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12 December 2021
Celebrating Phở
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Hanoi, Vietnam-based guest artist Lucia Pham, honors phở, Vietnam’s national dish that is served as an aromatic soup brimming with savory broth, soft rice noodles, fresh herbs, and thinly sliced meat. On this day in 2018, December 12 was selected as the official day to celebrate Vietnamese phở, in honor of the beloved culinary treasure and the cultural fusion it represents.
What makes phở distinct is a mindful cooking process to achieve multi-layered flavors and a clear broth. From ingredients like roasted ginger, fennel seed, star anise, and cinnamon for the simmered stock, the broth serves as the foundation for aromas and tastes for every palate.
While its exact origins are unknown, most historians think phở was born in northern Vietnam’s Nam Dinh province between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some believe that “phở" comes from the word phấn, a rice noodle dish. People started to use beef consommé to make an early predecessor to phở—a simple but very popular noodle soup called xao trau which consisted of buffalo meat cooked in broth and rice vermicelli.
Traditionally, phở is a breakfast dish sold in street food stalls but phở consumption has moved into everyday comfort food. Today, phở is eaten worldwide in countless variations such as phở trộn [dry phở], phở gà [chicken phở], phở cuốn [phở rolls] and many more. Everyone can agree that the noodle dish is a treasured element of Vietnamese heritage. Although current events have slowed the food markets, people are hopeful for their return where phở can be enjoyed as a shared, culinary moment in daily life again.
Here’s to a Vietnamese dish that’s phở-nomenal!
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15 Dec 2014
40th anniversary of the Cycleway programme
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7J...kdIhqrLsA=s660
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except where cyclists are barred such as many freeways/motorways. It includes amenities such as bike racks for parking, shelters, service centers and specialized traffic signs and signals. The more cycling infrastructure, the more people get about by bicycle.
This fietspad [bicycle path] is in the Netherlands safely linking housing with decent street lights.
Ciclovía is a Spanish term that means "cycleway", either a permanent bike path or the temporary closing of certain streets to automobiles for cyclists and pedestrians, a practice sometimes called open streets.
The inspiration for Ciclovías is credited to Bogotá, Colombia, although the National Capital Commission in Canada's capital Ottawa already organised open streets for active transportation in 1970.
Good road design, road maintenance and traffic management can make cycling safer and more useful. Settlements with a dense network of interconnected streets tend to be places for getting around by bike. Their cycling networks can give people direct, fast, easy and convenient routes.
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15 December 2015
Chico Mendes’ 71st Birthday
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Rubber tapping requires serious patience. You strip the bark, then wait — drip, drip, drip — as the liquid appears. Eventually, the waiting pays off, and the drops unite into a beautiful, valuable collection.
Chico Mendez’s life was similar. A second-generation tapper, he passed his days like most other workers: waiting. But inspiration struck — drip! — and he worked to unite his fellow tappers to fight for rainforest preservation. Then, he went global — drip! — bringing the National Council of Rubber Tappers to life, and speaking for human rights and environmentalism. He saw how his small efforts grew into a movement, saying: “At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now, I realize, I am fighting for humanity.”
Today’s doodle by Kevin Laughlin commemorates Mendez, who was tragically assassinated for his brave efforts.
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11 October 2022
João do Vale's 88th birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...7109519-2x.pngVale was an Afro-Brazilian singer and composer who introduced northeastern music styles to communities across Brazil. Today’s Doodle celebrates what would have been João do Vale’s 88th birthday. He's remembered as a key figure in Brazil's music scene.
Vale was born in Pedreiras, Maranhão, in 1934. At a young age, he faced prejudice when he was expelled from school in order to make room for a higher-class student which made a significant impact on how he viewed the world and would later serve as a major influence in his work. He then had to turn to selling oranges at fairs to help support his family.
At 13, Vale was writing songs for a Brazilian musical group. They put on plays called Bumba-Meu-Boi, which portrayed the Maranhão culture through drama, dance, and lyrics. While it helped kickstart his lyrical passion, his involvement with the group didn’t provide enough money to elevate his family’s financial situation.
Vale left home to escape the injustice he faced in Pedreiras. He traveled to Rio de Janeiro and took up manual labor jobs like coal mining, bricklaying and construction work. In between jobs, he visited other major cities to share his melodies and poetry. Influenced by personal experiences and northeastern music genres like baião, Vale wrote songs about poverty and folk culture.
In the early 1950s, Vale get an opportunity to showcase his creation of upbeat dance rhythms at the Radio Nacional station— a radio station that influenced music tastes throughout Brazil. Since he did not know how to write, João had to commit all of his work to memory in order to present his pieces. His impressive baiãos caught the attention of the hosts and producers working there and his musical career took off! He began to work with artists who were excited to help him grow his compositions and songwriting skills.
