Introduction
Google, the tech giant that turned “Googling” into a verb, celebrates its 25th anniversary on September 4. While we all know and use Google daily, there’s a trove of intriguing facts behind this internet behemoth that may surprise you. Let’s dive into 15 remarkable tidbits about Google’s history and evolution.
1. Founding Friendship
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google’s founders, first met at Stanford University in 1995. Their friendship laid the groundwork for the world’s most influential search engine.
2. From Backrub to Google
Originally named “Backrub,” Google adopted its iconic moniker, a play on the mathematical term “Googol” (1 followed by 100 zeros).
3. Garage Origins
Google’s inaugural office was Susan Wojcicki’s Menlo Park garage. She was employee #16 and now serves as YouTube’s CEO.
4. Ethical Motto
Google’s initial motto was “Don’t be evil,” later evolving to “Do the right thing” after corporate restructuring in 2015.
5. Lego Servers
Google’s first server was an inventive Lego creation, designed to accommodate the growing need for disk space in 1996.
6. The First Doodle
In 1998, Google’s inaugural Doodle appeared at the Burning Man festival, initially a playful holiday update for Google employees.
7. Oxford English Dictionary Entry
Google became an official verb in 2006, defined as “using the Google search engine to find information on the internet.”
8. Gmail’s April Fools’ Surprise
Gmail was introduced on April 1, 2004, initially dubbed “Caribou” and believed to be an April Fools’ joke.
9. YouTube Acquisition
Google acquired YouTube just a year after its launch in 2005, originally conceived as a video dating site.
10. Quirky Employee Titles
Google employees are called “Googlers.” New hires are “Nooglers,” while former employees are “Xooglers.”
11. The Googleplex
Google’s headquarters, the “Googleplex,” covers 4 million square feet and even boasts its own zip code.
12. The Dog That Started It All
Yoshka, a Leonberger owned by a Google engineer, initiated the company’s dog-friendly office trend.
13. A Focus on Moonshots
In 2019, Larry Page and Sergey Brin stepped down from their day-to-day roles to concentrate on ambitious projects like AI and self-driving cars.
14. Google Maps Diplomatic Incident
Google Maps triggered a potential conflict in 2010 when a Nicaraguan official entered Costa Rica, relying on Google’s mapping, leading to border disputes worldwide.
15. Wifi Sniffing Scandal
In 2019, Google admitted its Street View cars unintentionally gathered personal web activity data from domestic wifi networks since 2007.
Don’t miss these intriguing facts about Google’s 25-year journey!
