Google has once again released its list of the 10 most Googled people of the year. This year’s edition contains many pop culture figures , sports man and public figures.
Here are the 10 most Googled people in the world in 2012.
1. Whitney Houston
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At top of the most searched people on Google, American recording artist, actress, producer, and model Whitney Elizabeth Houston. Houston was one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in her guest room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California.
2. Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton (Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge), the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is at no 2. In January 2012, she was voted ‘Headwear Person of the Year’. Middleton was number one on Vanity Fair’s annual Best Dressed lists in 2010, 2011 and in 2012 also its cover star. She was awarded the accolade of ‘Best Celebrity Smile’ in May 2012 after placing first in a poll by Bupa. She is known for mixing couture pieces, often by British designers, with ‘High Street’ retail fashion.
3. Amanda Todd
At No 3, A British Colombian young girl “Amanda Michelle Todd”. She was born in British Columbia on November 27, 1996. She became most searched after death. At the time of her death, she was a grade 10 student. Amanda Todd committed suicide on October 10, 2012 at her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. Prior to her death, Todd posted a video on YouTube in which she used a series of flash cards to tell of her experience of being blackmailed, bullied, and physically assaulted. The video went viral after her death, resulting in international media attention.
4. Michael Clarke Duncan
At No 4, American actor Michael Clarke Duncan, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. He was also recognized for his appearances in motion pictures such as Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, The Scorpion King and Daredevil, as well as voice acting roles in works such as Brother Bear and Kung Fu Panda. On July 13, 2012, Duncan was taken to a hospital after suffering a heart attack. On September 3, Duncan died in Los Angeles.
5. One Direction
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One Direction are an English-Irish pop boy band based in London, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. They signed with Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Records after being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of British television singing competition The X Factor in 2010. As of November 2012, the boy band have sold over 15 million records worldwide. They were proclaimed 2012’s ‘Top New Artist’ by Billboard, while The Huffington Post named 2012 “The Year of One Direction”
6. Felix Baumgartner
Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper, Felix Baumgartner is at No 6. He set the world record for skydiving an estimated 39 kilometres (24 mi), reaching an estimated speed of 1,342 kilometres per hour (834 mph), or Mach 1.24, on 14 October 2012, and became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power on his descent. His most recent project was Red Bull Stratos, in which he jumped to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere on 14 October 2012. As part of this project, he set the altitude record for a manned balloon flight, parachute jump from the highest altitude, and greatest free fall velocity.
7. Jeremy Lin
At No 7 American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association, Jeremy Lin. He was waived by the Warriors and the Rockets the following preseason before joining the New York Knicks early in the 2011–12 season. He continued to play sparingly and again spent time in the D-League. In February 2012, he unexpectedly led a winning streak by New York while being promoted to the starting lineup, which generated a global following known as Linsanity. He is also known for his public expression of his Christianity.
8. Morgan Freeman
In the year 2012, American actor, film director, and narrator Freeman died a handful of times and it grew to become a bigger topic than the actual deaths of many celebrities.
Recently, Freeman appeared in Red (2010/I), a surprise box-office hit; he narrated the Conan the Barbarian (2011) remake, starred in Rob Reiner’s The Magic of Belle Isle (2012); and capped the Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Freeman has several films upcoming, including the thriller Now You See Me (2013), under the direction of Louis Leterrier, and the science fiction actioner Oblivion (2013/I), in which he stars with Tom Cruise.
9. Joseph Kony
The head of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), guerrilla group in Uganda, Joseph Rao Kony is at No 9. Kony received a surge of attention in early March 2012 when a controversial 30-minute documentary titled Kony 2012 by film maker Jason Russell for the campaign group Invisible Children Inc was released. The Video became a worldwide trending topic on the Internet. The video has been viewed more than 96 million times as of 15 January 2013. The film has quickly received attention from celebrities. Invisible Children hoped to raise Kony’s notoriety enough to provoke a massive overnight poster campaign, which would have taken place on 20 April 2012.
10. Donna Summer
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Donna Summer was an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the late 1970s. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the United States Billboard chart, and she also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a 13-month period. Diagnosed with lung cancer, Summer died on May 17, 2012, at her home in Naples, Florida. She was posthumously described as the “undisputed queen of the Seventies disco boom” who reached the status of “one of the world’s leading female singers.” Her work with Moroder on the song “I Feel Love” has also been described as “really the start of electronic dance” music, by Moroder himself. In December 2012, it was announced that Summer would be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
