Fighter jets trailing red, white and blue smoke, a pulsating soundtrack that included snippets from Beatles songs and giant puppets from "Harry Potter" all came together during opening ceremonies for the London Olympics on Friday. Oscar winner Danny Boyle's $42 million show, with 15,000 volunteers, was a rich and textured journey through British history. Boyle drew from Shakespeare, British pop culture, literature and music, and other sources of inspiration that speak to not just Anglophiles but people across the globe. ____ Here's a gallery of photos from the ceremony.
AP PHOTOS: A rockin' Olympics opening ceremony
— Jul. 27 8:41 PM EDT
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The Olympic torch is lit during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
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The Olympic flame is lit during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, Saturday, July 28, 2012. (AP Photo/John Stillwell, Pool)
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Fireworks ignite over the Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The Olympic cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
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Performers dance during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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The Olympic rings are suspended over the stadium during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Tower Bridge and River Thames in London during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
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A giant figure during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
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Performers dance during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Artists perform during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
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A person dressed as Queen Elizabeth II parachutes into the Olympic stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, Friday, July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Ezra Shaw, Getty)
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Smoke from fireworks surrounds the iconic Tower Bridge over the River Thames in central London, decorated with Olympic rings, during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
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Actors perfrom during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Prince Harry and Winter Olympics gold medalist in the Bob Skeleton Amy Williams, left, arrive for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, Friday, July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/John Stillwell, Pool)
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Canada's Simon Whitfield carries the flag during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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Fireworks and Olympic rings light up at Tower Bridge during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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Cooke Islands athletes parade during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
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China's Yi Jianlian carries the flag during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Fireworks light up over the stadium during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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Lights illuminate the stadium during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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Sir Steve Redgrave carries the torch into the stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the London Olympic Games, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Owen Humphreys, PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUT; NO SALES; NO ARCHIVE
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The OIympic flag is carried around the stadium during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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Steve Redgrave carries the Olympic flame into the stadium during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Cameron Spencer, Pool)
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Fireworks light the sky above Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
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Fireworks illuminate the stadium after the lighting of the Olympic Flame 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremonies in London on Friday July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
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The Olympic torch is raised during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
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