Death, royals and superheroes
- The following content has been adapted from the Annual Top 50 Report. Any views expressed are those of the individual authors and not necessarily shared by the Signpost; responses and critical commentary are invited in the comments.
As usual, a gallery (#1) of dearly departed humans (#8, #14, #23, #25, #29, #32, #36, #50) raised the highest spikes of interest this year, although nothing compares to the 2016 hecatomb.
The British royal family headed by Elizabeth (#7) and Philip (#47) enjoyed its annus mirabilis, as a popular prince (#19) married an American actress (#4), reminding the world of his father's (#40) wedding to the princess of hearts in 1981, and for the oldest among us, Prince Rainier's wedding to Grace Kelly in 1956.
The British Crown remains so beloved that two recent TV series have reignited the popularity of its elders Queen Victoria (#31) and Princess Margaret (#42). We also followed a celebrity royal wedding of sorts, between Quantico actress Priyanka Chopra (#29) and the still-technically a Jonas brother Nick Jonas (#46).
Cinema fans were treated to a new crop of superhero movies, including Avengers: Infinity War (#3) and Black Panther (#6), that earned billions at the box office (#17); real-life superhumans Freddie Mercury (#5), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (#39) and Winston Churchill (#49); the less-than wholesome antiheroes Deadpool (#27) and Venom (#30); and Aquaman, here represented by his portrayer (#22).
Meanwhile, Elon Musk (#12) was dubbed the "real-life Iron Man" as he launched his car towards Mars. Finally, the superheroes of football (#10, #26) delivered a stunning spectacle in the World Cup (#2, #48), and India (#33) celebrated its national superhero with by far the world's largest statue.
Without further ado, here is our special report for the 50 most-viewed articles in 2018. We aim to educate, engage, entertain, and enthrall. Enjoy!