America’s most Googled terms of 2023: From Titanic submarine tragedy to McDonald’s Grimace shake, this was the US’ rollercoaster year in review

This year was filled with joy when the movie Barbie hit theaters, horror when war broke out in the Middle East, and sadness when Friend's star Matthew Perry died.

Although these were all memorable moments of 2023, they are also among the top Google searches of the year in the US.

The war in Israel and Gaza was first in the news, followed by the story of the Titanic, which left the world on the edge of its seat as the US Coast Guard searched for the submarine that went missing while diving the famous shipwreck.

While Barbie topped the entertainment world, Sound of Freedom also made the top three amid controversy surrounding its producer, who was accused of sexually assaulting an underage sex trafficking victim.

Americans were also fascinated by McDonald's Grimace shakes – the most searched recipe – and the Roman Empire trend that took social media by storm.

Jason Alden was the most searched musician, and his controversial song “Try That In A Small Town” was the most searched song on Google in 2023.

The war in Israel and Gaza was the top news search on Google

Most searched: news

1. The war in Israel and Gaza

2. Titanic submarine

3. Hurricane Hillary

4. Hurricane Idalia

5. Hurricane Lee

Most searched: people

1. The Destruction of Hamelin

2. Jeremy Renner

3. Travis Kelce

4. Tucker Carlson

5. Lil Tay

The war in Israel and Gaza was the top Google searched news item that captivated the world two months ago when Hamas carried out a terrorist attack on October 7 in Israel that killed more than 14,000 people and took more than 240 hostage.

This unprecedented strike ignited the ongoing war between the two countries.

But months before that event, the public had watched anxiously as the U.S. Coast Guard desperately searched for a submarine mission in the North Atlantic that had disappeared after diving into the wreck of the Titanic.

The Buffalo Bills' NFL safety topped the most-searched list, likely due to his return to the league on October 1 after suffering cardiac arrest on the field nine months earlier.

The NFL safety for the Buffalo Bills topped the list of most searched people and athletes

The NFL safety for the Buffalo Bills topped the list of most searched people and athletes

Another triumphant story came in second place - actor Jeremy Renner.  He was also the most searched actor

Another triumphant story came in second place – actor Jeremy Renner. He was also the most searched actor

Searches for celebrity deaths were also shared in Google's 2023 cover, with Matthew Perry coming in first.  The Boyfriend star was found dead in his hot tub at the age of 54

Searches for celebrity deaths were also shared in Google's 2023 cover, with Matthew Perry coming in first. The Boyfriend star was found dead in his hot tub at the age of 54

Most searched: passes

1. Matthew Perry

2. Tina Turner

3. Jerry Springer

4. Jimmy Buffett

5. Sinead O'Connor

Most searched: actors

1. Jeremy Renner

2. Jamie Foxx

3. Danny Masterson

4. Rife died

5. Pedro Pascal

The 25-year-old required resuscitation on the field during a Monday Night Football game against the Bengals in January.

Another triumphant story came in second place – actor Jeremy Renner.

Renner was nearly killed by a 14,300-pound Sno-Cat plow in January when he tried to pull his nephew's car out of deep snow near his Lake Tahoe home.

But when the actor jumped, he forgot to activate the emergency brake, resulting in the machine hurtling towards his nephew.

It is believed Renner tried to get back into the snowplow while it was moving in an attempt to stop it. That's when he was pulled under and crushed.

2023 saw some lighthearted moments, with people searching for memes like Kevin James, which shows the King of Queens star smiling at the camera while shrugging his shoulders.

2023 saw some lighthearted moments, with people searching for memes like Kevin James, which shows the King of Queens star smiling at the camera while shrugging his shoulders.

Most searched: athletes

1. The Destruction of Hamelin

2. Travis Kelce

3. Brooke Purdy

4. Lamar Jackson

5. Jalen hurts

Most searched: books

1. My mistake – Mercedes Ron

2. Fourth Ward – Rebecca Yaros

3. Hello, Beautiful: A Novel – Anne Napolitano

4. The Bet: A Story of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder – David Grann

5. Red, white and royal blue – Casey McQuiston

He suffered 30 broken bones, a collapsed lung and his liver was punctured by a horribly broken rib.

