Google's trending 'near me' searches of 2020 show exactly how life changed in the US

Finding a Covid-19 test has been difficult throughout the pandemic. In October, 22 states told the Government Accountability Office that they expected rapid test shortages in the next two months.

The 2020 election set a record for early voting, with about 101 million ballots cast before election day.

California had the biggest wildfire season on record in 2020, and they turned skies an apocalyptic orange color.

With early voting, voting by mail, and the usual polls on election day, 2020 had the highest voter turnout in US election history.

Protests erupted across the US and the world following the death of George Floyd after Minneapolis police office Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Buyers stocked up for lockdowns in the spring, leading to a huge run on toilet paper. Between March and May, toilet paper sales were up 71% year over year as it became the most purchased item in US grocery stores.

Nail salon openings have been contentious since California Governor Gavin Newsom said the first case of community spread in the state occurred in a salon, while owners questioned the claim. Some states have allowed nail salons to open while in others they remain closed.

The third voting-related entry shows that being able to safely vote was on people's minds.

People looked for Black-owned restaurants to support as data showed that Black-owned small businesses were nearly twice as likely to close during the pandemic.

Movie theaters were hit hard across the country, and Regal closed all of its 500 locations indefinitely, while drive in theaters saw a resurgence and Walmart turned some of its parking lots into theaters.