Fun Facts & Trivia From 2012

What are some fun facts and trivia from 2012? For openers, Barack Obama was re-elected President of the United States, Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar for Best Actress, and Facebook announced that it had one billion active users. Google launched Google Play, Apple introduced the iPhone 5, and Pinterest emerged as the “runaway social media hit” of the year.

In 2012, The Voice (NBC) was a popular television show, “Fifty Shades of Grey” was a bestselling book, and “The Avengers” was the highest-grossing film. Glitter pumps and statement pants were all the rage, favorite baby names were Jackson and Sophia, and ExxonMobil was America’s largest company. “YOLO" was an abbreviation for "you only live once," “cray” was slang for crazy, and “boost” meant bragging or exaggerating.

Back in 2012, a gallon of gas cost $3.91, a movie ticket was $8.20, and a dozen eggs were $1.54. Unemployment hovered around 9%, the USPS raised the price of a first-class stamp to 45 cents, and the average cost of new house was $263,200.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy battered the eastern U.S., the spacecraft Curiosity landed on Mars, and The Consumerist labeled Electronic Arts as “The Worst Company in America.” The San Francisco Giants won the World Series, the New York Giants were the Super Bowl champs, and the Los Angeles Kings clinched the Stanley Cup.

Back in 2012, Wendy’s was the number two American hamburger chain, "The Lion King" became the highest-grossing Broadway show, and Penguin and Random House merged to form the world's largest publisher. The average U.S. life expectancy was 78.74 years, Kate Middleton and George Clooney were heartthrobs, and Peruvian cuisine was a crowd-pleaser.

On the international stage, Venus passed directly between the sun and earth, the Summer Olympics were held in London, and the largest shipwreck in history occurred. Toyota began a recall of 700,000 vehicles, the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II took place, and the UK’s unemployment rate reached a 17-year high of 8.4%.

Whether you’re a millennial, a 50-something, or a baby boomer, this article teaches you fun facts and trivia from 2012.

For your convenience, I have divided this article into the following categories:

1. The Cost of 100+ Retail Items in 2012

2. National News

3. International News

4. Sports Trivia

5. Miscellaneous Fun Facts & Trivia

6. Computer News

7. Nobel Prize Winners

8. Most Popular Television Shows for 2012-2013

9. Bestselling Books: Nielsen Bookscan Top 10

10. Bestselling Books: Amazon Print Top 10

11. Bestselling Books: Amazon Kindle Top 10

12. Ten Most Popular Films

13. Academy Award Winners

14. Biggest Pop Artists

15. Number One Hits

16. Grammy Award Winners

17. Hot Toys

18. Heartthrobs & Hunks

19. Food & Beverage Trends

20. Gone But Not Forgotten - 2012 Celebrity Deaths

21. America’s Largest Companies

These consumer facts have been made available courtesy of the Morris County Public Library in Whippany, NJ.

Automobiles (new):

1. Kia (Sportage) - $23,445

2. Nissan (Pathfinder) - $25,888

3. Subaru (Impreza) - $18,092

Automobiles (used):

1. 2004 Honda Accord EX - $8,995

2. 2007 Jeep Wrangler - $15,995

3. 2010 Ford Focus SES - $15,995

Clothing:

1. Dress (women’s maxi) - $20.99 each

2. Jeans (Lee, misses) - $24.99 a pair

3. Running shoes (Nike, men’s) - $39.99 a pair

4. Shirt (men’s, dress) - $25.00 apiece

5. Shirt (misses, cami) - $6.00 each

6. Shoes (men’s, dress) - $55.00 a pair

7. Shorts (men’s) - $24.99 a pair

8. Shorts (misses) - $17.00 a pair

9. Suit (men’s, Stratford) - $100.00

10. Tee shirts (men’s, Fruit of the Loom) - $10.99 for a package of five

Food & beverages:

(These prices are from the FoodTown in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey. Please note that grocery prices may vary in other parts of the USA.)

