Google Search is pretty ingrained in our lives, and with all the information on the internet available a few keystrokes and a click away, it’s hard to believe there was a time before the useful internet tool. September 27 marks Google‘s 20th birthday, and in honor of that the company has created some special Google easter eggs.
A special Google Doodle commemorates the birthday as well, with the company explaining that “Twenty (ish ?) years ago, two Stanford Ph.D. students launched a new search engine with a bold mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
The doodle shares a screen capture of what the original Google Search homepage looked like, as well as some animations of popular queries from the last 20 years.
But that’s not all. The company also created some Google easter eggs that you can discover in search. As a nod to the 20 years of Google Search, these Google easter eggs include funny spelling suggestions for some “retro” searches.
What’s a Google Easter egg?
If you don’t know, an easter egg is a hidden joke or message, usually within computer software or sometimes in media like movies and TV shows. Google “prides itself on being a playful company,” so the search engine has a few surprises when you type in certain phrases.
For example, when you type “askew” into the search bar (this must be from the Google Search homepage), the results page come displays a bit crooked. Get it?
Google Easter eggs for Google’s 20th Birthday
For Google Search’s 20th Birthday, the company added some special easter eggs that draw a connection between phrases from 20 years ago and modern times.
So, what does that mean? Well, when you type in a “retro” phrase about something that was popular in 1998, Google Search will show a spelling suggestion for its more modern counterpart.
When you search for “mp3 file” today, Google will show you a spelling suggestion that says “It’s 2018! Did you mean: stream music.”
Here’s the full list of Google Easter eggs in honor of the search engine’s 20th birthday. Do you get all the references?
watch a dvd — It’s 2018! Did you mean: streaming subscription
googol — It’s 2018! Did you mean: Google
gettin’ jiggy wit it — It’s 2018! Did you mean: floss dance
page me — It’s 2018! Did you mean: New phone, who dis?
butterfly clip styles — It’s 2018! Did you mean: top knot
soccer world champions 1998 — It’s 2018! Did you mean: soccer world champions 2018 (Hint: Two very good years for the France national team)
chat room — It’s 2018! Did you mean: text the group
how to tell someone you like them — It’s 2018! Did you mean: swipe right
low-rider pants — It’s 2018! Did you mean: how to style high waisted pants
digital pet — It’s 2018! Did you mean: fidget spinner
baby — It’s 2018! Did you mean: bae
143 — It’s 2018! Did you mean: ILYSM
what is Y2K? — It’s 2018! Did you mean: how does cryptocurrency work?
screen name — It’s 2018! Did you mean: social handle
clip art — It’s 2018! Did you mean: GIF
keepin’ it real — It’s 2018! Did you mean: keep it 100
More Google Birthday surprises
If you want more about the internet giant in honor of its 20th birthday, the company also unveiled a surprise on Google Street View.
“We invite you to travel back in time and take a virtual stroll through the original Google Garage in Street View— just like it was 20 years ago,” the company said in a statement.
Yup, you can explore the garage where the company was born via Google Street View. Walk in through the garage’s side door and you’ll see the original Google Search display on an old “CRT” computer monitor held up by a wooden workhorse table with yellow legs. “Larry and Sergey were particularly thrilled that use of the washing machine and dryer was included in their rent,” the company said, referring to Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Google Street View even lets you walk down the hall where you’ll find a bedroom, which served as the main office, with a whiteboard that reads “Google’s Worldwide Headquarters.”
“As the team grew to six people,” per the company, “they expanded their workspaces into the three small bedrooms on the ground floor.” Using Google Street View, you can hunt around the garage to find a collapsible mini rainbow sphere, a surf-frog terrarium, a dinosaur, a ping pong table and a keyboard for music breaks.
And finally, one more Google Easter egg awaits, but this one you’ll have to uncover yourself. Here’s the company’s hint: “For a peek through Google history, just find the secret trapdoor and turn on the neon light—a secret easter egg world awaits you.”
