A history of Google

At first, the term 'Google' was meant to boast about how much of information the search engine could be able to search. Google was originally named 'Googol' - the word that represents the number 1 followed by 100 digits, the name Google was used after Sergey Brin and Larry Page presented their project to an investor who then addressed a check to 'Google'.
Google was originally started in 1996 by two PhD students from Stanford University, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. They proposed the idea of a search engine that was based around the relationships between websites as they thought this would give better results. The project was first called Backrub, as it rated a sites popularity based on its backlinks.
The domain google.com was registered on September 15, 1997. They formally incorporated their company, Google Inc., on September 7, 1998. After some initial stumbles, Google's initial public offering took place on August 19, 2004. 19,605,052 shares were offered at a price of $85 per share. The sale raised $1.67 billion, of which approximately $1.2 billion went to Google.
The vast majority of Google's 271 million shares remained under Google's control. The IPO gave Google a market capitalization of more than $23 billion. Many of Google's employees became instant paper millionaires. Not to mention, at the moment their market capital is $115 billion.
Google is renown for its famous corporate culture. Many people dream of working for Google, with their enticing perks and benefits, Google receives 150,000 job applications per month! Currently, Google employs 4,989 people (they employ on average around 9 people a day)
If you are employed by Google here a some of the perks you are entitled to :

• Free cafeteria meals
• Free use of laundry machines
• A child care center
• A free annual one-night ski trip (resort destinations vary depending on office location) Dog-friendly offices
• On-site doctor
• Engineers can devote 20 percent of their time to projects of their choice

Apart from the perks, Google uses ingenious ways to recruit new staff (Click to see the Google Labs Aptitude Test). One question asked: "In your opinion, what is the most beautiful math equation ever derived?" The Gaussian integral, a complex mathematical equation used in studying the kinetic molecular theory of gases among other things, has been suggested as a smart answer by some on the Internet. Another question involved filling a blank rectangle "with something that improves upon emptiness," leaving applicants scratching for a subjective winner. Also, the famous Google mystery billboard, where people would have to solve the problem inbetween curly brackets which then reveals a website.

Some excerpts taken from http://talkgold.com/forum/r49501-.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google .