Today is Google’s 20th birthday.
Feeling old? Me too.
Google’s 20th Birthday Doodle
To celebrate, a video Google Doodle celebrates 20 years of Google, in the form of the most popular searches over the past two decades.
It includes everything from [what is Google] to [is Pluto still a planet?] to [show me pictures of cute animals].
Note the index size on the 1998 version of Google early in the video: “~25 million pages (soon to be much bigger)”.
Much bigger, indeed! Google’s index now includes more than a hundred trillion webpages.
Google Birthday Easter Eggs
There are also 17 Google searches that trigger new easter eggs that say, “It’s 2018! Did you mean: xxx”.
For example, search for [googol] and Google returns: “It’s 2018! Did you mean: google”.
Here are the other 16 searches straight out of 1998, and the easter eggs each one triggers:
- mp3 file: stream music
- watch a dvd: streaming subscription
- gettin’ jiggy wit it: floss dance
- page me: new phone, who dis?
- butterfly clip styles: top knot
- soccer world champions 1998: soccer world champions 2018
- chat room: text the group
- how to tell someone you like them: swipe right
- low-rider pants: how to style high-waisted pants
- digital pet: fidget spinner
- baby: bae
- 143: ILYSM
- what is Y2K?: how does CRYPTOCURRENCY work?
- screen name: social handle
- clip art: GIF
- keepin’ it real: keep it 100
A Ridiculously Brief History of Google
Google was conceived by co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Bring in 1995 at Stanford University.
Google search has certainly changed a lot since it opened its door in Menlo Park, California, in September 1998.
That door came with a remote control, as it was attached to the garage of a friend who sublet space to the new corporation’s staff of three. The office offered several big advantages, including a washer and dryer and a hot tub.
You can also check garage out via Google Street View here.
Back in 1998, Google was serving results for about 10,000 search queries every day.
Today, Google is serving results for 40,000 search queries every second.
Thanks, Google!
Most everyone in our industry has a love/hate/tolerate-the-crazy relationship with Google, which we’ve watched grow from a humble search engine into a multinational conglomerate.
However, Google has changed the lives of countless people – including everyone in our industry.
Just check out Julie McCoy’s post from last year, Google Turns 19: Here Are 19 Ways Google Search Makes Life Easier.
Beyond all those reasons, just think about all the connections and friendships you’ve made.
Whatever you think of Google, you can thank them for helping to give birth to this amazing search industry – and for helping us all make a good living.
Happy birthday, Google!
Image Credits
Featured Image: Google
Screenshots taken by author, September 2018