1. Bacon (Oscar Mayer) - $6.49 a pound

2. Bananas - 79 cents a pound

3. Beef (ground, 80% lean) - $4.29 a pound

4. Bisquick - $2.89 for a 20-ounce box

5. Bread (Wonder, classic white) - $3.69 for a 20-ounce loaf

6. Cake mix (Duncan Hines) - $1.79 for a 16.5-ounce box

7. Cereal (Kellogg’s Corn Flakes) - $3.37 for a 12-ounce box

8. Chicken (Perdue, whole oven roaster) - $1.19 a pound

9. Cocoa (Swiss Miss) - $2.99 for a package of eight envelopes

10. Coffee (Maxwell House, Master Blend) - $4.99 for an 11-ounce can

11. Cookies (Nabisco, Oreos) - $4.59 for a 15.5-ounce package

12. Crackers (Nabisco, Ritz) - $3.99 for a 13.7-ounce box

13. Eggs (large) - $2.29 a dozen

14. Flour (Pillsbury) - $3.19 for a five-pound bag

15. Ice cream (Breyers, assorted flavors) - $4.99 for a 48-ounce tub

16. Jelly (Welch’s, concord grape) - $2.49 for an 18-ounce jar

17. Juice (Ocean Spray, cranberry) - $3.49 for a 64-ounce bottle

18. Karo Syrup (blue label, dark) - $2.99 for a 16-ounce bottle

19. Ketchup (Heinz) - $1.99 for a 14-ounce bottle

20. Kool-Aid (packets) - $1.00 for five packets

21. Mayonnaise (Hellmann’s) - $3.99 for a 15-ounce jar

22. Milk (nonfat) - $2.39 for a 64-ounce jug

23. Onions (yellow) - $2.49 for a three-pound bag

24. Ovaltine (Classic Malt) - $4.79 for a 12-ounce canister

25. Peanut butter (Skippy, creamy) - $3.39 for a 16.3-ounce jar

26. Pizza (frozen, Stouffer’s French Bread) - $3.99 for an 11.75-ounce package

27. Potato chips (Lay’s Classic) - $4.29 for a 10.5-ounce bag

28. Potatoes (Idaho) - $3.99 for a five-pound bag

29. Soda (Coca-Cola) - $1.89 for a 67.6-ounce bottle

30. Sugar (Domino) - $3.99 for a five-pound bag

31. Tea (Tetley) - $3.79 for an 80-count package

32. Vanilla extract (McCormick) - $4.99 for a two-ounce bottle

Furniture:

1. Air mattress (Insta-Bed, queen) - $39.99 each

2. Beds (bunk) - $179.99 each

3. Dining set (five piece) - $119.99 per set

4. Dresser (four drawer) - $39.99 each

5. Patio dining set (seven piece) - $499.00 per set

Household & seasonal goods:

1. Blender (Cuisinart) - $79.99 each

2. Cookware set (Giada De Laurentiis) - $169.99 for six pieces

3. Comforter set (queen) - $59.99 each

4. Detergent (laundry, All Liquid) - $3.99 for 28-40 loads

5. Garden hose (50′) - $5.99 each

6. Iron (Proctor Silex) - $14.99 each

7. Lawn mower (Weed Eater, electric, 21″) - $189.99

8. Microwave oven (Kenmore) - $89.99

9. Mixer (Kitchenaid) - $299.99

10. Range (Kenmore, electric) - $599.99

11. Refrigerator (Kenmore, 27 cubic feet) - $999.99

12. Rose bushes - $10.99 each

13. Sheets (Springmaid, queen) - $75.00 a set

14. Sewing machine (Singer) - $74.99

15. Tea kettle (Calphalon) - $45.00

16. Toaster (Oster, two slice) - $40.00

17. Toaster oven (Sylvania) - $19.99

18. Towels (Fieldcrest, bath) - $12.00 each

19. Vacuum cleaner (Shark Navigator, bagless) - $179.00

20. Washing machine (Whirlpool, 4.6 cubic feet) - $899.99

Personal care & health:

1. Cough drops (Halls) - $1.49 for a 30-count box

2. Deodorant (Mennen, Speed Stick) - $2.50 for 2.3 ounces

3. Diapers (Huggies) - $19.79 for a 60-count package

4. Hair color (Nice ’N Easy) - $7.97 per treatment

5. Hair dryer (Conair) - $27.47

6. Moisturizer (Nivea) - $6.99 for four ounces

7. Razor (women’s, Schick) - $5.77 for a three-count package

8. Sunblock (Aveeno) - $8.99 for three ounces

9. Shampoo (Head & Shoulders) - $6.97 for a 23.7-ounce bottle

10. Toothbrush (Oral-B, electric) - $39.99

11. Toothpaste (Colgate) - $3.00 for a six-ounce tube

Recreation & amusements:

