PEOPLE Picks 12 Photos That Defined the Year

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DIGGZY/Shutterstock

02of 12Brittney Griner Is Sentenced to Prison in RussiaMikhail Voskresensky/TASS via ZUMA PressOn Aug. 4, Olympic gold medalistBrittney Griner, who had traveled to Moscow to compete for a Russian basketball team, was found guilty of smuggling illegal cannabis in her luggage and given the harshsentence of nine years in prison. “I never meant to break any laws,“Griner said, explaining that she used the vape pen for pain management.She lost an appeal in Octoberand is nowin a penal colony in Mordovia, 300 miles southeast of Moscow. The U.S. government continues to negotiate for her release.

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Brittney Griner Is Sentenced to Prison in Russia

Mikhail Voskresensky/TASS via ZUMA Press

On Aug. 4, Olympic gold medalistBrittney Griner, who had traveled to Moscow to compete for a Russian basketball team, was found guilty of smuggling illegal cannabis in her luggage and given the harshsentence of nine years in prison. “I never meant to break any laws,“Griner said, explaining that she used the vape pen for pain management.She lost an appeal in Octoberand is nowin a penal colony in Mordovia, 300 miles southeast of Moscow. The U.S. government continues to negotiate for her release.

03of 12William and Harry Put on a United Front for the Queen’s FuneralOLI SCARFF/AFP via GettyQueen Elizabeth’s deathon Sept. 8 brought estranged brothersPrince WilliamandPrince Harrytogether — at least momentarily. On Sept. 10, with wivesKate MiddletonandMeghan Markle, they greeted well-wishers outside Windsor Castle. Then, after the state funeral on Sept. 19, alongsidePrince EdwardandKing Charles III, they escorted the monarch’s coffin as it was carried out of Westminster Abbey.

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William and Harry Put on a United Front for the Queen’s Funeral

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty

Queen Elizabeth’s deathon Sept. 8 brought estranged brothersPrince WilliamandPrince Harrytogether — at least momentarily. On Sept. 10, with wivesKate MiddletonandMeghan Markle, they greeted well-wishers outside Windsor Castle. Then, after the state funeral on Sept. 19, alongsidePrince EdwardandKing Charles III, they escorted the monarch’s coffin as it was carried out of Westminster Abbey.

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Banksy-Style Murals Appear in Ukraine

Sergei Chuzavkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty

05of 12Johnny Depp Testifies Against Amber HeardEVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via GettyIn a trial that began in April,Johnny Deppsued his ex-wifeAmber Heardfor defamation over an op-ed she wrote in theWashington Postdescribing herself as a victim of domestic abuse. Heard countersued when Depp’s camp called her claims “a hoax.“A judge found them both liable, but jurors awarded Depp $15 million in damages and Heard just $2 million.

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Johnny Depp Testifies Against Amber Heard

EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty

In a trial that began in April,Johnny Deppsued his ex-wifeAmber Heardfor defamation over an op-ed she wrote in theWashington Postdescribing herself as a victim of domestic abuse. Heard countersued when Depp’s camp called her claims “a hoax.“A judge found them both liable, but jurors awarded Depp $15 million in damages and Heard just $2 million.

06of 12Joni Mitchell Takes the StageJosh Wool Meghan HelselOn July 24, Joni Mitchell (pictured backstage withWynonna Judd) gavea surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festivaland stole the show with a set that included “Both Sides Now.” Mitchell, 79, had not performed since she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015.Her comeback will continue in 2023with her first headline concert in 23 years alongsideBrandi Carlile.

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Joni Mitchell Takes the Stage

Josh Wool Meghan Helsel

On July 24, Joni Mitchell (pictured backstage withWynonna Judd) gavea surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festivaland stole the show with a set that included “Both Sides Now.” Mitchell, 79, had not performed since she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015.Her comeback will continue in 2023with her first headline concert in 23 years alongsideBrandi Carlile.

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Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock at the Oscars

Chris Rock and Will Smith.Myung Chun/Getty

08of 12The James Webb Telescope Delivers Its First Views of Distant GalaxiesJames Webb Telescope/NasaAfter six months in orbit, the largest optical telescope in spacecaptured spectacular images of distant galaxiesfrom the earliest days of the universe. This picture (in October) of the Pillars of Creation helps explain how new stars form in semitransparent clouds of gas and dust. Said NASA astrophysicist and Nobel Prize winner John Mather: “This is our time machine.”