By 1964, Vale was performing in showrooms that highlighted northeastern rhythms to working class people in southern Brazil. He wrote several musical hits, created two solo albums and composed songs that popularized many great names within the industry. He continued to create and share music rooted in his culture until his death in 1996.
A theater is dedicated to him in the Historic Center of São Luís and he’s honored in his hometown of Pedreiras with a memorial.
Happy 88th birthday, João do Vale!
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18 Oct 2022
Celebrating Andrew Watson
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...7109414-2x.pngToday's Doodle celebrates Scottish footballer Andrew Watson as he looks into the future at Black football legends to come and was illustrated by London-based guest artist Selom Sunu. Watson is considered to be the first Black international footballer, the first Black footballer to captain his country, and the first Black football administrator in history. On this day in 1884, Watson took the field for Scottish football team Queen’s Park in the first game played at the new Hampden Park stadium.
Watson was born in 1856 in Georgetown, Guyana to a wealthy Scottish businessman and Guyanese woman. At age 5, Watson and his father moved to Britain where football was becoming increasingly popular. He fell in love with the sport while attending English public schools in Yorkshire and Wimbledon.
After his father’s death, Watson inherited his wealth and became financially independent. This allowed him to enroll at the University of Glasgow where he studied engineering, natural philosophy and mathematics. Instead of graduating, 21-year-old Watson started a wholesale warehouse business and played football on the side.
Watson gained a reputation for his fast and skillful style of play as a full-back for Queen's Park FC, one of the best football clubs in Scotland. Thanks to his experience as a businessman, he was also match secretary. After Queen’s Park FC won a Scottish football title, Watson earned a chance to play for Scotland’s international team. He became the first Black man to captain his country and led Scotland to multiple wins over their rival, England, including a 6-1 victory—which remains the biggest home loss for England, ever!
His success on the international stage spurred offers from the best clubs in Scotland and England. In 1887, Watson signed with Bootle FC in northern England. At this time, amateur clubs didn’t pay their players, but Bootle FC was known to pay high-profile names. If Watson had received money to play for the Liverpool club, he would technically be the first Black professional footballer.
Over the course of his 14-year career, Watson won the Scottish Cup three times and won all three matches he played in against England.The Hampden Bowling club in Glasgow, the site of Scotland's third victory over England, features a mural of Watson. Over a century has passed since Watson’s playing days, but his impact can still be felt across the sport today, as a shining example of lighting the way for past, current and future generations of Black footballers.
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9 February 2022
Celebrating Toni Stone
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In honor of U.S. Black History Month, today’s Doodle illustrated by San Francisco, CA-based guest artist Monique Wray celebrates athlete Marcenia “Toni” Stone, who overcame both gender and racial discrimination to become the first woman in history to play professional baseball as a regular in a men’s major baseball league. On this day in 2021, Stone was inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.
Marcenia Lyle Stone was born in 1921 in Bluefield, West Virginia during an era of pronounced racial segregation in American sports. In 1931, Stone moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she developed her remarkable athleticism in the city’s public playgrounds and baseball fields. By just 15, the all-male semi-pro Twin Cities Colored Giants broke gender convention by bringing Stone onto its roster. In 1946, Stone went to bat with the San Francisco Sea Lions, marking the start of her illustrious professional career.
Her exceptional batting average of .280 earned her a spot on the bench with the Negro League All-Star team while she continued to travel across the United States playing second base for the minor league New Orleans Creoles. In 1953, Stone filled the spot of future Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron as the second baseman for the Indianapolis Clowns, one of the League’s most prestigious teams. Undeterred by taunts during her debut season with the Clowns, Stone hit a single off of Satchel Paige, who is widely considered the greatest pitcher in Negro League history.
Stone played alongside legendary players such as Jackie Robinson throughout her career before retiring from professional baseball in 1954 as a legend. In 1990, March 6 was declared “Toni Stone Day” in her adopted hometown of St. Paul, where future generations of baseball players practice under the lights of Toni Stone Field. She has been honored by several exhibitions in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1993, was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Here’s to you, Toni Stone—thanks for showing the world what determination and unstoppable love for the game can achieve!
Thank you to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for their support on this Doodle!
Black and white photo of Toni Stone jumping and throwing a baseball
Courtesy of Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Courtesy of the Estate of Toni Stone
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9 February 2010
Natsume Soseki's Birthday
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Natsume Sōseki [9 February 1867 – 9 December 1916], born Natsume Kin'nosuke, was a Japanese novelist. He is best known around the world for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat, Kusamakura and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and writer of haiku, kanshi, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1,000 yen note.