Searches for celebrity deaths were also shared in Google's 2023 cover, with Matthew Perry coming in first.

The Boyfriend star was found dead in his hot tub at the age of 54.

The Queen of Rock, Tina Toner, also died this year, where she ranked second.

Her representatives confirmed to DailyMail.com that she died of natural causes.

Barbie may be the queen of the entertainment world, but Oppenheimer was a close second — and likely not far behind.  The two films were released on July 21 this year

Barbie may be the queen of the entertainment world, but Oppenheimer was a close second — and likely not far behind. The two films were released on July 21 of this year, forming “Barbenheimer.”

Americans were also fascinated by McDonald's Grimace shake - the most searched recipe

Americans were also fascinated by McDonald's Grimace shake – the most searched recipe

Most searched: explanation

1. Explanation of the list

2. Explanation No one will save you

3. Silo explained

4. Reptiles explained

5. Explain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Most searched: games

1. Hogwarts Legacy

2. Communications

3. Baldur's Gate 3

4. Starfield

5. Diablo IV

Most searched: songs

1. Try it in a small town – Jason Aldean

2. The Rich Men of North Richmond – Oliver Anthony

3. Unholy – Sam Smith and Kim Petras

4. Isla Paella Sola – Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma

5. The boy is a liar pt. 2 – Ice Spice and Pink Panthers

Most searched: musicians

1. Jason Aldean

2. Ice Spice

3. Oliver Anthony

4. Peso Pluma

5. Joe Jonas

Renner also ranked first among the most searched actors, followed by Jamie Foxx, who also suffered from an undisclosed medical issue that put him in the hospital in April.

Disgraced '70s Show star Danny Masterson came in third place.

Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison last September, three months after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two women in 2003.

Hamlin was also the most searched athlete, with tight end Travis Kelce coming in second.

Kelce has long been thought to be one of the best players in the NFL, but it also appeared he was catapulted to stardom when his romance with pop star Taylor Swift was announced in September.

Song occupied

Jason Alden's controversial song “Try That In A Small Town” took first place in the songs category. Aldean released the song in July and faced criticism for the lyrical content and interwoven clips of a BLM protest in the video

The most searched book titles were also included in Google's top results, with My Fault by Mercedes Ron immediately taking the number as it tells a tale of enemies to lovers.

Barbie may be the queen of the entertainment world, but Oppenheimer was a close second — and likely not far behind.

The two films were released on July 21 of this year, forming “Barbenheimer.”

Most searched: recipe

1. Shake grimace

2. Lasagna soup

3. Chicken cobbler

4. Black cake

5. Pompetini

Most searched: TV shows

1. The last of us

2. Jenny and Georgia

3. Queen Charlotte: The Bridgerton Story

4. Daisy Jones and the Six

5. Wednesday

Voice of Freedom has been surrounded by controversy because Tim Ballard, the founder of an anti-child trafficking group whose life story inspired the film, was accused of sexual misconduct by five women.

But 2023 has seen some lighthearted moments, with people searching for memes like Kevin James, which shows the King of Queens star smiling at the camera while shrugging his shoulders.

The bizarre image was used alongside comments about being shamelessly guilty, rude, shy and overconfident.

Most searched: How often

1. How many times have you thought about the Roman Empire?

2. How often is the World Baseball Classic held?

3. How often does a blue moon appear?

4. How often are World Cup matches held?

5. How often do trains derail?

Most searched: Trends

1. Direction of the Roman Empire

2. Moon phase direction

3. Artificial Intelligence Yearbook Trend

4. Instagram notes number trend

5. Direction of fruit rolls

Popular social media trends were also shared in the report, including moon phase, AI yearbook, and Instagram feedback number.

The Last of Us was released on HBO in January, and has maintained its top spot for TV shows in Google searches, with Ginny & Georgia coming in second.

Jason Alden's controversial song “Try That In A Small Town” took first place in the songs category.

Aldean released the song in July and faced criticism for the lyrical content and interwoven clips of a BLM protest in the video.

The country singer was also the most searched-for musician in the United States, followed by Ice Spice and Oliver Anthony.

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