Google is a household name. The search engine is used so much that it has even become a verb, synonymous with searching the web for answers. Most of us do this every day: We google information. But what if instead of googling, we were googolplexing—or even googoling—information? It sounds strange to our ears now, but that could have been our reality if it weren’t for a typo.
The Story Behind a Name
In 1997, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Stanford University students, set out to create a new search engine. They already had one up and running, which they had named BackRub, as the engine used backlinks to assess the importance of webpages.
But BackRub had significant technical issues. It used too much bandwidth, so Page and Brin had to brainstorm how to fix the problem. They also wanted to rebrand their search engine. During a brainstorming session, another Stanford student, Sean Anderson, joined in and suggested “googolplex.” A googolplex is an incredibly large number—10 raised to the power of a googol (which itself is 10 raised to the 100th power). However, Page liked the suggestion but recommended shortening it to “googol.”
How a Typo Changed Everything
When Anderson went to check on domain availability, instead of checking “googol.com,” he accidentally typed “google.com.” Page took a liking to the typo and actually preferred it over “googol.com.” So, on September 15, 1997, Page registered the name, birthing the search engine we all know today.
It’s worth considering how easily things could have turned out differently. A single typo gave birth to a name that now defines not just a company, but how billions of people access information.
Other Accidental Discoveries That Changed History
This isn’t the only history-altering mistake that affects people on the regular: A 3M scientist accidentally created the adhesive for Post-it sticky notes while trying to develop a superstrong adhesive. Ever need an antibiotic? Alexander Fleming left a petri dish of Staphylococcus bacteria out, which then became contaminated with a mold. That mold inhibited the growth of the bacteria around it, essentially killing the surrounding bacteria. Through sheer accident, he discovered penicillin.
So the next time you mistype a word, write in a large plot hole, or stumble through an idea that seems messy and imperfect, remember: Sometimes errors hold more potential than perfection ever could.