It was a year of populist rebellions and political stare-downs. China’s ambitious expansions raised tension and pollution levels.
Trade patterns were upended, and long-standing bans were lifted. Women gained power, and refugees fled violence and starvation.
And through it all, the world still managed to provide moments of wonder.
Throughout Christmas week, we’ll be featuring some of Bloomberg’s best photos of 2018.
We begin with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, and Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s president, holding hands back in April.
They crossed the northern side of the border of the Demilitarized Zone between the two nations.
Kim was the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea since the end of fighting in the Korean War in 1953.
This shot was taken by the Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps.
Facebook seemed to go from one crisis to another in 2018. The drop in the company’s share price meant Mark Zuckerberg’s fortune took a big hit this year.
And the CEO faced a grilling from the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Washington in April, when @dcdrewphoto took this portrait.
China’s richest man heralded the end of an era this year. Jack Ma outlined plans to hand over the executive chairman role at Alibaba, something that’s due to happen next September.
He intends to focus on philanthropy and education but also pursue “new dreams” that haven’t yet been specified.
The billionaire was photographed by @tomoohsumi.
This is a Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System drone.
Militaries all over the world are looking at ways to incorporate similar technology into their operations. Devices in the pipeline range from monster spy planes to small, battery-powered quadcopters that can fly through underground tunnels without GPS.
@luke_macgregor_photography’s shot was taken at an exercise in southern England.
China has made artificial intelligence technology an important strategic goal, because of its potential military and intelligence applications.
@gillessabrie took this photo during a demonstration of SenseTime Group’s pedestrian and vehicle recognition system in Beijing.
You can see how people and objects can be instantly identified by the technology. It’s another of our most striking images of 2018.
You’re looking at a model of the Crew Dragon spacecraft at SpaceX headquarters in California.
NASA astronauts will be the first to fly on the American-made commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station, on a mission scheduled for April.
@patrickfallon took this shot, which is another of our most memorable images of 2018.
Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in July was met by tens of thousands of demonstrators with a “Trump Baby” blimp.
Protesters expressed outrage at the U.S. president’s views on issues ranging from climate change and immigration to chlorinated chicken.
@luke_macgregor_photography took this shot in London.
Vladimir Putin won re-election as Russia’s president in a landslide in March, despite the fact that he barely campaigned.
@andrey_rudakov’s photo is another of our best of 2018, and it shows panels rotating on an election campaign billboard in Moscow.