No. 1: Deepwater Horizon Crew
The April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig drew attention to a dangerous livelihood that helps fuel the United States. There were 126 workers onboard the Gulf of Mexico rig, which was owned by Transocean and leased to BP. Methane gas shot up the well and ignited, killing…
Survivor Stories
Survivor stories hold a primal appeal. In the bleakest of circumstances, we’re drawn to tales of what the human spirit can endure. Survivor Stories Deepwater Horizon Crew Chilean Miners Iraq War Soldiers Jaycee Dugard Abby Sunderland Fort Hood Witnesses El Blog del Narco Times Square Heroes Wangjialing Coal Miners Ruben…
No. 10: Britney Spears
For 10 years, Britney Spears ruled the Internet. In the annual Yahoo! top searches list, she played second fiddle to PlayStation 2 in 2001 and 2002, and fell to fourth place for the next two years. But then Spears rallied in 2005 and stayed put at the No. 1 slot…
No. 9: American Idol
Season 9 of “American Idol” embraced a grand social experiment. For the first time ever, the Fox singing factory allowed its contestants to break the online cone of silence, granting them their own Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. Three months in, the experiment collapsed: The contestants’ pages were shut down,…
No. 8: Justin Bieber
Pattie Mallette thought her teenage boy’s musical talents were good enough to put online. Two years later, she and her son, Justin Bieber, flew — his first time on a plane — to meet his future manager. Later, they moved from their hometown of Stratford, Ontario, on the strength of…
No. 7: Megan Fox
In her quick rise to fame, Megan Fox has been notably savvy in the celebrity arts. At the end of 2009, the New York Times dubbed her a “devoted student of stardom, past and present” who “talked her way into the limelight.” After all, the starlet utters virile poetry, bragging…
No. 6: iPhone
Seen it. Bought it. Want it … again. Apple already had something “magical and revolutionary” up its sleeve with the iPad, so its fourth swipe at the iPhone seemed almost, well, excessive in these lean consumer times. By now, the company knows that any shiny object from its dream factory…
No. 5: Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga owned 2009. The year 2010 was all about figuring out how she did it. With hit singles, sold-out concerts, and a meeting with the Queen last year, Lady Gaga might have been excused if she had had a meltdown or just burned out this year. But while her…
No. 4: Kim Kardashian
When Kim Kardashian hit decade No. 3, she didn’t balk at coast-to-coast birthday parties. But a diamond-encrusted cake? Thanks, but no thanks. For all her high-flying, designer-laden, uber-glam living, Kardashian kept it real … at least real enough for her sisterhood of fans. The reality-show star declined the cake, blogging,…
No. 3: Miley Cyrus
Few can boast membership in the The Year’s Most Searched Person on Yahoo!. In fact, since 2001, it’s been Britney Spears‘ club, although she let Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson step in front in 2004, and Megan Fox in 2009. (Michael Jackson’s death propelled him to the No. 1 slot.)…