The Year 2023 in Photos, from Rihanna's Baby Bump to King Charles' Coronation

See PEOPLE's picks for the best photos of 2023, from Rihanna's baby bump reveal at the Super Bowl to King Charles' coronation

The year 2023 brought triumphs, tragedies and all-around incredible moments that captured our imaginations, both in Hollywood and the world beyond.

Here, a look back at the year in photos.

Kim Petras and Sam Smith Make Grammy History

In taking home the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy for their deliciously deviant hit “Unholy” — which they also performed at the Feb. 5 show in L.A. — singers Kim Petras and Sam Smith, both 31, became the first openly trans and nonbinary artists, respectively, to win the award. “My purpose is to be an artist,” Petras told PEOPLE in June. “I just so happen to be transgender, but that’s not all that I am.”

Rihanna Stuns at the Super Bowl

In front of a crowd of 68,000 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, Rihanna performed for the first time in more than five years. The event garnered 121 million views worldwide, the most-watched halftime show in history. And the star, 35, made the most of her moment: Perched atop a platform suspended 60 ft. in the air, RiRi — who had teased a special guest — unzipped her jumpsuit to reveal a baby bump. (Riot Rose, her second son with rapper A$AP Rocky, was born on Aug. 1.) The entire spectacle was summed up appropriately on a T-shirt released by her Savage x Fenty brand: “Rihanna concert interrupted by a football game, weird but whatever.”

Alex Murdaugh Is Sentenced

In a high-profile trial that captivated the country, disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, 55, was found guilty of the 2021 murders of wife Maggie 52, and son Paul, 22. It took a jury less than three hours to render a verdict on March 2, and Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison a day later. Said Judge Clifton Newman to the convicted: “When you’re attempting to go to sleep, I’m sure they come visit you.”

Indy and Short Round Reunite at the Oscars

Harrison Ford and Ke Huy Quan, who costarred in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, found fortune and glory once more at the Oscars in L.A. on March 12. Ford, 81, presented the Best Picture award to the filmmakers and stars of Everything Everywhere All at Once (for which Quan, 52, also won Best Supporting Actor), leading to the most charming celebration of the night.

Gwyneth Paltrow Gets a Win (and the Last Word)

After a weeklong trial in March, a jury found retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 77, who sued Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow for more than $300,000, at fault in a 2016 ski collision. Paltrow, 51, took the symbolic $1 awarded to her in a countersuit and on her way out whispered meme-inspiring parting words: “I wish you well.”

Jared Leto Gets Catty

How are you feline this evening? At the 2023 Met Gala on May 1, the stars showed up to honor the late German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Actor Jared Leto, 51, nailed cat couture, dressing as Choupette, Lagerfeld’s beloved blue-eyed Birman. The furry costume turned heads — and led to plenty of selfie requests, from Anne Hathaway to Eddie Redmayne — which Leto shared on Instagram.

England Crowns a New King and Queen

In London on May 6, amid a wave of royal pomp and circumstance, the world watched the coronation of King Charles III, 75, who was only 4 when his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, ascended the throne. The monarch, joined by Queen Camilla, 76, set a tone of somber responsibility at the grand ceremony in Westminster Abbey, announcing, “I come not to be served but to serve.”

Strikes Bring Hollywood to a Hault

Members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) took on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, resulting in a 118-day labor stoppage throughout the summer over streaming residuals, AI technologies and other demands. Along with the four-month Writers Guild of America strike, the tactics had a reported $5 billion impact on California’s economy.

A Deep Sea Adventure Turns Tragic

On June 22 a four-day search for Titan, the submersible that disappeared on an expedition to explore the Titanic wreck, ended when the Coast Guard identified debris, confirming its implosion and the death of all five aboard. (Pictured: the French vessel L’Atalante on June 21, searching 900 miles east of Cape Cod.)

Tom Cruise Pulls Off an Impossible Stunt

July's Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One boasted scenes that left many moviegoers’ jaws on the theater floor, including a motorcycle cliff jump ending in a skydive. The eye-popping stunt, which involved 500 hours of training and 13,000 test jumps to perfect, was performed by star Tom Cruise himself over six takes. “[He] tried to kill me,” Cruise, 61, joked of director Christopher McQuarrie.

Raging Wildfires Devastate Hawaii

On Aug. 8 a blaze supercharged by 80-mph winds ripped through the Maui town of Lahaina, scorching more than 2,000 acres, destroying landmarks like the Waiola church and Lahaina Hongwanji Mission (above) and killing at least 97 individuals. “Everything is in chaos,” resident Chrissy Lovitt told PEOPLE, “but our community is still strong.”

Simone Biles Returns to Competitive Gymnastics

Following a two-year hiatus to prioritize her mental health, gold medalist Simone Biles, 26, didn’t miss a beat on the beam (or any other apparatus), winning a record eighth all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose on Aug. 25.

The 'Mudpocalypse' Can't Extinguish Burning Man

More than 70,000 revelers were left stranded in the Nevada desert in early September when two months’ worth of precipitation fell in 24 hours, turning Burning Man, the annual celebration of art and self-expression, into a muddy mess. Unsurprisingly the crowd found the silver lining. “The rain provided an amazing opportunity ... to connect with people,” said one.

In the Wake of a Terrorist Attack, War Grips the Middle East

On Oct. 7 the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched rockets on southern and central Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking another 240 hostage. The unprovoked attacks prompted a declaration of war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered airstrikes on Gaza. Pictured: a member of the Palestinian Civil Defence carries a wounded child from the rubble of a home on Oct. 9.

Families Mourn in the Holy Land

The loved ones of Valentin Elie Ghnassia, a 23-year-old French national who was killed when Hamas militants attacked Kibbutz Be’eri in Israel, grieve at his funeral on Oct. 12. In addition to the 1,200 Israeli casualties, the Israel-Hamas War has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians. Ceasefire and hostage negotiations are ongoing.

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