Osama bin Laden’s Death is AOL’s Top Story of 2011

The votes have been cast, the results have been tallied and the death of Osama bin Laden has been named the top news story of 2011 according to AOL’s “11 Days That Shaped 2011? challenge. Organized in chronological order, Osama bin Laden’s death was sixth option on the site.

The site was created as a way to sum up the year in news based on shares, engagement and impact on the AOL website and its media partners, including The Huffington Post, Engadget and more.

Viewers were asked to vote for which news event they felt was the most important in 2011. Osama bin Laden’s death was the clear winner with 31% of the vote, the next closest was the earthquake and tsunami in Japan (15%) and the Debt Ceiling Crisis and Arab Spring (each with 10% of the vote).

SEE ALSO: AOL Names 11 News Stories That Shaped 2011

“I wasn’t surprised that the death of Osama bin Laden was voted the top moment of 2011 for a few reasons,” says AOL CMO Maureen Sullivan. “First, the story was several years in the making, stretching back almost a decade to 2001. Second, the event really captured how news coverage is changing in the 21st century. Word of Bin Laden’s death broke on Twitter and was picked up by the mainstream media there, so it also highlights the important relationship between social media and mainstream media. And finally, this event really touched people on global, national and local levels.”

Of course, not all the news stories were as comparably momentous. Charlie Sheen’s public meltdown made the short list but fell far behind the rest of the pack. Voters could also write in their own picks for top story, some of which included Kim Kardashian’s wedding divorce, the transplant of the world’s first artificial organ, the Casey Anthony trial and the death of Muammar Gaddafi.

You can find the full results by scrolling through the 11 Days That Shaped 2011. Each slide provides information, factoids, headlines and context for each of the major events. You can also jump straight to the results by clicking here.

Was Osama bin Laden’s death the biggest story of 2011? What would you vote for? Sound off in the comments.

South Korea leads Asia lower upon Kim Jong Il’s death

The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il sent Asian stocks, particularly in South Korea, down as uncertainty over regional stability reverberated throughout the Pacific Rim.

Samsung shares sunk 3.6 percent. LG Electronics, the world's third-largest mobile phone maker, and LG Display, the world's No. 2 flat screen manufacturer, dropped 4.7% and 5.3%, respectively and should remain under pressure on Wall Street tomorrow.

Meanwhile, South Korean food manufacturers Nong Shim and Sam Yang Foods jumped 2.7% and 15%, respectively, amid fears of a rush for food supplies should conflict erupt on the Korean Peninsula.

By the end of trading on Monday, the KOSPI ( EWY , quote ) plummeted 3.43%, up from an initial dip of 4.9%. The decline marked a three-week low and the biggest percentage drop in six weeks.

Chinese shares ( YAO , quote ) fell 0.30%.Japanese shares ( EWJ , quote ) were down 1.26%, hitting a three-week low. Singaporean shares ( EWS , quote ) fell 1.55% and Australian stocks ( EWA , quote ) dipped 2.49%.

Further pushing down Asian stocks were warnings from Fitch that it may downgrade seven European nations.

Asian and European currencies fell against the dollar, a traditional safe-haven currency. China's yuan fell 0.16% to 6.3376. The British pound dipped 0.23% to $1.5506. Meanwhile, the euro dropped 0.13% to $1.3024.