On Wednesday the 16th of December, Google allowed people to see the most searched topics of the year by putting “trends 2014” into its main search engine. Clicking through yielded more information on each topic. Google also unveiled more insights into trending content on Youtube. Here’s the most popular global searches of the year:
Robin Williams
The legendary actor in such films as Jumanji, Good Will Hunting and Aladdin, tragically passed away on the 11th of August, aged only 53.
The World Cup
No surprises here: the tournament broke records world wide for television audience figures, and drew particular attention from Brazil’s shocking 7-1 defeat at the hands of Germany, who went on to take home the trophy.
Ebola
The outbreak of the highly infectious virus in West Africa caught the sympathies of many, and raised alarm in the West when cases were reported in London and New York.
Malaysia Airlines
The bizarre disappearance of flight MH370 somewhere near south Asia was followed up by further misfortune for the airline with the loss of flight MH17 over the Ukraine in July.
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
This unexpectedly viral campaign for the sclerosis charity captured the public’s imagination, leading to every possible incarnation of the act of putting ice cold water on one’s head. It included several surreal contributions from A-list celebrities like Patrick Stewart.
Flappy Bird
Though released in May 2013, the simple yet painfully addictive game shot to fame this year. After its Vietnamese developer Nguyen Ha Dong removed it from the App Store in February, it spawned a dazzling array of spin offs, or “clones”, by copycatting developers, from Flappy Fish to Flappy Penguin to Flappy Plane.
Conchita Wurst
Conchita took this year’s Eurovision by storm: at a time when tensions over the Ukraine were running high, the Austrian drag artist drew rapturous support with her ballad “Rise Like A Phoenix”, much of which was attributed to a concurrent backlash against recent anti-homosexual and transgender legislation by Russia.
