As 2014 comes to a close, we look back at the stories that hit the headlines this year...
✰ JANUARY - FEBRUARY ✰
6 JAN: HOLLANDE’S ‘WALK OF SHAME’
French president François Hollande became the centre of a scandal when he was photographed sneaking out of the Paris apartment of his actress lover Julie Gayet. Things went from bad to worse when his wife, Valérie Trierweiler, wrote an explosive, tell-all, ‘wife scorned’ biography, released just in time for Christmas.
14 JAN: SYRIA’S STARVING CHILDREN HIT CRISIS POINT
Reports came out that, desperate to survive, Syrian children were forced to eat cats, dogs and grass to stay alive as the Syrian army encircled opposition neighbourhoods and refugee camps, cutting off food supplies.
17 JAN: WOLF OF WALL STREET
Scorsese’s controversial depiction of real-life fraudster Jordan Belfort took Hollywood – and the rest of us – by storm. However, the biggest shock was the City crowds flocking, not to mock, but cheer on Belfort’s midget- throwing antics.
30 JAN: AMANDA KNOX WAS FOUND GUILTY – AGAIN
Five years after she was jailed for the brutal murder of Meredith Kercher – who was killed in Perugia, Italy, in November 2007 – and three years after she was acquitted of the same charge, Amanda Knox, along with her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, were reconvicted by the Italian courts.
1 FEB: WOODY ALLEN DENIED CLAIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
Dylan Farrow, Allen’s daughter, wrote an open letter in The New York Times recounting historic allegations of abuse by her father. At the time, the claims were found to be unfounded by medics and, since the allegations dated back 20 years, it couldn’t be pursued legally. Allen, who is married to Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, labelled the accusations untrue.
7 FEB: SOCHI HELD THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL WINTER OLYMPICS YET
When Russia made the promotion of homosexuality a crime, many called for a boycott on the Winter Olympics held in Sochi. However, after a decision was made not to bring politics into sport, we saw Great Britain win four medals, equalling our personal record from 1924.
✰ MARCH - APRIL ✰
2 MARCH: 12 YEARS A SLAVE DOMINATED OSCAR SEASON
Steve McQueen’s heart-breaking 12 Years A Slave became the most talked about film of the season and picked up two Oscar gongs – Best Film and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o.
29 MARCH: THE UK SAME SEX MARRIAGE BILL CAME INTO FORCE
The gay marriage bill came into force in England and Wales, with the first same- sex marriage being celebrated on 29 March. Juno and Inception star Ellen Page came out, saying, ‘I am tired of hiding and I am tired of hiding by omission.’
2 APRIL: STRANGER- SHAMING BACKLASH WENT VIRAL
A debate about Facebook group ‘Women Who Eat On Tubes’ was ignited after a photo of a Debrief journalist eating on the train was uploaded to the group.
15 APRIL: NIGERIA’S SCHOOLGIRLS WERE SNATCHED AS THEY SLEPT
276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Nigeria were kidnapped by Islamic militants Boko Haram. A #BringBackOur Girls campaign saw the likes of Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai and Emma Watson lobby the Nigerian government to act. While a handful escaped months later, the majority are still being held.
16 APRIL: SOUTH KOREAN FERRY DISASTER KILLS 300
More than 300 people perished as the MV Sewol South Korean ferry capsized and sank.
28 APRIL: ANN MAGUIRE WAS MURDERED BY SCHOOLBOY
Spanish teacher and mother-of-two Ann Maguire was stabbed and killed by a 15-year-old boy in front of a classroom of pupils at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds.Will Cornick was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 20 years. He had been planning the attack for months and subsequently felt ‘no remorse’.
✰ MAY - JUNE ✰
23 MAY: 22-YEAR-OLD ELLIOT RODGER WENT ON A KILLING SPREE
His chilling YouTube videos preceded a murderous rampage that shocked the world. In his Isla Vista hometown, Elliot Rodger went in search of ‘retribution’ against the women who’d sexually rejected him, leaving six dead and 13 more injured.
10 JUNE: ANGELINA CAMPAIGNED TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN WAR
Angelina Jolie stood alongside William Hague at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London. Her impressive political work promoting peace meant she was made a Dame, and hinted at a wider political ambition.
20 JUNE: ENGLAND WERE DEFEATED IN THE WORLD CUP... AGAIN
Although we were full of the carnival spirit for the Brazilian World Cup, we came, we saw, we left empty-handed.
