Google thanks grandmother for her 'ultra-polite' online search

86-year-old May Ashworth thinks there is some person at Google's headquarters who looks after the searches

Google has thanked an ultra-polite grandmother whose search request has gained maximum fame after it was brought to light by her 25-year-old grandson on Twitter.

Ben John’s tweet revealing his grandmother’s search request: “Please translate these roman numerals mcmxcviii thank you," has been retweeted over a mammoth 30,000 times in just one week.

Omg opened my Nan's laptop and when she's googled something she's put 'please' and 'thank you'. I can't 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/hiy2tecBjU

— Ben ☾ (@eckyythump) June 9, 2016

May Ashworth’s grandson found her laptop open and took a photo of the unusually polite online request.

The 25-year-old had been visiting his grandma when he saw what she had typed into Google and decided to share it on Twitter.

"I live with my boyfriend and we don't have a dryer at our house, so I usually go over to my nan's to do our washing," he told the BBC.



"While I was waiting I thought I'd go on the internet and that's why I opened her laptop," he added.

Ben's grandmother likes to watch TV and it seems she has an interest in knowing when programmes were made. Television shows still use Roman numerals on their credits to show the year of the programme.

"She saw a TV show the other day but couldn't work out from the credits when it was made, so she put the numerals into Google," said Ben.

"It made me chuckle so I thought I'd take a photo and put it on Twitter for my friends to see. I didn't expect so many other people to see it!"

Ben said his nan doesn't use her laptop much. "She goes to a silver surfers' club at the local library to learn about computers and the internet, but she hardly ever uses her laptop."

"I asked my nan why she used 'please' and 'thank you' and it seemed she thinks that there is someone - a physical person - at Google's headquarters who looks after the searches.

"She thought that by being polite and using her manners, the search would be quicker."

Ban’s tweet did not only inspire social media users but it also charmed the Google UK which, in its response, said: “In a world of billions of searches, yours made us smile.”

Dearest Ben's Nan.
Hope you're well.
In a world of billions of Searches, yours made us smile.
Oh, and it's 1998.
Thank YOU@Push10Ben

— Google UK (@GoogleUK) June 15, 2016

Ben said he's surprised at the amount of attention his tweet has received.

"I posted the photo on Thursday, and it wasn't immediately picked up by the media. I've even had calls from the US for me to speak on their shows."

This article originally appeared on BBC.