1. Action figures (Marvel, Avengers) - $17.00

2. Bicycle (Schwinn, men’s, Riverside) - $159.99

3. Book (A Natural Woman by Carole King) - $27.99

4. Camera (digital, Canon PowerShot) - $199.99

5. Computer (laptop, Dell, 6GB RAM) - $449.00

6. Concert (Masterwork Chorus) - $33.00 (adult), $27.00 (senior), $15.00 (student)

7. Golf clubs (RAM) - $139.99 per set

8. Grill (Coleman, roadtrip) - $159.99

9. iPad 2 - $399.99

10. Kindle Fire E-reader - $199.00

11. LEGO Hulk Helicarrier Breakout - $49.00

12. Movies (Blu-ray) - $19.99

13. Music CDs - $9.99

14. Navigation system (Garmin Nuvi) - $99.99

15. Soccer balls (Adidas) - $25.00

16. Suitcase (Samsonite) - $129.99

17. Television (RCA, 39” HDTV) - $399.99

18. Tent (Northwest Territory) - $179.99

1. U.S. President Barack Obama was re-elected to a second term by defeating Republican opponent Mitt Romney. Obama won 51.1% of the popular vote compared to Romney’s 47.2%.

2. The average cost of new house was $263,200.00.

3. The average monthly rent was $1,045.00.

4. A gallon of gas cost $3.91.

5. A movie ticket was $8.20.

6. A loaf of bread cost $1.88 and a dozen eggs were $1.54.

7. The USPS raised the price of a first-class stamp to 45 cents and the cost of a postcard to 32 cents.

8. Unemployment hovered around 9%. The 10 best states for unemployment benefits were Washington, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, North Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. The 10 worst states for benefits were Mississippi, Florida, Connecticut, Tennessee, Alabama, Delaware, Alaska, Louisiana, New York, and Arizona.

9. The average inflation rate was 2.07%. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, “prices in 2017 were 6.76% higher than prices in 2012. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 1.32% per year during this period. In other words, $100 in 2012 is equivalent in purchasing power to $106.76 in 2017, a difference of $6.76 over 5 years.”

10. The Social Security Administration paid benefits to nearly 62 million people in 2012. Women accounted for about 55% of adult Social Security beneficiaries.

11. The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared more than 1,000 counties in over 25 states “natural disaster areas due to widespread drought [conditions] in the Midwest.”

12. In March, the spacecraft Curiosity landed on Mars.

13. In March, MasterCard and Visa had a massive security breach that compromised over ten million credit card numbers.

14. In June, planet Earth witnessed the Transit of Venus, a “rare astronomical event.” NASA.gov explains that “On June 5, 2012 at sunset on the East Coast of North America and earlier for other parts of the U.S., the planet Venus made its final trek across the face of the sun as seen from Earth until the year 2117.”

15. Hurricane Sandy, which was also called “Superstorm Sandy,” was the 18th named tropical storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Britannica.com tells us that in late October, Sandy brought “significant wind and flood damage to Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, and the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states. . . . Flash flooding generated by the storm’s relentless rainfall, high winds, and coastal storm surges killed 147 people and produced widespread property damage in the areas in its path. The storm caused more than $70 billion in damage in the United States and was among the most costly natural disasters in U.S. history.”

16. On November 26, there were no reports of violent crime in New York City. According to BBC.com, “For the first time in living memory, New York has spent a day entirely without violent crime. The city police department's chief spokesman said that Monday was the most bloodshed-free 24-hour period in recent history. Not a single murder, shooting, stabbing or other incident of violent crime was reported for a whole day.”

17. On the other hand, Pop-Culture.us reports that “Apple products accounted for 14% of all theft crimes in New York City in 2012.”

1. FoodReference.com tells us that Israel passed the “Photoshop Law,” which banned the use of “overly thin models” in local advertising “in an attempt to fight the spread of eating disorders.”

