What made the top ten this year in our Google searches? Global sporting events were a shoo-in (hello, Olympics & World Cup!), moments of national tragedy (Humboldt Broncos), royal wedding queries (what is a fascinator?) and some surprises as well.

“While I wasn’t surprised to see cannabis among the trending topics of the year, given the massive change in legislation this year,” says Google Trends expert Nicole Bell, “what was surprising when digging into the data was that the biggest trending topic related to cannabis were questions about investing in cannabis companies.”

Also on her radar? The Royal Wedding. “Meghan and Harry’s wedding was also a major theme this year,” she says. “Canadians wanted to know everything about the dress, the jewellery, and how Meghan and Harry met. The Royal Wedding also sent searches spiking for Jessica Mulroney, the Toronto-based stylist whose children were part of the wedding party.”

But what does it all mean? “We’re a curious bunch!” says Bell. “People come to search on Google because they are looking for more information and broader context about issues and topics they want to learn more about. But there are also clear indications of how we come together as a community, whether it’s Canadians seeking out ways to donate in the wake of tragedies and natural disasters, or following the Winnipeg Jets in their hockey playoff run.”

From Cardi B’s explosion on the scene, to our burning existential questions (why DO dogs eat poop?), here’s what we were looking for this year:

Searches

  1. World Cup
  2. Winter Olympic Games
  3. Humboldt Broncos
  4. Anthony Bourdain
  5. Kate Spade
  6. Mac Miller
  7. Winnipeg Jets
  8. Black Panther
  9. Avicii
  10. Demi Lovato

International News

  1. World Cup
  2. Winter Olympic Games
  3. Royal Wedding
  4. Florida Shooting
  5. Brett Kavanaugh
  6. US Midterm Elections
  7. Hurricane Florence
  8. Hawaiian Volcano Eruption
  9. Hurricane Michael
  10. Thailand Cave Rescue

Canadian News

  1. Humboldt Broncos
  2. Winnipeg Jets
  3. Ontario Election
  4. Canada Post Strike
  5. Cannabis
  6. Toronto Van Attack
  7. Danforth Shooting
  8. WestJet Strike
  9. Bruce McArthur
  10. NB Power Outages

How…

  1. How old is Prince Harry?
  2. How old is Dolly Parton?
  3. How old is Meghan Markle?
  4. How many medals does Canada have?
  5. How many ends in curling?
  6. How to buy ripple in Canada?
  7. How old is Justin Timberlake?
  8. How to delete Facebook?
  9. How to watch World Cup 2018 in Canada?
  10. How to buy bitcoin?

Why…

  1. Why is Canada Post on strike?
  2. Why is 6ix9ine going to jail?
  3. Why is Russia banned from the Winter Olympics 2018?
  4. Why do Greeks break plates?
  5. Why do dogs eat poop?
  6. Why was Meek Mill in prison?
  7. Why was Roseanne cancelled?
  8. Why did Ben Higgins & Lauren Bushnell break up?
  9. Why Is 420 Weed Day?
  10. Why are there no NHL players in the 2018 Winter Olympics?