In the News
It was a big year for policy buffs, starting with the inauguration of a new president, followed quickly by major issues including the economy, health care and environmental concerns. And sometimes, we were glued to stories we couldn't have anticipated. Here are some of the most popular queries—hot off the press. Unless otherwise noted, these queries were most popular in the U.S. in 2009.
Disasters
A variety of calamitous events struck worldwide this year, spurring major search interest—including plane crashes in the Hudson River and Buffalo, earthquakes in Italy and Los Angeles, fires in California and a tsunami in American Samoa.
It's the Economy
- crisis
- cash for clunkers
- iceland
- california
- recession
- obama
- unemployment rate
- green
- great depression
- inflation
All Eyes on the Senate
- kennedy
- bill nelson
- boxer
- feinstein
- reid
- byrd
- dodd
- schumer
- grassley
- warner
Bailout Nation
- aig
- tarp
- gm
- auto
- bill
- government
- mortgage
- bank
- obama
- ford
Headline News*
- swine flu
- inauguration
- rush limbaugh
- rod blagojevich
- henry louis gates
- h1b
- california budget
- al franken
- sonia sotomayor
- mark sanford
*These stories dominated the news cycle.
Health and Wellness*
- obama
- hr 3200
- universal health care
- aarp
- rush limbaugh
- heritage foundation
- glenn beck
- public option
- ama
- medicare
*Top queries related to searches for [health care reform].
Keeping it Green*
- solar energy
- renewable energy
- green jobs
- green building
- wind energy
- energy star
- going green
- solar panels
- leed
- diy
*Top queries related to searches for [green energy].
Their 15 Minutes*
- bernie madoff
- mark sanford
- rod blagojevich
- john edwards
- silvio berlusconi
- r allen stanford
- tom daschle
- john ensign
- bill richardson
- charles rangel
*These public figures made headlines this year—but may have wished they didn't.
Stranger than Fiction*
- nadya suleman
- jaycee lee dugard
- chimp attack
- somali pirates
- balloon boy
*Some news events that captured our imagination seemed unreal—but they really did happen. These queries were some of the fastest rising in Google News.