U.S. soldiers celebrate as the first vehicles of the last U.S. military convoy carrying troops out of Iraq passes through the K-Crossing at Iraq's border with Kuwait early on Sunday morning. Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

A man holds a Christmas 'El Gordo' lottery ticket he is hoping to sell in November in Madrid, Spain. It's a tradition for many people in Spain to buy tickets for the annual lottery, the largest of the year. Denis Doyle/Getty Images hide caption

Founded by Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, The Roots have now been performing for more than two decades. The hip-hop group's latest album is undun. Chago Akii-bua/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Republican presidential candidates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich squared off in the ABC debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday night. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption

House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi talks to reporters in the U.S. Capitol on Friday. Pelosi was critical of Speaker John Boehner and the GOP leadership for recessing the House without passing extensions of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, both set to expire at the end of the year. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

A Border Patrol agent looks for footprints from illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.- Mexico border in 2010. Traffickers have begun using immigrants as drug smugglers, recruiting voluntarily and forcibly. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption

The Niemeyer Center for the arts will shut its doors on Dec. 15 after being open for only nine months in Aviles, Spain. It's a victim of political squabbling during difficult economic times. Lauren Frayer for NPR hide caption

Daniel Kryger, left, works with fellow traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. If the European Union can't agree on a plan, its debt crisis could lead to the kind of financial chaos that economists say surely would hurt the United States. Richard Drew/AP hide caption

Fairfield, Idaho, is struggling. Once poised for expansion, the town has high unemployment and a shrinking population. Molly Messick/StateImpact Idaho hide caption

A woman walks past Egyptian military near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday. Protesters have clashed with security forces in the days leading up to Monday's parliamentary elections, and women are being targeted. Manu Brabo/AP hide caption

Students sit at the Virginia Tech campus on April 18, 2007, two days after a student killed 32 people and himself. FBI victim specialists span out to help in the wake of crimes like the Virginia Tech massacre. Mary Altaffer/AP hide caption

Meliza Arellano (right) is now an 11th grader at Democracy Prep in New York City. Her seventh-grade teacher, Sarah Benko, inspired her to want to become a teacher. StoryCorps hide caption

Photo of the Big Bopper in 1960. Allan H. Plant/Getty Images hide caption

Pakistani protesters shout slogans during a protest in Multan on Oct. 14 against U.S. drone attacks in Pakistani tribal areas. Officials said U.S. drone strikes on Oct. 13 killed 10 militants, including a senior commander in the Haqqani network. Drone attacks are one way the U.S. hopes to squeeze the Haqqani militants. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

"Maternal health clinics encourage mothers to bring their children for checkups as a way to improve the health of mothers and children." Betty Press hide caption