From house breaking in Johannesburg to hippos on the loose in Tbilisi to rioters attacking a policewoman in Burundi, Reuters photographers tell the story behind some of the most iconic pictures of the year. Here: Protesters drag a female police officer accused of shooting a protester in the Buterere neighbourhood of Bujumbura, Burundi, May 12, 2015. Goran Tomasevic: Protesters started throwing stones at a group of police, who then started to run away. The policewoman in the photo, Medikintos Inabeza, 33, got left behind and then some protesters started to push her, saying that she had shot a female protestor in the stomach with an AK47 rifle. I didn't see anything of that. There were 5 or 10 protesters pushing the policewoman at first, then others came and joined in. Up to 20 or 30 protesters were surrounding her at one point. The protesters kicked and beat her very badly; I also saw a couple of knives. I thought they were going to kill her... (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

Members of the 1st Tennessee wait to take part in in a demonstration of a battle during ongoing activities commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Friday, June 28, 2013, at at Bushey Farm in Gettysburg, Pa. Union forces turned away a Confederate advance in the pivotal battle of the Civil War fought July 1-3, 1863, which was also the war's bloodiest conflict with more than 51,000 casualties. (Photo by Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

“Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. The History of Tom Thumb was published in 1621, and has the distinction of being the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a favourite of King Arthur. The earliest allusions to Tom occur in various 16th century works such as Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft (1584) where Tom is cited as one of the supernatural folk employed by servant maids to frighten children”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Portrait of the dwarf, Tom Thumb standing on the hand of a Guardsman. Charles Sherwood Stratton (1838 – 1883) was nicknamed General Tom Thumb by P T Barnum, the circus owner. (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images). Circa 1875

Harry Sprinkle eats a meal at St. John's Bread and Life, a free meal service, on December 23, 2011 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. St. John's Bread and Life serves approximately 2,200 meals per day; the organization has existed since 1982. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

American rapper Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, known professionally as Doja Cat puts on a cheeky show as she performs at Winnie Harlow’s “Pretty Little Thing” Event in Los Angeles, CA. on July 15, 2021. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

The three pals dressed to the nines enjoyed a boozy night out in Leeds, United Kingdom on August 27, 2021. Boozed-up Brits flocked to bars across the country to enjoy the start of the three-day break. (Photo by Nb press ltd)

The new wax figure of American singer Jennifer Lopez is unveiled on May 21, 2003 at Madame Tussauds, London. The waxwork is the first ever blushing figure. (Photo by Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)

A cosplayer poses during Day 2 of London MCM Comic Con 2019 at ExCel on May 25, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Dredd/Rex Features/Shutterstock)