Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 in Seattle, Washington, USA. Bezos played around with a number of names at the initial stages of the company and came up with the name Cadabra (Cadabra.com) before settling on ‘Amazon’ after seeing it in the dictionary.

He wanted his company’s name should begin with “A” as it was preferential due to its alphabetical advantage. Bezos was struck by the resonance between the planet’s largest river and its largest bookstore.

20 years later, Amazon.com continues to be a massive success for Jeff Bezos and over those 20 years, we have seen many acquisitions and innovations. Identified by some as a ruthless operator, there is no doubting the drive for success within Jeff Bezos. With a NASDAQ IPO of $16 now worth $327.24 (June 2014) and over 100,000 employees worldwide, admiration has to be given for the online empire that Jeff Bezos has built.

This infographic by dpfoc.com charts the history of the online marketplace. It covers the beginnings of Amazon, future possibilities, the numbers involved and some of the ideals used by Jeff Bezos to build Amazon.com as we know it today.