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11 February 2021
Celebrating María Grever
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Mexican singer and songwriter María Grever, considered to be one of the country’s greatest composers. Grever spent a lifetime producing hundreds of songs that went on to be covered by some of the world’s most famous artists, like Placido Domingo, Aretha Franklin, and Frank Sinatra. On this day in 1938, Grever recorded “Ti-Pi-Tin,” a waltz about serenading your loved ones that became one of her biggest hits.
María Joaquina de la Portilla Torres was born in the late 19th century in the city of León in central Mexico. As a child, she moved to Seville, where she studied English, French, and music. Grever’s natural musical abilities were evident as she composed a holiday carol for her school. This led her father to provide her some of the finest tutors, including distinguished composers, Debussy and Lehár. Her first record, “A Una Ola” [“To a Wave,” 1912], sold millions of copies, and was eventually covered by several singers.
In 1916, Grever moved to New York, where she soon composed background music in films for both Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. All the while, Grever continued to produce songs that married folk rhythms with styles like tango to captivate audiences throughout the Americas and Spain. Some of her biggest hits included “Júrame” [“Promise, Love,” 1926] and “What a Difference a Day Makes” [originally “Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado,” 1934]. The latter went on to win a Grammy in 1959 as sung by jazz legend, Dinah Washington.
In recognition of her contributions to music, the Union of Women of the Americas [UWA] named Grever “Woman of the Americas” in 1952.
Thanks for all the music María Grever; it continues to strike a chord with listeners around the world today!
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11 February 2009
Tadataka Ino's Birthday
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Inō Tadataka was a Japanese surveyor and cartographer. He is known for completing the first map of Japan using modern surveying techniques.
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11 February 2015
Zdeněk Burian’s 110th Birthday
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Zdeněk Michael František Burian was a Czech painter, book illustrator and palaeoartist whose work played a central role in the development of palaeontological reconstruction.
Originally recognised only in his native Czechoslovakia, Burian's fame later spread to an international audience during a remarkable career spanning six decades [1930s to 1980s]. He is regarded by many as one of the most influential palaeoartists of the modern era, and a number of subsequent artists have attempted to emulate his style.
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11 February 2012
May Ziade's 126th Birthday
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May Elias Ziadeh was a Lebanese-Palestinian poet, essayist, and translator, who wrote many different works both in Arabic and in French.
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11 February 2011
Thomas Edison's Birthday
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As celebrators of all things and persons innovative, it doesn't get much more "well duh!" as doing a doodle for Thomas Edison, inventor and patent-holder of many things! Among those things, of course, is the first commercially produced light bulb, and a form of the telegraph machine [fun fact: this one types out "G" in morse code].
posted by Mike Dutton
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11 February 2022
Severino Reyes' 161st birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates the 161st birthday of Filipino author and playwright Severino Reyes. Widely regarded as the “Father of Filipino Drama,” Reyes is not only internationally renowned for his famous zarzuelas, Spanish-influenced works of dramatic musical theater, but also for his now classic collection of Tagalog stories.
Severino Reyes was born on this day in 1861 in the capital of Manila. Fluent in both Spanish and Tagalog, Reyes took a deep interest in language, studying Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and a handful of other dialects spoken across the archipelagic nation. His intellect drove him to pursue studies in history, literature, and the sciences. Though his academic career culminated with a degree in philosophy, his most enduring legacy was left in the arts.
In 1902, Reyes founded the Gran Compania de Zarzuela, a theater group devoted to expanding the art form across the Philippines. That same year, his trailblazing theatrical group staged his second play titled “Walang Sugat” [No Wounds], a historical drama centered around the Philippine revolution. The popular reception of this play marked the beginning of the Philippine Golden Age of Zarzuela. Reyes mastered his dramatic expression in the decades that followed with over 50 zarzuelas.
In addition to his landmark career as a playwright, Reyes also served as the editor-in-chief of Liwayway, a popular Tagalog magazine to which he contributed stories under the pseudonym “Lola Basyang.” His stories, full of seemingly ancient wisdom, became such an integral part of Philippine society that the name Lola Basyang is still used today to describe a grandmother who loves telling stories.
Here’s to a storyteller who lifted the curtain on a new form of Filipino expression!
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11 February 2021
Fredy Hirsch's 105th birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates the 105th birthday of German-Jewish educator and athlete Fredy Hirsch. Known for his charismatic spirit and commitment in supporting children, Hirsch helped save Jewish youth during World War II and enriched their lives with the arts.
