Top 2013 Google Searches Include Mandela, Harlem Shake

Last week, Google announced the top YouTube videos of 2013 and today, Mountain View released the top ten global trending searches of the year. Included in the list were pop culture references, historical icons and Apple’s iPhone 5s.

“Every day, around the world, we search. We want to find out more about our heroes, explore far-away destinations, or settle a dinner table dispute between friends,” the company wrote in a Google blog post. “And sometimes we just search to find out how many calories are in an avocado.” 

Nelson Mandela was the number one global trending search of 2013. The Harlem Shake came in at number five, just above the Boston Marathon.

In addition to the top global trending search terms, Google also put out over a thousand top ten lists for a broad variety of categories ranging from trending people to most-searched events. The data can further be sorted by country, of which Google says 72 are available.

“In our annual Year-End Zeitgeist (“spirit of the times”), we reflect on the people, places, and moments that captured the world’s attention throughout the year. This year marks our most global Zeitgeist to date—with 1,000+ top 10 lists across categories like Trending People, Most-Searched Events and Top Trending Searches from 72 countries,” the company said. 

The search data is available on Google’s Zeitgeist page, which tracks metrics not only for 2013, but for all years going back to 2001. If you’re big on visuals, the company also has a 3D global map that projects the data over a globe and allows you to see what people are searching for in a given place and time. If you don’t especially enjoy lists or maps, a minute and a half-long Year in Review video does a nice job of rounding up 2013’s biggest stories, at least as they are through the eyes of Google.