Everyone who uses the Internet, as well as a large number of people who have never heard of Google. Since June 2000, this has been the largest search engine on the planet. It has over one billion daily search requests, making it the most visited website on the Internet. In May 2011, it surpassed one billion unique visitors, and it has been steadily increasing since then. It has evolved into much more than just a search engine, becoming an essential part of millions of users’ daily lives around the world. While most people have heard of Google and are aware that it is a website and search engine, there are many interesting facts about Google that are unknown to most people.
Here are 20 fascinating facts about Google that you may not be aware of.
1. The founders of Google are Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Here is the one of the most surprising facts about Google. Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They were both students at Stanford University at the time, pursuing their degrees. In 1996, it began as a research project. They were speculating on how search engines could better rank results. This was traditionally done based on how many times a term had been searched for. Instead, Page and Brin decided that a better system would be to rank a website’s relevance based on how many pages it had and whether or not those pages linked back to the original site. PageRank was the name of the technology they developed to list search results in this manner, and it is still used today. On September 4, 1998, it became a privately held corporation. Sergey Brin and Larry Page still own roughly 16 percent of the company’s stock.
‘
2. A Mathematical Term inspired the name.
Although the term “Google” has become part of our everyday lexicon, it may appear to be an unusual name for a company when you think about it. However, if you understand the origins of the name, it makes sense. It’s a play on the term ‘googol’ in mathematics. This is the name given to a number that begins with one and ends with a hundred zeros. They chose this name to represent the fact that they were building a search engine that would be able to handle a large amount of data. When they first started the company, they used the domain google.stanford.edu to run it through the university’s website. They also used the domain z.stanford.edu to host it. The name Google makes a lot more sense than the original name for the company, which was ‘Backrub.’
3. At Google’s headquarters, there are goats.
Despite being a technological firm, they are surprisingly environmentally conscious. They take steps to reduce their impact on the environment whenever possible. They do this in a unique way by keeping goats at the headquarters. Rather than hiring machinery to cut the grass and keep the place looking nice, these keep the lawns down. Another advantage of having goats is that Google employees have stated that seeing the goats out the window while working is relaxing.
4. Google has made numerous acquisitions.
Many people consider Google to be nothing more than a search engine. Well, let us bring you in on another one of the most unique facts about Google. It is, however, a large technology corporation that is involved in a wide range of technological endeavours. Since its inception, the company has needed to acquire a diverse range of businesses in order to grow to its current size and achieve such high levels of success. Although Google has been doing this since its inception, it wasn’t until 2010 that they began to focus their efforts on acquiring businesses. Since then, they’ve acquired one new company every week on average. YouTube, Waze, and Android are just a few of the Google-owned businesses. Blogger, DoubleClick, Nest Labs, AdMob, and Virus Total are some of Google’s other subsidiaries.
5. ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ Doesn’t Exist Anymore
If you go back a few years, you might recall a button beneath the Google search bar that said, “I’m Feeling Lucky.” If you go to a Google page right now, you’ll notice that it’s gone. With the introduction of Google Instant, the search engine will begin searching as soon as you start typing. This was implemented after the ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ button began to cost the company more than $110 million per year because it bypassed all advertisements and went straight to the top search. The company’s problem was solved by removing this button.
6. A Burning Stick Man was the first Google Doodle.
One of the most well-known logos in the world is that of Google. The brightly coloured letters will be visible to anyone who uses this search engine on a regular basis. You may have noticed that the logo is updated on a regular basis. New designs have been introduced that incorporate the company’s name with themed designs relating to current issues, special events, or the time of year. The logo included a burning stickman the first time one of these designs was used. Page and Brin chose the burning stickman as their logo because they were at the Burning Man festival in Nevada at the time. The logo was designed to indicate that they were out of the office and unavailable to help with any technical issues. On August 30, 1998, the first Google Doodle was displayed on the Internet for the first time. There have been over 1,000 Google Doodles since then. These were created by a Google-employed team of professional illustrators. The goal is to make Google Doodles that make you smile every time you visit the homepage.