Alfred “Fredy” Hirsch was born on this day in 1916 in Aachen, Germany, where he started his career as a teacher at several Jewish youth organizations and sports associations. He was openly gay at a time when queer people were being prosecuted by the growing Nazi party. In an effort to escape, Hirsch sought refuge in Czechoslovakia, until the Nazi regime invaded the country and deported him to the Terezin Ghetto and later Auschwitz in 1943.
Against all odds, Hirsch continued teaching at Auschwitz and set up a children’s daycare. He did everything in his power to give hope to the youth in his block—organizing concerts, encouraging children to paint scenes from fairy tales, and even salvaging tin cans to help children create sculptures. Many of the children that Hirsch taught credit him for sparking their creative pursuits, like Zuzana Růžičková who survived Auschwitz and later became one of the world’s greatest harpsichordists.
On February 11, 2016, in commemoration of Hirsch’s 100th birthday, the high school he attended in Aachen renamed its gymnasium and cafeteria in his honor. Today, these buildings stand as testaments to his unbreakable spirit and carry forward his legacy of improving the lives of young people.
Happy birthday, Fredy Hirsch. Here’s to an indomitable hero who reminds the world to push forth with courage and optimism, even during the most trying of times.
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10 Feb 2021
Boris Pasternak's 131st birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates renowned Russian writer, poet, musician, and translator Boris Pasternak, who understood the potential of the written word and used the medium to make an impact still felt today.
Born in Moscow on this day in 1890, Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was raised in a household bursting with artistic influence. The son of a painter and a concert pianist, he dabbled in drawing and dedicated years to music composition, but ultimately, Pasternak departed from his family’s legacy in the pursuit of literary greatness.
Pasternak first earned acclaim with his 1922 book “Sestra moya zhizn” [“My Sister Life”], a cycle of poems exploring love and life. As his oeuvre grew, so did his reputation, and he became so popular that oftentimes when he paused during poetry readings, audiences would shout out the words to complete his sentences.
Towards the end of his poetic career, Pasternak plotted to smuggle an 800-page manuscript entitled Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR. A semi-autobiographical story about the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, Doctor Zhivago was first published in Italy in 1957 and was quickly banned by the Soviet Union for its message of personal liberty. Despite the censorship, the epic novel became an international best-seller and led to Pasternak winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. These days, it is essential reading in many Russian high schools.
Happy birthday to a literary giant, Boris Pasternak!
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8 February 2023
Kamn Ismail 's 67th Birthday
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Today’s animated Doodle celebrates the 67th birthday of Kamn Ismail, a cartoonist and pioneer in Malaysian animation. He created Keluang Man, Malaysia’s first superhero, and played a pivotal role in modernizing the country’s animation industry.
Ismail was born on this day in 1956 in Pengkalan Balak, Malacca, a small town by the sea. He fell in love with drawing as a child and dreamed of becoming a comic artist. When he was a teenager, his skills attracted the attention of McMillen Film Company, which hired him to oversee the creative aspects of a movie called Paper Tiger.
Ismail wanted to continue his career as a cartoonist but his father cautioned him against it. He feared Malaysia’s emerging animation industry couldn’t give his son a stable income.
Ismail reluctantly put his aspirations on hold. For the next 17 years, he worked as a clerk and held several positions at the Keretapi Tanah Melayu railway. But Ismail never gave up on his dreams and secretly learned computer animation techniques in his spare time.
His skills eventually landed him an opportunity to work for Kharisma Pictures. He trained the company’s animators and directed Malaysia’s first animated television series, Usop Sontorian, in 1996. Soon after, Ismail became a director at UAS Animation Studios, where he created the hit animation series Keluang Man. He brought the character to life by blending 2D and 3D animation. An innovative technique for its time, Ismail helped modernize Malaysia’s animation industry.
Ismail’s work has won numerous prizes such as the Best Animated Film at Malaysia Film Festival and was awarded as a Malaysian Animation Icon.
Happy 67th birthday to the father of Malaysian animation!
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6 Feb 2023
Waitangi Day 2023
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Today’s Doodle commemorates Waitangi Day, Aotearoa New Zealand’s national day, and was illustrated by local guest artist Hori-te Ariki Mataki. This marks the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi [Treaty of Waitangi] in 1840. The treaty is widely considered the country’s founding document.
In 1840, British Crown representatives and hundreds of Māori chiefs gathered on the ground of Waitangi. Today, the Treaty grounds remain a central part of celebrations. An annual gathering features speeches from Māori dignitaries and cultural performances like kapa-haka—a powerful group dance that expresses strength and unity. New Zealanders across the motu [country] attend events to mark the day.
Today’s Doodle artwork features a Māori-inspired design — a tiki form with outstretched arms representing the ancestors of Māori and non-Māori and their aspirations in the Treaty of Waitangi, for the protection of land, community and partnership. The colour is representative of pounamu, or jade, which is considered a taonga [treasure] in Māori culture.
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6 February 2011
Jan Werich's Birthday
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Jan Werich [6 February 1905 – 31 October 1980] was a Czech actor, playwright and writer.
His collaboration with Jiří Voskovec and Jaroslav Ježek lasted for more than 10 years. Their partnership was a platform for their numerous left-wing political satires, most notably in the Osvobozené divadlo [Liberated Theatre]. The trio's work took inspiration from Dada, with its love of the absurd, a reaction against bourgeois values and the horrors of World War I.
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8 Feb 2011
Jules Verne's 183rd Birthday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwFM024ozMc
It wasn’t very difficult for something to spark my imagination when I was a child—whether it was a pile of leaves or a couch of stackable cushions, just about anything could jump-start my creativity. My first encounter with Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, however, sent my imagination into hyper drive.
I first found the novel while browsing through a random aisle in my local library. The cover was dark, murky and a little worn—but it was the most spectacular thing I’d ever seen. A pair of old-fashioned divers drag their feet over the ocean floor, watching a school of fish drift by. They don’t seem to notice the twisting silhouette of a monster inching toward them.
The cover alone pulled me in, but I didn’t want to spoil all of the possible story lines by actually reading the book. Looking back, I realize that what fascinated me most was the unknown: a creative spark and the imaginative exploration that followed. Since then, I’ve become more familiar with his work and still believe that exploration is the essence of Verne’s novels. His stories pull the readers into a world filled with infinite potential—be it in the clouds, on land or under the sea.
Today’s doodle, celebrating Verne’s 183rd birthday, tries to capture that sense of adventure and exploration. Using CSS3 [and with help from our resident tech wizards Marcin Wichary and Kris Hom], the doodle enables anyone to navigate the Nautilus [nearly] 20,000 leagues with the simple pull of a lever. And for those using devices with built-in accelerometers and the latest versions of Google Chrome or Firefox, it’s even simpler—just tilt your device in the direction you want to explore and the Nautilus will follow.
So voyage below [and above] the waves to see what you can discover... just make sure to keep an eye out for the giant squid.
Update Feb 9, 8:44 AM: You can now explore the ocean from our Jules Verne doodle in full view and HD.
posted by Jennifer Hom
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September 22, 2004
Ray Charles' 74th Birthday
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Ray Charles Robinson, Sr. was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer. Among friends and fellow musicians he preferred being called "Brother Ray". He was often referred to as "the Genius". Charles was blinded during childhood, possibly due to glaucoma.
Charles pioneered the soul music genre during the 1950s by combining blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles into the music he recorded for Atlantic. He contributed to the integration of country music, rhythm and blues, and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, notably with his two Modern Sounds albums. While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.
Charles's 1960 hit "Georgia On My Mind" was the first of his three career No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. His 1962 album Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music became his first album to top the Billboard 200. Charles had multiple singles reach the Top 40 on various Billboard charts: 44 on the US R&B singles chart, 11 on the Hot 100 singles chart, 2 on the Hot Country singles charts.
Charles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by Louis Jordan and Charles Brown. He had a lifelong friendship and occasional partnership with Quincy Jones. Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles "the only true genius in show business," although Charles downplayed this notion. Billy Joel said, "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley".
For his musical contributions, Charles received the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, and the Polar Music Prize. He won 18 Grammy Awards, including 5 posthumously. Charles was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, and 10 of his recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked Charles No. 10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and No. 2 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
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14 February 2020
Valentine's Day 2020
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No matter where you are in the universe today, love is in the air!
Whether your loved ones are light-years away, or nearby, we hope no amount of space gets in the way of letting them know you're over the moon for them.
Wishing all a stellar Valentine’s Day!
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13 Feb 2014
Sarojini Naidu's 135th Birthday
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Sarojini Naidu was an Indian political activist, feminist and poet. A proponent of civil rights, women's emancipation, and anti-imperialistic ideas, she was an important person in India's struggle for independence from colonial rule. She was also the first Indian woman to be the president of the Indian National Congress and to be appointed as governor of an Indian state [United Provinces].
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13 February 2015
Ivan Andreyevich Krylov’s 246th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F6...LAUvxCdcU=s660
In Russia, our doodle depicts “The Crow and the Fox,” a fable by Russian fabulist Ivan Andreyevich Krylov for his 246th birthday.
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7 Feb 2015
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 148th Birthday
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Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in a log cabin in the “Big Woods” of Wisconsin. Her beloved Little House books, chronicling her family’s hardscrabble journeys through the American frontier, stand as a notable achievement of early American literature. The television series based on the books—a staple for viewers in the 70s—brought legions of new fans to her work.
