Wednesday 11 December 2019 11:49 am

Rugby, Avengers Endgame, and Article 50: What trended on Google in 2019?

By: Ian Johnston

Rugby, cricket and Game of Thrones topped Google searches in both London and the UK, as Google released its 2019 Year in Search lists today.

Google also revealed the most popular people, events, and topics searched in London and the UK.

England’s run to the final of this year’s Rugby World Cup propelled the event to the top of the search list, ahead of the Cricket World Cup in second place.

The six-week tournament in Japan, featuring all four of the home nations, also topped the UK-wide search list. 

Read more: The six best players at the 2019 Rugby World Cup

Television and film releases also had Londoners gripped to their phones.

After the release of the final season of Game of Thrones, the fantasy series was the third most searched query on Google. 

Avengers Endgame, which took $2.70bn at the box office, was the seventh most searched term in both the UK and the capital. 

Londoners also used Google to stay up to date with current affairs. Searches for London Bridge, following November’s terrorist attack, and Notre Dame, after the Parisian cathedral was destroyed by a fire, came in fifth and sixth place.  

Read more: Why Game of Thrones satisfies our need for narrative

Kirstin Wright, a Google Trends expert, said: “The 2019 Year in Search lists not only reveal the most popular trends from the past 12 months but also give insight into the biggest events in the news, politics, sports, entertainment.”

What London and the UK searched Google for in 2019: