Where were you when Firefox passed 1 billion downloads? It happened sometime yesterday, some five years after its first release, in 2004.

It’s been a heck of a ride, I guess. Once named Phoenix, Firefox now has something like 31 percent of the Web browsers market. Internet Explorer—now with a free Nickelback song!—still has 60 percent of the market. Other browsers, including Apple’s Safari, Google’s Chrome, and Opera, come in at less than 5 percent.

As to the question, where were you when Firefox hit 1 billion downloads? I was probably on the couch, watching Real Madrid get smashed by Juventus.

And this is what Firefox 4.0 (for Windows) will supposedly look like. If you like this look, may I recommend the Chromifox Add-on? It sort of gives you the look and feel of Chrome, but with good ol’ Firefox under the hood.