When it was born, it was a paper atlas in living form, with no pages to turn. Instead of online mapping leader MapQuest’s printable list of directions, navigation routes were overlaid on top of the map itself. And Google Maps loaded map tiles in a Web browser without any special software so you could explore the world without refreshing, a technical feat that had never been seen before.
~ Liz Gannes

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From the beginning, Google Maps pushed forward the notion of “place” on the Internet. You may quibble with how Google delineates some geopolitically contentious area, or dislike one of its interface redesigns — but modern maps are the way they are because of the scale of Google’s investment and ambition.
~ Liz Gannes

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