As my readers know, I've been one of Google's harshest critics. However, I'm also a firm believer that it's okay to criticize, as long as it's justifiable and fairly balanced with deserved praise. Hence, in this article, instead of criticizing, I will be saluting Google and several of its many accomplishments.
According to dictionary, definition of phenomenon is:
"A remarkable development or occurrence. A marvel. "
I think we would all agree that definition fits Google like a fine tailored suit.
In 1998, singer Janet Jackson was biggest star on planet. On September 7, 1998, Google Inc. opened its door in Menlo Park, California. The door came with a remote control, as it was attached to garage of a friend who sublet space to new corporation's staff of three. The office offered several big advantages, including a washer and dryer and a hot tub. It also provided a parking space for first employee hired by new company: Craig Silverstein, now Google's director of technology.
Already Google.com, still in beta, was answering 10,000 search queries each day. The press began to take notice of upstart website with relevant search results, and articles extolling Google appeared in USA TODAY and Le Monde. That December, PC Magazine named Google one of its Top 100 Web Sites and Search Engines for 1998. Google was moving up in world.
The name "Google" is a play on word "googol," which was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner, and was popularized in book, "Mathematics and Imagination" by Kasner and James Newman. It refers to number represented by numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros. Google's use of term reflects company's mission to organize immense, seemingly infinite amount of information available on web.
Anyway, rest as they say is history, as Google continues to write its remarkable history with each amazing new achievement.
Let's detail a few of Google's more recent achievements:
Froogle
In December 2002, Google introduced a beta version of Froogle, a play on word "frugal," a product search engine that enables users to search for millions of products across web.