What You Won’t Forget About 2013

As the year winds down, it’s only natural to take a look back at the events that are sure to make future history books, and this year was full of them. And what better way to determine this year’s top events than by taking a cue from Google’s trending searches? Here are the year’s top news stories, according to TIME Magazine’s evaluation of Google’s search history.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Chances are you remember exactly where you were at 2:49 PM on April 15. This tragic incident killed three people and injured at least 264 more. You surely know the details, and that one of the people to blame is dead and the other is behind bars, with his sentence still to be decided (he is pleading not guilty). After this event, it is clear that the Boston Marathon will never be the same.

Government Shutdown

As with most years, the government sure got its share of attention. The biggest occurrence was probably the government shutdown that lasted from October 1-16. Only necessary government offices stayed open and thousands of people were furloughed. Even the national parks were closed. It was the third-longest shutdown in history, all because the politicians couldn’t agree.

Surprising Deaths

Of course, every year there are famous people that die, some of them expected and some of them not. However, this year there seemed to be an abnormal amount of shocking deaths that made headlines everywhere. Nelson Mandela is probably the most notable, as one of the most beloved and respected people alive. However, the deaths of Cory Monteith, Paul Walker, and James Gandolfini also took the country by storm because they were sudden deaths of admired and talented actors.

Royal Baby Birth

Not all of the noteworthy events from this year were bad. On July 22, when Prince William and Kate welcomed their precious little baby boy into the world, it was the birth heard around the world. The future king of England, His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, quickly became front-page news everywhere. People even created life-like dolls so that everyone could have their own royal baby (freaky, right?) Hey, a future king isn’t born every day.