Top 10 Most Googled News Stories in 2015

This year has been a busy one, full of newsworthy moments, some happy some sad, but not all of them have made it on the list of the top 10 most googled news stories in 2015.

Every day, thousands of news stories emerge, although only a handful of them get to circle the globe. Some are specific for each country, even for particular areas in those nations, others are grave enough that they can affect the entire world while others have a big enough impact that they need to be reported in all corners of the globe.

Most days it’s difficult to sift through all the information you’re getting from hundreds of websites, dozens of newspapers and countless TV stations. Google has worked hard over the past few years to help you get a better picture about what’s happening by offering you a way to get to trusted sources when looking for more information a specific news topic.

You can, for instance, also check out the top 10 most googled tech products in 2015 and see whether you’ll find items you’re interested in.

Now, at the end of the year, the Internet giant has put together a list of the 10 most googled news stories in 2015, trying to give you a glimpse at which events were the most important, which events are going to stand out in history.

10. Hurricane Joaquin

Although there are jokes on the Internet about why hurricanes are always named after women, this one was no joke. In fact, hurricane Joaquin was a powerful tropical cyclone that devastated several areas in the Bahamas and wreaked havoc in areas of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Greater Antilles and the Bermuda.

Starting out pretty tame in late September, this hurricane rapidly turned violent and its strength was moved to Category 3 by the start of October. The strongest Atlantic hurricane since 2010, Joaquin sustained winds of 155 miles per hour on October 3 as it started to leave a trail behind it, including dozens of victims.

9. San Bernadino

Unfortunately, this is yet another example of terrorism. With the events being rather fresh, only happening at the beginning of December, the San Bernadino event still managed to make it onto the top 10, showing just how interested the world was in what happened.

In short, two spouses, Tashfeen Malik and Syed Rizwan Farook opened fire on Farook’s co-workers on December 2, killing 14 people in the process. Following a shootout with the police several hours later, the two died as well. While Farook was born in the United States, Malik was a native of Pakistan. Despite multiple checks, nothing came up on either of them. This meant nothing however, as police reports indicate that the two were actually building explosives within their home.

8. Baltimore Riots

Another important news story this year was that of the Baltimore riots. These took place back in April following the arrest of one Freddie Gray. Although the 25-year-old was in apparent good health when he was arrested, he was injured and died a week later. According to news sources, Gray sustained injuries to his neck and spine while being transported by the police, which, of course, led people to believe that he had been beaten by the officers. Following his arrest, he fell into a coma before dying a week later, on April 19.

The protest had already started to take place on the streets of Baltimore following his hospitalization and intensified following news of his death. Police brutality has been a hot topic in recent years as more and more evidence of such events surfaced. The fact that the police department didn’t manage to come out with a consistent story to explain what happened didn’t help their cause. The riots continued over multiple days, leading to dozens of police officers injured, hundreds of people arrested and hundreds of businesses damaged by rioters, while cars were being set on fire. A state of emergency was declared in Baltimore and thousands of police and National Guard troops were deployed to help with the situation.

In the end, Gray’s death was ruled a homicide. Six officers involved in the incident were charged with second-degree murder.

7. Greece

Greece has been a hot topic in recent years. The political changes that took place in the country have brought on changes when it comes to dealing with the country’s debt to the European Union. On the verge of economic collapse, the country was lent money over and over and over with the condition of applying some austerity measures.

Sick of these measures, the government decided to defy the European Union and refused to make certain pay cuts that would have allowed it to pay back some of the money. On several occasions the world awaited with baited breath to see whether Greece would officially enter default or not, but the country was saved as the European Union countries feared what this would mean to the area’s economy, as well as for the Euro, which was already affected.

Greece was also in the news due to the flux of immigrants coming from Syria and other conflict areas, as their small ships ended up on some of the country’s many islands.

6. El Chapo

Known as “El Chapo,” Joaquin Guzman is a Mexican drug lord that’s been watching a lot of “Prison Break”. The leader of the Sinaloa Cartel has been in prison multiple times throughout his life. In 2014 he was rearrested by Mexican authorities thanks, in part, to intelligence from the DEA and the US Marshals Service. His arrest was a moment of joy for many, including politicians such as the country’s president Enrique Pena Nieto. Many, including the United States, have asked for his extradition.

Even though he was placed in a maximum security prison, Guzman managed to escape on July 11, 2015. His escape made news worldwide as the method used was revealed. It seems that he managed to get out of his prison through a tunnel leading from the shower area to a house about a mile away. Not only had someone dug the tunnel over 30 feet underground, but they also brought in a ladder to help Guzman down, equipped the tunnel with light, air ducts and a solid enough construction that it wouldn’t fall over. What’s more, he even used a motorcycle to travel the mile between the prison and the safe house. He is yet to be caught.

5. Nepal

The beautiful country of Nepal was left with a few scars this year as the land was rocked by massive earthquakes. On April 25, one quake shook the country, with specialists indicating a magnitude of 7.8 and an epicenter east of Lamjung district. The worst natural disaster in Nepal since the 1930s put buildings to the ground, left massive damages to the country’s infrastructure and, worst of all, claimed nearly 9,000 people and injured another 22,000.

A few weeks later, On May 12, another earthquake shook the land again, this time with a magnitude of 7.3. While this one was also pretty severe, it didn’t reach the death toll of the April disaster. According to official data, over 200 people died and over 3,500 were injured.

4. ISIS

For obvious reasons, Isis was one of the most searched for terms on Google. The terrorist group that’s taken the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is often shortened to ISIS since another version of the title includes Syria as well. While the group may go under different names, ISIS seems to be one that’s stuck most, ruining a perfectly good Egyptian goddess name in the process.

The organization has become more known over the past year, which is most unfortunate. The jihadist militant group has claimed several attacks in 2015, including in Istanbul, Paris, Libya, Tunisia and more. In retaliation, more and more forces are putting their militaries together to put an end to the organization, bombing various locations across Syria and Iraq.

3. Hurricane Patricia

The most intense tropical cyclone that was ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere hit the Earth in October. It all started out slowly, unassumingly, before the winds intensified to some of the highest speeds ever recorded. Within 24 hours, Patricia went from a regular tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum speeds of 200 miles per hour. Thankfully, by the time it reached land it had slowed down considerably and it blew out quickly, dissipating a day later, on October 24.

2. Paris

While Paris is a beautiful city and should always be in the top of the most googled cities in the world, this year it was tragic events that earned it the second spot of on the top 10 most googled news stories in 2015.

In November 2015, Paris was the target of six coordinated terrorist attacks that were later claimed by ISIS. The world watched on as the events unfolded following suicide bombers blowing themselves up near Stade de France where a football game was taking place.

Then, it was mayhem as other suicide bombers took action, alongside mass shooters attacking cafes, restaurants, and a popular concert hall. The death toll reached 130, while hundreds more were injured. Had the initial suicide bombers managed to enter the stadium, things could have been a lot worse.

France has entered a state of emergency and has sent the military to fight against ISIS.

1. Charlie Hebdo

The French satirical weekly magazine wasn’t exactly a name someone outside the country would know, but somehow, now, at the end of 2015, it’s a name everyone has heard. Terrorism is to blame for this too, after followers attacked the newsroom on January 7.

Two brothers who apparently belonged to Al-Qaeda made their way into the magazine’s headquarters and opened fire, killing 11 people and injuring just as many. They managed to run away but were tracked down by the police. The situation ended with a shoot-out between the terrorists and the police which the two brothers never made it out alive of.

Unfortunately, this was just the start for a year that’s been full of violence, making it to the first position within the top 10 most googled news stories in 2015.