2. Because of a two-year drought, about 20 million Britons could not use garden hoses for gardening or cleaning.

3. The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II took place throughout the year with celebrations in both the UK and around the world.

4. Canada stopped production of its penny. (The coins were officially withdrawn from circulation on February 4, 2013.)

5. In January, the largest shipwreck in history occurred west of Tuscany, Italy. According to CBSNews.com, “Captain Francesco Schettino steered the 60,000-ton Costa Concordia cruise ship off course and brought it close enough to the Tuscan island of Giglio to ground it on [the] jagged coast. The ship capsized, becoming the largest shipwreck in history -- twice the size of the Titanic at more than 900 feet long. Thirty-two people died in the chaotic evacuation, and Schettino became a lightning rod for international disdain for abandoning the ship before everyone else was off.”

6. In February, veteran American war reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed in Syria.

7. In February, the United Kingdom’s unemployment rate reached a 17-year high of 8.4%.

8. In February, Christian Wulff, the President of Germany, resigned over a corruption scandal.

9. In March, Toyota began recalling 700,000 vehicles because of safety concerns.

10. In March, China had its highest trade deficit in over 10 years.

11. In June, the U.S. toll in the Afghan war reached 2,000.

12. The Summer Olympics took place between 27 July 2012 and 12 August 2012 in London. A total of 10,768 athletes from 205 nations participated in 302 events.

13. In July, China's economic growth dropped to 7.6%, the lowest level in three years.

14. In November, President Obama became the first U.S. President to visit the southeast Asian country of Burma.

15. In December, a monster typhoon ravaged the southern Philippines.

This information has been made available courtesy of Pop-Culture.us.

• World Series Champions - San Francisco Giants
• Super Bowl Champions - New York Giants
• NBA Champions - Oklahoma City Thunder
• Stanley Cup Champs - Los Angeles Kings
• NCAA Basketball Champions - Kentucky
• NCAA Football Champions - Alabama
• U.S. Open Golf - Webb Simpson
• U.S. Tennis (men/women) - Andy Murray/Serena Williams
• Wimbledon (men/women) - Roger Federer/Serena Williams
• Kentucky Derby - I'll Have Another

1. Wendy’s was now the number two American hamburger chain, overtaking Burger King. (McDonald’s was still number one.)

2. The most expensive cars included the Koenigsegg Agera R (Sweden), Pagani Huayra (Italy), Aston Martin One-77 (United Kingdom), Zenvo ST1 (Denmark), and the Bugatti Veyron Supersport (France).

3. The “most liveable” cities in America were Honolulu, Pittsburgh, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, Madison (WI), St. Paul (MN), and Sioux Falls (SD).

4. The average U.S. life expectancy was 78.74 years.

5. Favorite baby names were Aiden, Jackson, Ethan, Liam, Sophia, Emma, Olivia, and Isabella.

6. Fashion trends included glitter pumps, leather everything, full-on suits, peplum pieces, wedge sneakers, digitized prints, statement pants, exposed midriffs, and big-impact collars.

7. Between 2002 and 2012, the price of college textbooks rose 82%.

8. The Consumerist labelled Electronic Arts as “The Worst Company in America.”

9. Barack Obama was Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year.”

10. Laura Marie Kaeppeler (Wisconsin) was crowned Miss America.

11. Until 2012, employees of Disney World were not permitted to have beards, moustaches, or goatees.

12. The cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad was 3.8 million dollars.

13. The Lyft car-sharing service was founded.

14. "The Lion King" became the highest-grossing Broadway show, overtaking "The Phantom of the Opera."

15. In October, Penguin and Random House merged to form the world's largest publisher.

These fun facts and trivia from 2012 have been made available courtesy of ComputerHope.com.

1. Popular tech buzzwords included clicktivism, crowdfunding, gamification, cloud computing, and software as a service.

2. On January 18, Google, Twitter, Reddit, Craigslist, Computer Hope, and over 115,000 other websites went dark to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that was “grinding” through Congress.

3. In March, Google introduced Google Play.

4. In April, Facebook announced that it was purchasing Instagram for one billion dollars in cash and stock. (The deal was finalized in September.)

5. In April, Google released Google Drive, an online file storage service.

6. In May, Facebook went public and its initial stock offering was $38 per share. The current price is $144.96 (November 9, 2016).

7. In May, Dell completed its acquisition of Wyse.

8. In May, Adobe Photoshop CS6 (13.0) was released..

9. In June, Google sold Google SketchUp to Trimble.

10. In July, Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) was released.

11. In August, Microsoft released the Windows 8 operating system for tablets and touch screens.

12. In August, Pinterest emerged as the “runaway social media hit” of the year.

13. In August, employees at Saudi Aramco--the Saudi Arabian Oil Company--were victims of the largest cyber attack to date. Data in 35,000 computers was partially or totally wiped out.

14. On September 12, Apple introduced the iPhone 5.

15. On September 21, Apple iPhone 5 went on sale.

16. In October, Facebook announced that it had one billion active users.

17. In October, YouTube broke an Internet record when eight million “concurrent viewers” watched the famous Felix Baumgartner video.

18. On October 23, Apple introduced the iPad mini.

19. In November, Google's Gmail became the world's most popular email service.

20. In December, Google began selling $99 laptops.

This information has been made available courtesy of InfoPlease.com.

Peace: The European Union (EU), which for "over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe."

Physics: One-half to David J. Wineland (France) and one-half jointly to David J. Wineland (U.S.) and Adam G. Riess (U.S.) for "ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems."

Physiology or Medicine: One-half jointly to Sir John B. Gurdon (UK) and Shinya Yamanaka (Japan) for "the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent."

Chemistry: Jointly to Robert J. Lefkowitz (U.S.) and Brian K. Kobilka (U.S.) for "studies of G-protein-coupled receptors."

Literature: Mo Yan (China) "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary."

Economics: Jointly to Alvin E. Roth and Lloyd S. Shapley (both from the U.S.) for "the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design."

This TV news has been made available courtesy of Deadline.com. Please note that these rankings are from adults 18-49.

1. NBC Sunday Night Football (NBC)

2. Big Bang Theory (CBS)

3. The Voice (NBC)

4. Modern Family (ABC)

5. The Voice (NBC) (Tuesday)

6. American Idol (Fox) (Wednesday)

7. American Idol (Fox) (Thursday)

8. The Following (Fox)

9. Two & A Half Men (CBS)

10. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

11. NCIS (CBS)

12. Football Night in America (NBC)

13. Revolution (NBC)

14. 2 Broke Girls (CBS)

15. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

16. Family Guy (Fox)

17. Once Upon a Time (ABC)

18. Survivor: Philippines (CBS)

19. X Factor (Fox) (Wednesday)

20. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

21. Person of Interest (CBS)

22. Criminal Minds (CBS)

23. The Bachelor (ABC)

24. X Factor (Fox) (Thursday)

25. Mike & Molly (CBS)

This book trivia has been made available courtesy of PublishersWeekly.com.

1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (Vintage)

2. Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James (Vintage)

3. Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James (Vintage)

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

5. StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)

6. Fifty Shades Trilogy Box Set by E.L. James (Vintage)

7. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books)

10. No Easy Day by Mark Owen (Dutton)

These facts have been made available courtesy of PublishersWeekly.com.

1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (Vintage)

2. Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James (Vintage)

3. Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James (Vintage)

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

5. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

6. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books)

8. No Easy Day by Mark Owen (Dutton)

9. Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly (Henry Holt)

10. Fifty Shades Trilogy Box Set by E.L. James (Vintage)

This book news has been made available courtesy of PublishersWeekly.com.

1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (Vintage)

2. Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James (Vintage)

3. Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James (Vintage)

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

5. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

6. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

7. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Crown)

8. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

9. Bared to You by Sylvia Day (Berkeley)

10. The Racketeer by John Grisham (Doubleday)

This movie trivia has been made available courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com.

1. The Avengers

2. The Dark Knight Rises

3. The Hunger Games

4. Skyfall

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

6. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

7. The Amazing Spider-Man

8. Brave

9. Ted

10. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

This film news has been made available courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com.

