How J Lo inspired Google to create image search

Google image search was created 15 years ago but its surprising backstory was only revealed earlier this year.

The search giant created image search because of overwhelming demand from people who wanted to see pictures of pop singer Jennifer Lopez in the green dress she wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards, executive chairman Eric Schmidt explained in a January blog post.

"At the time, it was the most popular search query we had ever seen," Schmidt wrote for Project Syndicate. "But we had no surefire way of getting users exactly what they wanted: J­Lo wearing that dress. Google Image Search was born."

The nearly skin-tight dress left little to the imagination, the world wanted to see it.

Prior to the birth of Google Image Search, web surfers could only find a page of text segmented by 10 blue links. People had to blindly click on those links in hopes of seeing Lopez in the Versace dress.

Also forgotten since that infamous night 15 years ago? Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, he now goes by Diddy, was Lopez's date to the awards show.

Schmidt did not mention him in his trip down memory lane.