Today, on September 27, we’re raising a virtual toast to Google as it marks its illustrious 25th birthday. Now, if you’ve ever turned to the internet with a query (who hasn’t?), there’s a good chance you’ve interacted with Google. Boasting about 8.5 billion searches daily, that’s nearly a whopping 99,000 every fleeting second! But, Google‘s not just about the numbers.
When you punch in ‘Google 25th birthday’ into that familiar search bar, you’re greeted with a sprinkle of surprise spinner confetti cascading down your screen.
Speaking of celebrations, there’s a new doodle in town! Google’s newest doodle fittingly captures the essence of its 25-year journey. And if you’ve ever been a fan of spotting the “oo” in Google, today, it playfully gives way to the numbers two and five. A delightful nod to Google’s grand 25th birthday milestone.
This doodle doesn’t just stop there – it’s a walk down memory lane, showcasing the Google logo’s evolution, right from its inception to the present day. Culminating with a distinctive 25th birthday emblem, it’s truly a testament to Google’s legacy.
But wait, did you know Google doodles have been sprinkling joy for nearly as long as Google itself has been around? Oh yes! The inaugural doodle was quite the charmer – picturing a modest stick figure atop Google’s logo. The fun backstory? That was back in 1998 when Google’s dynamic duo, co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, decided to hit pause and join the revelries at the Burning Man Festival.
Following that initial whimsical doodle, Google hasn’t looked back, gracing us with nearly 5,000 delightful doodles. From romantic gestures on Valentine’s Day to raising a digital cone for the ice cream sundae’s anniversary in 2011, Google sure knows how to celebrate the little things! And guess what? There’s a passionate ensemble of engineers and illustrators, affectionately named the ‘doodlers’, breathing life into these doodles. Quite the dream team, we’d say!
Now, here’s a fun tidbit for those who relish tech trivia: Google officially came into existence on September 4, 1998. However, for reasons known best to them, they chose to throw their annual birthday bash on September 27. And let’s tip our hats to the brilliant minds behind this tech behemoth. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, while deep into their PhD endeavors at Stanford University in sunny California, envisioned and birthed Google.
Google Birthday surprise spinner explained
Back in 2017, to mark its 19th birthday, the tech giant introduced the Google Birthday surprise spinner. Think of it as an online wheel of fortune, but instead of cash, you’re treated to one of 19 quirky games or activities with every spin. So, next time you’re looking to add some zest to your day, give that spinner a whirl and let Google surprise you.
Biggest search engine before Google
Long before the term ‘Google it’ became second nature, there were other big players in the search engine world. Yahoo, for instance, wasn’t just a thing – it was THE thing! Initially leading the charge in web indexing, Yahoo was the go-to site for many netizens, and believe it or not, it still rakes in impressive traffic today. In fact, there was a time when it sat proudly atop the digital kingdom, nudging just a tad above Google. Quite the throwback, right?
But let’s rewind a bit more. The early 1990s were buzzing with around twenty different search engines, each with their unique flair. Names like WebCrawler, Lycos, AltaVista, and Yandex might evoke some nostalgia for the early web surfers among us. These weren’t your standard search boxes – they were curated digital catalogs. Drawing parallels with library directories, these engines sorted information based on topic, content, structure, and subject.
