Google's Top Search Terms of 2013 Revealed

Google has revealed its top search terms for 2013. Topping the list: gadgets, dead people, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters.

Google broke its top search terms into several categories, including People, Events, Athletes, Consumer Electronics, Movies, Performing Artists, and TV Shows.

Death Casts Shadow Over Popular Search Terms

The people Google users searched for the most: recently deceased South African leader Nelson Mandela and American actor Paul Walker, who was killed in a high-speed traffic accident a few weeks ago.

Google users also searched for Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai and Miley Cyrus, whose 'twerking' at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards caused international controversy.

The Grim Reaper also made his presence felt in the Performing Artists category. The number one and number three searches: deceased "Glee" star Cory Monteith and departed "The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini. (Source: venturebeat.com)

The most popular events: the Boston Marathon bombing, Typhoon Haiyan (which devastated the Philippines in early November), and the highly controversial U.S. government shutdown.

Those athletes people searched for the most in 2013 probably won't make a list of the world's top role models for young people. That's because Google's Athletes list starts with accused murderers Oscar Pistorius and Aaron Hernandez.

Lance Armstrong, who admitted to Oprah that he had, in fact, used performance-enhancing drugs (after denying such charges for years) was also a popular search term.

Apple iPhone 5s Tops Consumer Electronics List

Unsurprisingly, Apple's iPhone 5s tops the most popular consumer electronics list. It's followed by the highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone. Rounding out the top five: the Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, and Google's Nexus 5.

The most popular movies of 2013 were action-packed thrillers, from new Superman movie "Man of Steel" to "Iron Man 3" and zombie flick "World War Z".

The most diverse group may have been the TV Shows category. The most searched-for show was the Stephen King drama "Under the Dome," followed by sci-fi thrillers "Defiance" and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Reality shows "Big Brother 15" and "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" rounded out the top five. (Source: google.com)