SAN FRANCISCO—Robin Williams’ suicide seared into the world’s collective mindset more than anything else this year, based on what people were searching for on Google.
The reaction to Williams’ death in August topped Google’s list of 2014’s fastest-rising search requests. It beat such events as the World Cup, the Ebola outbreak, the March disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Williams’ death drove many to reminisce about his career highlights. In the first few days after his suicide, there was a six-fold increase in the number of Google searches for “carpe diem”—a Latin phrase for “seize the day” that Williams popularized in the film “Dead Poets Society.” Reports about Williams’ long-running battle with depression caused searches for that term to triple. AP