The top 10 most popular hashtags and topics of 2011 have been revealed, with topics spanning from politics to celebrity gossip.

Hashtags are used to group together tweets relating to the same subject.

Top of the list was #egypt, followed by #tigerblood.

From news of Mubarak's resignation in Egypt to buzz about which McDonald's restaurants serve McLobster, the top trends that emerged on Twitter in 2011 reflect the diverse things that matter to us in our daily lives.

The list of Hot Topics and Top Hashtags charts the keywords that rose the fastest in conversation over the course of the year. This reveals what grabbed our attention most dramatically in 2011, and which events, inventions, changes and ideas made the deepest impression on us.

Among other things, we saw history unfold in the Middle East, mourned the passing of Elizabeth Taylor, celebrated National Whipped Cream Day, and cheered for the Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers and Wayne Rooney. We wondered about Charlie Sheen, speculated about the Sony NGP, and raved (or raged) about Rebecca Black. And we tYp3ed LyK tHi5.