2008 Pictures of the Year: People's Choice

• Long-distance Birth
  Babies are born nearly every day at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center, but there was one birth that was particularly special. Army Cpl. Andrew Powell, on the laptop monitor at right, and his wife, Kristin, welcomed a baby daughter Bailey Mae Powell, on Jan. 16, in Danville, Ky., and Andrew watched -- even though he's overseas, serving his country in Iraq.
  
  
  

  Clay Jackson, The Advocate Messenger

• Monastery Moon
  The moon sets behind the Mount Sainte-Odile monastery Jan. 23 at dawn on a clear day in Alsace in eastern France.
  
  
  

  Olivier Morin, AFP / Getty Images

• Jordan Snow Fight
  Men play with snow in Amman, Jordan, Jan. 31. A heavy overnight snowstorm blanketed Jordan Wednesday, closing schools and stores and grounding public transportation.
  
  
  

  Muhammad Hamed, Reuters

• Fire Survivor, Germany
  House residents throw a baby from a burning building to awaiting members of the fire brigade during a fire in an apartment building Feb. 3 in the western German town of Ludwigshafen. The fire resulted in the death of nine people, including five children. The baby survived after being caught by rescuers. Another 28 people were injured in the blaze which broke out in the afternoon on the first floor but rapidly spread, sending flames bursting through the roof.
  
  
  

  Rene Werse, AFP / Getty Images

• Welcome Home Dad, Texas
  Sgt.1st class Charles Bowen of the Army National Guard, 142nd Arkansas field artillery unit, hugs his daughter Kelsey, 11, at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School in West Amarillo, Texas, Feb. 13. Sgt. Charles surprised his daughters after he appeared out of a box on stage in front of the entire school, which had sent him letters and gifts.
  
  
  

  Stephen Spillman, Amarillo Globe-News / AP

• Bay Bridge Eclipse
  The moon is seen in partial eclipse as is rises in cloudy skies over the San Francisco Bay Bridge Feb. 20. This was the last lunar eclipse to be seen from North America until 2010.
  
  
  

  Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

• Frozen Tundra
  A Nenets girl, with "binky" in mouth, stands at her settlement Feb. 25 in the Tundra region near the village of Yar-Sale, located in the Yamal peninsula above the Polar Circle, some 1,336 miles northeast of Moscow. The Nenets are indigenous people in Russia's artic region north of the Ural Mountains.
  
  
  

• Iditarod Sled Dog
  One of Tim Osmar's sled dogs looks out of its pen before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow, Alaska, March 2. A record field of 96 mushers are running the 1,100 mile sled dog race to Nome.
  
  
  

  Al Grillo, AP

• Stormy Sussex Seas
  Stormy seas hit coastal sea defenses and a lighthouse at Seaford in Sussex in southern England, March 10. A storm rushing in from the Atlantic lashed the southwest on Monday as high winds and tides brought the risk of coastal flooding.
  
  
  

  Toby Melville, Reuters

• Easter Gorilla, Cincinnati
  A gorilla carries an Easter basket filled with eggs and treats at the Cincinnati Zoo March 20 in Cincinnati.
  
  
  

  Al Behrman, AP