When we were invited to commemorate Wilder’s birthday with a doodle, we were thrilled. It was a natural fit, since we’re the creators of a board book series that abridges classic novels in just twelve words and twelve images. Our illustrative process combines needle-felting, scale-model set-building, and photography.
The first step in creating the doodle was to make figures of Laura and her older sister, Mary, through needle felting. Needle felting is basically sculpting with wool, and the process is labor-intensive. It requires stabbing loose wool [called “roving”] hundreds, even thousands of times with a barbed needle, which entangles the fibres and makes the wool firm enough to hold shape. Our felt figures are built around a wire armature that makes the figures easy to pose and re-pose.
Our goal when creating images is to illustrate “in camera” as much as possible. However, in this case, it wasn’t possible for us to create clouds in the shapes of letters in camera. So when the outdoor shoot was complete, we took the best photograph and added the clouds digitally for the finishing touch.
The doodle of Laura and Mary running joyously through the prairie, with the iconic “little house” in the background, captures for us—and hopefully for millions of others—the essence of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her literary legacy.
Posted by Jack and Holman Wang, guest doodlers and the authors and illustrators of the board book series Cozy Classics and Star Wars Epic Yarns.
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17 July 2021
Francisco Toledo's 81st birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates the 81st birthday of Mexican artist and activist Francisco “El Maestro” Toledo, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in modern Mexican history. His prolific creative output is only rivaled in scope by his philanthropic advocacy and dedication to preserving his Oaxacan heritage.
On this day in 1940, Francisco Benjamín López Toledo was born in Juchitán, Oaxaca, the heartland of the Indigenous Zapotec civilization. His remarkable talent for drawing was noticed at just 9 years old, and by 19, he hosted his first solo exhibition.
Self-described as a grillo [cricket], which he believed captured the restless Oaxacan spirit, Toledo set off to Paris to pursue sculpting, painting, and printmaking in the 1960s. But he soon yearned for the simpler life of his home. He returned to Oaxaca in 1965, where his craft and activism played an instrumental role in the transformation of the southern Mexican state into a nucleus of the international art community. Toledo first garnered widespread acclaim during this era with a watercolor series of animal-human hybrids, which established his trademark style rooted in Indigenous art traditions, Zapotec mythology, and inspiration from the work of masters such as Francisco Goya.
For nearly seven decades, Toledo explored every visual medium imaginable to produce around 9,000 works—from a scorpion sculpture crafted using turtle shells to cloth puppets. Today, his legacy endures in libraries, art institutions, and museums he founded in Oaxaca, many of which are free to enter.
Happy birthday, Francisco Toledo, and thank you for safeguarding Zapotec Oaxacan heritage for generations to come!
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9 June 2016
Phoebe Snetsinger’s 85th birthday
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Phoebe Snetsinger was an American birder famous for having seen and documented birds of 8,398 different species, at the time, more than anyone else in history and the first person to see more than 8,000. Her memoir, Birding on Borrowed Time, explores this achievement. She traveled the world multiple times to find birds in their habitats. She was described as having had an excellent memory, and a strong competitive spirit.
Sometimes it takes dire circumstances to compel us toward action. Phoebe Snetsinger, who would have been 85 years old today, became the world’s most prolific bird-watcher — a feat she achieved by surmounting tremendous odds.
It wasn’t until 1981 — when she was diagnosed with cancer — that Phoebe truly came into her own as a birder. In subsequent years, she scoured the globe for obscure or unknown bird species, ultimately raising her bird count to 8,393, the highest in the world at the time. Some of the notable birds she sighted include the Blackburnian Warbler and the Red-Shouldered Vanga, depicted among many other interesting birds by animator Juliana Chen.
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10 January 2014
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff's 217th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Mh...0A0o8Ut8U=s660
Baroness Anna Elisabeth Franziska Adolphine Wilhelmine Louise Maria von Droste zu Hülshoff, known as Annette von Droste-Hülshoff , was a 19th-century German poet, novelist, and composer of Classical music. She was also the author of the novella Die Judenbuche.
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15 Jan 2014
Josip Vandot's 130th Birthday [born 1884]
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...80992-hp2x.jpg
Josip Vandot was a Slovene writer and poet who wrote mainly for young readers.
Vandot is best known for the creation of the character Kekec, a brave and clever shepherd boy from the highlands of his home region, the Karawanks and Julian Alps. He wrote three books with Kekec as the main character:
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15 Jan 2014
The 255th anniversary of the British Museum
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...4794112-hp.jpg
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.
