The word "googol" was invented by a five-year-old boy, the grandson of the famous American mathematician, Dr. Edward Kasner (x-y).

(Here's the story as I remember it.) In a kindergarten, many many years ago, the teacher was just about to take the children out for recess, when rain broke out. Trying to divert the wiggly children, the teacher asked, "Oh,my! I wonder how many raindrops are falling on New York City! Let's guess!"

"A thousand?" "Naw! Betch it's a million!" "Hah! Bet its a million million million!" And other guesses were made.

Then the grandson of Kasner spoke up. He'd been taught by his grandfather that writing one followed by zeros resulted in greater and greater numbers. "Betcha it isn't as big one followed by a hundred zeros!"

The teacher gasped, "No. I guess not."

Later the little boy asked his grandfather the name of "one followed by a hundred zeros". The little boy was surprised to hear it had no name. "You name it." At another time, the little boy announced his choice of "googol". "That's a good name. GOOGOL."

Still later, the boy said, "Grandfather, I think I know a number bigger than a googol. A GOOGOL OF GOOGOLS." "Yes. Very good! And what do you call it?" "A GOOGOLPLEX."

Some time later, Dr. Edward Kasner read a paper before a meeting of The American Mathematical Society about THE GOOGOL and THE GOOGOLPLEX. Now mathematicians all over the world know about these numbers "invented" by a five-year-old boy.