Google Earth is marking its 20th birthday by patting itself on the back for letting people stare at the world from their couches since 2005.
In its first week of existence, it was downloaded over 100 million times, giving everyone a front-row seat to global voyeurism without leaving their desktops.
Over the years, users have searched for places more than 2 billion times annually, proving once again that people would rather zoom into Paris than actually go there.
Google is now rolling out historical Street View in Earth, so you can watch your favorite neighborhood gentrify in real time—only backwards.
The tool has allegedly helped first responders, scientists, and a guy who got lost in India, found his family, and got a movie deal, which is probably the only way you’ll get anything emotional out of this app.
Past highlights include discovering coral reefs, identifying ancient hominids, and taking balloon photos of Oakland, because satellites were apparently too mainstream in 2012.
In 2017, Google Earth introduced Timelapse to guilt you with visual evidence of climate collapse over the decades, now enhanced with a 4D feature because watching the world decay in 3D wasn’t immersive enough.
A 2023 redesign added tools for solar panel enthusiasts and building nerds who’d rather design cities virtually than talk to a contractor.
This year, Google Earth added even more datasets, including tree canopy coverage and land temperature—because nothing says “fun” like measuring urban heat islands during your lunch break.
While Earth fans cheer its evolution, skeptics may wonder if the 20-year celebration is really just Google flexing its surveillance muscles in high definition.