KONY 2012 is a short documentary film which was produced by Invisible Children, Inc., and released on March 12, 2012. The purpose of the film was to make Joseph Kony – an indicted war criminal and a fugitive of the International Criminal Court – globally known in order to have him arrested by the end of 2012. The video went viral and the campaign, which was supported by various celebrities, resulted in a resolution by the United States Senate, and was a factor in the decision to send troops by the African Union.

21 December 2012 was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, and was the subject of many theories of what the date meant. Some saw the date as the beginning of a new era, where the planet and its inhabitants would undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation. Others saw the date as the end of the world, and suggested scenarios such as an interaction between Earth and the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy, or Earth colliding with a mythical planet named Nibiru. Something important that needs to be said here is that Mayan Scholars have stated that no classic Mayan codices forecast impending doom, and the idea that the Long Count calendar ends in 2012 is a misrepresentation of Mayan history and culture.

The Avengers is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics, released in April 2012 as the sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and the end of what is referred to as Phase One. The film grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and became, at the time of its release, the third highest grossing film of all time just behind Avatar (2009) and Titanic (1997), and the highest grossing film of 2012. The film garnered numerous nominations and awards, and set many box office records.

Red Bull Stratos is a project that took place in October 2012, involving Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner. On 14 October, Baumgartner flew about 39 kilometers in a helium balloon, into the stratosphere over New Mexico, United States, before free falling in a pressure suit for about 4 minutes and then parachuting to Earth. The total jump lasted about 10 minutes, and Baumgartner reached a speed of 1,367.64 km/h (843,6 mph) and became the first human to break the sound barrier without any help from any form of engine power. Baumgartner also broke two world records with this project, the first being the highest manned balloon flight, and the second being the highest altitude jump.

On October 9, 2012, while on a bus on the way home from school, Malala Yousafzai is shot on the left side of her head by a Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan gunman, in an assassination attempt as a response to her activism – she was 15 years old at the time. After the shooting she was moved to a military hospital in Peshawar, where a part of her skull was removed to allow room for swelling. On October 12 she was moved to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi, while offers to treat Yousafzai came from all around the world. On October 15, she was moved to the United Kingdom for further treatment, and two days later Yousafzai came out of her coma. Her treatment continued until January 3, 2013, when she was discharged to continue her rehabilitation at her family’s temporary home in the UK.

The Wii U is a gaming console developed by Nintendo, and is their first console to support HD graphics. The successor to the Wii, this console was released in late 2012 and is the first of four eight-generation video game consoles. The system’s primary controller is the Wii U Gamepad, which has a touchscreen, buttons, and sticks, and can be used as both a supplement to the main display or on its own. It is also backwards compatible with all the Nintendo Wii’s software and accessories. It did not reach the success of its predecessor, and production stopped in the beginning of 2017, just two months before the release of the Nintendo Switch.

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting and observation tower located in Sumida, Tokyo. It’s currently the largest tower in the world, and the fifth tallest structure in the world (fourth if you don’t count the Warsaw Radio Mast which collapsed in 1991). The tower is the primary television and radio broadcast site for the Kanto region, and is the centerpiece of a large commercial development funded by the owners of the complex, Tobu Railway. The construction of Skytree started in July 2008, was completed on 29 February (Leap Day) 2012, and opened to the public on 22 May 2012.

“It’s gonna be May” refers to a mondegreen from NSYNCs 2000 song “It’s gonna be me”. On January 29 2012, a Tumblr user posted a picture of Justin Timberlake (a member of the band) with the caption “It’s gonna be May”, poking fun at the fact that the way Timberlake sings me sounds more like he’s singing may. In March of the same year, another Tumblr user posted a picture of a calendar turned to April, with a picture of Timberlake with the text “It’s gonna be May” taped on after the last day. Since then, the meme gets revived (specifically on Tumblr) every year during the last week of April, until May arrives.

Also known as “Potato Jesus”, the botched restoration of “Ecce Homo” refers to the attempt by amateur art restorer Cecilia Jiménez to restore a century-old Spanish devotional fresco. In August of 2012, a Spanish publication released an article about a failed painting restoration that had happened without the permission of the church the fresco previously had been donated to (Jiménez claims otherwise). A redditor submitted the before and after photos and the post became widespread, leading to many photoshopped memes of the failed restoration. The restoration was later named “Potato Jesus” in a 4chan thread.