Google's 'Year in Search' Remembers Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and More

The search engine released its annual roundup after one of the strangest years on record.

After a year that was anything but ordinary, Google's "Year in Search" is looking back at what people searched for online as they managed a global pandemic, took to the streets in protest, learned how to Zoom their everyday life and mourned the loss of so much normalcy and so many lives.

Google released their annual "Year in Search" roundup on Wednesday, taking a look back at some of the top trending searches throughout 2020, accompanied by a video that highlighted the year's ups and downs, from the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic to the inspiring protests by the Black Lives Matter movement, to the (sometimes) joyful chaos of life at home.

"The most human trait is to want to know why," says the video's narration, by poet and musician Kofi Lost. "And in a year that tested everyone around the world, 'why' was searched more than ever."

"Why is it that this year showed us its worst, and we still found ways to triumph?" Lost asks, as the video spotlights high points from the year, including Naomi Osaka's U.S. Open win, Leslie Jordan's silly quarantine videos, LeBron James and the Lakers triumphing in the NBA bubble, and sweet at-home moments like weddings and reunions.

The video also dives into "the questions that made us cry," including footage of 2020's wildfires, memorials to injustice, the coronavirus death toll and the loss of public figures like Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, Chadwick Boseman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Congressman John Lewis, Eddie Van Halen and more.

"While we didn't find all the answers, we kept asking," Lost concludes. "Until we get to every answer, we're still searching."

Along with the moving video, Google also released the data on its top trending data for the year, highlighting people, questions and terms that saw a sustained spike in search traffic in 2020. See the complete roundup here, and read on for some select lists.

Searches

Election results

Coronavirus

Kobe Bryant

Coronavirus update

Coronavirus symptoms

Zoom

Who is winning the election

Naya Rivera

Chadwick Boseman

PlayStation 5

 

News

Election results

Coronavirus

Stimulus checks

Unemployment

Iran

Hurricane Laura

Super Tuesday

Stock market

Murder hornet

Australia fires

 

People

Joe Biden

Kim Jong Un

Kamala Harris

Jacob Blake

Ryan Newman

Tom Hanks

Shakira

Tom Brady

Kanye West

Vanessa Bryant

 

Actors

Tom Hanks

Chris D'Elia

Jada Pinkett Smith

Timothée Chalamet

Ricky Gervais

Amber Heard

Joaquin Phoenix

Danny Masterson

Ryan Dorsey

Lea Michele

 

Athletes 

Ryan Newman

Tom Brady

Bubba Wallace

Mike Tyson

Rudy Gobert

Drew Brees

Tyson Fury

Derrick Henry

Nate Robinson

Delonte West

 

Movies

Parasite

1917

Black Panther

Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey

Little Women

Just Mercy

Bad Boys 3

Sonic the Hedgehog

Contagion

Fantasy Island

 

Musicians and Bands 

Shakira

August Alsina

Adele

Doja Cat

Grimes

Van Halen

Lizzo

Tamar Braxton

Quando Rondo

Tory Lanez

 

TV Shows

Tiger King

Cobra Kai

Ozark

The Umbrella Academy

The Queen's Gambit

Little Fires Everywhere

Outer Banks

Ratched

All American

The Last Dance

 

Sports Teams

Boston Celtics

Miami Heat

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Clippers

Dallas Stars

Washington Football Team

Philadelphia Flyers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Boston Bruins

San Francisco 49ers

 

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