From the London Games' opening ceremony through 302 medal events, these Summer Olympics have fed fans a rich diet of history and spectacle. I can only wish that I'd been able to eat it all — but part of the allure of the Olympics is that there's no way to watch everything.
The London Summer Games have now become the most-watched television event in U.S. history, with a total of 219.4 viewers over 17 days of coverage. Those high ratings push London 2012 past Beijing 2008, which held the previous record of 215 million viewers.
They've been called the first "Social Games" — and the London Summer Olympics have made social stars out of athletes like gymnast Gabrielle Douglas, who saw her Facebook fanbase grow by nearly 4,000 percent.
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The London 2012 Olympics were billed as the Social Games, with fans following along on Twitter, Facebook and other services. But it might be remembered as "The Crying Games," for the swelling of emotions many Britons experienced. We run down some of the winners and losers of the Summer Olympics.
The London 2012 Olympics are officially over, but people are still buzzing about Sunday's closing ceremony. It included many of the highlights of British culture and history that weren't in London's opening ceremony. And in America, some viewers are angry about what was left out of the U.S. feed.
by Krishnadev Calamur
The surviving members of the rock band Queen, The Who and the Spice Girls were on the schedule to entertain millions watching around the world.
by Eyder Peralta
U.S. glory was spread wide across the games, including in places where the country had little success in past games. In the end, it collected 104 total medals, 46 of them gold.
by Eyder Peralta
It was a one-point game headed into the fourth quarter. It took all of the USA all-stars to put it away.
by Eyder Peralta
American Ryan Hall dropped out of the race before the half-way mark. The gold for Kiprotich was the first for Uganda in track and field.
Michael Phelps leaves London with 18 gold medals and a record 22 total medals. He says that his plans for life after the Olympics include visiting some of the cities he's competed in — but outside the bubble of swim meets, for a change.
