A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Curious what piqued people's curiosity this year? Well, you can Google it. Google's top global searches for 2023 are out, and they tell us a lot about what we've been through this year.
ASMA KHALID, HOST:
The top trending new search was the Israel-Hamas War, followed by that Titanic-bound submersible that imploded in June.
MARTÍNEZ: The Year in Search also reminds us of last summer's odd cinematic showdown between "Barbie," the most Googled movie...
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BARBIE")
RYAN GOSLING: (As Ken) Hi, Barbie.
MARGOT ROBBIE: (As Barbie) Hi, Ken.
MARTÍNEZ: ...And the second-most-searched movie of the year, "Oppenheimer."
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "OPPENHEIMER")
CILLIAN MURPHY: (As J. Robert Oppenheimer) When I came to you with those calculations, we thought we might start a chain reaction that would destroy the entire world?
KHALID: "Friends" star Matthew Perry topped the list of most-searched celebrity deaths.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "FRIENDS")
MATTHEW PERRY: (As Chandler Bing) I'm not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?
(LAUGHTER)
KHALID: He was followed up by Tina Turner...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT")
TINA TURNER: (Singing) What's love got to do with it? What's love but a secondhand emotion?
KHALID: ...And Irish singer Sinead O'Connor.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NOTHING COMPARES 2 U")
SINEAD O'CONNOR: (Singing) It's been seven hours and 15 days since you took your love away...
KHALID: Google also gives us a roundup of this year's most-Googled recipes, with the Korean rice dish bibimbap at the top, followed by espeto, a skewered fish dish from southern Spain.
MARTÍNEZ: Among U.S. searches, the Roman Empire topped one trends list for the year. And, no, it wasn't about gladiators.
(SOUNDBITE OF GLADIATORS FIGHTING)
KHALID: It's actually about how often men think about ancient Rome, which turns out is apparently a lot.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GLADIATOR")
RUSSELL CROWE: (As Maximus) Are you not entertained?
MARTÍNEZ: Oh, yes. Believe me - we are entertained.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOOGLE ME")
TEYANA TAYLOR: (Singing) So if you're looking for me, go and pull it up. 'Cause I'm a celebrity. Go ahead and Google me. You ain't nobody. Google me, baby. You better ask somebody. You better Google me, baby. You ain't nobody. Google me, baby. You better ask somebody. You better Google me, baby. Google me, baby. Google me, baby. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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