7. Foo.bar is used by Google to recruit employees.
Here is another one of the many interesting facts about Google. Google has a unique approach to hiring new employees. Rather than waiting for people to contact them with an application form or a CV, they go out and actively look for people to work for them. They do this with the help of a website called foo.bar. This keeps track of the terms people search for on the internet. They are particularly interested in people who conduct searches using programming terms. For example, the programming term ‘python’ is one such term, and if you type it into a search engine, Google may become interested in you. They’ve tried a variety of other recruitment methods in the past and discovered that they simply don’t work. They described the process as worthless criteria for hiring when they focused on test scores and GPAs. They now have approximately 14% of their team who did not attend college as a result of their decision to move away from traditional recruitment processes.
8. NASA Has Runways for the Founders
As a result of founding Google, both Brin and Page have amassed multimillion-dollar fortunes. They can afford things that others can only dream of because of their wealth. They can afford to live in luxurious homes, wear designer clothing, and drive the world’s most powerful sports cars. They also have private jets, which comes as a perk of having such a large net worth. While few people can afford this, Brin and Page can brag about having their own private runways at NASA. They are the only people on the planet who are permitted to land their planes on NASA land.
9. Misspellings of Google’s Name Are Owned by the Company
Companies with similar sounding names but different spellings are frequently listed on the Internet. When people type the word incorrectly into a search engine, it can cause confusion and detract traffic from one site while increasing traffic to another. If a smaller company’s name is similar to that of a larger corporation, this can be advantageous. Given that Google is the most visited website on the planet, it’s reasonable to assume that someone tried to set up a website with a similar name but slightly different spelling to capitalise on people typing Google incorrectly. To avoid this, Google purchased all domains with similar spellings and redirected traffic to their own website. GoogleSucks.com is even their domain name.
10. Google Provides Incredible Death Benefits
While Google employees are expected to work hard, they are rewarded for their efforts and have the added benefit of working in a pleasant environment with a number of excellent benefits. This multinational corporation now employs around 48,000 people from all over the world. A ‘Noogler’ is someone who joins the company for the first time. Many of Google’s employees became millionaires overnight when the company went public in 2004. One of the most appealing aspects of working for Google is that the company encourages employees to spend 20% of their time working on personal projects rather than on Google business. Employees are given free coloured condoms with the phrase “I’m Feeling Lucky!” printed on them, which is a slightly unusual perk. Working for Google has a lot of perks, and they don’t end when you die. If a Google employee dies while still employed there, their spouse will continue to benefit from their deceased partner’s Google employment. After their partner dies, the surviving spouse receives half of their partner’s salary for ten years. This is just one of the many ways Google takes care of its employees and customers. Google also looks after the children of the former employee. When an employee dies, each of their children will receive $1,000 per month until they turn 19. Google was named the best company to work for in the world by Fortune Magazine in 2014. This was Google’s fourth consecutive year receiving this honour. If you ever want to work with Google, this would be a real selling point as this is one of the many facts about Google that is still unknown to the public.
11. There is a Food and Office Position Rule.
In the workplace, Google appears to have an odd obsession with food. While many companies ensure that employees receive adequate food breaks and have canteens that serve high-quality meals, Google appears to have gone one step further. They have an odd rule that no part of their offices is more than 150 feet of a food supply, whether a canteen or a vending machine.
12. There is a Google Mirror Site.
As funny as it sounds, it is true. The facts about Google keep getting weirder as we progress. But, Google isn’t where it stands today without all this. ‘Google Mirror’ was created for some reason. This is a reversed version of Google with a mirrored avatar that shows everything in reverse. While this appears to be entertaining, it may also appear to be pointless. It did, however, come in handy at one point. When China’s Great Firewall banned Google, Google Mirror was instrumental in getting around the blockade.
13. In 1999, they were on the verge of selling out.
Page and Brin seriously considered selling their company after they had established a successful business. They hoped to sell Google to Excite for $1 million in 1999. Excite’s CEO, however, declined the offer, so Page and Brin kept their company. Since then, Google’s market capitalization has skyrocketed. It is now thought to be worth more than $300 billion. As a result, it’s likely that Excite has been kicking itself for turning down the deal. Brin and Page, on the other hand, are probably glad they failed in their attempt to sell Google because they are now reaping the benefits of their hard work.
