Who'd have thought a sturdy old lady from Detroit could be hotter than Shania Twain? It's true: thanks to Black History Month, civil rights hero Rosa Parks debuts this month at #38. Twain could do no better than #41.
Black History Month itself rises 18 places to #8, while Martin Luther King, Jr. now stands at #33. And Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman just missed the list, ranking #55. (For more on the hottest black history terms, see our special report.)
Other key points from this week's Lycos 50:
BE MINE: Valentine's Day tops out at #2 this week, unable to overtake Pokemon for the #1 spot. The holiday did, however, get double the queries of Britney Spears. And remarkably, love poems was so strong that we ranked it separately and watched it emerge at #15. A lot of Valentine's Day cards had tender poetry attached this year, unless we're very much mistaken.
SEX SELLS: In the past we've seen Maxim magazine drive search queries with sexy photos of Melissa Joan Hart and Jennifer Love Hewitt. This week Gear magazine gets into the act with a practically-nekkid photo of teen actress Jessica Biel splashed on its cover. Biel jumps to #29, and Gear debuts at #36.
MUSIC VS. SPORTS: If you want a clear look at life online, take a gander at rapper Big Punisher (Christopher Rios) and football star Derrick Thomas. Both died suddenly and tragically last week; Thomas's death got heavy play on TV and in newspapers, where Big Pun's passing was barely noted. Yet Big Pun got twice as many user searches last week as Thomas. There's no doubting: the online audience is a music audience.
BACK IN ACTION: It didn't take long for Nascar to lap the field. The year's first race was held on February 12, and this week Nascar is back up to #19. Last week it hit #44 after a two-month absence from our list. Meanwhile, Star Wars also returns after an extended absence from our list. Why? We have no idea. If you have a clue, drop a line to our Mystery Terms Message Board.
NEW THIS WEEK: Love poems, Jessica Biel, Gear Magazine, actress Carmen Electra, civil rights hero Rosa Parks, Mardi Gras, rapper Big Punisher, summer sports baseball and golf, Star Wars.
DROPOUTS: Groundhog Day, band Blink 182, tennis pinup Anna Kournikova, tax filing, Chinese New Year, Super Bowl, Super Bowl commercials, the America's Cup, actress Yasmine Bleeth, game Dino Crisis.
BIGGEST RISE: Nascar, up 25 places.
BIGGEST DROP: Free scholarships, down 30 places.
PREDICTION FOR NEXT WEEK: Spring break looks strong (and Cancun is the hot destination this year, judging from queries).
AND FINALLY: God works in mysterious ways. This marks the fifth week in our 26-week existence that The Bible (#21) and The Simpsons (#22) have been side-by-side on our list. Eight other times the two have been within 3 places of each other. That means that fully half the time God and Homer have been either side-by-side or nearly so. What's up with that?
