Ask.com Reveals the Top Questions of 2013

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ask.com, the leading online brand for questions and answers and an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI), today released the top trending search terms and corresponding questions for 2013 associated with celebrities, news and politics.

More than 100 million monthly users visited Ask for answers in 2013, and it appeared many had babies on the brain. The top trending questions in both the celebrity and overall news categories were baby-related: "Why is Kim and Kanye's baby named North West?" was the top celebrity trending question of the year and in news, the most asked question was "What is the royal baby's name?"

"People turn to Ask for answers on everything from noteworthy celebrities to breaking news to political pundits," said Valerie Combs, vice president of communications for Ask.com. "Given we get a significant volume of queries in the form of a natural language question, we can take a unique look at the storylines and trends that captured American attention this year."

Top news search terms and questions from Ask.com are:

1. Royal Baby. What is the royal baby's name?
2. Boston Marathon. Where was the Boston Marathon bomber found?
3. Syria. Will the U.S. invade Syria?
4. Philippines Typhoon. How can I help victims of the Philippines typhoon?
5. George Zimmerman. Why was George Zimmerman acquitted?
6. Navy Yard Shooting. Who was the Navy Yard shooter?
7. Oscar Pistorius. Did Oscar Pistorius kill his girlfriend?
8. Ariel Castro. Who did Ariel Castro kidnap?
9. Detroit Bankruptcy. How far in debt is Detroit?
10. Benedict XVI. Why did Pope Benedict step down?  

Top celebrity and entertainment search terms and questions from Ask.com are:

1. North West. Why is Kim and Kanye's baby named North West?
2. Miley Cyrus. What did Miley Cyrus do at the VMAs?  
3. Cory Monteith. How did Cory Monteith die?
4. Paula Deen. What did Paula Deen say?  
5. Amanda Bynes. Why was Amanda Bynes arrested?
6. Lamar Odom. Is Lamar Odom on drugs?
7. Breaking Bad. When is the Breaking Bad series finale?
8. Reese Witherspoon. Where can I see Reese Witherspoon's arrest?
9. Fifty Shades of Grey. Who will play Christian in Fifty Shades of Grey?
10. James Gandolfini. Did James Gandolfini die?

Top political searches and questions from Ask.com are:

1. Government Shutdown. Why did the government shutdown?
2. Edward Snowden. Where is Edward Snowden?
3. Proposition 8. Was Prop 8 thrown out?  
4. Anthony Weiner. Who did Anthony Weiner sext?
5. Obamacare. When will Obamacare take effect?
6. NSA. Is the NSA spying on Americans?
7. Bradley Manning. What is Bradley Manning's sentence?
8. Mohamed Morsi. Why was Morsi overthrown?
9. Benghazi. Who is on trial for Benghazi attacks?
10. Toronto Mayor. Did the Toronto Mayor smoke crack?

If you are interested in speaking with an Ask spokesperson about the findings, please contact Stephanie Cooley at [email protected].

About Ask.com

With 100 million global users, Ask.com is a leading online brand for questions and answers and an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI). Now available as a mobile service, Ask.com mobile apps have been downloaded more than 3 million times. More information is available at www.ask.com or http://blog.ask.com.

SOURCE Ask.com