How the Search Engine Was Invented
How the Search Engine Was Invented — an illustrated inventions story, set in Global. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Inventions.
Page 1
Linnea stared out the window at the pouring rain. "Ugh, another day stuck inside," she sighed. Her older brother, Jabari, walked in, scrolling on his phone. "Hey, Linnea, you should check out this video I found!" Linnea rolled her eyes. "I'd rather do anything but look at another screen."
Page 2
"Come on, it's about the coolest fact!" Jabari insisted, showing her the phone. Linnea glanced at the screen. "Yeah, yeah, phones are great, but who even invented the idea of... finding everything online?" Jabari shrugged. Linnea's eyes widened. "Wait a second!" She dashed toward the bookshelf in her room. The glow of her Magical Invention Encyclopedia shimmered.
Page 3
She grabbed the heavy book and it began to pulse. "I'm going to find the truth!" Linnea said, opening the book. A swirling vortex of light erupted, engulfing her. "Linnea!" Jabari cried out. The room dissolved around them as they were pulled into the past.
Page 4
They landed with a thump in what looked like a cluttered workshop. "Where are we?" Jabari asked, brushing himself off. A man with spectacles perched on his nose looked up from a chaotic desk piled with papers and strange contraptions. "Can I help you? I'm trying to finish this new project, and I'm in a hurry!"
Page 5
"Are you...Dmitri?" Linnea asked, consulting her notebook. He adjusted his glasses. "Dmitri, at your service. I am attempting to catalog all the information in existence so no one has to forget information. It's like that quote by Francis Bacon: 'Knowledge is power'." Jabari raised his eyebrows. "Catalog all the information? That sounds impossible!"
Page 6
"Not if I can help it!" Dmitri declared, pointing to a massive, whirring machine. "This is my 'information engine'! I am using punch cards. Each card indexes a topic with cross references. I'm trying to make it easier to find knowledge quickly." Linnea gasped. "Like... a search engine?" Dmitri scratched his chin. "I suppose it is a primitive version, yes."
Page 7
"But your engine is just for your collection," Jabari observed. "Exactly!" Dmitri agreed. "That's why I need a faster sorting system!" Linnea flipped through her notebook. "I read about the Dewey Decimal System. A librarian named Melvil Dewey made it to classify books. Could you use that for your punch cards?"
Page 8
"The Dewey Decimal System, you say?" Dmitri stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Ingenious! I could categorize by topic, then subtopic, then sub-subtopic!" He grabbed a handful of punch cards and began scribbling notes. "I wonder what will happen, how will I use this 'search engine' you mention in the future? It might have many competitors. It is like, as Charles Darwin said: 'It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change'."
Page 9
Suddenly, the workshop began to fade. Linnea and Jabari felt a familiar tug. "We have to go!" Linnea shouted, grabbing Jabari's hand. Dmitri looked up, bewildered. "Wait, what is happening?!"
Page 10
Back in her room, Linnea closed the Magical Invention Encyclopedia with a satisfying thump. "Wow, that was incredible!" she exclaimed. Jabari grinned. "Imagine! It all started with those punch cards and an idea to organize everything. Today, the search engine industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars!" Linnea smiled. "Next time, I am going to see who invented the internet!"
About this story
- Location: Global
- Audience: kids (ages 6–12)
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