's Rick Stengel, Radhika Jones and Michael Scherer about Lincoln, Marijuana, the Middle East and Hawaii moments
Changing Faces (2012 Person Of The Year / Barack Obama)
A demographic revolution is altering the political playbooks of both parties
The Year In 15 Minutes Of Fame (2012 In Brief / 15 MINUTES)
Video villains, manic moms and science nerds who (fleetingly) made us look.
The Year In Odd Couples (2012 In Brief)
Two sides to 2012's viral stories
The Year In Highs & Lows (2012 In Brief)
Our guide to the winners and losers
The Next America
Against the odds, the President built a new majority
The Decider (2012 / The Last Word)
Don't take our word for it. Choose your own person of the year
The Year In Highlights (2012 In Brief / HIGHLIGHTS)
Influential figures in culture, tech and more reveal what rocked their industries--and hint at good things to come
Tributes (Tributes / 2012 Tributes)
LETTERS
The Year In Covers (Inbox)
Readers' reactions to our biggest stories