The second-most valuable brand in the world was only sometimes Google. It was an obedient digital puppy that just found and got things for internet users repeatedly while playing fetch long before it became a go-to verb.

The global digital colossus is no longer content to fetch links merely; instead, it is pursuing meatier, more important goals, such as achieving the world's fastest internet connections, making human drivers unnecessary, and, well, not really, ending death. The small G, which began in 1995 as a PhD research project at Stanford University, eventually developed into the enormous $367 billion-dollar G that we know and love/hate today. Here are 15 facts you learned about Google.

Google was Originally Named BackRub

In 1996, Page and Brin worked together on the trailblazing idea of a "web crawler," which they oddly called BackRub. Some people think that the name of the first search engine was a reference to getting backlinks. BackRub, which provided access to Brin and Page's first homepages in the '90s, remained on Stanford's servers for more than a year before it ran out of bandwidth.

Google is a Play on the Word "googol"

Page and Brin registered the domain name for their mushrooming project as Google on September 15, 1997, a play on "googol," a mathematical word denoted by the number one followed by 100 zeros. The name alluded to the seemingly limitless amount of data that the clever duo had built their simple search engine to gather, interpret, and disseminate. Many people questioned whether Google was a typo for Googol.

Google's first Doodle was a Burning Man Stick Figure

Google's first Doodle was created in 1998 by the company's co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, to indicate that they were out of the office and attending the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. The Doodle featured a stick figure standing behind the second "o" in the Google logo, with the letters of the logo made out of sticks and the figure appearing to be "burning" the stamp. The purpose of the Doodle was to let users know that the founders were away and that the company's servers may not be attended to as frequently as usual. The Doodle was not initially intended to be a regular feature of the Google homepage. Still, it was so well received by users that the company decided to continue creating Doodles for special occasions.

Google's First Office was a Rented Garage

The founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, started the company in 1998 while they were PhD students at Stanford University. They set up their first office in the garage of Susan Wojcicki, who was then a friend and later became the CEO of YouTube. Google's first office was a rented garage in Menlo Park, California. The garage served as Google's first headquarters until the company moved to a larger office space in 1999.

Google New York began at a Starbucks on 86th Street

Google's New York office began in a small space in a Starbucks on 86th Street in 2000, with a team of just a few people. The team was focused on building relationships with advertisers and publishers. As the company and team grew, they moved to a larger office space in the city. Today, Google's New York office is located in the Chelsea neighbourhood and is one of the company's most prominent offices, with over 7,000 employees working on various projects.

Swedish Chef is a Language Preference in Google search

The Swedish Chef is a Muppet character from the American television show "The Muppet Show." The surface is known for speaking in a mock Swedish-sounding gibberish language. While the Swedish Chef is not officially a language preference in Google search, it is possible to search using the "Swedish Chef" language using the Google Translate feature, which allows you to translate text from one language to another. To search using the "Swedish Chef" language, you would need to input your search query in English, then select "English" as the source language and "Swedish Chef" as the target language. However, this is not an official language that Google supports, and it will not give accurate results.

Gmail was Launched on April Fool's Day

Gmail was launched on April 1, 2004, but it was not an April Fool's Day joke. Gmail, which stands for "Google Mail," was announced to the public that day and made available to a small group of testers through an invitation-only system. Some met Gmail's launch with scepticism, as the announcement of a new email service from Google seemed too good to be true.

Googlers Ride Colourful "gBikes" Around the Googleplex

Googlers (employees of Google) can use colourful "gBikes" to get around the Googleplex, the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California. The gBikes are a fleet of specially designed bicycles that are available for use by employees to travel around the Googleplex campus. The bikes are equipped with a basket for carrying items and have a unique design featuring the Google logo and the colours of the Google brand. Googlers can use these bikes to get from one building to another or to run errands during the day. The gBikes are a sustainable and healthy way of commuting, and it also helps to reduce traffic and parking issues.

Google Negotiated its Acquisition of YouTube at Denny's Over Mozzarella Sticks

The exact details surrounding the acquisition of YouTube by Google in 2006 have yet to be discovered to the general public. This includes information about where the negotiations took place and if any specific items or incentives, such as mozzarella sticks from Denny's, were involved in the discussions. It also implies that the parties involved in the acquisition have yet to make this information publicly available. It is worth noting that the Denny's and Mozzarella sticks references are likely a casual or humorous way to express the lack of general information on the matter.

The Early Days of Google Were not Super Glamorous

Today, Google is one of the world's most successful and well-known companies, but it's important to remember that it had a very humble start. The early days of Google, founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were PhD students at Stanford University, were not characterized by luxury or extravagance. The company started in a garage in Menlo Park, California, and the founders needed more resources and funding. Despite the humble beginnings, the company quickly grew in popularity and success thanks to the innovative algorithms and search technology that the founders had developed.

Google has had a Pet-Friendly Office Since the Beginning

It is not publicly known if Google has had a pet-friendly office policy since its beginning. Google is known for having a relaxed and flexible office culture, but information about specific office pet policies is not widely available. It's possible that the statement "Google has had a pet-friendly office since the beginning" is inaccurate. While some companies allow employees to bring their pets to work, this is not a common practice, and it needs to be clarified if Google has been one of them since its early days.

Google Image Search Launched in a Big Way

Google Image Search was launched in 2001, and it was a significant addition to Google's search capabilities. It allowed users to search for images on the internet using keywords. The service quickly became popular due to the vast amount of ideas indexed by Google, making it one of the most significant image search engines on the internet. The launch of Google Image Search was a big step for Google as it expanded the company's search capabilities and provided users with an easy way to find images on the internet. It also helped to make the web more visual and interactive. The feature is still widely used and has evolved with new functionalities like reverse image search.

Google gave Mountain View the Gift of Free Wi-Fi

Google has provided free Wi-Fi to the city of Mountain View, California, where the company's headquarters is located. The project, called Google Station, offers free high-speed internet access to the community through Wi-Fi hotspots in public spaces such as parks, plazas, and transportation hubs. The project aims to provide internet access to those who may not have it at home and to help bridge the digital divide. The initiative has also been deployed in other cities worldwide, including India and Indonesia.

When Google went public, Google was valued as much as General Motors

When Google went public on August 19, 2004, the company was valued at around $23 billion, which was roughly the same as the market capitalization of General Motors at the time. The initial public offering (IPO) was priced at $85 per share, and the stock opened at $100.34 per share, giving the company a market capitalization of around $23 billion. Despite the initial scepticism of many investors and analysts, Google's stock has performed well since its IPO, with the company now valued at over $1 trillion as of 2021.

Google Speaks Many Languages

Google offers its services in many different languages. The Google search engine is available in over 190 languages, including English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, and many more. Additionally, Google offers other services such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Maps in multiple languages.