Follow Business Insider: You've seen Google's annual lists of trendy search terms, featuring things like  robin williams, world cup, and ebola , but those show only the most unusually popular terms, not the most popular terms overall.
Murasaki Shikibu is the best known writer to emerge from Japan's glorious Heian period. Her novel, The Tale of Genji (Genji-monogatari) is considered to be one of the world's finest and earliest novels. Some argue that Murasaki is the world's first modern novelist.
Irving is recognized as the father of American literature. Washington Irving was the first American author who found success both in Europe and in America. He's actually considered the father of American literature because it is his writing that began shaping the American identity. Washington Irving was born April 3, 1783.