the buzz log

As we barrel toward the start of the Summer Olympics, buzz for the games is building.

Over the past week, hundreds of articles have zeroed in on the August events, covering everything from China's handling of the sporting extravaganza to the line-up of the U.S. men's basketball team. In Search, demand for "2008 olympics" and "2008 olympic trials" continues to mount.

However, not all medal mania is focused on the opening ceremonies in Beijing. In fact, a surprising number of searchers are looking to the past.

Over the last seven days, we've logged a rise in buzz for games gone by. In particular, the balance-beam and uneven-bars set has captured searchers' attention. Queries for "1996 olympics gymnastics" and "2004 olympics gymnastics" have vaulted upwards. Driven, no doubt, by recent inductions into the Olympic Hall of Fame and Olympic ads on NBC, searchers recently boosted '96 gold-medal winner Kerri Strug into our top movers. Mary Lou Retton and Bela Karolyi have also sprung upwards.

Moving from the mat to the rink, interest in "1980 u.s. hockey team" has kept the "Miracle on Ice" squad skating through the Search box. After all, no less a source than Sports Illustrated once called that U.S. triumph "the single most indelible moment in all of U.S. sports history." Besides the '80s-era guys, queries for Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan have reignited that icy scandal.

Besides individual sports and athletes, a host of general lookups for yesteryear's Olympics have picked up. Below, we list the top 10 historical games that drew searchers—and excited buzz—this week...

1. 2004 Olympics
2. 1996 Olympics
3. 2000 Olympics
4. 2004 Summer Olympics
5. 1972 Olympics
6. 1988 Olympics
7. 1992 Olympics
8. 1980 Olympics
9. 2006 Winter Olympics
10. 1936 Olympics