Season 1

Planned among others: Red-Green in change / PDS takes over government responsibility for the first time / Eschede catastrophe / Hope for Northern Ireland / "Guildomania

Planned among others: The CDU sinks into the donation swamp / Vladimir Putin becomes the new Russian president / Concorde inferno in Paris / EXPO 2000 - billion-euro grave in Hanover / election confusion about the US presidency

September 11 changes the world, terror costs thousands of lives. America is going to war against Osama bin Laden, and Germany must do its part. Ex-president Milosevic comes to court in The Hague as a war criminal. The foot-and-mouth disease depopulates Europe's stables. ver.di, the largest service union in the world, is founded. Over the South Seas the remains of the MIR burn up. In Norway the fairy tale wedding enchants the people. Bishop Lehmann finally becomes cardinal. In Genoa an opponent of globalization dies. The IOC gets a new president. All this and more in the "Album 2001 - Pictures of a Year".

Terrorist attacks keep the world in suspense. Hundreds of innocent people die in Madrid and Beslan, including many children. Anarchy reigns in Iraq, with locals and allied soldiers dying almost daily in attacks. The EU's eastward expansion enlarges the community to 25 states - whether Turkey should also be part of it is a matter of urgency. Horst Köhler becomes the new German President - and Rudi Völler resigns as national coach after a disgraceful European Championship. One name becomes the symbol of social reforms - Hartz IV - and the major parties lose many voters. Otto "Rehakles" Greek becomes European champion - and the youth of the world meets in Athens - but is overshadowed by doping scandals. Fairytale wedding in the royal houses of Denmark and Spain - and the Netherlands mourn Queen Juliana. All this and more in the 2004 album.

A long pontificate comes to an end - John Paul II dies. His successor Benedict XVI. inspires the church youth of the world in Cologne. Bomb attacks in London, terror reaches Europe - and the wave of violence in Iraq continues. More hurricanes than ever before bring suffering, death and devastation - and the tsunami catastrophe in Southeast Asia claims hundreds of thousands of lives. The EU constitution fails - and the dispute over Turkey's accession threatens to divide the community. 60 years after the end of the war, a German chancellor stands in the middle of the ranks of the victors - and the Holocaust Memorial is opened in Berlin. Simonis and Steinbrück pay for the reform policies of the Schröder government - the new elections bring Germany its first female chancellor. Charles and Camilla are finally allowed to marry - and with Max Schmeling, a great sportsman leaves.

The world as a guest of friends - The Football World Cup fascinates and shows Germany in a new light

Everyone talks about the weather. The chancellor asks for the summit in Heiligendamm, and a district administrator saws at the chair of Edmund Stoiber. A little polar bear conquers the hearts of the Germans, Paris Hilton has to go behind bars, young people discover fun in "coma drinking", and cycling finally sinks into the drug swamp. - All this and more in "Album 2007".

The financial crisis is shaking up the global economy, and rescue packages are designed to prevent its collapse.

America has a new president, and Angela Merkel remains German Chancellor. Earthquakes shake Italy and Indonesia, and forest fires devastate parts of Greece. In Iran, Ahmadinejad holds on to power by force, and the fight against the Taliban costs more and more strength. Usain Bolt is astonishing and skeptical the sports world, and the German women footballers are once again European champions. The Winnenden rampage shakes the country, and swine flu unsettles the population. Dominic Brunner pays for his moral courage with his life, and the "King of Pop" steps down for good.

Once again this year, ZDF will be presenting a unique review of the national and international events of the past twelve months. "Album 2010" reviews the most important events for a whole hour on Sunday, December 19, 2010, 7:15 p.m. They will be put in precise order by Elmar Theveßen, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and terrorism expert at ZDF. What was it that occupied, impressed and affected him the most? "Between all the suffering this year, the images of the rescue of the miners in Chile have done so infinitely well. And then there is the song 'Born to live'. That's what everything is about, even if we sometimes forget it," says Theveßen.

The tsunami in Japan not only destroys Fukushima, and the German government decides to phase out nuclear power. The Arab Spring changes the Middle East, and Osama bin Laden dies in a hail of bullets from a special commando. Greece's financial crisis shakes the entire EU, and social unrest shakes Britain. Winfried Kretschmann becomes the first green prime minister, and the Pirate Party moves into a state parliament for the first time. In London, the dream wedding of the heir apparent enchants the masses, and Loriot leaves the stage for good. Defense Minister zu Guttenberg has to relinquish all offices, and the Pope visits an East German state for the first time. All this and more in the 2011 album.

The "Costa Concordia" runs aground off Tuscany, and the economy in Greece remains in a precarious state. The civil war in Syria costs thousands of lives, and the Mohammed video angers the Islamic faithful. Federal President Wulff stumbles over the credit affair, and Environment Minister Röttgen loses first the election and then his post. London's Olympic Games enchant the world, and Spain becomes European soccer champion. Storm "Sandy" brings misery and despair to New York, and Schlecker's bankruptcy costs tens of thousands of jobs. Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, dies, and Felix Baumgartner jumps into a new dimension. All this and more in the album 2012.

