Google added it as a "feature" and made it a default for a short amount of time to market the background customization option: http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/09

Google added it as a "feature" and made it a default for a short amount of time to market the background customization option: http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/09/google-adds-a-background-image-to-its-homepage-by-default-at-least-for-24-hours/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/09/google-adds-a-background-im...