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15 January 2010
Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eV...W3BJ1CcsV=s660
A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union [EU] for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can be an opportunity for a city to generate considerable cultural, social and economic benefits and it can help foster urban regeneration, change the city's image and raise its visibility and profile on an international scale. Multiple cities can be a European Capital of Culture simultaneously.
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16 Jan 2014
Dian Fossey's 82nd Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_b...zdWR04Ftf=s660
One of the most amazing humans ever to have lived: Dian Fossey. I was incredibly honored to create a Google Doodle for her.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/49AnpbvD0jNyh_F...G45ip4b3p=s320
A very early concept sketch
Here's a fun fact though: I used to think her name was spelled Diane Fossy. It was an honest mistake, misplacing one little "e". Similarly, quite a few of our doodles start out with us knowing very little about the subject matter. And it's understandable to a degree, considering we create doodles for people, occasions, and things around the world. But I knew Dian was someone for whom I really needed to do my homework, so after correcting my spelling error and reading through her Wikipedia page, I ordered a copy of Gorillas in the Mist and dug in.
I thought I was in for a dry, scientific journal, full of charts, data, and the inevitable bits of Latin. There's some of all of those things in there to be sure, but it is all perfectly woven into an engaging story, with the same range of emotional ups and downs of a classic novel. I laughed. I cried. I became angry. I was filled with hope. I cried some more. I was almost immediately drawn not just to the basis of her field work, but her greater cause to save the critically endangered mountain gorilla.
I also engaged The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International for their guidance. It never hurts to get the real experts involved. Dr. Erika Archibald provided some invaluable bits of advice, and by the end of our phone call, I had a pretty firm grasp on what to illustrate. The challenge was focusing on the importance of her work while managing to weave a narrative thread throughout the piece.
breaking down the google letters
The big 'g' is based on the first time Fossey was flown over the Virunga mountains. At the time, there were only something like 200 mountain gorillas, all living in one mountain range, so this image juxtaposes the idea of a wide-open space with what is actually a very limited area for an entire species.
The double 'o's show the family structure of the gorillas, which was something Fossey really focused on: The family dynamic, how the group interacted with each other ... I really wanted to build that sense of family, so here you see juvenile gorillas, mature females, one with infant, and a silverback male."
The lowercase 'g' is based on the first time she actually saw a mountain gorilla face-to-face – she could barely see it peering through the foliage. Although the moment wasn't an encounter with Digit, the gorilla that Fossey's most famously known for being attached to – I chose to make the gorilla resemble him, a nod to one of her dearest friends.
The 'l' is the moment where a gorilla reached out and touched her hair. It may not have been the first or only moment of contact – she writes in the book about how one actually snatched her journal away at one point – but it's an iconic moment captured on film and demonstrates her effectiveness in "habituating" with mountain gorillas. That is, being accepted into their group and to be able to roam among them.
I wanted to leave the 'e' a little more spacious and open-ended, because first of all, there's already a lot going on in the illustration, but also because there's a lot of ambiguity left in the tale of the mountain gorilla. Their future at best continues to be uncertain. So you can look at it from a place of hope or worry. If 'e' were to stand for something, it could stand for 'endangered,' or it could stand for 'enduring.' It's up to us to place the right 'E' in the right place.
posted by Mike Dutton, Doodler
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10 Feb 2023
P.K. Rosy's 120th Birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...10024.2-2x.png
Today’s Doodle honours P.K. Rosy, who became the first female lead in Malayalam cinema. On this day in 1903, Rosy was born Rajamma in Thiruvananthapuram, formerly Trivandrum [Kerala’s capital city].
Rosy’s passion for acting began at a young age. In an era when performing arts was discouraged in many sections of society, especially for women, Rosy broke barriers with her role in the Malayalam film Vigathakumaran [The Lost Child]. Though she never received recognition for her work during her lifetime, Rosy’s story is relevant to conversations about representation in the media. Today, her story serves as motivation and inspiration for many.
Thank you for your courage and the legacy you leave behind, P.K. Rosy.
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25 June 2019
103rd Anniversary of Hua Lamphong
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...76288.2-2x.jpg
It’s been exactly 103 years since Bangkok Railway Station, unofficially known as Hua Lamphong, first opened its doors to passengers. Although the Bang Sue mega station will eventually become the capital's main rail transport hub, Hua Lamphong holds the title as Bangkok’s oldest train station—whose ornate neoclassical design, featuring a vaulted iron roof with stained glass windows, evokes a time when trains were the ultimate mode of transportation.
During his 1907 tour of Europe, King Rama V was so impressed by the Frankfurt Train Station that he commissioned a similar building for his own country. The Italian architects Mario Tamagno and Annibale Rigotti echoed certain details of the German station in their design, from the half dome façade, to the open-air passenger galleries, to the giant clock on the front gable.
