Google Press Center: 2001 Year-End Zeitgeist

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

3. eminem

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.

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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