9:25 am ET December 30, 2011
SLIDESHOW: The Top News Stories of 2011
It’s been quite a busy year in news here at the Fox News Channel! From the tragic Arizona shooting that changed Gabrielle Giffords’s life to the death of Usama bin Laden — Take a look back at the top news stories of 2011.
Tell us what you think! What was the biggest story of the year?
Arizona Shooting/Gabrielle GiffordsIn this May 17, 2011 file photo, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is seen at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. During a meet-and-greet between Rep. Giffords and her constituents on Jan. 8 in Tucson, a gunman opened fire, killing six people and wounding 13.
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami AftermathSoldiers of Japan Self-Defense Force and firefighters search for the victims in the rubble Monday, March 14, 2011 in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, three days after northeastern coastal towns were devastated by an earthquake and tsunami. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)
Royal WeddingBritain's Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, stand outside of Westminster Abbey after their Royal Wedding in London Friday, April, 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Usama bin Laden DeathDraped in the American flag, Pedro Valerio, of Elizabeth, N.J., right, and others in New York's Times Square react to the news of Usama Bin Laden's death early Monday morning May 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
Joplin, Mo. TornadoBeverly Winans hugs her daughter Debbie Spurlin while salvaging items from Winans' devastated home in Joplin, Mo. Wednesday, May 25, 2011. Winans and her husband rode out the EF-5 tornado by hiding under a bed in the home. The tornado tore through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least 123 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Casey Anthony AcquittedCasey Anthony is overcome with emotion following her acquittal of murder charges at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, July 5, 2011. Anthony had been charged with killing her daughter, Caylee. (AP Photo/Red Huber, Pool)
Atlantis Final LaunchThe space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center Friday, July 8, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Atlantis is the 135th and final space shuttle launch for NASA. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Hurricane IreneTwo men paddle a boat down a street flooded by Hurricane Irene Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 in Monteo, N.C. The storm knocked out power and piers in North Carolina, clobbered Virginia with wind and churned up the coast to confront cities more accustomed to snowstorms than tropical storms. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
9/11 10th AnniversaryFirefighters look at the waterfalls at the National September 11 Memorial in New York, Wednesday, July 20, 2011. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Steve Jobs DiesIn this June 6, 2011 file photo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is shown during a keynote address to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Jobs died at age 56 after battling pancreatic cancer for seven years.
‘Occupy’ ProtestsPolice arrest marchers from Zuccotti Park's Occupy Wall Street, during a protest near One Chase Manhattan Plaza on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Greece Financial CrisisRiot policemen assist a colleague whose clothing caught fire after being hit by a petrol bomb during rioting in central Athens, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. A protester died and dozens were injured during an anti-austerity demonstration that turned violent in the Greek capital, hours before lawmakers were to vote on deeply unpopular new cutbacks demanded by creditors to keep Greece financial solvent. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Libya Liberated/Qaddafi DeadLibyans celebrate at Saha Kish Square in Benghazi, Libya, Sunday Oct. 23, 2011. The transitional government declares liberation of Libya after months of bloodshed that culminated in the death of longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Herman Cain
Jerry Sandusky/Penn StateFormer Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky leaves the office of Centre County District Justice Daniel A. Hoffman under escort on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2011. Sandusky was arrested and jailed on new child sex abuse charges brought by two new accusers, including one who claims Sandusky molested him numerous times in a basement bedroom, according to authorities. (AP Photo/The Patriot-News, Andy Colwell)
Iraq Troop WithdrawalSoldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division board a C-17 transport plane to depart from Iraq at Camp Adder, now known as Imam Ali Base, on Saturday Dec. 17, 2011. Around 500 troops from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division ended their presence at Camp Adder, the last remaining American base, and departed in the final American military convoy out of Iraq, arriving into Kuwait in the early morning hours of December 18, 2011. (AP Photo / Mario Tama)


