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29 April 2014
Gerard Oury's 95th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Wp...TdhhQOYxQ=s660
Gérard Oury was a French film director, actor and writer.
If you're not a French film buff, it may look like we have some explaining to do... and you'd be right! While the uniforms seem to indicate these are members of a dark and sinister army, they are in fact the famous comedic duo, Louis de Funes and Bourvil, cast as ordinary Frenchmen disguised in German uniforms in Gerard Oury's best-known work, La Grande Vadrouille.
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29 Apr 2014
Ustad Alla Rakha's 95th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/v7...YP_U9Irxr=s660
Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi, popularly known as Alla Rakha, was an Indian tabla player who specialized in Hindustani classical music. He was a frequent accompanist of sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar and was largely responsible for introducing Tabla to the western audience.
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28 Apr 2014
Cinecittà's 77 anniversary
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/b1...MbcD0CcFy=s660
Cinecittà Studios [Italian for Cinema City Studios], is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres [99 acres], it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constructed during the Fascist era as part of a plan to revive the Italian film industry.
Filmmakers such as Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Luchino Visconti, Sergio Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Mel Gibson have worked at Cinecittà. More than 3,000 movies have been filmed there, of which 90 received an Academy Award nomination and 47 of these won it. In the 1950s, the number of international productions being made there led to Rome being dubbed "Hollywood on the Tiber."
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28 February 2021
Kuzgun Acar's 93rd birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...7108870-2x.png
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Today’s Doodle celebrates the 93rd birthday of an artist whose work reflects this expression: Turkish sculptor Kuzgun Acar. For his experimentation in welding materials like wire, nails, and scrap metal together to form abstract works, Acar is widely considered a pioneer of modern sculpture in Turkey.
Born in Istanbul on this day in 1928, Kuzgun Acar opened a shoelace factory with his father after high school, but it wasn’t until he enrolled in the sculptor department of the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts that he found his true calling. There, he attended ship-dismantling workshops, where experts taught him how to weld scavenged materials into works of art. Influenced by contemporary Turkish masters Zühtü Müridoğlu and Hadi Bara, Acar developed the talent that became his life’s passion: abstract sculpture.
In 1961, a sculpture made of rusty nails won Acar first prize at a Paris exhibition, along with a scholarship that sponsored a year of study in France. While there, he continued to perfect his artistic craft, and he even organized a solo exhibition at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris [Paris Museum of Modern Art] in 1962. Upon Acar’s return to Istanbul, he produced some of his most significant works including “Turkey”—a massive bronze relief displayed on an Ankara skyscraper—and his timeless metal sculpture, “Birds - Abstract Composition.” As one of his final works, Acar transformed twisted steel and rubber into 140 metal masks for “The Caucasian Chalk Office,” a German theatre play staged in Paris.
Happy birthday, Kuzgun Acar!
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Google’s first AI-powered Doodle lets you make music like Bach
https://ei.marketwatch.com/Multimedi...8-9c8e992d421e
Even if you think you have no musical ability — orespecially if you think that — you can compose a beautiful bit of music today, thanks to AI, Google, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
To celebrate the birthday of Bach, a beloved German composer born on March 21, 1685, Google has launched its first ever AI-powered Doodle. All you have to do is plunk down a few notes and the Doodle will add harmony to them in the signature style of Bach. I’ve got zero formal musical training, but I gave it a try. My little composition came out sounding surprisingly great!
It’s not really surprising, though, if you know a bit about machine learning, the process Google used to make this possible. Machine learning is a type of AI that involves feeding computers example after example of something, until they “learn” to create their own example — without ever having been given explicit instructions to follow.
In this case, 306 chorale harmonizations composed by Bach were fed into a model. His chorales make for great training data because their structure is pretty consistent and concise — they all contain four voices, which take on a pleasing depth when layered on top of one another. After the model “learned” Bach’s style by picking out the patterns, the machine learning system was refitted to run within the confines of your humble web browser.
As a result, you can make your own Bachian music with just a few quick clicks. So go on, give it a whirl!
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2...-ai-bach-music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBfYPp6KF2g
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20 April 2021
Luther Vandross's 70th birthday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69KrkMpvZdg
Today’s video Doodle, created by Atlanta-based guest artist Sam Bass, celebrates the 70th birthday of multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Luther Vandross—the “Velvet Voice” whose silky-smooth tenor ballads romanced generations with inimitable style and grace.
