2001 Year-End Google Zeitgeist
Search patterns, trends, and surprises

What was hot and what was not in the year 2001? Our Year-End Google Zeitgeist feature provides a glimpse at what captivated the world over the past 12 months, based on the most popular search terms on the world's most popular search engine.

With more than 150 million queries per day, Google offers a unique window into what is happening in the world on any given day, as well as a fascinating retrospective on the peaks and valleys of popular culture. From "Harry Potter" to "Osama Bin Laden" and "Florida Supreme Court" to "Napster," the Google Year-End Zeitgeist reveals the collective focus of the online mind, highlighting the main events that drew the attention of a global audience.

Track the course of the past 12 months on the timeline and graphs plotting the most popular search terms as they occurred throughout 2001. Check out the year's top gaining and declining search terms as well as the most popular brands, music, movies and women on the web as seen by Google users.

2001 Year in Review Timeline
Top 20 Gaining Queries 2001

     1. nostradamus

     2. cnn

     3. world trade center

     4. harry potter

     5. anthrax

     6. windows xp
     7. osama bin laden
     8. audiogalaxy
     9. taliban
   10. loft story

   11. afghanistan

   12. nimda

   13. american airlines

   14. american flag

   15. aaliyah

   16. fbi
   17. kazaa
   18. lord of the rings
   19. jennifer lopez
   20. xbox
Top 20 Declining Queries
2001

     1. pokemon

     2. olympics

     3. vote

     4. gnutella

     5. napster

     6. election results

     7. electoral college

     8. darva conger

     9. big brother

   10. euro 2000

   11. exit polls

   12. wap

   13. x-men

   14. sydney olympics

   15. election 2000

   16. svetlana khorkina

   17. florida supreme court

   18. tatiana grigorieva

   19. florida secretary of state

   20. olympic gymnastics

Top 10 Women
2001

     1. britney spears

     2. pamela anderson

     3. jennifer lopez

     4. madonna

     5. aaliyah

     6. kylie minogue

     7. shakira

     8. anna kournikova

     9. andrea thompson

   10. mariah carey

Top 10 Men
2001

     1. nostradamus

     2. osama bin laden

     3. eminem

     4. michael jackson

     5. howard stern

     6. george harrison

     7. josh hartnett

     8. dale earnhardt

     9. bob marley

   10. michael jordan

Top 10 Movies
2001

     1. harry potter

     2. lord of the rings

     3. final fantasy

     4. tomb raider

     5. shrek

     6. pearl harbor

     7. moulin rouge

     8. planet of the apes

     9. american pie 2

   10. the fast and the furious

Top 10 Music Groups
2001

     1. beatles

     2. u2

     3. nsync

     4. backstreet boys

     5. linkin park

     6. pink floyd

     7. metallica

     8. limp bizkit

     9. blink 182

   10. enya

Top 10 New Products
2001

     1. windows xp

     2. xbox

     3. playstation 2

     4. gamecube

     5. nokia 5510

     6. internet explorer 6

     7. nokia 3310

     8. gameboy advance

     9. ipod

   10. nokia 8310

Top 10 Video Games
2001

     1. counterstrike

     2. the sims

     3. operation flashpoint

     4. moorhuhn 3

     5. wolfenstein

     6. commandos 2

     7. empire earth

     8. max payne

     9. diablo 2

   10. fifa 2002

Top 10 Sports Queries
2001

     1. anna kournikova

     2. tour de france

     3. dale earnhardt

     4. wimbledon

     5. us open

     6. british open
     7. lisa harrison
     8. melbourne cup
     9. world series
   10. new york marathon
Top 10 Brands
2001

     1. nokia

     2. sony

     3. bmw

     4. palm

     5. adobe

     6. dell
     7. oracle
     8. ferrari
     9. honda
   10. canon
Top 10 Retailers
2001

     1. amazon

     2. ikea

     3. toys r us

     4. walmart

     5. circuit city

     6. barnes & noble
     7. costco
     8. bed bath & beyond
     9. abercrombie & fitch
   10. gnc
Top 10 News Resources
2001

     1. cnn

     2. bbc

     3. new york times

     4. msnbc

     5. washington post

     6. fox news

     7. cnet

     8. associated press

     9. le monde

   10. the economist

Top 10 MP3 Music Services
2001

     1. morpheus

     2. napster

     3. gnutella

     4. kazaa

     5. audiogalaxy

     6. imesh

     7. limewire

     8. bearshare

     9. aimster

   10. mp3pro

Top 10 Television Shows
2001

     1. loft story

     2. big brother

     3. simpsons

     4. survivor

     5. gran hermano

     6. south park

     7. friends

     8. temptation island

     9. buffy the vampire slayer

   10. charmed

 

 For a high resolution image of the top gaining queries, please click here.

Archived Zeitgeist information available here.

December 2001 Zeitgeist information available here.

For more information, please contact 650.930.3555 or press@google.com.


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Updated: December 14, 2001

Zeitgeist Explained...
zeit·geist | Pronunciation: 'tsIt-"gIst, 'zIt | Function: noun | Etymology: German, from Zeit (time) + Geist (spirit) | Date: 1884 | Meaning: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era
By permission from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary at www.Merriam-Webster.com by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

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