This year on Twitter

Twitter is the real-time soundtrack to the biggest global moments and events as they unfold in the world, and 2013 was no exception. Whether it was the Super Bowl blackout or the German election,

What happened in the world simultaneously happened on Twitter.

We’ve seen that people use Twitter to add an extra and distinctive element to global news stories. The Boston Police Department used Twitter to spread the word about the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers. When the President of Panama found weapons materials in the Panama Canal, he tweeted the news to the world. When a nuclear agreement was brokered with Iran, world leaders shared their reactions on Twitter.

And while many moments happen on Twitter as they happen in the world, some also happen because of Twitter. When Kevin Rudd was up for re-election as Australia’s Prime Minister, he told undecided citizens to tweet to him so he could offer reasons to cast a vote in his favor.

Among the millions of affecting Tweets this year, there is something we call The Golden Tweet. It’s the most-retweeted Tweet of the year — the one that resonated most with millions of Twitter users around the world. In 2013, Lea Michele’s first public acknowledgement of the death of her Glee co-star and partner Cory Monteith is that Tweet, which was retweeted more than 408,000 times from 133 countries.

Two additional Tweets from this year commanded a huge amount of attention:

Paul Walker’s staff tweeted a statement announcing news of the actor’s passing. It was retweeted 400,367 times as the world came together in mourning.

The third Golden Tweet celebrates a major life milestone of One Direction band member Niall Horan:

You can explore all of the year’s biggest Twitter moments on 2013.twitter.com. We’ve built custom timelines showcasing great Tweets around the topics and events that mattered most to you — and the ones that lit up Twitter timelines around the world.

Here are some of the areas ready for you to peruse:

• 2013: Take a month-by-month look back at highlights and stand-out Twitter moments.
• News: See updates and opinions about the global events and breaking stories close by or far away.
• Entertainment: Visit the red carpets and studio sets to get closer to your favorite stars, shows, and stories.
• Sports: Hear the roar of the crowd on Twitter during every kind of sporting event around the world.
• Showcase: Here, you’ll find the best Tweets of the year, hand-picked by selected publishing partners.

Finally, our heartfelt thanks to all of you whose Tweets tell the story of 2013. We can’t wait to see what captures your attention next year.