Born on this day in 1951 in New York City, Luther Ronzoni Vandross grew up inspired by soul music giants such as Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Dionne Warwick. At the age of five, he showed a sharp interest in singing, often using the coin-operated recording booths found in stores sprinkled throughout New York City at the time. He truly knew music was his destiny after a Warwick performance blew him away at 13—so he began to write his own songs. After high school, Vandross showcased his tunes at Amateur Night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Although he never won first place, he joined the theater’s performing arts group “Listen My Brother Revue,” who sang on the 1969 pilot episode of the children’s show “Sesame Street” and gave Vandross his first taste of widespread exposure.
Vandross’s next big break came when his original composition “Everybody Rejoice” was featured in “The Wiz,” a 1974 Broadway musical later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. From there, Vandross launched himself into dozens of collaborative projects with artists like David Bowie, Ringo Starr, Whitney Houston, and Ben E. King. His knack for infectious hooks also landed him gigs singing commercial jingles for Juicy Fruit and several other major brands.
In 1981, Vandross launched his solo career and took full creative control to compose, write, and produce his debut studio album “Never Too Much”—the soundtrack of today’s Doodle and the first of 14 studio albums that went either platinum or multi-platinum! A fine-tuned maestro of performance, Vandross took his passionate songs on world-wide tours, where he poured his style into all aspects of live production, from the design of background singers sparkling gowns to the mood-setting stage lights. In 1989, Vandross’s devotion to the live experience set an international milestone when he became the first male artist to sell out 10 consecutive shows at London’s Wembley Arena.
Vandross’s successful music career culminated in eight Grammy Awards [out of 33 nominations], a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a 1997 Super Bowl half-time show performance, and eight Billboard Top 10 albums.
Happy birthday, Luther Vandross! The joy your music brings to the world is never too much.
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18 Feb 2021
Audre Lorde's 87th birthday
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...pjpg&auto=webp
https://www.google.com/doodles/audre...-87th-birthday [slide show]
In honor of U.S. Black History Month, today’s Doodle—illustrated by Los Angeles-based guest artist Monica Ahanonu—celebrates internationally-acclaimed American poet, feminist, professor, and civil rights champion Audre Lorde, a key figure of the Black and LGBTQ+ cultural movements of 20th century. For Lorde, poetry was more than just a form of emotional expression, it was a way of life–providing the vehicle for her lifetime advocacy against discrimination and racial injustice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im35QDz5GGI
Audre Geraldin Lorde was born the daughter of Caribbean immigrants on this day in 1934 in Harlem, New York City. Introverted as a child, she learned how to read and write from her neighborhood librarian Augusta Baker, who influenced her profoundly. Poetry soon became second nature for Lorde. When asked how she was, her response was often a poem she had memorized, and by eighth grade, she began to write her own verse.
A precocious student, she became the first Black student at Hunter High School, a public school for gifted girls. Her 1951 love poem “Spring” was rejected as unsuitable by the school’s literary journal, but was printed by Seventeen magazine when she was just 15—making it her first published poem. Lorde went on to earn her Master's of Library Science from Columbia University in 1961, and continued to write poetry as a librarian and English teacher in New York public schools throughout the ‘60s.
Describing herself as a “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” Lorde emerged as an essential voice in the confrontation of homophobia and racism when she published her first collection of poems, ”The First Cities” [1968]. Throughout her career, Lorde published poetry that explored identity and sexuality, while demanding social and racial justice—not only in the United States, but also abroad.
Between 1984 and 1992, Lorde spent extensive time in West Germany teaching poetry at the Free University in Berlin and organizing the local feminist movement. While in Germany, Lorde led numerous lectures and workshops on feminism, homophobia, classism, and racism. She also connected and mentored Black German women, encouraging them to define and own their identities; Lorde’s guidance was influential in sparking the Afro-German movement of the ‘80s.
Poetry wasn’t the only literary medium that Lorde was fluent in; she also earned great acclaim for her prose. Her book “Sister Outsider” [1984] is a notable collection of her essays and speeches—including “Learning from the 60s” [excerpts of which are featured in today’s Doodle artwork]. In this speech and throughout her career, Lorde explored how the complexities of contemporary social justice activism lie at the intersections of our individual differences, which include gender, class, race, and sexuality. She noted that personal identity isn’t shaped by a single factor, rather that it’s the result of the myriad aspects of experience exclusive to each individual. Lorde felt that understanding this concept was the best way to make progress against oppression; understanding that the prejudices others face vary greatly from person to person, as they are unique to their own life’s journey. Lorde is often regarded as one of the forefront voices of intersectionality and its role within the global feminist movement.
