When:
Lookups spiked on July 4, 2013, and ran high throughout the week.
Why:
Whether or not the Egyptian army's removal of that country's president should be called a "coup d'état" became an important political question. U.S. law forbids foreign aid to a country if the head of state has been deposed "by military coup d'état."
Coup d'état (or just coup) means "the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group."
As Reuter's reported,
"... the White House and State Department have so far refused to characterize Mursi's ouster as a coup, with administration officials often resorting to verbal gymnastics to avoid using the word." (Patricia Zengerle, July 12, 2013)
In French, coup d'état literally means "stroke of the state" - "stroke" as in "knock" or "blow."
