Selfie: Word of the Year

From Nelson Mandela to Google Glass, David Bowie to Yayoi Kusama—a look at this year's top headlines

Due to the unexpected interaction of both cold and warm air masses at the Grand Canyon at the beginning of December 2013, a “once-in-a-decade” phenomenon called total cloud inversion occurred. From Yavapai Point on the South Rim to Desert View Point, the clouds created a sea-like body between rock faces and mountains, making for a wealth of heavily shared other-worldly images.

Best of CH 2013: Link About It

From Nelson Mandela to Google Glass, David Bowie to Yayoi Kusama—a look at this year's top headlines

As 2013 comes to a close, we take a moment to reflect upon the hundreds of headlines that came across our desks throughout the year, which we reported on in our weekly feature, Link About It. Below are 20 articles that not only made the news, but serve as a manifestation of the current climate and in some instances, what we have to look forward …

Roger Ebert

From Nelson Mandela to Google Glass, David Bowie to Yayoi Kusama—a look at this year's top headlines

On 5 December 2013, the world mourned the death of Nelson Mandela. Passing away at the age of 95, Mandela is best known for his leadership role in the movement to end apartheid in South Africa. To look back on his influential life, The Times highlights his role as an activist, political prisoner and presidential candidate, as well as the final years of his life …