14. New searches account for 16-20% of all searches.
When people use the Internet, Google can keep track of the search terms they use. You may have noticed that as you type something into the search bar, some options appear below as the search engine attempts to predict what you might be looking for on the internet. The options that appear below the search bar are the most frequently searched for based on what you start typing. These options may appear every time you conduct a search. As a result, you might be surprised to learn that Google is frequently used to search for completely new things that no one else has ever searched for. Another one of the many facts about Google is that completely new searches account for up to 16-20% of all Google searches each day. That’s a lot of new searches, considering there are an estimated two million searches per minute.
15. Google has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
As previously stated, the term “Google” was coined by Larry Page and Sergey Brin and is derived from the mathematical term “googol.” While Google used to be a funny word, it is now part of the everyday lexicon, and people use it all the time in their conversations. If a friend is asked where the nearest Chinese restaurant is, for example, the friend might respond, “I’ll Google it.” It has become so commonplace that it has been recognised as an official word and was included in the Oxford English Dictionary in June 2006. If you look it up in a dictionary, it’s classified as a verb, which is a word that describes an action. Earth Viewer was their product, and it was one of a kind when it was created. Google was so taken with the concept that they bought the product in 2005 and renamed it Google Earth. The technology has since been updated. While satellites collect aerial views of the earth, cars equipped with video cameras capture street views. Surprisingly, Google even hired a camel to photograph the desert, ensuring that every corner of the globe is covered. Another one the facts about Google: a 360-degree view of Mount Everest’s base camp is also available.
16. Google is a massive multinational corporation.
It is not surprising that Google is a large corporation, and most people are aware of this. It’s difficult to imagine the massive scale of this company today, given that it began with just two men in their student housing. It now has 70 offices around the world and operates in 40 countries. Profits have increased in tandem with the company’s expansion. Google now has an estimated annual revenue of $50 billion, with advertising revenue accounting for 99 per cent of the company’s profits. Google has the ability to track and analyse its users’ online behaviour, which allows them to pass this information on to advertisers who can use targeted marketing to ensure you see the most relevant advertisements. Google makes more money from advertising than Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS combined in primetime advertising revenue.
17. There’s a reason why the homepage isn’t cluttered.
Google’s pages are sparse in comparison to many other websites and search engines, and there are two main reasons for this. The first is that they desired a simple and quick interface. The second reason is that Google’s founders did not know how to use HTML code at the time. This may seem hard to believe given their accomplishments in the world of computer and Internet technology, but it is true. Google was not as centralised as it is now when they created the interface. It wasn’t until 2001 that the Google logo was moved to the centre of the screen.
18. Google has been falsely accused of April Fool’s Day jokes.
There have been several events that occurred on April 1st throughout Google’s history. Because it is April Fool’s Day, they have been falsely accused of playing a practical joke. Google launched Gmail on April 1, 2004. Because of the date on which it was launched, many people did not believe it was a real email site. This was obviously not a joke, and they were providing an excellent email service. Gmail offered 1GB of free storage, whereas Hotmail only offered 2MB. On April 1, 2007, there was another email-related incident. This time, Google sent out an internal email informing employees that a python had escaped from the office. The majority of the employees simply assumed it was an April Fool’s Day joke from their bosses and ignored the email. This, however, was not a joke, and there was a real python loose on the premises.
19. Google is in charge of Android.
If you didn’t know already but here is another of the facts about Google. The mega-company was attempting to compete with Apple’s iPhone. As a result, in 2007, they began to plan the release of their own mobile phones. This project was dubbed ‘Android,’ and it went on to become a mobile operating system. They released their first Android phone on January 5, 2010. ‘Nexus One’ was the name given to it. They’ve since released a slew of new versions of this phone. The Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 are among them. They intend to keep releasing new editions with upgrades and advanced technology. Many other mobile phone companies and service providers use Android as well. As a result, you could get a Vodafone or Motorola phone with Android as its operating system.
20. A desire to make a difference in the world
Google takes on moonshot projects that have the potential to change the world for millions. It does, however, take on important projects that only a small number of people care about: Google introduced Cherokee as a language in Gmail in 2012.
So, here were some of the interesting facts about Google that you probably didn’t know. Did we miss out on some fun points? Let us know down below in the comment section.