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15 years of Google Trends, and Americans are still mostly searching for the same things

Google Trends turned 15 in May 2021.

DALLAS — Editor's note: The above video is from 2019.

Harry Potter, "American Idol" and "Grey's Anatomy" may seem unrelated on the surface, but they have at least one thing in common: American Google users were searching for those terms back when Google Trends first launched in May 2006 - and they're still searching for them now in May 2021.

Google Trends, the search engine's tool for seeing what Google users are searching for at any given moment, turns 15 this month. It launched in May 2006, when high-speed internet was first becoming widespread, Houston rapper Chamillionaire was burning up the charts with "Ridin' Dirty," and Texan George W. Bush was in the Oval Office.

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Credit: Google screenshot
A screenshot of Google Trends in June 2006, using the earliest recorded backup from the Wayback Machine.

A lot has changed in 15 years, but apparently, America's pop culture tastes and Google searches have stayed somewhat the same. In addition to Harry Potter, "American Idol" and "Grey's Anatomy" (which just got renewed for an 18th season), Americans are still searching for thriller and fantasy books, like 2003's "The Da Vinci Code" and 1993's "Without Remorse," which just got a search bump because it was adapted into a movie at Amazon Prime starring Michael B. Jordan.

Credit: Screenshot from Google
The Google Trends homepage in May 2021.

Many actors that were popular in Google searches in 2006 are also still popular today, like Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck and Zac Efron.

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Worldwide, people are still asking the big questions in the past 15 years, like:

  • What time is it?
  • How to tie a tie
  • Where am I?
  • How to kiss

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Reports like these aren't just fun lists of what people search on Google each year; they're also mini-time capsules, showing us what we thought was worthy of our attention at any given moment. Fifteen years from now, we may look back at our fascination with "Game of Thrones" the same way we look at "The Da Vinci Code."

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Take a trip down Memory Lane, see what's changed and check out Google's list of top searches in May 2006 vs. May 2021 below.

Top English-language questions, past 15 years, Worldwide 

  • What time is it?
  • How to tie a tie
  • How to kiss 
  • Where am I?
  • How many ounces in a cup?

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Most searched song lyrics, May 2006, U.S. 

  • "Bad Day" - Daniel Powter
  • "Dani California" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • "Unfaithful" - Rihanna
  • "Ridin’ Dirty" - Chamillionaire
  • "Move Along" - The All-American Rejects

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Most searched song lyrics, May 2021, U.S.

  • "Your Power" - Billie Eilish
  • "Deja vu"- Olivia Rodrigo
  • "Drivers License" - Olivia Rodrigo
  • "Levitating" - Dua Lipa
  • "Body (Remix)" - Tion Wayne x Russ Millions

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Most searched books, May 2006, U.S. 

  • "Da Vinci Code"
  • "Harry Potter"
  • "Romeo and Juliet"
  • "Eragon"
  • "The Great Gatsby"

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Most searched books, May 2021, U.S. 

  • "The Handmaid’s Tale"
  • "Game of Thrones"
  • "Harry Potter"
  • "Without Remorse"
  • "Vampire Diaries"

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Most searched actors, May 2006, U.S. 

  • Angelina Jolie
  • Lindsay Lohan
  • Tom Cruise
  • Jessica Alba
  • Brad Pitt

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Most searched Actors, May 2021, U.S.

  • Jennifer Lopez
  • Ben Affleck
  • Mark Wahlberg
  • Zac Efron
  • Adam Sandler

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Most searched TV shows, May 2006, U.S.

  • "American Idol"
  • "Lost"
  • "Grey’s Anatomy"
  • "Survivor"
  • "The O.C."

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Most searched TV shows, May 2021, U.S. 

  • "Grey’s Anatomy"
  • "Saturday Night Live"
  • "American Idol"
  • "Shameless"
  • "NCIS"

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