Monday, Yahoo! Inc. revealed the annual list of top searches. Yahoo!‘s Year in Review 2012 reflects the daily search habits of users and offers a glimpse into the social trends, compelling newsmakers, top stories, and viral fads of 2012 based on what millions of people searched for. It is clear when looking at the top search habits that partisan politics, the Olympic Games, a seesaw recovery, and a galloping Korean pop singer captured the world’s attention.

Celebrities and technological gadgets draw plenty of online curiosity, but the 2012 elections dominated online searches this year. The elections saturated headline news and ads, but people still checked in online to see what was developing in the presidential elections, as well as their own state and local races. Anticipation for the iPhone 5, in a post-Steve Jobs era, helped Apple maintain a presence in the Yahoo! Top 10. Kim Kardashian, a staple in the Top 10 since 2009, reached the height of her online popularity as most searched person on Yahoo!. Model Kate Upton ricocheted into the national consciousness by landing the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. And the obsession with the royals continued in 2012 as Kate Middleton became the third-most searched person on Yahoo!, thanks in part to her grandmother-in-law’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.

Top Searches Overall on Yahoo! in 2012:

1 [Election]

2 [iPhone 5]

3 [Kim Kardashian]

4 [Kate Upton]

5 [Kate Middleton]

6 [Whitney Houston]

7 [Olympics]

8 [Political polls]

9 [Lindsay Lohan]

10 [Jennifer Lopez]

Top Searches on Yahoo in 2012 for Celebrity Couples Who Broke Up in 2012:

1 [Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez]

2 [Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson]

3 [Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise]

4 [Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony]

5 [Scarlett Johansson and Nate Naylor]

6 [Heidi Klum and Seal]

7 [Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis]

8 [Chad Johnson and Evelyn Lozada]

9 [John Cena and Elizabeth Huberdeau]

10 [Vera Wang and Arthur Becker]

It’s no surprise the elections preoccupied the online audience, but people obviously had time beyond their civic duties to indulge their guilty pleasures and viral compulsions. The Obsessions list has returned: iPhone 5 snagged the No. 1 slot in a list mostly dominated by pop culture trends like “The Hunger Games,” reality TV breakout Honey Boo Boo, British boy band One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen’s much-memed song “Call Me Maybe,” and the galloping global hit “Gangnam Style” by Korean pop singer Psy.

Top-Searched Obsessions on Yahoo! in 2012:

1 [iPhone 5]

2 [Political polls]

3 [Megamillions]

4 [The Hunger Games]

5 [Honey Boo Boo]

6 [Fifty Shades of Grey]

7 [One Direction]

8 [Call Me Maybe]

9 [Gangnam Style]

10 [Titanic]

It looks like the Dallas Cowboys really are “America’s team,” as they top the list of all sports teams on Yahoo! in 2012. Even the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and game schedule were tops. However, it looks like MLB is giving the NFL a run for its money when it comes to being “America’s sport,” with five baseball teams in the Top 10 sports team searches.

Top-Searched Sports Teams on Yahoo! in 2012:

1 [Dallas Cowboys]

2 [New York Yankees]

3 [Los Angeles Lakers]

4 [San Francisco Giants]

5 [Detroit Tigers]

6 [Pittsburgh Steelers]

7 [Green Bay Packers]

8 [St. Louis Cardinals]

9 [San Francisco 49ers]

10 [Oakland A’s]

“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call me maybe?” — It is no surprise that music newcomer Carly Rae Jepsen’s song “Call Me Maybe” became the top-searched song of 2012. The song had everyone from the Harvard baseball team to the USA Olympic swim team and even “Sesame Street” getting into the tune. “Gangnam Style” also had viral impact in 2012 and was the second-most searched song on Yahoo!.

Top-Searched Songs/Music Lyrics on Yahoo! in 2012:

1 [Call Me Maybe] (Carly Rae Jepsen)

2 [Gangnam Style] (Psy)

3 [Someone Like You] (Adele)

4 [Somebody That I Used to Know] (Gotye)

5 [Sexy and I Know It] (LMFAO)

6 [We are Young] (Fun.)

7 [Rolling in the Deep] (Adele)

8 [You Belong with Me] (Taylor Swift)

9 [What Makes you Beautiful] (One Direction)

10 [Gummy Bear Song] (Gummibär)

Top Searched Reality TV Stars on Yahoo! in 2012:

1 [Kim Kardashian]

2 [Khloe Kardashian]

3 [Honey Boo Boo]

4 [Snooki]

5 [Kourtney Kardashian]

6 [Evelyn Lozada]

7 [Jessica Sanchez]

8 [Bethenny Frankel]

9 [Kris Jenner]

10 [Kristin Cavallari]

The top-searched TV shows overall on Yahoo! in 2012 reflect our continued obsession with competition reality shows. Topping the list: “American Idol” followed by “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Young & the Restless.” The top-searched TV dramas were “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones.” But mostly in 2012, people wanted to laugh, and the shows below represent the top-searched comedies on TV in 2012.

Top-Searched TV Comedies on Yahoo! in 2012:

1 [The Big Bang Theory]

2 [How I Met Your Mother]

3 [Glee]

4 [South Park]

5 [Family Guy]

6 [Modern Family]

7 [Adult Swim]

8 [Two and a Half Men]

9 [The Simpsons] 

10 [Drop Dead Diva]

Politicians were better behaved this year than last, when their antics allowed for their own Top 10 list. Yet there was no end to scandalous behavior in 2012, which brought the downfall of a cycling icon, a four-star general, and even the president’s (Secret Service) men.

Top-Searched Scandals on Yahoo! in 2012:

1 [Kate Middleton photo scandal]

2 [Jackson family fight]

3 [Lance Armstrong doping]

4 [General David Petraeus affair]

5 [New Orleans Saints’ bountygate]

6 [Bobby Petrino affair]

7 [Secret Service scandal]

8 [Savile sex scandal]

9 [Air Force sex scandal]

10 [J.P. Morgan/London whale loss]

For more about the Yahoo! 2012 Year in Review and other top searches, go to yearinreview.yahoo.com or search for “2012 Year in Review” on Yahoo.com.