Photography plays a huge role in connecting people to each other. An image is worth a thousand words and bypasses borders and languages and cultures, to inform and educate us. From celebrity selfies garnering over 3.36 million retweets to a haunting image of malaysia airlines flight 17 wreckage in ukriane, TIME has selected the Top 10 photos of 2014 carefully choosen from thousands, providing an important visual record of history. Curious? Here are the 10 most influential photos of 2014 according to TIME magazine:

Massimo Sestini – mediterranean sea – june 07, 2014

Nikita Dudnik. Sudden hail storm in Novosibirsk Russia.

Moises Saman. Sinjar Montains, Iraq. Aug12 2014

Ross McDonnell. Kiev, Urkaine. Jan25 2014

Whitney Curtis – Ferguson, MO – August 11, 2014

Daniel Berehulak – Monrovia, Liberia – september 5, 2014

Jérôme Sessini – Torez, Ukraine – july 17, 2014

Tyler Hicks. Gaza, July16 2014

Thomas van Houtryve. House boats on Lake Oroville, California. The lake is 70% empty due to California’s severe drought.

Ellen Degeneres – hollywood, california – march 2, 2014

Source: Design Museum