These are 2015’s top Google searches

But while we are often reminded about some of the heartbreaking or salacious headlines over the past 12 months, Google is proving what Internet users searched the most with their annual “year in search” list for 2015.

Google also provided an interactive visualization of the timeline and popularity of searches so you can see spikes in interest and the total volume of each search.

Lenihan said Google users also demonstrated their love of hometown sports teams via search teams – perhaps none more than Chicago, whose top trending search in 2015 was “Chicago Cubs”. The incident caused his estranged wife and reality television star Khloe Kardashian to rush to his side while he recovered in a hospital.

Google’s list excludes search queries that were sexually explicit.

Other search engines, social networking company Facebook and short messaging specialist Twitter already released their own takes on this year’s collective mindset, but Google’s is considered to be the definitive look into what’s on people’s minds.

From Lamar Odom’s freakish breakdown to the multiple terrorist attacks in France, Google users searched for it all. Other top searches included the top athlete, Ronda Rousey, the top actor, Charlie Sheen, and the top meme going to Pepe the Frog.

Elizabeth II, who became the longest reigning British monarch, was in the top five for the year, while the birth of Duchess Catherine’s baby Princess Charlotte made the top 10. Of more than 155 million searches on the subject, Darth Vader remains the most-searched character, with nearly half of all character-specific results related to the redeemed Sith lord. Charlie Hebdo was the second most searched item on the list. Google says tracking trends for the year, versus its top searches, is a better way to determine the topics and people that grew in popularity compared to last year.