Google Search Rank 2012, Whitney, Gangnam Style and Hurricane Sandy Tops

Psy's global hit "Gangnam Style" was the second most popular search on Google this year. Google on Thursday said it tallied more than 1 trillion search terms from 55 countries this year, and pop diva Whitney Houston, who died in February, was the most popular search in 2012.

But "Gangnam Style" was the most-searched in Korea, Australia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, demonstrating the soaring popularity of the song which also racked up more than 900 million views on YouTube. Not only is it the most-viewed video ever on YouTube, is also on its way to garnering more than 1 billion views.

Third was Hurricane Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the U.S. east coast in October, and fourth Apple's iPad 3, followed by online game "Diablo III," Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, and the London Olympics.

In the area of home appliances, the iPad 3 was followed by Samsung's Galaxy S3. Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 tablet PC was the fifth most-searched appliance. Apple's iPad Mini and iPad 4 were also among the most frequently searched words on Google, but the iPhone 5 did not even make it into the top 10.