For her literary achievements, Audre Lorde was awarded the American Book Award in 1989. She was later honored as the poet laureate of New York State through the Walt Whitman Citation of Merit in 1991.
Happy birthday, Audre Lorde!
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18 February 2015
Alessandro Volta’s 270th Birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...09472-hp2x.gif
Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta was an Italian physicist and chemist who was a pioneer of electricity and power who is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane. He invented the voltaic pile in 1799, and reported the results of his experiments in 1800 in a two-part letter to the president of the Royal Society. With this invention Volta proved that electricity could be generated chemically and debunked the prevalent theory that electricity was generated solely by living beings. Volta's invention sparked a great amount of scientific excitement and led others to conduct similar experiments, which eventually led to the development of the field of electrochemistry.
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18 February 2018
Carnival 2018 [Greece]
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...0711424-2x.png
In Greece, the Carnival is a time for games, parades, and celebration. The Greek season of apokries, which literally translates to “no more meat,” refers to the time of Lent that Carnival precedes. The Carnival’s ten weeks of festivities also celebrate Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. Partygoers can participate in myriad events throughout the festival, from a treasure hunt to the burning of the carnival king.
Though Carnival has been celebrated for centuries [or longer!], its modern form is likely derived from a party held by a merchant named Moretis in 1829. As new cultures visited and left their marks on the Grecian islands, the celebration continued to change, leading to different versions of Carnival in different regions of the country.
Carnival ends on Clean Monday [Ash Monday], when Lent begins for those who observe.
May the season of apokries inspire you to celebrate life, joy, and laughter!
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18 February 2021
Celebrating Yee Sang
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...108864-2xa.gifLou Hei! Today’s Doodle celebrates Yee Sang, a Malaysian raw fish salad traditionally enjoyed on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. With chopsticks in hand, families toss the ingredients that make up Yee Sang high above the table while they exclaim “Lou Hei” and wish each other good fortune for the year to come—the higher the toss, the better the fortune!
This ritual traces its origins to the Chinese creation myth of goddess Nu Wa, who is said to have created humanity on the seventh day of the new year. Chinese fishers and sailors commemorated this symbolic day of rebirth by combining the leftovers of the new year’s celebrations to make yu sheng—a salad as thrifty as it was tasty.
By the 1930s, Chinese immigrants brought the Yu Sheng tradition to Malaya, selling fish salad with ginger and lettuce out of hawker carts. But it wasn’t until the 1940s, when Seremban chef Loke Ching Fatta added a twist, that the recipe was adapted to the Yee Sang known today. Fatta combined some 30 ingredients together with his signature sauce to invent the dish now loved by many during the Lunar New Year.
One of the most common combinations of Yee Sang include raw fish, ginger, shredded carrot, radish, pomelo, leek, topped with condiments like crushed peanuts, all mixed thoroughly with several different oils and spices. But there is no wrong way to make Yee Sang, as the dish has infinite variations.
Here’s to Yee Sang and prosperity in the Lunar New Year!
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18 February 2013
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi's 812th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UB...Jb4E1uZF0=s660
Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Tūsī , better known as Nasir al-Din al-Tusi was a Persian polymath, architect, philosopher, physician, scientist, and theologian. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi was a well published author, writing on subjects of math, engineering, prose, and mysticism. Additionally, al-Tusi made several scientific advancements. In astronomy, al-Tusi created very accurate tables of planetary motion, an updated planetary model, and critiques of Ptolemaic astronomy. He also made strides in logic, mathematics but especially trigonometry, biology, and chemistry. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi left behind a great legacy as well. Tusi is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of medieval Islam, since he is often considered the creator of trigonometry as a mathematical discipline in its own right.
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17 December 2021
Émilie du Châtelet's 315th birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...09213.2-2x.png
Today’s Doodle celebrates the 315th birthday of French mathematician, physicist, translator, and philosopher Émilie du Châtelet, whose contributions to Newtonian theory and mission to make scientific literature more accessible helped clear the path for modern physics.
