What's the point of being one of the world's most powerful tech companies if you can't use those resources to travel back in time? Google is tackling this conundrum head on with the ability to roll back the clock in Street View. From the comfort of Google Maps on a desktop, users can select various periods in time to see how locations have changed.

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Google is rolling out this feature starting today. You know you can fire up the ol' TARDIS when you see a clock icon in the upper left-hand area of a street view image. Clicking that will bring up an adjustable slider will clickable thumbnails.

This feature functions somewhat as an interactive history lesson. Users can watch well-known buildings and monuments rise up over the years or go back to see how various regions of the world have been ravished by natural disasters. Some periods are inspiring - others, devastating.

Unfortunately, Google's time travel technology is still in its infancy. Street View history can only go back to 2007. On the other hand, the feature isn't even yet available for everyone. For now, just give it time.

Source: Google Maps