Google is celebrating its 25th birthday on Sept. 27 with a tip of the hat to its quarter century of information gathering.
The world’s largest search engine, which launched in 1998, looked back to some of the earliest searches on the internet.
“Twenty-five years ago we launched Google Search to help you find answers to questions big and small,” Google wrote on its official company blog.
“Since then, billions of people have turned to our products to do just that — to satisfy their curiosity. To start a business. To start a journey. To cut a pineapple,” it added.
The company said it was forced to up its game on Feb. 23, 2000, after Jennifer Lopez wore a certain green Versace dress to the 42nd Grammy Awards.
Suddenly, people wanted to Google images of the dress, the company explained.
“That search returned 10 blue links, but no green dress,” Google wrote in its blog post. “So our engineers went to work, brainstorming new ways to index images alongside webpages and Google Images was born, enabling you to find that one photo you’re in search of faster than ever before.”
Over the past quarter century, Google users have continued to shape how the search engine works.
“Whether you want to learn how to knot a tie or plan where to tie the knot, stay healthy or stay informed — each chapter of our story has been co-authored by you,” wrote the company.
Those who use the search engine have also come to expect a daily Doodle on the Google homepage paying tribute to a holiday, a famous person’s birthday, a fun historical fact or some other newsworthy invention, date or event.
The Doodles began in 1998 when Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page played around with their corporate logo so it reflected their visit to the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. The result? A simple stick man behind the word “Google.”
Over the years, the company has assembled a team of Doodle creators who have paid tribute to everything from Bastille Day to the 119th anniversary of the first ice cream sundae in 2011.
The team has also delighted users with interactive videos and games, like an epic “Birth of of Hip-Hop” video in 2017, and a crossword puzzle celebrating the 100th anniversary of the game in 2019.
In honor of its quarter-century anniversary, the company created a special Doodle honoring the evolution of the Google logo, concluding with a special 25th birthday logo.
Google also shared 25 fun facts about the company and its history, including:
- The number of Doodles Google has created: 5,000+
- The maximum number of seconds you have to unsend an email in Gmail: 30.
- The number of languages Google Translate supports: 133.
- The number of photos edited in Google Photos every month: 1.7 billion.
Google is not only reminiscing on its birthday, it’s also looking forward to the future.
“We love dreaming up new ways that technology can be helpful to you every day, and are endlessly inspired by what you’ve used it to achieve,” the company wrote.
“We’re also humbled by the opportunities ahead,” it added, “and the potential for AI to help us continue to deliver on our mission and improve the lives of even more people around the world.”
