Year in Review: Our Top Questions of 2011

2011 is winding down and you know what that means — time for our year in review! Take a look back on current events from the past 365 days and what questions and answers you clicked on the most.

January: The NFL playoffs were in full swing, which made our top question this month What is the date for Super Bowl 2011? (The Packers defeated the Steelers 31-25.) Another popular in January was Where can you play Angry Birds online? Apparently the smartphone app wasn’t enough to satisfy our desire to slingshot birds at greedy pigs. During post-holiday January, you were also curious about When should you take down your Christmas tree and decorations? Answers vary from New Year’s Day, to the Epiphany (Jan. 6) to whenever those needles look so dry they could be a fire hazard!

February: Even though Charlie Sheen was #winning the TV news cycle in February, the Green Bay Packers dominated Answers.com traffic. Two of our top questions for February this year asked about the Green and Gold including: How many Super Bowls have the Green Bay Packers won? (Answer: 6), What does the G stand for on a Green Bay Packer helmet? (Answer: Greatness).

March: The death of iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor prompted many of you to wonder, Where are Elizabeth Taylor’s children now? Our minds also turned to those in Japan and the staggering death toll from the March 11 Sendai earthquake and tsunami. How many people died in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011? Answer: 15,841

April: Love was in the air this month as Prince William wed Kate Middleton, making royalty-related queries spike in popularity. Some of our top questions this month were: What is the full name of Prince William?, What is Queen Elizabeth’s last name? and When did Princess Diana and Prince Charles get married?

May: The world’s most wanted terrorist was killed by American soldiers on May 2, making How did Osama bin Laden die? an obvious top question for this month. Harold Camping predicted the Rapture on May 21 this year (and hey look, we’re still here!). Whether or not you believed his end times prediction, you were asking about it — When is the world going to end? was a very popular query in May.

June: Summer arrived in the Northern Hemisphere meaning BBQs, vacations and swimming! As a result, you were curious to ask: What are the advantages and disadvantages of a saltwater swimming pool? And since we were baring more skin by the pool or on the beach, the question What is the easiest way to get rid of lower stomach fat? shot up in popularity.

July: Sports fans dread July for its lull in activity so they might want to cover their eyes when reading the answer to this top question: On which two days of the year are no professional sports games played — MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL? The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 on July 15 had you wondering about all things wizardly. As such, What are the seven Horcruxes in the Harry Potter series? earned a spot on our top question list in July.

August: Pop star Beyonce revealed her baby bump at the Video Music Awards this month so When did Beyonce get pregnant? racked up the page views. And even in the depths of summer, many of you were still on the job hunt thanks to the recession. Two popular job-related queries this month were: How do you answer ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses’ in a job interview? and How do you answer ‘Describe yourself’ in an interview?

September: For some odd reason, What was the largest crocodile ever captured? made our high-traffic list this month. On a more serious note, the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 was on all our minds. The #1 question for September was How many people died in the September 11 attacks?

October: Iconic innovator Steve Jobs died this month, leading many of you to ask Who are Steve Jobs’ children? The
release of Paranormal Activity 3 also had you wondering Is the movie ‘Paranormal Activity’ based on a true story? — another to question during the month of Halloween.

November: Americans prepped for Thanksgiving with the most important of questions: How do you cook a turkey? and How long do you defrost a frozen turkey in the refrigerator?

December: Kids turned to Answers.com this month for answers to life’s most urgent questions: What is Santa’s address? and more importantly, Is Santa Claus real?

So what do you think of this year’s top questions? Predictable? Surprising? Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments.

6 thoughts on “Year in Review: Our Top Questions of 2011

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