For more than a century, Hua Lamphong has been the entry point to Bangkok for millions of visitors. The station connects with the MRT underground system, and you can also catch both rural commuter lines and the luxurious Orient Express from here. The State Railway of Thailand accommodates some 200 trains a day, with over 27,000 passengers, and will eventually also be a railway history museum.
Happy Anniversary, Hua Lamphong!
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25 June 2013
Antoni Gaudí's 161st Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7W...u937QBgyQ=s660
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Catalan architect and designer from Spain known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works have a highly individualized, sui generis style. Most are located in Barcelona, including his main work, the church of the Sagrada Família.
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23 Jun 2013
Mt Fuji becomes a World Heritage site
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/V4...gRw28jHmQ=s660
Mount Fuji, or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of 3,776.24 m [12,389 ft 3 in]. It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia [after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra], and seventh-highest peak of an island on Earth. Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano that last erupted from 1707 to 1708. The mountain is located about 100 km [62 mi] southwest of Tokyo and is visible from there on clear days. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is covered in snow for about five months of the year, is commonly used as a cultural icon of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photography, as well as visited by sightseers, hikers and mountain climbers.
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23 June 2016
Dercy Gonçalves’ 109th birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...60864-hp2x.png
Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Dercy Gonçalves was one of Brazil’s most vivacious actresses. Known for her biting comedy, she was a giant of the Brazilian entertainment industry, though she stood 4 feet 11 inches tall. Dercy performed as an actor for 86 years until her death at age 101, securing her the world record for the longest career as an actor. Doodler Sophie Diao captured her larger-than life spirit on what would be her 109th birthday.
Today, we remember Dercy and the lasting impression she left on the world.
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23 June 2012
Alan Turing's 100th Birthday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84pbZSt_a9k
The code for this doodle has been open sourced.
Alan Turing was a completely original thinker who shaped the modern world, but many people have never heard of him.
Before computers existed, he invented a type of theoretical machine now called a Turing Machine, which formalized what it means to compute a number. Our doodle for his 100th birthday shows a live action Turing Machine with twelve interactive programming puzzles [hint: go back and play it again after you solve the first six!].
Turing’s importance extends far beyond Turing Machines. His work deciphering secret codes drastically shortened World War II and pioneered early computer technology. He was also an early innovator in the field of artificial intelligence, and came up with a way to test if computers could think – now known as the Turing Test. Besides this abstract work, he was down to earth; he designed and built real machines, even making his own relays and wiring up circuits. This combination of pure math and computing machines was the foundation of computer science.
As a human being, Turing was also extraordinary and original. He was eccentric, witty, charming and loyal. He was a marathon runner with world class time. He was also openly gay in a time and place where this was not accepted. While in many ways the world was not ready for Alan Turing, and lost him too soon, his legacy lives on in modern computing.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/fmzLLS_Iiq8QLSt...BA0YBzGe8n7=s0
Various iterations of the Turing doodle’s design.
Turing is a hero to us, so we wanted to make a special doodle for his centennial. We started by doing deep research into his work. Much of it is abstract and hard to show, so we went through a lot of designs before finding one that seemed workable. Turing Machines are theoretical objects in formal logic, not physical things, so we had to walk a fine line between technical accuracy and accessibility. We struggled especially to find a good representation for programs, and to choose puzzles of appropriate complexity; we did a lot of user testing and iteration, more than for any past doodle. We hope you will enjoy our tribute to this great man.
Posted by Jered Wierzbicki and Corrie Scalisi, Software Engineers, and Sophia Foster-Dimino, Doodler
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21 Jun 2012
Yuri Kondratyuk's 115th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_q...CYcseWo3m=s660
Yuri Kondratyuk was a self-educated mechanic who, 50 years before lunar flights, foresaw ways of reaching the moon, calculating the best means of achieving a lunar landing. His theory of the gravitational slingshot trajectory to accelerate a spacecraft, known today as the "Kondratyuk Route", was eventually adopted by the engineers of the Apollo program for American lunar expeditions.
His personal story is also fascinating, though ultimately heartbreaking. Yuri's developing theories on space travel were happening during a time when such pursuits were considered "absurd", and consequently were prohibited by the ruling government of his time. [Ukrainia] Because of this, his work – and much of his life – was shrouded in secrecy. Even his real name was a secret [it was Aleksandr Gnatovich Shargei]. Fortunately, history has been much kinder to his legacy, and today he is considered an early pioneer of space exploration. For his doodle, we felt that while it is not quite the real thing, it was only right to show an aspirational Kondratyuk gazing about – and amongst – the stars.