15 JUNE: TERRY RICHARDSON WENT VIRAL - FOR THE WRONG REASONS
Photographer Terry Richardson, who has worked with Beyoncé and Cara Delevingne, hit the headlines when he was accused of sexually coercing models on shoots. Terry insisted his sexual activity was consensual, but a voracious #nomoreTerry campaign went viral.
24 JUNE: REBEKAH BROOKS WAS CLEARED OF PHONE HACKING
After an eight-month trial, Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of News International, was cleared of all charges in the phone-hacking scandal. Meanwhile, Andy Coulson, who edited News Of The World and later became David Cameron’s communications director, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
✰ JULY - AUGUST ✰
5 JUL: MAGALUF BEGAN A ‘SUMMER OF SHAME’
A three-minute video showing an 18-year- old girl performing oral sex on 24 men in the Spanish party resort of Magaluf, Majorca, went viral and the ‘summer of slut shaming’ began. Meanwhile, the 20-strong group of male participants cheering her on were left unscathed.
8 JUL: THE GAZA- ISRAEL BATTLE REIGNITED
The conflict between Israel and Gaza began again after Israeli air strikes increased following the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers in June.
17 JUL: MALAYSIAN AIRLINES FLIGHT MH17 WAS ‘SHOT DOWN’
For the second time in 2014, a Malaysian Airlines flight ended in tragedy: half an hour after MH17 left Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur the Boeing 777 is believed to have been shot down as it flew over an area of the Ukraine held by pro-Russian rebels. A full, independent investigation is still ongoing.
24 JUL: HRH THE QUEEN –AND THAT PHOTOBOMB
When a pair of Australian hockey players posed for a selfie at the Commonwealth Games, the last thing they expected to see was the Queen beaming behind them.
9 AUG: RIOTS FLARED IN AMERICA
The shooting dead of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white policeman sparked national outrage and a summer of violence. In November, a ruling that stated the policeman would not be charged for the death was announced, reigniting the angry mood.
31 AUG: THE A-LIST INTERNET SEX SCANDAL BROKE
Jennifer Lawrence was one of the stars whose privacy was violated when naked images of her were posted on website 4chan. ‘It is not a scandal... It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting,’ she told Vanity Fair.
✰ SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER ✰
8 SEPT: NUMBER TWO FOR K-MID
Clarence House confirmed that the world’s most anticipated baby, Prince George, is soon to have a baby brother or sister to play with in Kensington Palace.
15 SEPT: BRITISH TOURISTS KILLED IN THAILAND
The bodies of two British tourists, Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach in Thailand. Two Burmese men are currently awaiting trial for their murders.
18 SEPT: IT WAS A NO FROM SCOTLAND
It was a close call, but a final 45:55 split meant Scotland voted ‘no’ to becoming an independent country. The referendum became the most talked about subject on Facebook in 2014, with 3.3 million interactions (likes, posts and comments) on polling day alone.
✰ NOVEMBER - DECEMBER ✰
11 NOV: WE REMEMBERED
TheTower of London was transformed into a poignant memorial when 888,246 poppies were planted in tribute to Remembrance Day in the installation, Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red.
12 NOV: ROSETTA SPACE MISSION LANDS SUCCESSFULLY - AND #SHIRTGATE ENSUES
History was made when the Rosetta mission landed the Philae spacecraft on a comet, after a journey of more than 10 years. But when the leading scientist on the project wore a shirt depicting sexualised women, a debate about its unsuitability given the lack of females in the science sector was ignited.
16 NOV: SOLANGE TIES THE KNOT
The jumpsuits, the capes, the bicycles and no less than six outfit changes... It could only be a Knowles wedding. When Solange got hitched to her beau Alan Ferguson, she did it in true style. The photography was likened to a Givenchy campaign and, of course, big sister Beyoncé was there. Was this the hippest wedding ever?
28 NOV: BLACK FRIDAY CHAOS
Shoppers desperate for a bargain sent Britain bonkers in November when pre-Christmas sales began. The mayhem resulted in arrests and several injuries on the day, during which a record £810 millon was spent.
2 DEC: NEW MUM AND HER BABY FOUND DEAD
Four days after she gave birth, Charlotte Bevan, wearing slippers, her daughter in her arms, walked out of Bristol hospital. Two days later, her body was found in the Avon Gorge, with police discovering the body of her baby close by the following day.