What’s trending: Top 2011 search terms

“It wasn’t a person or event that topped the list, but a device. And the top 10 search terms reveal our obsession with pop culture” — Yahoo.

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10. Osama bin Laden

After years atop the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists, Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. forces. In the days surrounding President Obama's May 1 announcement of bin Laden's death, Web users were hungry for details on the mission and what it meant for U.S. foreign policy.

/ AP

9. Japan earthquake

A March 11 earthquake and tsunami ravaged Japan, killing at least 15,000 people and causing an estimated $125 billion in economic losses. Here, the tsunami engulfs a residential area.

Kyodo / Reuters

8. Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston garnered attention this year thanks to her role in the dark comedy "Horrible Bosses" and a new romance with screenwriter Justin Thereoux. Yahoo says that 60 percent of searches for the actress are conducted by men. Here, she attends Glamour Magazine's Annual Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Brad Barket / AP

7. "American Idol"

Simon Cowell may have left Fox's singing competition show last year, but the show jumped up Yahoo's list after coming in ninth in 2010.

/ Reuters

6. Lindsay Lohan

The starlet continued to be a tabloid favorite this year. A stint in rehab, a Playboy photo shoot and a failure to show up at a court-ordered community service gig were just some of the move that kept her in the headlines.

Toby Canham / Getty Images

5. Jennifer Lopez

A high-profile divorce from husband Marc Anthony may have made for a difficult year for Lopez, but her career was on fire. She's been well-received as a judge on "American Idol," had her first Billboard Top 10 single in eight years and launched a clothing line for Kohl's.

Matt Sayles / AP

4. Katy Perry

The pop star's hit album "Teenage Dream" remained on the Billboard charts for a record 69 consecutive weeks in 2010-2011, and she is the only artist to have five songs pass 4 million in download sales.

Neil Lupin / Getty Images

3. Kim Kardashian

The reality star's summer wedding to basketball player Kris Humphries resulted in a People magazine cover and a two-part, four-hour cable television special. Then, just 72 days after the opulent celebration, Kardashian put the brakes on the relationship and filed for divorce. Yahoo says popular search phrases at the time of the breakup news included "Kim Kardashian marriage problems," "how much did Kim Kardashian's wedding cost," and "how much is Kim Kardashian worth."

Rob Griffith / AP

2. Casey Anthony

On July 5, the Florida mother was acquitted after having been charged with murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Red Huber / AP

1. iPhone

A new iteration of the smartphone debuted this year. One of iPhone 4S's most talked-about new features is Siri, a personal assistant that responds to voice commands. Sales of iPhones, along with sales of Apple's popular iPad tablet, helped propel the tech company to briefly beat out Exxon Mobil as the world's most valuable company.

Jeff Chiu / AP

Featured Photo Galleries

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 29: Serena Williams of USA stretches to plays a forehand in her women's singles first round match between Serena Williams of USA and Virginie Razzano of France during day three of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

French Open results: Serena Williams loses, Maria Sharapova cruises

The American tennis star lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event.

Winnie Pajcic, 9, holds on to a railing as she leans back in the wind during a visit to Stockton Park in Ortega, Fla., in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Beryl on Monday May 28, 2012. Beryl came ashore early Monday near Jacksonville Beach with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Kelly Jordan)

Tropical storm Beryl, Flugtag, Rolling Thunder, Memorial Day and more in the day in photos

Tropical storm Beryl, Flugtag, Rolling Thunder, Memorial Day and more.

Camels rest at a watering hole outside the town of Aleg May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney (MAURITANIA - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY)

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more in animal views

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more.

ANNAPOLIS, MD- MAY 29: Graduates cheer as the Blue Angels fly over during the 100th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremonies in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. U.S Sec. of Defense Leon Edward Panetta gave the graduation address. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

U.S. Naval Academy graduation

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the commencement address at the ceremony.

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 26: Singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (C) performs with dancers during the Q'Viva! The Chosen Live show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Lil Jon, Eddie Van Halen, Mariah Carey and other celebrities.

Doc Watson, bluegrass and folk legend, dies at 89

The blind singer and guitarist was a Grammy winner, known for his flat-picking style of guitar playing.

Henry, a calf, sustained a head wound and required stitches after being slashed over the weekend.

Farm animals attacked in Fairfax

A calf, two goats and a chicken were slashed over the weekend at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon.

COVINGTON, LA - MAY 14: Brother Emmanuel Labrise of St. Joseph's Abbey prepares a casket for lining on May 15, 2012 in Covington, Louisiana. Louisiana law forbids those who are not licensed funeral directors from selling caskets. And since Hurricane Katrina leveled the timberlands that once provided the main source of funding for the abbey, the monks have attempted to make a living by building and selling simple cypress caskets. The monks won their first round last year, and have a hearing at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in June. (Photo by Sean Gardner/For the Washington Post)

Louisiana monks fight for the right to sell coffins

Federal court case pits a group of monks against the funeral home industry.

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