2010 - THE BIG PICTURE - PAGE ONE

2010 in photos (part 1 of 3)

As the year 2010 approaches its last few days, it's time to look back on the previous 12 months. In the first third of 2010, Millions of gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico, several massive earthquakes wreaked havoc worldwide, Vancouver hosted a successful Winter Olympics, and so much more. Each photo tells its own tale, weaving together into the larger story of 2010. This is a multi-entry story, 120 photographs over three days. Please watch for part 2 and part 3 tomorrow and the next day. (40 photos total)

A bird is mired in oil on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on Thursday, June 3, 2010. Crude oil flowed from a hole in the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico for three months after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank on April 20th, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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In this aerial photo taken in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig is seen burning Wednesday, April 21, 2010. Eleven men working on the platform were killed, and 17 others injured. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) #

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The growing oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is captured in this image from NASA's (MODIS) instrument aboard the Terra satellite. This natural-color image acquired April 29, 2010 shows a twisting patch of oil nearly 125 km (78 mi) wide. Approximately 4 million barrels (170 million gallons) were released overall. (NASA Earth Observatory/Jesse Allen/University of Wisconsin SSEC) #

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Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Alabama, Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) #

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An Afghan man walks on the street as the sun sets over Delaram district in Nimroz province, southern Afghanistan on January 20, 2010. (REUTERS/Marko Djurica)#

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Fireworks explode beside the London Eye and The Houses of Parliament on the River Thames during New Year celebrations in London January 1, 2010. (REUTERS/Toby Melville) #

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A layer of fog floats into Victoria harbor in Hong Kong late on March 15, 2010. (RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) #

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A day after a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing thousands, a young woman climbs over shopping carts and the rubble of a collapsed store on January 13, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (THONY BELIZAIRE/AFP/Getty Images) #

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An injured person is seen in the street after an earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Jorge Cruz) #