Johnny Depp vs. Will Smith vs. Julia Roberts vs. Tom Hanks vs. Denzel Washington

I came across a blog post that gave the Harris Poll's Annual List of of America's Favorite Movie Stars for 2007. I faced off the top five:

1. Denzel Washington;
   
2. Tom Hanks;
   
3. Johnny Depp;
   
4. Julia Roberts;
   
5. Will Smith.
   

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of "will smith" in all years
"johnny depp" 1.70
"will smith" 1.00
"julia roberts" 0.70
"tom hanks" 0.45
"denzel washington" 0.30

Guess what, the 4-year Google-popularity gives a different ranking:

1. Johnny Depp;
   
2. Will Smith;
   
3. Julia Roberts;
   
4. Tom Hanks;
   
5. Denzel Washington.
   

In a way, this shows the individual star's staying power and/or whether or not he/she starred in many hit movies. Well, Washington goes from 1st to last and Hanks from 2nd to 2nd last... However, the list was of course for 2007. Maybe a 12-months look-back is more appropriate:


Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of "will smith" in the last 12 months
"johnny depp" 0.86
"will smith" 1.00
"julia roberts" 0.34
"tom hanks" 0.30
"denzel washington" 0.24

Let's make the rankings list again:

1. Will Smith;
   
2. Johnny Depp;
   
3. Julia Roberts;
   
4. Tom Hanks;
   
5. Denzel Washington.
   

Washington and Smith jumped from the back to the top due to successful movies. Here too, the rankings contradict the Harris Poll.

Cat vs. Dog vs. Horse in the US, the UK, Brazil, Japan and India

Today, a face-off between the three animals that are the most closely associated with humans since ancient times: cat, dog and horse. However, instead of the usual worldwide comparison, Google Trends also allows for zooming in on specific countries' search patterns. For starters, let's see what this gives for the US:


Scale is based on the average traffic of dog from United States in all years
cat 0.48
dog 1.00
horse 0.41

In the US, dog is twice as popular as the other two. Cat barely beats horse. How about the UK?


Scale is based on the average traffic of dog from United Kingdom in all years
cat 0.63
dog 1.00
horse 0.85

Lo and behold, horse is more Google-popular than cat in the UK! How about Brazil?


Scale is based on the average traffic of dog from Brazil in all years
cat 0.92
dog 1.00
horse 0.53

Through the four years, from a basically equal position horse declined in popularity while the stable dog at most has a slight edge over cat. Maybe Japan looks different too?


Scale is based on the average traffic of cat from Japan in all years
cat 1.00
dog 0.85
horse 0.25

Yes! Japan is most interested in neko a.k.a. cat. Last but not least [cliché alert], it's India's turn:


Scale is based on the average traffic of cat from India in all years
cat 1.00
dog 0.50
horse 0.30

Cat also dominates in India and what's more, it has an impressive seasonal peak at about New Year's. Surely, there must be an explanation : can anyone help me out?

9/11 vs. World Trade Center or Twin Towers vs. Pentagon vs. Flight 93

On the occasion of the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, I compared related terms:


Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of "world trade center"... in all years
9/11 1.50
"world trade center"... 1.00
pentagon 0.90
"flight 93" 0.10

As expected, all terms experience an annual Google-peak on the anniversaries, with 9/11 having an edge. Note the contrast between 2004 and 2008: in 2004, 9/11 invoked a lot of queries during the presidential elections campaign while now there's no such interest. Indeed, apart from a video at the Republican National Convention (which was widely criticized), there has been little direct mention of the events of 9/11 this year.

Update: I forgot about Rudy "A Noun, a Verb and 9/11" Giuliani during this year's early primaries. It really didn't rise to the level of four years ago though.

Hitler vs. Mao vs. Stalin vs. Kublai

I compared the four bloodiest dictators in world history who are estimated to together have caused the death of 160 million people (source: R.J. Rummel). They all date back to the 20th century except for Kublai Khan (13th cent.).


Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of mao in all years
hitler 3.00
mao 1.00
stalin 0.60
kublai 0.05

It is amazing how much Hitler still personifies this dubious category even though Mao and Stalin are estimated to have sent respectively four and two times as many people to an early grave. Note the dip in the trend lines around Christmas each year.

Future vs. Past vs. Present

Today, a basic word face-off: past, present and future.


Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of past in all years
future 2.04
past 1.00
present 0.62

Unsurprisingly, future is the clear leader, present is the least interesting... Notice the seasonal peaks of future and concurrent valleys of past and present, all at year's end.

Rezko vs. Rev. Wright vs. Bridge to Nowhere vs. Keating Five vs. Troopergate

The US presidential race is sure heating up lately. I faced off the five most important scandals or controversies—which is what may depend on your political leanings ;-)


Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of "bridge to nowhere" in the last 12 months
rezko 1.20
"reverend wright" | "rev. wright" 1.20
"bridge to nowhere" 1.00
"keating 5" | "keating five" 0.80
troopergate 0.20

This graph covers the last 12 months only, four years doesn't really make much sense in this case. Rev. Wright's trend line has two clear peaks: the first media frenzy and then Obama's speech dealing with it. Tony Rezko's trial is also noticable. Toward the very end, the Bridge to Nowhere (Gravina Island Bridge, AK) shoots to the very top.

Dan Brown vs. John Grisham vs. Mitch Albom vs. Khaled Hosseini vs. Tim LaHaye or Jerry B. Jenkins

Publishers Weekly publishes a weekly bestseller list of novels. At the end of the year, an annual list is computed. I compared the authors who were number one in the years 2000-2007:

• John Grisham (The Brethren, 2000; The Summons, 2002; The Broker, 2005)


• Jerry B. Jenkins & Tim LaHaye (Desecration, 2001)


• Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code, 2003-2004)


• Mitch Albom (For One More Day, 2006)


• Khaled Hosseini (A Thousand Splendid Suns, 2007).

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of "john grisham" in all years
"dan brown" 3.60
"john grisham" 1.00
"mitch albom" 0.30
"khaled hosseini" 0.20
"tim lahaye" | "jerr..." 0.10

It is even more clear how phenomenal The Da Vinci Code has been. Also, Grisham may not have that kind of peak but is a steady performer (three no. ones!).