Top 10 Searches - News Stories

Natural disasters affected virtually every corner of our planet. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike devastated the southern U.S. and the Caribbean. The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continued to be a focus throughout the year. But a few surprises to this list included the human interest stories that captivated the curiosity of the country, such as Caylee Anthony, a missing Florida toddler; the pregnant man who allegedly gave birth to a baby girl; and Patrick Swayze's battle against cancer.

News Stories -- Top 10 News Stories according to Yahoo!

1. Hurricanes

2. Caylee and Casey Anthony

3. Election 2008

4. Pakistan

5. Pregnant Man

6. China

7. Iraq

8. Shelley Malil

9. Patrick Swayze

10. Afghanistan

Top 10 Searches for Sport

A worldwide audience couldn't get enough of the Olympics, hungrily hunting down every detail on the characters playing out sports' most marvelously unscripted drama. The Olympics was a nightly epic story, in which Michael Phelps played the ideal leading man, with the mystery of his estranged father breaking the list of most clicked on stories of yahoo.com.

Top 10 Olympian and Sport Searches

1. Michael Phelps

2. Leryn Franco

3. Serena Williams

4. Kobe Bryant

5. Shawn Johnson

6. Jennie Finch

7. Misty May Treanor

8. Ronaldinho

9. Alicia Sacramone

10. Nastia Liukin

Top Searches for new Celebrities

In 2008, tabloid staples cleaned up their acts due to court-ordered conservatorships (Britney Spears), pledges of sobriety (Lindsay Lohan), and motherhood (Nicole Richie). As a result, celebrity publications and bloggers shifted their focus to a new, younger set of headline makers, the New Brat Pack. Like their 1980s counterparts, the New Brat Pack celebs appear in each other's movies, music videos and social circles. They're all young (21 and under), popular and major money makers. And, their youth subjects them to greater public scrutiny.Disney proteges are coming into their own with huge success, including Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens, the Jonas Brothers and Zac Efron.

Top 10 Rising Celebrity Searches

1. Miley Cyrus

2. Vanessa Anne Hudgens

3. Chris Brown

4. Jonas Brothers

5. Rihanna

6. Taylor Swift

7. Jamie Lynn Spears

8. Hayden Panettiere

9. Zac Efron

10. Selena Gomez

Top Searches - politicians

What were the top searches on the political battlefield? It was an election of many firsts. Not only did the U.S. elect an African American president for the first time but 2008 also had a notable campaign by former First Lady and Senator Hillary Clinton, and the first female nominee for Vice President in the Republican Party, Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Other candidates secured their fair share of searches as well. On the other hand, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't involved in the presidential race, but searches for the "Governator" beat Democratic vice presidential pick Joe Biden and Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Top 10 Politician Searches

1. Barack Obama

2. Sarah Palin

3. John McCain

4. Hillary Clinton

5. George Bush

6. Ron Paul

7. John Edwards

8. Mike Huckabee

9. Arnold Schwarzenegger

10. Mitt Romney

Top 10 Economic Search Topics

As 2008 came to a close, the nation's economic turmoil battled with the presidential election for the hearts and wallets of searchers. In February, the Treasury Department announced it would be disbursing stimulus checks to boost economic activity and taxpayers clamored to know if the check was actually in the mail. The fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis hit Wall Street hard in October as the Dow Jones Industrials fell to its lowest point, producing the biggest point drop in the Dow's 112-year history. Gas prices marked the only silver lining, falling sharply late in the year after reaching all-time highs during the summer.

Here is the top 10 of Yahoo's Search Topics concerning the Economy


1. IRS Stimulus Checks

2. Oil Prices

3. Gold Prices

4. Gas Prices

5. Dow Jones

6. Sallie Mae

7. Stock Market

8. AIG

9. Foreclosures

10. Debt Consolidation