As 2014 comes to a close, we’re taking a look back at the people, moments, and events that shaped 2014. Trends in Bing searches give us a unique view into what mattered most to us throughout the year. Turns out, 2014 was a year full of celebrity star-gazing, sports-spectating, and high-end designers. We’re excited to share some our favorite trends below! For a complete list of Bing search trends from the US and around the world, please visit www.BingTrends.com.
In the Spotlight:
Kim Kardashian dethroned Beyoncé as the most searched person this year. 2014 was the year of Kim with huge spikes in interest around her buzzworthy Vogue cover, extravagant wedding to Kanye, and her photos that “broke the internet.” Keeping up with the family business, Kim’s little sister, Kendall Jenner, breaks into the top 10 for the first time.
Step this way for the full celebrity countdown.
Celebrity Babies:
Hollywood had baby fever in 2014! Hey girl, the most searched celebrity baby of the year was Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling’s baby girl, Esmeralda.
Go ga-ga over the most searched for celebrity babies here.
People We Lost:
In 2014, we remembered iconic personalities and inspirational figures who passed away. Comedic legends Robin Williams and Joan Rivers passed away and news of each passing had people searching for answers and taking to the internet to re-watch some of their favorite moments with the actors.
You can see the full list here.
News that Impacted Us:
Sports news certainly stole the spotlight in 2014. The World Cup was the most searched news story of the year, followed by the Super Bowl at number two, and the controversial Winter Olympics at number five. People turned to Bing for more details about breaking news as well, including the Missing Malaysia Airlines Jet, rise of ISIS, and Ebola outbreak.
Get all the top stories here.
Strange but True News:
Sometimes we read news stories that we just can’t believe are true. 2014 was full of these, including a $10 million yacht that sank right when it launched, a nun who gave birth without knowing she was pregnant, a teen getting a tattoo of a McDonald’s receipt, and more.
Find out more about these and best of the rest here.
Hitting the High Notes:
Who runs the world? Queen Bey takes the crown for the most-searched musician of 2014. This is no surprise after her ‘On the Run’ tour with hubby Jay-Z was a smashing success, amid divorce rumors. Nine out of the top ten most searched musicians were female. Talk about girl power! Justin Bieber was the only male to appear in the top ten, coming in at number five.
See who topped the charts here.
On the Field:
The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks surpassed the Dallas Cowboys as the most searched sports team in 2014. Coming in at number three are the World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants. Surprisingly, no basketball teams made the top ten list of most searched teams.
Click here to see the full roster.
Let’s get App-y:
Bing search results show that we are social butterflies when it comes to downloading new apps. Half of the most searched apps of 2014 are social media apps. Skype is the only video communication application on the list, coming in at number four. The top gaming apps are Candy Crush and Angry Birds again this year, with newcomer to the list, Farmville, appearing in the number ten spot.
See the ten with the most app-eal here.
Fashion Forward:
Michael Kors moved from the number two most searched designer to the number one slot this year. Louis Vuitton jumped from number ten last year to number two this year—the most significant shift in the fashion list.
Get the rundown on the runway here.
When you head over to www.BingTrends.com, you can also explore our top search lists for the UK, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, India, Spain, Italy, Japan and Brazil to see the different topics that engaged us, and the issues that touched us all across cultures.
We hope you had as much fun as we did reminiscing on 2014! Here’s to a healthy, happy New Year ahead!
Cheers,
– The Bing Team
This year, the Bing search trends website was redesigned as part of Internet Explorer’s campaign to Rethink what the web can be. This beautiful, interactive site is just the latest example of the IE team creating innovative, real-world web experiences to showcase what is possible on the web today with a modern browser. Explore even more Rethink experiences, such as CyArk, Everest: Rivers of Ice, and Atari Arcade. The site is designed to work in all modern browsers but it’s perfect for touch in Internet Explorer 11.