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The James Webb Telescope Delivers Its First Views of Distant Galaxies

James Webb Telescope/Nasa

![James Webb Telescope: Three prominent pillars of semi-opaque gas and dust, each in spectral shades of gray-blue, start at the bottom left and reach toward the top right. From left to right, each pillar is consecutively smaller. Together, they appear like a ghostly hand. Towards the top of the leftmost pillar, there is one prominent red star, with tiny spikes at its tip. Lower on this pillar, there are several darker areas of dust that jut out like protrusions, some also with stars that appear as small red dots. The other two pillars are below and to the right of the first pillar. The background of this scene takes on glowing shades of orange-red mixed with black, with the strongest bright orange hues dipping into a V shape at the top center of the image. Scattered throughout the image are a few dozen tiny bright white and blue stars. Larger stars appear like red orbs and are embedded in the pillars.] Credit: James Webb Telescope/Nasa https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasawebbtelescope/52460606229/in/gallery-phils-pixels-72157721196900438/](https://people.com/thmb/3E1kw6uKBqwJJfYoI-9jDA-uajw=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/photos-of-the-year-rollout20221201_28-b8a215a42cc54914a5f43fce19a1d4b3.jpg)

After six months in orbit, the largest optical telescope in spacecaptured spectacular images of distant galaxiesfrom the earliest days of the universe. This picture (in October) of the Pillars of Creation helps explain how new stars form in semitransparent clouds of gas and dust. Said NASA astrophysicist and Nobel Prize winner John Mather: “This is our time machine.”

09of 12Serena Williams Makes HistoryEduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpressThe 23-time grand slam tennis champSerena Williamsclosed out one of the greatest tennis careers of all timeon Sept. 2 at the U.S. Open. Or did she? “The chances [of me returning] are very high,” she said a month after her teary send-off. As she wrote in aVogueessayearlier this year, “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.”

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Serena Williams Makes History

Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpress

The 23-time grand slam tennis champSerena Williamsclosed out one of the greatest tennis careers of all timeon Sept. 2 at the U.S. Open. Or did she? “The chances [of me returning] are very high,” she said a month after her teary send-off. As she wrote in aVogueessayearlier this year, “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.”

10of 12Lake Mead Shrinks DramaticallyLake Mead is drying up. The reservoir is now nearly three-quarters empty, and the Colorado River, which fills it, has been named the most endangered river in America. As it shrinks,human remains of victims who went missing decades agohave surfaced, as has this sunken speedboat that sticks straight up from the cracked mud. Dubbed the Monolith of Lake Mead, it has become an eerie tourist attraction.

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Lake Mead Shrinks Dramatically

Lake Mead is drying up. The reservoir is now nearly three-quarters empty, and the Colorado River, which fills it, has been named the most endangered river in America. As it shrinks,human remains of victims who went missing decades agohave surfaced, as has this sunken speedboat that sticks straight up from the cracked mud. Dubbed the Monolith of Lake Mead, it has become an eerie tourist attraction.

11of 12Cassidy Hutchinson Testifies Before the Jan. 6 CommitteeSTEFANI REYNOLDS/AFPThe star witness in the House Select Committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol wasCassidy Hutchinson, a 26-year-old aide to President Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows.She detailed President Trump’s derelictionof duty, calling it “unpatriotic” and “un-American.”

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Cassidy Hutchinson Testifies Before the Jan. 6 Committee

STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP

The star witness in the House Select Committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol wasCassidy Hutchinson, a 26-year-old aide to President Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows.She detailed President Trump’s derelictionof duty, calling it “unpatriotic” and “un-American.”

12of 12A Poodle Gets a Glow-Up at the Westminster Dog ShowTIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFPYoung Choi (below) gave her standard poodle an epic hairdo for the 146th annual Westminster Dog Show on June 21. Alas, the title ofBest in Show went to Trumpet the bloodhound.

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A Poodle Gets a Glow-Up at the Westminster Dog Show

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP

Young Choi (below) gave her standard poodle an epic hairdo for the 146th annual Westminster Dog Show on June 21. Alas, the title ofBest in Show went to Trumpet the bloodhound.

source: people.com