Google was founded in 1997 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It grew rapidly from a search engine to offer many products and services. Key events included launching AdWords in 2000, going public in 2004, and releasing major products like Google Maps in 2005. Google also expanded internationally, opening offices around the world and supporting many languages. The company pursued acquisitions and partnerships to grow its capabilities in areas like mobile, social media, and analytics.