Darts star Luke Littler, the Oasis reunion and the Euros were among the biggest topics being searched for by UK Google users, the tech giant has revealed.
The firm’s latest “year in search” data showed the Euros – where England’s men reached the final before losing to Spain – was the top-trending, general search term of the year, ahead of late One Direction star Liam Payne and Jay Slater, who died while on holiday in Tenerife earlier this year.
Teenager Littler burst onto the darts scene at the beginning of the year aged just 16, and his capturing of the public’s imagination has been highlighted in him topping the trending athletes list, but also making it to number three – behind only the Princess of Wales and US president-elect Donald Trump – in the most searched people list.
In a bumper year for sport, “when is the Euros final?” also appeared in the most search questions list, while US gymnast was third on the most searched athletes list, and asking “how to watch the Olympics” was a popular search as the Games were held in Paris in August.
Away from sport, elections in the UK and US meant politics appeared highly in many of the trending topic categories, with questions such as “how to vote in the UK” and “when is the General Election” were both popular, as were searches for “when is the US election” and Donald Trump, who was second on the most searched people list.
The Oasis reunion was also at the centre of a big year for music, with the announcement of the band’s reunion tour sparking a flurry of searches for “how to get Oasis tickets”, while the band themselves topped the musicians list ahead of pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
Matt Cooke, from the Google News Initiative, said: “2024 has been a year of comebacks, curiosity, and community.
“Whether it’s fans reuniting for Oasis, young sports stars like Luke Littler making waves, or Brits voting in everything from elections to Eurovision, these searches show a nation full of passion and interest.
“It’s amazing to see what captivated the UK, and it’s always a privilege to highlight these moments in Google’s year in search.”
