February's Best Pictures From Around the World

The Olympic cauldron was tested at the Sochi Olympic Park in Russia.

Following a rare ice storm in Charleston, SC, kids played on a sand dune covered with snow.

First Lady Michelle Obama waved from her box seat alongside US Army Ranger Cory Remsburg during the State of the Union address in Washington DC.

People in Melbourne, Australia, gathered for the Australia Day parade.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Charles enjoyed some beer while visiting The Bell Pub in Purleigh, England.

In London, people performed parts of Swan Lake outside the Russian Embassy and submitted a petition asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to "end his assault on freedom of expression and gay rights" in his country.

Shelley Rudman, a skeleton skiing athlete from Team Great Britain, trained for the Sochi games in Sheffield, England.

Hillary Clinton spoke at the 10th National Automobile Dealers Association Convention in New Orleans.

People in Lerwick, Scotland, participated in a traditional festival of fire.

Pope Francis gave a little girl a kiss during his weekly audience in Vatican City.

People on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate filled the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, holding up signs to voice their pro- and anti-gay-marriage opinions.

In Chicago, a person braved -10ºF temperatures to snap pictures of the steam over Lake Michigan.

Romanian luger Valentin Cretu prepped for the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

A San Franciscan walked past the Bay Bridge as much-needed rain fell on the drought-stricken area.

Candles burned during a vigil for actor Philip Seymour Hoffman in New York.

Dancers performed during the Olympics opening ceremony.

Gunners from 105th Regiment Royal Artillery fired a 21-gun royal salute at Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's ascension to the throne.

A sanitation worker gathered a pile of salt in Chicago, preparing for another major Winter storm.

London looked monochromatic under dark clouds.

Storm waves hit the seafront in Dawlish, England.

Hillary Clinton was all smiles during a round table put on by Univision.

Fame, 3, a Papillon, waited for a treat after demonstrating skills for the upcoming agility competition as part of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Waka Ama crew members welcome each other with a nose press on the beach as they celebrate Waitangi Day in New Zealand.

Prince Charles, now officially a grandfather, enjoyed playing with twins during a day out in London.

The Radio City Rockettes performed in Grand Central Terminal as a preview for their new show.

Men carried torches during the Oto Fire Festival at Kamikura Shrine in Japan.

In Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, a golf course got some much-needed plowing.

President Barack Obama walked across the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One.

Sunbathers packed gorgeous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as one in particular enjoyed a shower.

A view of the Pont Des Arts on Valentine's Day in Paris.

An Olympic skier rocketed into the air at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

A worker perched on the Christ the Redeemer statue during a ceremony blessing the workers by the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro.

A biologist gave an African Penguin a Valentine's Day card at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

Couples took part in a mass wedding ceremony at Cheongshim Peace World Center in South Korea.

Citizens released paper hot air balloons for good luck during Jwibulnoli, a South Korean folk game.

Huge waves hit the Newhaven Lighthouse as another Altlantic storm hits the coast of Great Britain.

An antigovernment protester stood inside a barricade in Kiev, Ukraine.

David Beckham greeted fans in the Philippines.

Snow fell in front of the US Capitol building in Washington DC.

A bicycle sat in the dirty snow in New York City during an unusually snowy Winter.

Houses were ravaged by flooding on the Thames Riviera in the United Kingdom.

Performers took part in the Singkawang Lantern Festival in Indonesia.

Darth Vader's costume was displayed during the presentation of the exhibition Star Wars Identities at the Cité du Cinéma outside Paris.

People lit candles in front of Dresden's Frauenkirche church on the 69th anniversary of the World War II firebombing of the city.

Prince Harry sat in the cockpit of one of the aircrafts while visiting the Boultbee Flight Academy in Goodwood, England.

With Lake Michigan more than 80 percent frozen, Chicago saw an icy shoreline.

A young boy was seen among the antigovernment protesters in Kiev, Ukraine, where clashes took a more violent turn.

In Wellington, New Zealand, the ferry moved through the fog on the Wellington Harbour.

Olympic snowboarders Michela Moioli of Italy, Alexandra Jekova of Bulgaria, Faye Gulini of Team USA, and Chloe Trespeuch of France made one of the jumps together during the women's snowboard cross.

Pope Francis greeted a group of cardinals when he arrived for the extraordinary consistory in Vatican City.

Crowds gathered in the streets of Roztoky in the Czech Republic at the start of Carnival season.

People participated in the naked inner-tube sledding competition in Hecklingen, Germany.

People snapped pictures in front of snow sculptures in Gulmarg, a popular tourist town near Kashmir, India.

Zara Phillips brought her baby daughter, Mia Tindall, to the Barbury Castle Point-to-Point race meeting in Marlborough, England.

Following weeks of chilly weather, NYC saw some warmer temperatures and thick fog.

Venice, Italy, saw the opening of Carnival with the traditional regatta on the Grand Canal.