What were the hottest news topics on the minds of Americans during 2012?

Microsoft-owned search engine Bing has answered this question by generating a fascinating list of the most popular terms users queried in the last 12 months via Bing.com. The company analyzed these consistently typed phrases and organized them into topics, such as "People," "Sports Stars," "Fashion," "Tech" and more.

"From one of the most hotly contested elections in U.S. history, the pageantry of the Olympic Games in London and high profile IPOs to rising stars, reality TV and Gangnam Style, it’s been a pretty exciting twelve months," the company's blog states. Check out Bing's nifty inforgraphic of popular topics to see the search engine's most popular searches, from global news stories to celebrity gossip.

Below, we've created a slideshow of the nine "News Stories" that Bing's American users wanted to read about most, many of which happen to be tech-focused. Are you surprised by any of the topics that made the list? Were you expecting to see other topics that didn't make the cut? Let us know in the comments, then take a look at what was most popular on Bing back in 2011.

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  • #9 - Kindle Fire HD

    Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire HD went on sale in Sept. of 2012. By October, this device was dubbed the "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/22/kindle-fire-hd-199_n_2003615.html">best-selling product</a> on the company's website."

  • #8 - Academy Awards

    What topics were buzzing during the month of February? <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/academy-awards-2012">The Academy Awards</a> garnered the majority of the nation's attention (somewhat surprisingly) as smash movie hits like "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/the-artist-oscars-best-picture-best-actor_n_1303174.html">The Artist</a>" and "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/the-iron-lady-trailer-meryl-streep_n_1135273.html">The Iron Lady</a>" scooped up sought-after Oscars.

  • #7 - KONY 2012

    <a href="http://invisiblechildren.com/movedc/">The KONY 2012 campaign</a> was aimed at ending Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army's rule of terror in Uganda. But the movement become controversial as it gained awareness, and was even more criticized when founder Jason Russell temporarily <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/16/jason-russell-detained-after-alleged-meltdown_n_1354740.html">lost his cool in San Diego, wandering the streets</a>... naked.

  • #6 - Gangnam Style Dance

    What more can we say about this dance craze that took the world by storm? If you haven't already seen South Korean singer Psy in this viral video (what!?), <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0">click here</a>.

  • #5 - Honey Boo Boo Reality Show

    Alana Thompson, former star of reality show "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/28/toddlers-and-tiaras-ava-slaps-mom_n_1837811.html">Toddlers in Tiaras</a>," has certainly left her mark on America. The now infamous seven-year-old is best known for her kooky comments and odd catch phrases. She also stars in her own "red-neck" reality show called "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/honey-boo-boo-renewed_n_1916654.html">Here Comes Honey Boo Boo</a>."

  • #4 - Hurricane Sandy

    When <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/hurricane-sandy-2012">Hurricane Sandy</a> obliterated parts of the Northeast on Oct. 29, this storm quickly morphed into something for the history books. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/hurricane-sandy-relief">Relief efforts</a> are still underway for the Rockaways, Staten Island, New Jersey, and other devastated locations.

  • #3 - 2012 Olympics

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/2012-summer-olympics">The Olympics</a> usually tend to capture the world's attention every two years -- and 2012 was no exception. The London Games took place from July 27 to Aug. 12 and were the third most talked about news topic on the web this year.

  • #2 - 2012 Elections

    We all witnessed the intensity of the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/elections-2012/?flv=1">2012 election news coverage</a>. Whether you were voting for Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama, the furor of information online made these candidates hot topics (and rightfully so!).

  • #1 - iPhone 5

    Samsung's Galaxy S3 may be the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/galaxy-s3-sales-worlds-number-one-smartphone_n_2091689.html"> most purchased smartphone as of Q3</a>, but the buzz around Apple's highly-anticipated iPhone 5 made this product the favorite of the internet. Its launch in September helped to spur the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/iphone-5">iPhone 5</a> on to becoming Bing's most-searched news story of 2012.

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