2012 year in review: Curiosity, Romney, Phelps, Sandy and more

The space shuttle Endeavour squeezed through L.A. on its way to its final home at the California Science Center.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Phelps competes at the 2012 London Games, capping off the swimmer’s career.  (Francois Xavier Marit / AFP)

James E. Holmes, in court in Colorado, faces 24 murder counts -- two for each of those killed in a movie-theater massacre in the city of Aurora.  (RJ Sangosti / Associated Press )

Hurricane Isaac hammered the Gulf Coast with torrential rains and wind gusts of 100 mph. Homes in Braithwaite, La., were submerged.  (David J. Phillip / Associated Press )

Superstorm Sandy ravaged parts of the U.S. coastal northeast, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.  (Charles Sykes / Associated Press )

Fires sparked by Superstorm Sandy destroyed more than 100 homes in the Breezy Point section of New York.  (Mike Groll / Associated Press )

The Waldo Canyon wildfire in June was the most destructive in Colorado history in terms of homes lost.   (Galon Wampler / Associated Press )

Singer Whitney Houston died in February in Beverly Hills, causing an outpouring of commemoration. Her name was the most-searched Google term for the year.  (Nick Wass / Associated Press)

Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in February.  (Martin Family / Associated Press)