Year in Review: Our Top Questions of 2011

Posted on December 20, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

2011 is winding down and you know what that means — time for our year in review! Take a look back on current events from the past 365 days and what questions and answers you clicked on the most.

January: The NFL playoffs were in full swing, which made our top question this month What is the date for Super Bowl 2011? (The Packers defeated the Steelers 31-25.) Another popular in January was Where can you play Angry Birds online? Apparently the smartphone app wasn’t enough to satisfy our desire to slingshot birds at greedy pigs. During post-holiday January, you were also curious about When should you take down your Christmas tree and decorations? Answers vary from New Year’s Day, to the Epiphany (Jan. 6) to whenever those needles look so dry they could be a fire hazard!

February: Even though Charlie Sheen was #winning the TV news cycle in February, the Green Bay Packers dominated Answers.com traffic. Two of our top questions for February this year asked about the Green and Gold including: How many Super Bowls have the Green Bay Packers won? (Answer: 6), What does the G stand for on a Green Bay Packer helmet? (Answer: Greatness).

March: The death of iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor prompted many of you to wonder, Where are Elizabeth Taylor’s children now? Our minds also turned to those in Japan and the staggering death toll from the March 11 Sendai earthquake and tsunami. How many people died in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011? Answer: 15,841

April: Love was in the air this month as Prince William wed Kate Middleton, making royalty-related queries spike in popularity. Some of our top questions this month were: What is the full name of Prince William?, What is Queen Elizabeth’s last name? and When did Princess Diana and Prince Charles get married?

May: The world’s most wanted terrorist was killed by American soldiers on May 2, making How did Osama bin Laden die? an obvious top question for this month. Harold Camping predicted the Rapture on May 21 this year (and hey look, we’re still here!). Whether or not you believed his end times prediction, you were asking about it — When is the world going to end? was a very popular query in May.

June: Summer arrived in the Northern Hemisphere meaning BBQs, vacations and swimming! As a result, you were curious to ask: What are the advantages and disadvantages of a saltwater swimming pool? And since we were baring more skin by the pool or on the beach, the question What is the easiest way to get rid of lower stomach fat? shot up in popularity.

July: Sports fans dread July for its lull in activity so they might want to cover their eyes when reading the answer to this top question: On which two days of the year are no professional sports games played — MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL? The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 on July 15 had you wondering about all things wizardly. As such, What are the seven Horcruxes in the Harry Potter series? earned a spot on our top question list in July.

August: Pop star Beyonce revealed her baby bump at the Video Music Awards this month so When did Beyonce get pregnant? racked up the page views. And even in the depths of summer, many of you were still on the job hunt thanks to the recession. Two popular job-related queries this month were: How do you answer ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses’ in a job interview? and How do you answer ‘Describe yourself’ in an interview?

September: For some odd reason, What was the largest crocodile ever captured? made our high-traffic list this month. On a more serious note, the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 was on all our minds. The #1 question for September was How many people died in the September 11 attacks?

October: Iconic innovator Steve Jobs died this month, leading many of you to ask Who are Steve Jobs’ children? The release of Paranormal Activity 3 also had you wondering Is the movie ‘Paranormal Activity’ based on a true story? — another to question during the month of Halloween.

November: Americans prepped for Thanksgiving with the most important of questions: How do you cook a turkey? and How long do you defrost a frozen turkey in the refrigerator?

December: Kids turned to Answers.com this month for answers to life’s most urgent questions: What is Santa’s address? and more importantly, Is Santa Claus real?

So what do you think of this year’s top questions? Predictable? Surprising? Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments.

Five most popular questions on Steve Jobs

Posted on October 7, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

Legendary businessman Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, passed away this week. Although a very private person, Jobs was a public icon and very revered in the tech scene. The ubiquitous white earbuds you see every day are a testament to how revolutionary his “i”nventions have been.

Since the news of his death first hit the internet, Answers.com contributors have flooded the site with questions about Apple’s mastermind. Here are five of the most popular questions on Steve Jobs this week, based on traffic:

Who are Steve Jobs’ children?

How did Steve Jobs die?

Was Steve Jobs a Christian?

What did Steve Jobs invent?

Did Steve Jobs and Bill Gates work together?

For more Steve Jobs Q&A visit his category page here.

Presidential Elections 2012: Republicans in the Running

Posted on July 7, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

Presidential election season is once again upon us. The Republicans are rounding up their best to compete against Barack Obama and nine nominees have given an official announcement of their candidacy. So, just who are the 2012 GOP presidential candidates? Get ready for the 2012 election by learning more about each of these politicians:

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney is currently being considered the frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination. As former governor of Massachusetts, he helped pioneer divisive healthcare law that some call “RomneyCare” in the likes of “ObamaCare.” Romney is also a Latter-day Saint, or Mormon, which was seen as a major obstacle to his 2008 presidential run.

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman is former governor of Utah and former ambassador to China. He is son of billionaire Jon Huntsman, Sr. and is fairly new to the Republican race. Challenges he could face include: name recognition, having a moderate stance on social issues, and his religion (he is also a Mormon).

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich is the former Speaker of the U.S. House from Georgia. He helped lead a Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 and has built name recognition through his many speeches, books and policy positions.

Tim Pawlenty

Tim Pawlenty is a former governor of Minnesota and is known for being consistently conservative on social and economic issues. He has visited many of the primary states recently while doing a book tour and built name recognition when he was selected as a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain in 2008.

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann is a current US representative for the state of Minnesota and a Tea party favorite. She was the first Republican woman to represent the state of Minnesota in Congress and made headlines when she said in an interview that Barack Obama “may have anti-American views,” during his 2008 presidential run.