Émilie du Châtelet was born Gabrielle-Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil in Paris on this day in 1706—a time when it was rare for women to publicly pursue intellectual careers. Raised in an aristocratic household, Châtelet learned avidly from the distinguished scientists and mathematicians whom her family often entertained. She complemented her formal math and science studies with fencing and linguistics lessons, learning six languages by age 12. Despite society’s discouragement of women pursuing the sciences, Châtelet broke convention.
In her 20s, she married Marquis Florent-Claude du Châtelet, a prominent military officer, and their estate library housed approximately 21,000 books! After months of clandestine research and experimentation, Châtelet submitted a groundbreaking physics paper to the French Academy of Sciences in 1737 that predicted the existence of infrared radiation. Voltaire, an eminent writer of the French enlightenment, recognized her talents, and in 1738, the pair published “Elements of Newton’s Philosophy” under Voltaire’s name. This pioneering book broke down complex Newtonian physics into easy-to-understand terms for French readers.
Châtelet’s magnum opus came in 1740 with the anonymous publication of “The Foundations of Physics,” a work of natural philosophy that married Newtonian physics with metaphysics. Her work played an instrumental role in the acceptance of Newtonian physics across Europe. Albeit anonymously, Châtelet continued to revolutionize physics by translating “Principia,” Newton’s manifesto for the laws of motion and gravity. Published posthumously in 1759, it remains the leading French translation to this day.
Here’s to an unstoppable force in the progression of physics!
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17 December 2022
Celebrating Ana Mercedes Hoyos
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...7109512-2x.png
Today’s Doodle celebrates Ana Mercedes Hoyos, a distinguished Colombian artist. She was an award-winning painter and sculptor who won over seventeen national and international awards. Hoyos was a pioneer in modern art who focused on the complexities of Colombian culture. On this day in 1968, Hoyos was awarded first place in the Bogotá Museum of Modern Arts’ “Environmental Spaces” exhibition.
Born to a family of architects in Bogotá, Colombia on September 29, 1942, Hoyos was encouraged to study art history from an early age. She attended Colegia Marymount before studying visual arts at the University of Andes. She first explored more minimalistic and abstract styles, which led to her first series Ventanas [[Windows). Many consider this collection the turning point of her career, as it won the Colombian National Salon of Artists’ Caracas Prize.
In the next few decades, Hoyos ventured into new realms. In the mid 1970s, she released Atmósferas [[Atmospheres), a series exploring the parameters of light that won international recognition. She then created works featuring flora and fruit typically found in Cartagena, where she lived in the 1980s.
Hoyos’ artistic journey eventually led her to still-life paintings that examined the multicultural diversity of Colombia. These still lifes combined exaggerated light with explosive tropical colors to capture the Caribbean’s rich cultures and sceneries. Hoyos’ paintings portrayed Afro-Colombian heritage in a magical, mesmerizing way.
Nowadays, people can enjoy her work far and wide at renowned art institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, the United Nations University in Tokyo, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C., and perhaps most importantly, the Bogotá Museum of Modern Art, where her journey started.
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July 26, 2022
Celebrating Steelpan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-_LHVn6RHE
Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Trinidad & Tobago-based artist Nicholas Huggins, celebrates the steelpan, a percussion instrument made of metal, created and influenced by Trinbagonians. It’s the only acoustic instrument invented in the twentieth century, but has origins dating back to the 1700’s. It was a staple during Carnival and Canboulay, the annual harvest festivals celebrated in Trinidad, and is still used in contemporary music. On this day in 1951, the Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra [TASPO] performed at the Festival of Britain, introducing the steelpan and a new music genre to the world.
When enslaved Africans were brought to Trinidad by colonialists in the 1700’s, they brought over their African heritage and traditions of rhythmic drumming with them. When slavery was abolished between 1834 and 1838, Trinidadians joined in on Carnival festivities with their drums. However in 1877, government officials banned their drumming because they feared that the drumming would be used to send messages that would inspire rebellion. In protest of this ban, musicians started to pound tuned bamboo tubes on the ground as alternatives to mimic the sound of their drums. These ensembles were called Tamboo Bamboo bands.
Another ban came in 1930, when rival Tamboo Bamboo bands would cause disturbances during Carnival and other street festivals. These bands then looked to a new alternative to carry their rhythm: metal objects such as car parts, paint pots, dustbins, biscuit tins and thus the idea of the pan was born.
