Google History
GoogleAnswers is a simple google api experiment. The program tries to answer historical questions with years as answers. It does this by scanning the top 10 pages according to google (from the google cache) for years, i.e. sequences of 4 numbers. The numbers that appear most are good candidates for being the answer.
Of course some number occur more than others on the Internet. 1999 appears more often then 1907, so if we find 1907 as often as 1999, then 1907 is probably the answer. To correct these frequencies differences, I let google search for all numbers from 1800 upwards. This file is available separately. After correcting the frequencies, a new list of candidates is established.
The third refinement is to have google count the number of times the answer candidate occurs together with the question (i.e. what has been called the googleshare of the candidate answer for the question). The answer with the most hits is our best guess. You could correct this answer again for the relative frequencies of numbers on the Internet, but I'm not sure about that.
Graph of frequencies of years (log scale)
Does it work? Not perfectly, but better than I expected. Events are placed pretty accurately in time. Events in peoples lives less so, probably because people have so many events in their lives. But please experiment with the code and improve!
Please note that you need a google api key to use this code. You can get the key at google here.
You can also try googleanswers live.
downloadable files
| years.xls | Excelsheet with the years 1800-2010, their relative frequency according to google and the log value of that. |
| googleanswers.zip | Contains the python files you need for this project. Make sure to insert your own google api key. |
comment_1
by
Birth of Christ
by Khyle
Interesting what happens when you try to search for "birth of Christ" - it doesn't really know!
After trying twice it finally decided it'd bodge together an answer telling me Jesus was born only 103 years ago!
http://www.khyle.org.uk/random/christ.htm
Queen Victoria
by
comment_4
by Lord_Dracula
OMG! Both "Armageddon" and "End of the world" are 2004 O_O
merci
by jilal75
Merci pour le script de google talk depuis que je l'ai installer sur mon site j'ai plus de visiteurs bravo!
http://djillali.nn.cx
none
by billy
Y
comment_7
by
..
by Rev
Excellent!
how much do i like org
by doggy pie
I think snakes are pretty much the hottest amphibian nocturnal animals since the dawnn of tiempo.
doggie pie
by who is doggie pie
dude what happened to this site went down times five minutes ago by the way you're not only great but also really fantastic like manillia wafer envelope sticker labels that adheare to the rools of chess rooks are key and chritical playas who not only move linearly but are also kinda femininlly inspiried to love on the world like water flows downhill towards the centremost reverberation of the central epinumeral orginial denial is a commom problemeea amongst the illeterate illigitimate sons of mexianio drug lords and mighty warriors of an age of kinghts long lost hehe so good 3end></!>!!
ladedadeda
by dr dre
its the mother freakin dee are ee. docter dre lil punk
comment_12
by
SICK OF THIS
by BRITNEY
iM SICK OF SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR HISTORY INFO ON 1993 TO 2005. IT REALLY SUCKS US PUNKS NEED TO GET OUT MORE OFTEN (VERY RANDOM)
Boring!!
by NoOnE!
I hate this stupid shit!!!
M.......
by Loku
gooood......Feeeel Nice...;;
yes you are right
by Benny
well then go!
by snaithgoole
WELL,STOP COMPLAINING AND GET OUT THEN!DONT COME HERE AND COMPLAIN
googlism
by Megan
googlism is cool like you
go go go to google
by Abdullah Mohammad Khan
go go go to google is my favriout search engion, which always remove my thirest of information, it has captivated me, so i forget all other search engions. Because it is comprehensive and covering all four corner of information. its results are unbeliveable, which came out in seconds.
my special thanks to "GO GO GO TO GOOGLE".
wow!!!!
by kris_23
what a nice story!!!!!!
[comment title here]
by [your name here]
[comment here]
lolz......
by viky
yeeeeeeeeaaaaaak.......
watta shear time waste dese ppl r doin ova here....
lolz....
by viky
chummon maann instd f wastin tm here go n srch on google.......dats da real jem......
awsome pawsome!
by tottaly in love with him
wow google is tottaly cool! i come on here for everything! hell yea! ask jeves sucks ass! way to go google!
comment_25
by www.studiomisura.hr
I don't understand why they are happy for like this?!
stinks
by zoe
i hate looking for history i want to go to yhr mall and it taks my time. p.s. pleace right back
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