2022 in Google Searches

2022 has been eventful, to say the least, and a look at the biggest trending Google searches this year can serve as a reminder of some of the events and situations that have shaped our world over the last 12 months.

At the top of the trending new searches was of course Ukraine. The war, which started when Russia invaded its sovereign neighbor on February 24, also led to Vladimir Putin being one of the people garnering the largest volume of new global search interest in 2022. The passing of Queen Elizabeth was also major news when Britain's longest reigning monarch died in September.

In less earnest events, a large number of us were greatly entertained by the world of film in 2022 - but not just on the silver screen. Off it, actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard captivated audiences in a very different way during their much-publicized defamation trial. Will Smith also caused controversy at the Oscars when he slapped comedian and actor Chris Rock during the high-profile awards ceremony.

Among all of this it's easy to forget that the United States had a key (mid-term) election, the emergence of monkeypox had us worried about the next pandemic, and one lucky person won a world record $2.04 billion in the United States Powerball lottery.