Former South African president Nelson Mandela in 2008. Photo: Johnny Green/PA WireA worldwide sense of mourning, reflection and curiosity about the life and achievements of Nelson Mandela propelled the great man to the top of the global Google searches for 2013.
Searches for Mandela were already high this year, but following his death on December 5, people all over the world turned to the search engine to find out more about the former South African president and his legacy.
Deaths of celebrities featured prominently on the Google Zeitgeist list of searches around the world.
Hollywood actor Paul Walker, who was killed in a car crash on November 30, was listed second, and Glee star Cory Monteith, who died on July 13 from an alcohol and heroin overdose, was the fourth most popular search.
The latest gadgets also featured prominently, reflecting the global importance of new technology, with Apple’s iPhone 5s at three on the list, the Samsung Galaxy 4s at eight and the Sony PlayStation 4 at nine.
Deaths of celebrities featured prominently on the Google Zeitgeist list of searches around the world
Moments of joy and great sorrow also gripped Google users around the world with the birth of the Royal baby the seventh most popular search and the Boston Marathon bombing the sixth most searched for item.
The secretive communist North Korea state also piqued interest, reaching number 10 on the list.
A certain dance music video completed the top-ten global searches – the Harlem Shake has been uploaded to You Tube in more than 1.7 million video versions, propelling it to number five on the global list.
Top trending searches
1. Nelson Mandela
2. Paul Walker
3. iPhone 5s
4. Cory Monteith
5. Harlem Shake
6. Boston Marathon
7. Royal baby
8. Samsung Galaxy 4s
9. PlayStation 4
10. North Korea