The 2012 London Olympics officially began Friday night with a stunning and dramatic Danny Boyle-produced opening ceremony at Olympic Park.
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Owen Humphreys/associated press
Fireworks lit the sky over the Olympic Stadium Friday during the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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David Gray/reuters
Performers took part in the opening ceremony.
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Dylan Martinez/reuters
The show was produced by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle.
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David Gray/REUTERS
Great Britain's cyclist Bradley Wiggins, winner of this year’s Tour de France, greeted spectators.
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Adrees Latif /REUTERS
Members of the audience took photographs before the opening ceremony.
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Eric Gay/associated press
Media members took shelter from the rain.
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Jae C. Hong/associated press
Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camila, Duchess of Cornwall, arrived for the show.
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Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
The Red Arrows flew over the Olympic Stadium in London.
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Dylan Martinez /REUTERS
Parts of the show portrayed Britain as a place of meadows and farms.
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Kai Pfaffenbach /REUTERS
Some 15,000 volunteers took part in the spectacle.
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Jorge Silva /REUTERS
The program mixed filmed sequences with live action.
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David Gray /REUTERS
Performers took part in the show.
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Mike Segar /REUTERS
The show included scenes from movies and popular children's literature.
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Mike Blake /REUTERS
Performers dressed as famed movie character Mary Poppins took flight during the show.
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Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
This sequence was meant to represent Britain's National Health Service.
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Mike Segar /REUTERS
Spectators waved Union Flags, commonly known as Union Jacks, during the ceremony.
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Lucy Nicholson /REUTERS
A fan watched the opening ceremony.
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Kai Pfaffenbach /REUTERS
The London 2012 Olympic Games run through August 12.
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Jorge Silva./REUTERS
The show "was a wonderful contemporary spectacle of extraordinary tone, production, and entertainment," wrote the Globe's Chad Finn.
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Suzanne Plunkett /REUTERS
Members of the US delegation took part in the event.
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Toby Melville /REUTERS
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, waved during the festivities.
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Dmitry Lovetsky/associated press
Fireworks illuminated the sky over the Olympic Stadium.
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Paul Sancya/associated press
Up to 60,000 people watched the event in the Olympic Stadium.
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Mike Segar/REUTERS
Seven young athletes carried the torch during the ceremony.
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Pawel Kopczynski /REUTERS
The stems lit by the young athletes rose to form the Olympic cauldron.
