In short
Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998 as a Stanford University research project, launching a search engine that would fundamentally reshape how people access information online. Within years, Google's algorithmic approach to ranking web pages proved vastly superior to existing competitors, and its advertising model became the template for internet-era wealth creation. The company's dominance in search created a platform whose influence extended far beyond technology into politics, commerce, and culture.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
Google LLC is an American multinational technology corporation focused on information technology, online advertising, search engine technology, email, cloud computing, software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial intelligence (AI). It has been referred to as "the most powerful company in the world" by the BBC, and is one of the world's most valuable brands. Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. has been described as a Big Tech company.
As it was happening
10 voices, 1075 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
BackRub Project Begins
Larry Page and Sergey Brin start their research project at Stanford University, initially called BackRub. The project focuses on analyzing how web pages link to each other to determine relevance.
Voices from this moment (1)
BackRub Project Begins
Jan 1
“Larry Page and Sergey Brin start their research project at…”
As it was happening
10 voices, 1075 days.
Day 0 · January 1, 1996
BackRub Project Begins
Larry Page and Sergey Brin start their research project at Stanford University, initially called BackRub. The project focuses on analyzing how web pages link to each other to determine relevance.
“Larry Page and Sergey Brin start their research project at…”
- BackRub Project Begins, Jan 1
Day 623 · September 15, 1997
google.com Domain Registered
The domain google.com is registered, replacing the BackRub name. The name references the mathematical term 'googol' (10^100), reflecting the vast scope of information the search engine aims to organize.
“The domain google.”
- google.com Domain Registered, Sep 15
Day 943 · August 1, 1998
First Funding Round
Andy Bechtolsheim, cofounder of Sun Microsystems, writes a $100,000 check to Google Inc., providing the initial capital to move the project out of Stanford and into commercial operation.
“Andy Bechtolsheim, cofounder of Sun Microsystems, writes a…”
- First Funding Round, Aug 1
Day 977 · September 4, 1998
Google Inc. Officially Incorporated
Google is formally incorporated as a private company in California. The founders secure additional seed funding and establish the infrastructure for a dedicated search engine company.
“We want to build search engines that help people find…”
- Early 1998 interviews and company founding documents, Sep 15
“Google is formally incorporated as a private company in…”
- Google Inc. Officially Incorporated, Sep 4
Day 994 · September 21, 1998
Public Beta Launch
Google launches its public beta, allowing internet users to search beyond Stanford's network. The search engine begins indexing the broader web, though traffic remains modest relative to competitors like AltaVista and Yahoo.
“There are dozens of search companies starting up.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - tech industry commentary, 1998, Oct 15
“The technology is exceptional.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Sequoia Capital investment thesis, 1998, Nov 20
“What Page and Brin have built is genuinely different - a…”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Wired Magazine coverage, 1998-1999, Dec 1
“Google launches its public beta, allowing internet users to…”
- Public Beta Launch, Sep 21
Day 1075 · December 11, 1998
Year-End Milestone
By December, Google is processing approximately 10,000 search queries per day. The company is still operating from a small office space but has begun attracting venture capital interest.
“By December, Google is processing approximately 10,000…”
- Year-End Milestone, Dec 11
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Google Incorporated
en.wikipedia.org