Our Favorite Websites Release 2012 Tributes

It's that time of the year again. 2012 is coming to an end and people are looking back at the year's most memorable incidents.

If you're one of those who wish to reminisce on the year that was, you're in luck. Google and Facebook are more than happy to help jog your memory. Today, the biggest search engine and the biggest social network released their year-end summaries, each highlighting the biggest trends and most notable moments of the year.

Here's what they have in store:

Google Zeitgeist 2012

This morning, Google released its annual Zeitgeist video, which lets you see 2012 through search giant's eyes. Think of it as the entire year flashing right before your eyes-all in just about 2 and half minutes. Google has been doing this every year since 2010, so the video's release isn't unexpected--but it was as touching as always.

This year, it showcased the biggest occurrences that the world saw, such as Felix Baumgartner's jump, the SpaceX time capsule, the Olympics, and more. You'll also see notable deaths (Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, Gore Vidal, Whitney Houston, etc), biggest political events (US elections, Gaza / Israel Conflict, Syrian protests, and more), world calamities (Manila floods, Hurricane Sandy), and the most viral videos / memes of the web (Dumb Ways to Die, Overly Attached Girlfriend, Gangnam Style). On top of the video, Google also released the 2012 Zeitgeist website where it lists this year's trending searches, images, athletes, and more.

Check it out and get full lists of the most searched-for queries of the year. You can even filter lists by country, allowing you get more narrowed-down compilations of trends.

Facebook's Year in Review

If you checked your Facebook Timeline today, you might have noticed an additional box inviting you to "look back at your 20 biggest moments from the past year." Here, you'll get to see a list of the biggest events that you shared on Facebook, from life events (weddings, birthdays), to highlighted updates, to posts that you were tagged in.

Aside from a personal in review page for each of its members, Facebook also release a general 2012 in review page for its entire site. Found at facebookstories.com/2012, the site highlights the biggest trends and most-shared stories of year, and allows users to browse through the lists.

A few interesting trends in the US include:

Most wide-spread memes

1. TBH (to be honest)

2. YOLO (you only live once)

3. KONY

4. One-word comment

5. Gangnam Style

Biggest events:

1. US Presidential election

2. Superbowl XLVI

3. Death of Whitney Houston,

4. Hurricane Sandy

5. London 2012 Olympics

Most Listened to Songs

1. We Are Young by Fun

2. Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye

3. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

4. What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction

5. Payphone - Maroon 5

Most Read Books

1. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) - Suzanne Collins

2. Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) - Suzanne Collins

3. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) - Suzanne Collins

4. Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1) -E.L. James

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) - J.K. Rowling

To see the full lists and more categories, be sure to visit Facebook's Stories of 2012 page.

Image credit: Lel4nd on Flickr

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