LONDON: Robin Williams’ death was the most globally searched news on the search engine. The comedian passed away this year after committing suicide. That was followed by the FIFA World Cup, which happened in Brazil and which was won by Germany
At number three was the dreaded disease Ebola, which continues to rock African nations. Following in at fourth was the ill-fated MH370 flight that disappeared without a clue along with its 239 passengers. The top five was rounded off by the ALS Ice bucket challenge, which involved emptying a cold bucket of ice and water over oneself and donating money to ALS charity and research.
At six came the biggest surprise and that was the mobile game ‘Flappy Bird’. The simple game that went viral came ahead of ISIS and the incidents in Ferguson, Missouri.
Unlike past years, this time around no natural calamity found a place in the top ten list. The top ten was rounded off by the Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst, terrorist organization ISIS, the animated movie Frozen and Sochi Winter Olympics.
In the list for doodles, Google’s doodle for the Philae lander that landed on the 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko was the ninth most popular doodle. The FIFA World Cup Doodle came first.
As for tech-consumer goods, the most searched item was iPhone 6, followed by Samsung Galaxy S5 at five, Nexus 6 and Moto G. Researchers were surprised that Samsung Galaxy S5 came second, considering the hype the product had created.
Amongst the most searched celebrities Jennifer Lawrence took the top spot. She was in the news for her new movie and her personal images, which were leaked by hackers. She was followed by reality star, Kim Kardashian and Julie Gayet, the French film actress whose affair with French President Francois Hollande hit the headlines earlier this year.
Colombian footballer James Rodriguez was the most searched athlete, followed by Michael Schumacher. The seven time Formula One champion suffered a serious head injury during a skiing holiday a year ago.
Over at Yahoo’s search, the top 10 was filled with celebrities, though Ebola took the top spot. Bing put out separate lists for athletes, celebrities and musicians, which were topped by LeBron James, Kim Kardashian and Beyonce respectively