• Best Picture: Argo

• Best Director: Ang Lee (Life of Pi)

• Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

• Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

• Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

• Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

• Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)

• Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio (Argo)

• Best Editing: Warner Bros. (Argo)

• Best Cinematography: Fox (Life of Pi)

• Best Art Direction: Buena Vista (Lincoln)

• Best Costume Design: Focus Features (Anna Karenina)

• Best Makeup: Universal (Les Miserables)

• Best Visual Effects: Fox (Life of Pi)

• Best Sound: Universal (Les Miserables)

• Best Sound Editing: Sony/Columbia (Skyfall)

• Best Original Score: Mychael Danna (Life of Pi)

• Best Original Song: Skyfall

• Best Animated Feature: Brave

• Best Foreign Language Picture: Amour

• Best Documentary - Feature: Searching for Sugar Man

• Best Documentary - Short Subject: Inocente

• Best Animated Short: Paperman

• Best Live Action Short: Curfew

These fun facts and trivia from 2012 have been made available courtesy of Pop-Culture.us.

Adam Lambert, Adele, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Calvin Harris, Carly Rae Jepsen, Carrie Underwood, Flo Rida, fun., Imagine Dragons, John Mayer, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, LMFAO, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, PSY, Pink, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Train, Usher, and Zac Brown Band.

This information has been made available courtesy of Pop-Culture.us.

• November 12, 2011 - January 6, 2012: Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris - We Found Love

• January 7 - February 3: LMFAO - Sexy and I Know It

• February 4 - February 17: Adele - Set Fire to the Rain

• February 18 - March 2: Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

• March 3 - March 16: Katy Perry - Part of Me

• March 17 - April 27: Fun featuring Janelle Monáe - We Are Young

• April 28 - June 22: Gotye featuring Kimbra - Somebody That I Used to Know

• June 23 - August 24: Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe

• August 25 - August 31: Flo Rida - Whistle

• September 1 - September 28: Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

• September 29 - November 30: Maroon 5 - One More Night

• December 1 - December 21: Rihanna - Diamonds

• December 22, 2012 - February 1, 2013: Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven

This music news has been made available courtesy of Grammy.com.

1. Record of the Year: Somebody That I Used To Know

2. Song of the Year: We Are Young

3. Album of the Year: Babel

4. Best New Artist: Fun.

5. Best Pop Solo Performance: Set Fire To The Rain (Live)

6. Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Somebody That I Used To Know

7. Best Pop Instrumental Album: Impressions

8. Best Pop Vocal Album: Stronger

9. Best Dance Recording: Bangarang

10. Best Dance/Electronica Album: Bangarang

11. Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Kisses on the Bottom

12. Best Rock Performance: Lonely Boy

13. Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance: Love Bites (So Do I)

14. Best Rock Song: Lonely Boy

15. Best Rock Album: El Camino

16. Best Alternative Music Album: Making Mirrors

17. Best R&B Performance: Climax

18. Best Traditional R&B Performance: Love On Top

19. Best R&B Song: Adorn

20. Best Urban Contemporary Album: Channel Orange

21. Best R&B Album: Black Radio

22. Best Rap Performance: N----s in Paris

23. Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: No Church In The Wild

24. Best Rap Song: N----s in Paris

25. Best Rap Album: Take Care

26. Best Country Solo Performance: Blown Away

27. Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Pontoon

28. Best Country Song: Blown Away

29. Best Country Album: Uncaged

30. Best New Age Album: Echoes of Love

31. Best Improvised Jazz Solo: Hot House

32. Best Jazz Vocal Album: Radio Music Society

33. Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Unity Band

34. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Dear Diz

35. Best Latin Jazz Album: ¡Ritmo!

36. Best Gospel Song: Go Get It

37. Best Gospel Album: Gravity

38. Best Latin Pop Album: MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition

39. Best Tropical Latin Album: Retro

40. Best Americana Album: Slipstream

These fun facts have been made available courtesy of TheStreet.com.

1. 1D Collector Dolls (Hasbro)

2. Doc McStuffins “Time For Your Check Up” Interactive Doll (Just Play)

3. Gelarti Designer Studio (Moose Toys)

4. Jake and the Never Land Pirates (Fisher-Price)

5. Lalaloopsy Silly Hair Star Harmony B. Sharp (MGA Entertainment)

6. FURBY (Hasbro)

7. LeapPad2 Explorer (LeapFrog)

8. Micro Chargers Time Track (Moose Toys)

9. Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Secret Sewer Lair Playset (Playmates)

10. Hot Wheels R/C Terrain Twister (Mattel)

11. Ninjago Epic Dragon Battle (LEGO Systems)

12. Skylanders Giants Starter Pack (Activision Publishing)

13. Tabeo (Toys"R"Us)

14. Wii U (Nintendo)

15. Yvolution Fliker F1 Flow Series Scooter (Atomic Sports)

This celebrity news has been made available courtesy of Pop-Culture.us and BuzzFeed.com.

Heartthrobs included Amy Adams, Erin Andrews, Hayley Atwell, Victoria Beckham, Ashley Benson, Halle Berry, Katrina Bowden, Emilia Clarke, Lauren Cohan, Brooklyn Decker, Kat Dennings, Natalie Dormer, Megan Fox, Karen Gillan, Jessica Gomes, Ashley Greene, Lena Headey, Katie Holmes, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kate Middleton, Olivia Munn, Rachel Nichols, Michelle Obama, Emma Stone, Sophie Turner, Kate Upton, Kerry Washington, Emma Watson, and Olivia Wilde.

Hunks included Gerard Butler, Ryan Gosling, Aaron Eckhart, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, George Clooney, Michael Clayton, and Clive Owen.

These fun facts and trivia from 2012 have been made available courtesy of Forbes.com, PBS.org, and HuffingtonPost.com.

1. Bison - From Denver to Chicago, this lean and low-cholesterol meat was used in everything from meatballs to meatloaf.

2. Gluten-free diets

3. Gourmet tacos

4. French dips

5. The fall of food trucks

6. Pretzels

7. Rabbit and goat

8. Mismatched dishes - HuffingtonPost.com explains that more and more restaurants started using “quirky, mismatched sets of dishes,” to offset the cost of replacing “entire sets of pristine china if just a couple items break when they're using matchy-matchy plates.”

9. Kid foods for grownups - Examples include bacon-flavored caramel corn, grown-up sloppy Joes, and PoPs, a riff on Pop-Tarts.

10. Locally grown produce

11. Natural and organic wines

12. Non-bacon - Forbes.com tells us that “chefs are crisping up cracklings from a menagerie of other animals: chicken (the fried skins are called gribenes in traditional Yiddish cooking), duck, salmon, lamb, Mexican-style chicharrón (crisped pork fat), [and] even scallops.”

13. Peruvian cuisine

14. Seaweed

15. Water purified and bottled on site

This celebrity news been made available courtesy of FiftiesWeb.com.

1. Andy Griffith - actor/director/producer/singer

2. Andy Williams - singer/entertainer

3. Arlen Specter - politician

4. Art Ginsburg - writer/chef

5. Ben Gazzara - actor

6. Dick Clark - radio and television personality

7. Don Grady - actor

8. Donna Summer - singer/songwriter

9. Doris Singleton - actress/singer

10. Earl Scruggs - musician/banjo player

11. Ernest Borgnine - actor

12. Etta James - singer

13. Frank Wilson - songwriter/producer

14. Gary Collins - actor

15. George Lindsay - actor

16. George McGovern - politician

17. Gore Vidal - author/playwright/activist

18. Jack Klugman - actor

19. Joe Paterno - college football coach

20. John Fairfax - adventurer

21. Mike Wallace - journalist

22. Neil Armstrong - astronaut

23. Phyllis Diller - television personality

24. Richard Dawson - actor

25. Whitney Houston - singer/actress

This information has been made available courtesy of Education.HowtheMarketWorks.com.

1. Exxon Mobil

2. Walmart

3. Chevron

4. ConocoPhillips

5. General Motors

6. General Electric

7. Berkshire Hathaway

8. Fannie Mae

9. Ford Motor

10. Hewlett-Packard

11. AT&T

12. Valero Energy

13. Bank of America

14. McKesson

15. Verizon Communications

16. J.P. Morgan Chase & Company

17. Apple

18. CVS

19. IBM

20. Citigroup

21. Cardinal Health

22. UnitedHealth Group

23. Kroger

24. Costco Wholesale

25. Freddie Mac