Herman Cain

Herman Cain is the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza from Atlanta, Georgia and is highly backed by Tea Partiers. His bid for the Senate seat of Georgia in 1994 was unsuccessful and many wonder if he can pull off a national campaign.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul is a fiery Congressman from Texas whose libertarian views have built a large grassroots following. He has spoken out about US foreign policy, specifically ending the war in Iraq and on fiscal policy.

Gary E. Johnson is a former governor of New Mexico. He is a libertarian with small government and anti-tax ideals, although he supports gay marriage, abortion rights and looser immigration rules. He does not have a lot of name recognition and may have trouble appealing to the Republican base.

Rick Santorum is a former US Senator of Pennsylvania.

Turn to Answers.com to learn more interesting facts about the candidates such as:

What religion is Michele Bachmann?

Where did Mitt Romney go to college?

What are Ron Paul’s views on abortion?

How old is Newt Gingrich?

Where is Tim Pawlenty from?

How old is Rick Santorum?

All your Royal Wedding questions answered.

Posted on April 26, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

Are you as excited as we are for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton? Judging on the number of questions we’re getting about the big event, we think you are. In case the coverage of thousands (yes, thousands!) of journalists who have descended on London for the nuptials doesn’t satisfy your appetite, you can always turn to Answers.com for more. We’ve set up a new category for all your burning questions about royal weddings, past and present. Check out the new Royal Weddings category here.

There you’ll find queries such as:

What TV channels will broadcast the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton?

Where can you watch the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton online?

What will Kate Middleton’s royal title be after she marries Prince William?

Who has been announced as Prince William’s ‘Best Man’ for the Royal Wedding?

Who is the flower girl at the Royal Wedding?

Q&A not enough? Check out the royal wedding coverage on Video Answers.

Here’s a look back at the 10-year romance of Prince William and Kate Middleton:

http://embed.5min.com/517004624/
Look Back at Prince William and Kate Middletons 10

Where my Peeps at?

Posted on April 20, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

Easter is next Sunday, but it’s highly likely most of you have been noshing on some Easter sweets already, are we right? Although chocolate takes the cake as Easter’s most popular candy, Americans eat 700 million marshmallow Peeps every spring. The Chicago Tribune has a great slideshow that goes into the Just Born factory to see just how Peeps are made.

Leave it to our Answers.com contributors to fill us in on these brightly colored treats:

Where were Peeps invented?

How many colors do marshmallow peeps come in?

Why are Peeps made out of marshmallows?

How many calories are in one marshmallow peep?

Kids, don’t try this one at home: Why do marshmallow peeps explode when heated?

Hosting an Easter dinner this weekend? Check out these creative centerpieces (including one made out of Peeps!) in this clip from Video Answers.

http://embed.5min.com/267508187/&sid=813/

All your Passover questions answered.

Posted on April 18, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

Passover begins tonight at sundown and lasts seven days. Passover commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Jews celebrate this important holiday with a traditional two-night feast, called a Seder, meaning “order.” At a Seder, friends and family gather, a variety of dishes are prepared, songs are sung and the story of passover is told.

Other interesting facts about Passover:

To produce Passover matza, flour must remain in contact with water for no longer than 18 minutes before it is baked.
Coca-cola makes a kosher Coke for Passover version, substituting pure sugar for corn syrup in its recipe (Ashkenazi Jews customarily refrain from eating corn on Passover).
Moses, the leader who was central to the biblical account of the Exodus, is notably absent from the Haggada, the rabbinic retelling of the story. This is to emphasize the divine, miraculous nature of the event.
Some believe that Jesus’ Last Supper was a seder.

To learn more about this important Jewish holiday, read some Passover questions and answers here and check out this clip from Video Answers.

http://embed.5min.com/38363905/&sid=816
Learn About Passover

Tax Day Delayed! (You still have to pay them though.)

Posted on April 12, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

If you woke up last night in a cold sweat realizing April 15th is fast approaching and you haven’t filed your taxes yet, we have some good news for you. Your tax return isn’t due until next Monday! Why did Uncle Sam cut us Americans some slack this year? You can thank a little known holiday, Emancipation Day, celebrating the abolition of slavery. This year it falls on a Saturday but will be officially observed in Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 15th, closing many federal buildings. As a result, the IRS pushed the income tax deadline to Monday, April 18th.

Haven’t filed yet? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The IRS estimates “20 to 25 percent of all taxpayers file in the final two weeks of the tax season.” The average individual spends upwards of 14 hours on his tax return, so an extra weekend should be plenty of time, right? Check out this clip from Video Answers for tips on how to prepare your tax return this year.

Angry that you had to cough up more cash to the government? Hey, at least America’s tax rate isn’t close to 50 percent like other countries!

Some more helpful answers to prepare you for Tax Day:

SXSW coverage at Answers.com and beyond.

Posted on March 15, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

Are you attending SXSW this week? Are you wishing you were there? Are you wondering what I’m talking about?

Answers.com has an SXSW Q&A category just for you.

Learn all about South by Southwest, the annual Music + Film + Interactive event in Austin, Texas. This year the conference/festival started on March 11th and will run through March 20th.

You can get the ‘best of’ the Interactive part of SXSW by our very own Product Management greatness, Gil Reich. Check out his SXSW review: Best of SXSW Interactive 2011. You can also find out how last week’s SMX West stacked up.

Q&A resource for Japan earthquake.

Posted on March 12, 2011 by nostupidwikianswers

Our hearts and thoughts are with those in Japan and other areas affected by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on Friday. Since then, there have been over 125 aftershocks and around 10,000 people reported missing.

There is now a Japan Earthquake Q&A category set up on Answers.com; check it out here.

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