Amazon launched Amazon.com in 1995 after Jeff Bezos founded the company as an online bookstore.
Bezos incorporated the business in Washington state in 1994, initially using the name Cadabra. He changed the name to Amazon, inspired by the Amazon River, and opened the website in July 1995. Books were a practical first category because an online store could offer far more titles than a physical shop.
Amazon later expanded into electronics, household goods, entertainment, logistics, and cloud computing. Amazon Web Services became a major technology business, while Prime connected shopping with digital media and delivery benefits. The company is often included among the world’s largest by market capitalization, but its origins were much narrower than its modern operations.