--- description: Robin Williams topped Google’s list of the top trending searches in 2014. title: Robin Williams Was Google's Top Trending Search of 2014 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2fa71ff44465b8b4/69876f0a3c16396785450a9d/robin-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Robin Williams Was Google's Top Trending Search of 2014 by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 16, 2014 8:01 AM CUT  LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 30: Robin Williams stars as Simon Roberts in THE CRAZY ONES which airs Thursday 9:00 - 9:30 PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. This photo is provided for use in conjunction with the TCA WINTER PRESS TOUR 2014\. (Photo by Art Streiber/CBS via Getty Images) \*\*\* Local Caption \*\*\* Robin Williams LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 30: Robin Williams stars as Simon Roberts in THE CRAZY ONES which airs Thursday 9:00 - 9:30 PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. This photo is provided for use in conjunction with the TCA WINTER PRESS TOUR 2014\. (Photo by Art Streiber/CBS via Getty Images) \*\*\* Local Caption \*\*\* Robin WilliamsArt Streiber—CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 16, 2014 8:01 AM CUT Robin Williams topped Google’s list of the top trending searches in 2014. The comedian and actor, who died in August, led the list of the people, places and things that got the biggest boost in search traffic this year compared to 2013\. The list of actual “most searched” terms is actually pretty boring, Google says, because it includes generic terms like “weather” and website names like “Google.” Overall, the list reflects the way global crises co-mingle with pop culture phenomena on the Internet. Second to Robin Williams was the World Cup, which sparked widespread discussion across the Web. Third was Ebola, the viral epidemic that sparked scares in West Africa and elsewhere around the world as it emerged in different locales. Fourth was Malaysia Airlines, which was in the news first for a plane that mysteriously disappeared in March and later for a second plane that was shot down over Ukraine in July. Rounding out the top five was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, in which people recorded themselves being doused in cold water to raise money for charity. Check out the full Top 10 below: 1. [Robin Williams](http://time.com/3106206/robin-williams-dead-time-cover/ "undefined") 2. [World Cup](http://time.com/tag/world-cup/ "undefined") 3. [Ebola](http://topics.time.com/ebola/ "undefined") 4. [Malaysia Airlines](http://time.com/tag/malaysia-airlines-flight-370/ "undefined") 5. [ALS Ice Bucket Challenge](http://time.com/topic/als-ice-bucket-challenge-2/ "undefined") 6. Flappy Bird 7. Conchita Wurst 8. [ISIS](http://time.com/tag/isis/ "undefined") 9. Frozen 10. Sochi Olympics ### Robin Williams' Life in Pictures  Robin Williams in the 8th grade at Detroit Country Day School in Birmingham, Mich. in 1965. Courtesy Williams Family  In the 8th grade, Robin Williams, #15, played on the basketball team at Detroit Country Day School. Seth Poppel—Yearbook Library  Robin Williams in high school. Courtesy Robin Williams  Williams' played the spinach-loving sailor Popeye in its eponymous 1980 film. Paramount/AP  Robin Williams in September of 1981 Steve Ringman—San Francisco Chronicle/Corbis  Robin Williams with his mom, Laurie Williams, during the premiere of "Moscow on The Hudson" at Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif in 1984. Ron Galella—Wire Image/Getty Images  Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve at Silver Friedman's "The Original Improvisation" in New York in 1988. Jim Demetropoulos—Retna Ltd./Corbis  Robin Williams, third from right, dressed as a cheerleader on Nov. 12, 1979 with the Broncos' Pony Express cheerleaders during the filming of an episode of "Mork & Mindy," in Denver. AP  Robin Williams played radio DJ Adrian Cronauer in director Barry Levinson's comedy drama, Good Morning Vietnam in 1987. Touchstone Pictures/AP  Williams taught a generation to seize the day, to make their lives extraordinary, as John Keating in Dead Poets Society. Buena Vista Pictures  Williams played a grown up version of Peter Pan in the 1991 family classic Hook. TriStar Pictures  Williams lent his substantial talents to voicing Genie in Disney's 1992 animated film Aladdin. Disney  Household chores were no match for Robin Williams as he donned layers of prosthetics to play Mrs. Doubtfire in the 1993 movie of the same name. 20th Century Fox  Williams starred as Alan Parrish, a boy stuck inside a board game for twenty-six years in the 1995 film Jumanji. TriStar Pictures  Starring opposite a young Matt Damon, Williams played Dr. Sean Maguire, in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. Miramax  Williams played a living android in the 1999 film Bicentennial Man. Buena Vista  Williams took on the likeness of Teddy Roosevelt in Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum. 20th Century Fox  Robin Williams and his family are seen with their dogs on May 2005\. From left to right: Kiwi (poodle), son Cody Williams, Robin Williams, daughter Zelda Williams, Marsha Williams and Mizu (poodle) Lacy Atkins—Emily Scott Pottruck/Trails of Devotion ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3635111/google-top-searches-2014-robin-williams/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3635111/google-top-searches-2014-robin-williams/"},"headline":"Robin Williams Was Google's Top Trending Search of 2014","datePublished":"2014-12-16T08:01:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:45:28.450Z","description":"Robin Williams topped a list that also included the World Cup, Ebola, ISIS and Flappy Bird","url":"https://time.com/3635111/google-top-searches-2014-robin-williams/","keywords":["Tech","Google","Companies","Web","Search"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2fa71ff44465b8b4/69876f0a3c16396785450a9d/robin-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Victor Luckerson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2fa71ff44465b8b4/69876f0a3c16396785450a9d/robin-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Robin Williams","caption":"Robin Williams","creditText":"Art Streiber—CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3635111/google-top-searches-2014-robin-williams/","name":"Robin Williams Was Google's Top Trending Search of 2014"}}]}] ```