High Fry-ve: sundaes for everyone this weekend
I've been told I have a flair for the dramatic (see byline), but if I were you, I'd stay away from ladders and look out for black cats today. Friday the 13th inspired lots of searches this week, and here’s a look at a few of the other trending searches, with data from the Google News Lab.
It’s Fry Day Fry Day, gotta get down on Fry Day
Today is Friday but also National Fry Day, as if I need another excuse to shove fried potatoes down my throat. If search interest is any indication of America’s fav fry, McDonald’s would take the top spot, followed by Burger King, Wendy’s and Five Guys. If you’re waffling over the best type of fry, curly fries are a cut above—they’re searched 14 percent more than waffle fries. Oh but wait, there’s more healthy food to celebrate as Sunday (or shall I say Sundae) is National Ice Cream Day. Search interest in frozen treats always spikes each summer, but July 2018 has recorded the highest search interest ever for ice cream in the U.S., great work everyone! More of a fro-yo guy myself.
I’m not superstitious, but I’m a little stitious
The planets are in retrograde, plus it’s Friday the 13th which explains my wild hormonal swings this week. Looks like Nevada is the most intrigued by this spooky day as it holds the top spot for all-time search interest in Friday the 13th. You do you, Nevada. Looking further into the data, one of the top-searched questions around this trend is, “Is today Friday the 13th?” (Might be quicker to glance at a calendar). If you’re really into Friday the 13th and you live in Arizona, you can get inked for $13, and people have been flocking to Google to figure out where they can get those services.
All about that cash
You know what they say, mo money, mo problems, but my life is already pretty problematic so might as well sprinkle a few million on top. We’ve got a massive lotto drawing coming up, and people from New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts are searching the most for that $340 million cash prize. One of the top-searched questions about the lottery was, “What to do when you win the lottery?” Glad you asked. I’d buy an island, and plant a bunch of bushes, then trim those bushes to depict scenes from my favorite “Friends” episodes and run around on the island drinking mimosas listening to Taylor Swift. Ugh, one can dream.
A miraculous rescue
The world watched with intrigue and optimism as the Thai soccer team, trapped in an ocean cave, were rescued in a three-day operation involving 19 divers. Search interest in Thailand is at an all-time high in the U.S., having spiked by 600 percent this month, but Singapore, New Zealand and Australia had the most searches worldwide. Everyone made it out safely through the maze of rock and rope, complete with plastic cocoons and floating stretchers.
Blessed be the fruit
It’s been said that we’re living in the golden age of television, lucky us! Emmy noms are hot off the press, and one of this week’s top-searched questions about the awards was, “Who won the most Emmys?” We’ll have to wait until September to find out, but here are the winners for the week’s most-searched shows: of the nominees for Outstanding Drama, it’s “Game of Thrones.” And for a comedy series, it’s “Atlanta.” And for best show of all time, “Friends.” Okay made that one up, but man, that show is great.