During World War II, Carnival was forbidden due to security reasons, and musicians began experimenting with the unique instrument to improve the sound quality. Overtime, dents were hammered into the surface of these objects, which played different notes depending on the size, position and shape. In 1948, after the war ended, the musicians switched to using the 55 gallon oil drums discarded by the oil refineries. In addition to changing the shape of the drum surface, they found that changing the length of the drum allowed complete scales from bass to soprano. This formed the basis for the modern version of the pan. The steelpan grew and developed into a legitimate instrument through the likes of pioneers and innovators such as Winston “Spree” Simon, Ellie Mannette, Anthony Williams and Bertie Marshall. Many of their innovations and techniques are still used today.
The steelpan is now the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, and is a source of great pride and true resilience for its citizens. Steelpans are now enjoyed in concert calls like Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and more. Whether in the UK or Japan, Senegal or the States, the steelpan is an internationally recognized instrument that reminds listeners of its island origins.
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26 July 2016
Maria Severa Onofriana's 196th Birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...26336-hp2x.gif
A legend in her native Lisbon, Maria Severa Onofriana, known simply as Severa, is remembered as the voice that brought fado into popular culture. By performing at taverns across the Alfama district, she helped spread this expressive style of music in the 1830s and 40s.
Often somber in tone, fado [which translates roughly to “fate”] is a lyrical ode to the trials of everyday life. Although Severa told many of these tales through her songs, very little is actually known about her life. For that reason, the singer’s story has been reimagined many times in music, theater, and film.
Today’s Doodle is yet another take on the famous fadista. Donning her signature dark shawl, Severa plays the “Portuguese blues” as we celebrate her contributions to music on what would have been her 196th birthday.
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26 July 2021
70th anniversary of the birch bark manuscripts
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...7109001-2x.png
On this day in 1951, a Soviet archaeological expedition led by Artemiy Artsikhovsky excavated the first ancient birch bark manuscript—a medieval letter inscribed with Old Russian text. Today’s Doodle celebrates the 70th anniversary of this major discovery that marked a new chapter in Russian linguistics research and shed new light on daily life of the Rus people in the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, birch bark prevailed in Rus [now Russia] as the most dependable material for communication among medieval city-dwellers. It was inexpensive, ubiquitous in the region’s vast swaths of forest, and could be easily engraved using a pointed stylus made of metal, bone or wood.
Found in Veliky Novgorod—one of Russia’s oldest cities approximately 120 miles from St. Petersburg—the birch bark manuscript excavated in 1951 contains a brief list of working assignments addressed to a local laborer. This breakthrough finding proved to be just the tip of the iceberg, as over 1,000 manuscripts have been discovered across Russia since—some dating back to the 11th century!
Before the 1951 excavation, historians mostly relied on ancient Russian archives to color in the grey areas of medieval history, but these records did not illustrate the minutiae of everyday life. Birch bark writings filled these gaps with incredible detail, chronicling accounts from children to high-ranking officials. Thanks to these artifacts, scholars now believe ancient Russians had a much higher rate of literacy than previously thought and have discovered a new Old Russian dialect.
Today, experts estimate tens of thousands of birch bark writings remain under Russian soil. What will archaeologists discover next?
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24 Nov 2020
Celebrating Mariachi
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...6uKvw&usqp=CAU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQVzvv940Bw
Today’s video Doodle celebrates a quintessential element of Mexico’s rich cultural heritage: the musical genre of Mariachi. Mariachi is typically characterized by a small group of musicians dressed in traditional clothing who perform a wide repertoire of Mexican songs on mostly stringed instruments [the term Mariachi can refer to either the music or the musicians themselves]. During a session held the week of November 22, 2011 UNESCO inscribed Mariachi on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Mariachi tradition was born in west-central Mexico around the turn of the 19th century, though its exact origins remain unknown. At first, the genre was strictly instrumental, composed of the sounds of stringed instruments, and eventually vocals and the trumpet were added to the mix. In modern times, Mariachi music has been combined with elements of diverse genres from jazz to reggae. Singers often add in their best grito to express the emotion of the vibrant music! No matter the variation, Mariachi remains a strong representation of Mexican history and culture.