The Germans remain loyal to Mrs. Merkel, and the FDP is mercilessly punished. Poison gas grenades kill hundreds in Syria, and hundreds of thousands of refugees leave their homes at the risk of their lives. Whistleblower Edward Snowden seeks asylum in Russia, and the NSA affair shakes the German-American friendship. Still no plane takes off from Willy Brandt Airport Berlin, and Mainz Central Station remains a "train-free zone" for days. The winter has Europe under control for months, and the summer floods destroy large areas of land. The new pope preaches and lives humility, and the bishop of Limburg stumbles over his pompousness. The German women's soccer team becomes European champion, and FC Bayern wins the longed-for "triple" for the first time. The British are delighted with the offspring of William and Kate, and Willem-Alexander becomes the new King of the Netherlands.

President Putin allows himself to be celebrated at the Olympic Games, and then unceremoniously annexes the Crimea. The so-called Islamic state spreads terror in the Middle East, and hundreds of thousands flee their homeland at the risk of their lives. Separatists take over power in the east of Ukraine by force, and flight MH 17 is smashed to pieces after a rocket fire in a field near Donetsk. Germany rejoices over its soccer world champions, and Uli Hoeneß is sent to prison for tax offences. Ebola causes fear - not only in West Africa, and the Gaza war causes more than 2000 deaths. Rail and air strikes paralyze the republic, and the toll is causing ridicule and controversy in politics. Conchita Wurst wins the Eurovision Song Contest, and the world's most desirable bachelor is under the hood. All this and more in the 2014 album.

We look back on an eventful and moving year 2015. Millions of refugees are setting off for Europe, and politicians are deeply divided over how to deal with them. The summer brings us a new heat record, and storm Niklas devastates large parts of the republic. The crash of the Germanwings plane shakes all of Germany, and "Je suis Charlie" becomes a synonym for freedom of opinion. The EU helps Greece despite quarrels with the Tsipras government, and there are riots at the opening of the new ECB. FIFA sinks into a swamp of corruption, and at Volkswagen hundreds of thousands of engines are manipulated. The former arch-enemies Cuba and the USA are moving towards each other, and a solar airplane flies once around the world on solar power alone. All this and more in Album 2015.

We look back on an eventful and moving year 2016. The Islamist terror shakes Nice, Istanbul and Brussels and has also arrived in Germany. The fight against the IS is causing thousands of deaths, and the fight for the White House is dividing the USA. In Great Britain a narrow majority decides in favor of brexite, and in Germany the AfD moves into five state parliaments. The New Year's Eve in Cologne moves the republic, and serious unrest breaks out in the Idomeni refugee camp. CETA, the free trade agreement with Canada, is signed after long squabbles, and the EU is more divided than ever. The Olympic Games fascinate billions of people, and Portugal becomes European soccer champion for the first time. Heavy storms flood large areas of southern Germany, and twelve people die in the train accident in Bad Aibling. All this and more in "Album 2016" with comments by Elmar Theveßen.

"Album 2017 - Pictures of a Year" looks back on an eventful and moving year 2017. Islamist terror hits Manchester, Barcelona and London, and in Germany a bus carrying soccer players is attacked out of greed. In the USA, President Trump is sworn in, and in Germany the AfD moves into the German Bundestag. The G20 summit in Hamburg is shaken by massive riots, and the power struggle in Venezuela claims hundreds of lives. The British government requests the final "Brexit", and in Strasbourg there is a European funeral for former chancellor Helmut Kohl. In Catalonia, the Spanish government cracks down on the separatists, and in London dozens of people die in a high-rise fire. After long squabbles, Air Berlin finally flies for the last time, and in Hamburg, the Elbe Philharmonic Hall is ceremonially opened after many years of construction. The storms "Xavier" and "Hewart" cause severe damage, and later frost in April destroys large parts of the fruit blossom.

"Album 2018 - Pictures of a Year" looks back on an eventful and exciting year 2018. After long negotiations, the GroKo will be relaunched in Berlin, but after the poor results of Bavaria and Hesse, the Chancellor is giving up the chairmanship of the CDU party. On the Korean peninsula there is a thaw between the enemy states, and US President Trump is taking on the heads of government of the G7 states. The collapse of a highway bridge in Genoa kills more than 40 people, and in Thailand a youth team is rescued from a flooded cave after days. The summer of 2018 breaks all records with lots of sunshine and high temperatures, but the crop failures are huge and the rivers dry up. The journalist Deniz Yücel is released from Turkish custody, and the tree houses in Hambach Forest are cleared.

"Album 2019 - Pictures of a Year" looks back on an eventful and exciting year 2019. The brexite proves to be a never-ending story and in North Korea the presidents Trump and Kim meet. 16-year-old Greta Thunberg calls for civil disobedience and "Fridays for Future" becomes a worldwide outcry against climate change. In Brazil, huge areas of rainforest are burned and hurricane "Dorian" destroys many islands in the Bahamas. In the Ruhr area it is finally "shift in the pit" and Andrea Nahles quits as SPD chairwoman. In Halle, a right-wing extremist run amok attacks the synagogue, and the murder of district president Walter Lübcke causes consternation. Ursula von der Leyen becomes the new president of the EU commission, and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer her successor as defense minister. In Paris, "Notre Dame" almost becomes a victim of the flames, and the government in Austria falls over the "Ibiza video". This and more in the "Album 2019 - Pictures of a Year".

Review of the year 2020

2021 in a review

2022 in a review

2023 in a review

2024 in a review