Google has published its top ten global trending searches of 2013, with the recently deceased South African leader Nelson Mandela ranking No. 1 for this year’s top global searches:
It’s perhaps unsurprising that the #1 trending search of 2013 was an international symbol of strength and peace: Nelson Mandela. Global search interest in the former President of South Africa was already high this year, and after his passing, people from around the world turned to Google to learn more about Madiba and his legacy.
Unlike Yahoo’s celebrity-focused list of top searches or Bing’s collection of top searches that surprisingly lacked any mention of Nelson Mandela, Google’s top global searches included a variety topics, from celebrities to tech gadgets and world affairs.
Google’s Top 10 Trending Global Searches of 2013:
- Nelson Mandela
- Paul Walker
- iPhone 5s
- Cory Monteith
- Harlem Shake
- Boston Marathon
- Royal Baby
- Samsung Galaxy s4
- PlayStation 4
- North Korea
Along with its top global trending searches, Google also published its annual “Year-End Zeitgeist” page, listing more than 1,000 top ten search lists. Google claims this year represented the most “global Zeitgeist” to date with top searches from 72 countries.
Top searches of 2013 included:
Most searched celebrity pregnancies – Kim Kardashian
Most searched deaths – Paul Walker
Most searched Fortune 500 – Google
Most searched movies – Man of Steel
Most searched MLB Player – Alex Rodriguez
Most searched NBA Player – LeBron James
Most searched TV Show – Breaking Bad
According to Google, the most often searched “What is..?” question asked by users was, “What is twerking?” which aligned perfect with the site’s most searched person of the year, Miley Cyrus.
Google wrapped up its year with a video spotlighting the most popular people, places and events of 2013:
