Book Ngrams

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Google has over 15 million books digitized. Combined with the power of Google's search engine and their collection of digitized book you can see the rise and fall, or fall and rise, or ping-pong effect of certain trends throughout history with the aid of Google's Book Ngram viewer

Here are some interesting results:

Einstein's fame took off in 1870 and his legacy continues to rise today.
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/Einstein.png[/img]

Evolution versus Creation since the 1800's. Despite the growing tide of belief in evolution people still believe that an intelligent being designed everything.
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/evolution-creation.png[/img]

God. There was an explosion of interest in this subject for about 50 years between 1660 - 1720's. If my memory serves that's around the time the bible was translated into multiple languages from Latin. People should still want to search for God especially now. He still wants people to search for him while there's still time. "Before [the] statute gives birth to [anything], [before the] day has passed by just like chaff, before there comes upon YOU people the burning anger of Jehovah, before there comes upon YOU the day of Jehovah’s anger, seek Jehovah, all YOU meek ones of the earth, who have practiced His own judicial decision. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably YOU may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger." (Zephaniah 2:2-3)
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/God.png[/img]

There was an explosion in knowledge about God's name and then it was quickly suppressed. Why? Who suppressed it?
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/jehovah.png[/img]

This was new to me. I had thought the word "Internet" would've started to take shape in the 70's or 80's. Turns out it started in the beginning of the 1940's.
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/Internet.png[/img]

Star Wars vs. Star Trek since 1970. What I find interesting is that Star Treks' fame happened to explode right about the time Star Wars debut. Interesting story about Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This film was Paramount's answer to Star Wars. Needless to say if Star Wars had never happened Star Trek might still remain locked away in Paramount's vaults like so many other classic shows. What is interesting about the graph is how Star Wars had extremes in its popularity, while Star Trek’s popularity gradually and consistently increased since 1970 (not including the decline starting about 2002). What both entertainment vehicles did right was merchandising, conventions, producing diehard fans, films, books, video games, action figures, breakfast cereals, clothes, and more. Needless to say the graph shows because of this combined saturation both Star Wars and Star Trek are now fully embedded into the collective conscious of many cultures.
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/Star%20Wars%20Trek.png[/img]

Rocky Road vs Vanilla Ice Cream. Nobody like Vanilla! :P
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/Ice%20cream.png[/img]

William Shakespeare. Born in 1564, produced most of his famous works between 1589 and 1613. There was a spike in recognition about 40 years after his works were published, but then he disappeared from the scene for about 100 years. He didn't regain fame until, according to the following Ngram, the beginning of the 1800's... nearly 200 years later.
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/William%20Shakespeare.png[/img]

I hope you found this interesting.

Cool post!

I really like the Ngram viewer, it's very interesting.



Love vs. Hate



The ascent of Moog!

Tis indeed a very interesting post.

Continuing on a theme of religion:

Jesus
[img][800:330]http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/merrypippin2009/ChartJesus.png[/img]

Krishna
[img][800:330]http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/merrypippin2009/ChartKrishna.png[/img]

End of the world
[img][800:330]http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/merrypippin2009/Chartendworld.png[/img]

Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves.
[img][800:330]http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/merrypippin2009/ChartZVW.png[/img]


The descent of Henbane!
[img][800:330]http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/merrypippin2009/ChartHenbane.png[/img]

^ Poor Henbane

there's not much on" Asperger's" so i tried "dork":

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/gra ... moothing=3

& "nerd":

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/gra ... moothing=3

(Ngram doesn't track evaluations, but i think "nerd" is a lot less pejorative than it was when i was growing up (in the 60's)...

Meanwhile i contemplate "artificial language":

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/gra ... moothing=3

& (alas!) "peace":

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/ngrams/gra ... moothing=3

[img][800:345]http://i.imgur.com/ZDb1l.png[/img]

Uh-oh...

[img][800:342]http://i.imgur.com/DRNh5.png[/img]

To quote a scene from Ghostbusters.

Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
Mayor: All right, all right! I get the point!

dogs, cats, hysteria!
[img][800:330]http://www.kxmode.com/tmp/ngrams/catsdogshysteria.png[/img]