The list spans elections and weather events here and abroad, the debilitating Crowdstrike outage, and a spectacular natural phenomenon.
1. US election
TOPSHOT – Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) jumps on stage as he joins former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at site of his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5, 2024. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
The biggest news event for 2024? Trump versus Harris, resulting in a resounding win at the polls for the former President.
2. Olympic medal tally
Image: Getty
Australia’s fascination with our sports star and victories on the global stage continues. The Paris Olympic games was the second-most searched news event this year.
3. Samantha Murphy
Samantha Murphy disappeared from Ballarat in February 2024. Image: Getty
The disappearance of a 51-year-old Ballarat woman in February led to an enormous number of searches for ‘Samantha Murphy.’ A 23-year-old man has since been charged with her murder.
4. Bondi Junction
TOPSHOT – A family leaves the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall after a stabbing incident in Sydney on April 13, 2024. Australian police on April 13 said they had received reports that “multiple people” were stabbed at a busy shopping centre in Sydney. (Photo by David GRAY / AFP) (Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
In April this year, a stabbing incident caused multiple fatalities in Bondi Junction, Sydney, shocking the nation.
5. Crowdstrike
MADRID, SPAIN – JULY 19: An office worker at Crowdstrike update problem, on 19 July, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. An update problem at cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike causes Microsoft, Aena and other companies in the energy, banking and media sectors to crash. (Photo By Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Australians were left stranded in July, when a Crowdstrike outage took down digital operations across the globe.
6. Cyclone Kirrily
TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 26: A large tree is shown knocked over by strong winds on January 26, 2024 in Townsville, Australia. A cyclone watch zone has been issued for large parts of north Queensland, as tropical Cyclone Kirrily made landfall near Townsville on Thursday. The cyclone was downgraded after it crossed the coast, but still left behind significant flooding. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Far north Queensland suffered flooding and significant damage after Cyclone Kirrily swept through in January.
7. Hurricane Milton
FORT MYERS, FL – OCTOBER 14: Elena Gonzalez, 37, looks at their burned-out home after Hurricane Milton’s landfall on October 14, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The US also suffered from devastation due to a natural disaster. Hurricane Milton struck the east coast in October.
8. Baltimore Bridge collapse
Picture of the Baltimore Key Bridge demolition and removal on 07 27 2024 showing empty spaces where the bridge and its wreckage used to be. Image: Getty
The Baltimore Bridge disintegrated in March this year, causing Australians to turn to Google to find out what was happening.
9. Aurora Australis
A couple looks at the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, produced by a solar geomagnetic storm as it glows on the horizon over the waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch on October 11, 2024. (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama / AFP) (Photo by SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images)
The good news moments that led to high-traffic google searches were few and far between this year. The Aurora Australis natural phenomenon in October was one of a few in the Top 10.
10. Queensland election 2024 results
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 14: Voters are seen lining up to vote at a polling centre at Brisbane State High School. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Politics bookends the Top 10 list, with both number one and the number 10 news searches this year related to elections.
Australia’s Sunshine State election brought people out of their homes to vote, and inspired them to turn to their laptops and phones to google the outcome. The Liberal Party came out on top in the 2024 Queensland election results.
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