The biggest moments of 2014, according to your Facebook Newsfeed

Want to know what that kid who sat next to you in 2nd grade thought about Ferguson? Or your high school teacher’s theory on where that Malaysian plane might be?

While the answer is probably no, your Facebook Newsfeed is the place where your closest friends and most distant middle school acquaintances can weigh in on the issues of the day, sharing opinions about what matters most to them.

Facebook analyzed activity on the site over the past year to find out what news events, viral trends and global issues shaped our conversations in 2014. Here are the biggest, most talked-about moments of the year, according to your Facebook feed.

1) World Cup 2014

The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the biggest event in Facebook history, yielding more than 3 billion related posts, comments and likes between June 12 and July 13.

2) Ebola virus

This year’s Ebola outbreak caused widespread panic, fueled, in part, by social media. While fake news sites used Facebook to spread scary rumors, it also became the place where President Obama posted an official response to the crisis.

3) Elections in Brazil

This year’s elections in Brazil were the most talked-about elections of 2014, beating out the US congressional midterms. 48 million people had 674 million interactions related to the event; incumbent Dilma Rousseff beat both Aécio Neves and Marina Silva to win reelection.

4) Robin Williams

The news of Robin Williams’ death in August shocked and saddened longtime fans of the beloved actor. Fans and public figures posted heartfelt tributes and fond remembrances.

5) Ice Bucket Challenge

Ice Bucket Challenge posts were inescapable between June and September. More than 17 million Ice Bucket Challenge videos were shared on Facebook in an effort to raise awareness for ALS. Here are some of the most-viewed:

6) Conflict in Gaza

As indicated by the engagement with topics like the Brazilian elections, people are now comfortable using Facebook as a forum for discussing serious issues. The conflict in Gaza is such a divisive issue that Facebookers found themselves losing friends during heated exchanges — according to a study, one in six Israelis cut ties with Facebook friends during the conflict.

7) Malaysia Airlines

For a few weeks in April, the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 seemed like all anyone was talking about. On Facebook (and CNN) at least.

Even Courtney Love took to her Facebook page to solve one of the biggest aviation mysteries of all time:

8) Super Bowl XLVIII

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos 43-8 in the Super Bowl this past February; 50 million fans and players got busy on Facebook posting victory pics and salty messages.

9) Michael Brown and Ferguson

Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teen, on August 9th; since then, protests and intense national debate have not let up. Facebook (interestingly, less than Twitter) transformed into a minefield of racially insensitive, ill-informed opinions, but also a forum for thoughtful commentary.

10) Sochi Olympics

The 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia provided the perfect spectacle for Facebookers everywhere; the over-the-top ceremonies and abundance of hot athletes were fodder for millions of posts.

Here’s Facebook’s video summary of the year:

Alexandra DiPalma is a producer for Fusion Lightworks, Fusion’s In-house Branded Content Agency.