This year was a significant one: Military conflicts that horrified us, sporting events that thrilled us, climate disasters that devastated us, and pop culture moments that enraptured us created a rollercoaster of emotions. Getty Images created a "2023 Year in Review" showcasing the photos that highlighted many of these big events — or small, personal moments — in beautiful, haunting, or engrossing ways.
Here's a selection of those photos, along with the captions from Getty for added context:
Content warning: Some of these photos contain disturbing content, including death.
1. The NYE fireworks display lit up the London sky for the first time since the pandemic to start the year.
2. In China, the lunar new year was celebrated with traditional red lanterns, pictured here.
3. Drag queen Brigitte Bandit testifies against anti-drag laws in Texas. As a woman assigned female at birth, Brigitte's unique position in the drag community shines a light on the laws' many hypocrisies.
4. In June, much of the northeastern US was covered in an orange haze due to massive wildfires in Canada.
5. This view from Los Angeles shows the intense levels of snow the area received from record-level winter storms late in the season.
6. Northern California was hit with flooding later in the same month.
7. And it was enough to cause more than $1 billion in damage, including landslides like this one.
8. In parts of northern California, the snowfall was so high that it covered roofs of homes.
9. Meanwhile, earlier in the year, ski areas of the Alps were without nearly any snow at all.
10. High-altitude surveillance balloons made headlines in February, creating both allegations of international spying and rumors of alien aircraft.
11. The war in Ukraine continued, with the death toll reaching tens of thousands and the refugee crisis continuing.
12. Here, Ukranian volunteers perform training exercises.
13. And nighttime drone warfare has become another tool in the Ukrainian military's arsenal.
14. Former US President Donald Trump was indicted on 37 felony counts in the Department of Justice's classified documents probe. Here, boxes of classified documents are shown stored in a bathroom in Mar-a-Lago.
15. Katie Porter engaged in some subtle trolling during the House Speaker voting.
16. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey, causing massive damage throughout Turkey and northern Syria.
17. An EF-4 tornado hit Mississippi in March. In recent years, tornadoes have been hitting areas that are historically less likely to have them, including the Deep South.
18. This stunning shot shows a bolt of lightning striking One World Trade Center.
19. This colorful photo shows hundreds of Muslims praying during Eid al-Fitr.
20. Here, Taylor Swift performs during the first night of the Eras Tour, which became a cultural phenomenon this year.
21. The US leg of the tour ended in Los Angeles, with Swift announcing 1989 (Taylor's Version), her re-recording of the original album. Between the tour and the in-theater release of the concert film, it's estimated that the Eras Tour boosted the US economy by $4.6 billion.
22. The other massive tour this year was Beyoncé's Renaissance tour, which is also estimated to have boosted the US economy by about $4.5 billion. Here, Beyoncé dances with daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
23. And here is the stunning set/gown worn by Dolly Parton while performing at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
24. Flooding continued in California as the Central Valley was hit with heavy rainfall in April.
25. Meanwhile, in May, parts of India faced an unprecedented drought, with water reservoirs dipping below 10% in the state of Maharashtra.
26. Here, South Koreans carry decorated lanterns to celebrate the official birthday of Buddha.
27. The Spanish Women's National Team won the 2023 World Cup, an incredible achievement that was unfortunately marred by a sexism controversy.
28. American soccer star and activist Megan Rapinoe retired in October, after a 14-year pro career, four World Cup appearances, and two World Cup wins.
29. Barbie became a cultural phenomenon over the summer, with fans dressing up in pink to attend the movie in theaters.
30. Mitch McConnell had multiple events wherein he appeared to "freeze" while speaking during press conferences.
31. This photo captures a gravity-defying trick during the X Games in California.
32. And this one shows an athlete practicing their high dive at the World Aquatics Championships.
33. Lupita Nyong'o was just one of many celebrities to join the picket lines to support the SAG-AFTRA and the Writer's Guild of America strikes, which combined lasted more than 100 days and shut down most Hollywood productions before studios agreed to deals.
34. Phoenix, Arizona was just one of several spots in the US to see major heat waves. In July, Phoenix saw more than 25 consecutive days of 110-degree-plus heat, causing dangerous conditions for all residents, but especially the unhoused population.
35. Here, a civilian woman walks past South Korean troops engaging in military exercises in Seoul.
36. A massive earthquake hit Morocco in September, killing more than 2,600 people and destroying homes and buildings in a wide area near Marrakesh.
37. Bakhmut, Ukraine has sustained heavy damage from the fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russian invaders.
38. The famous sycamore tree on Hadrian's Wall in the UK was cut down on a September night. Suspects are currently in custody, and no motive has been found as of yet.
39. The "blue supermoon" was much-photographed during August of this year.
40. Here, the largest remaining glacier in Africa — the Lewis Glacier — is shown having diminished in size over the years due to rising temperatures.
41. This photo shows Australian surfer Olivia Ottaway in French Polynesia, where the surfing events for the 2024 Olympics will be held.
42. This dramatic shot shows Simone Biles stepping onto the floor for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
43. Lahaina, Maui was devastated by fires during a storm and only began to reopen some commercial and tourist areas in October. Many residents are still displaced.
44. This image shows the aftermath of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio caused by the Norfolk Southern Rail Company.
45. The derailment included train cars that were carrying hazardous chemicals, much of which have found their way into the air and water of the surrounding area. Here, water samples are collected from nearby creeks that show a multicolored sheen caused by spilled chemicals.
46. Here, Prince William touches the crown of his father, King Charles III, during the King's Coronation Ceremony in May. King Charles ascended to the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September of 2022.
47. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, delivered the keynote speech at the OpenAI DevDay conference. OpenAI owns and operates ChatGPT, the text-based AI chatbot that took the internet and the business world by storm this past year.
48. Musician and activist Sinéad O'Connor's funeral procession made its way through her home town in Ireland following her death in July at age 56.
49. Here, Tel Aviv residents take cover in a bomb shelter during attacks that Hamas took responsibility for.
50. Here, a Palestinian woman holds the body of her deceased child, reportedly killed by Israeli bombing in Gaza.