Today’s video Doodle features a Mariachi serenade of the classic song, Cielito Lindo. More than just music, Cielito Lindo [which roughly translates from Spanish as “lovely sweet one”] is a symbol of Mexican pride and community.The Mariachi band is depicted playing the staple instruments of the musical genre—including the guitarrón [a six-string bass], vihuela [a five-string guitar], violin, trumpet, and harp—and wearing traditional trajes de charro [charro suits].
¡Que viva el Mariachi!
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3 April 2020
Lola Álvarez Bravo’s 117th Birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...7108337-2x.jpg
Today’s Doodle celebrates one of Mexico’s first professional female photographers, Lola Álvarez Bravo, on her 117th birthday. Known for her portraits of public figures, as well as street photography chronicling decades of Mexican life, she is considered one of the country’s pioneers of modernist photography.
Born Dolores Martinez de Anda in Jalisco, Mexico, on this day in 1903, the future photographer moved to Mexico City as a child. It was from her neighbor, Manuel Bravo, that she first learned the basics of photography, including developing photos in the darkroom. The pair married in 1925, and both went on to achieve enormous acclaim for their work.
Álvarez Bravo became a central figure in Mexico’s post-revolution cultural renaissance, and among her most internationally-renowned photographs were those taken in the mid-1940s of her friend, and one of the country’s most iconic artists, the painter Frida Kahlo. Through her photojournalistic lens, Álvarez Bravo captured scenes of everyday Mexican life, from local traditions to outdoor barbershops, portraying the depth and breadth of the country’s culture across a career spanning more than half a century.
In 1981, Álvarez Bravo’s home state of Jalisco awarded her a medal of distinction for her contribution to the arts, and four years later, a plaque was installed in her honor in Guadalajara’s historic Degollada Theater.
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Lola Álvarez Bravo! Thank you for capturing Mexico from the ground up.
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27 November 2010
Bruce Lee's 70th Birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/2010/brucelee2010-hp.jpg
Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong and American martial artist, martial arts instructor, actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts [MMA]. Lee is considered by critics, media, and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West. He is credited with promoting Hong Kong action cinema and helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.
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17 September 2016
Irena Kwiatkowska’s 104th birthday
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...048.2-hp2x.gif
Beloved Polish actress Irena Kwiatkowska was born today in 1912. A household name in Poland, Kwiatkowska was celebrated for her work in cabaret, comedy, film, theater, radio, and television. She is best known for the television character "Working Woman," who did many different [and often wacky] jobs, to great humorous effect.
When Kwiatkowska was born, Poland was part of the Russian Empire. She witnessed dramatic changes in Poland's culture and politics during her lifetime. Whether she was advocating for Polish independence, teaching at the Warsaw Theatre Academy, performing a comedic monologue, or singing in a movie musical, Irena Kwiatkowska sought the best for her country -- and brought her best to her audiences.
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16 September 2017
Mexico National Day 2017
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...69280.2-2x.jpg
Happy National Day, Mexico!
Not far from the modern metropolis of Mexico City lies another important city—one that’s at least 1,300 years old. Today’s Doodle by guest artist Luis Pinto pays tribute to the ancient city Teotihuacan, constructed between the 1st and 7th centuries. Who actually built the ancient city remains a mystery.
Visitors to Teotihuacan stand in the shadows of the towering Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, and the detailed Temple of Quetzalcoatl. At night, a spectacular light and sound show brings the pyramid carvings to life in brilliant colors. You can also view the city from above in a hot air balloon; just keep an eye out for Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered serpent” responsible for the wind.
Many Mexicans today are descendants of its indigenous people, and the country is a rich mosaic of old and new. On September 16th, people of all ancestries come together to remember the famous Grito de Dolores, or “Cry of Dolores,” that set Mexico on the path to a united country for all.
¡Viva México!
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16 September 2014
Mexico Independence Day 2014
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FL...XfO7byefI=s660
There’s no dish that has more pride than “chiles en nogada.” These green chiles are stuffed with picadillo, covered in a white walnut cream and topped with red pomegranate seeds, dressing the meal in the colors of the Mexican flag. Happy Independence Day to Mexico!
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12 Sept 2022
Celebrating the Lampang Rooster Bowl
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...109500-2xa.gif
Cock-a-Doodle-Do! Today’s Doodle celebrates the iconic Lampang Rooster Bowl, a traditional tableware design featuring a black-tailed rooster with peony flowers and banana leaves. This durable kitchenware is so popular in Asia that the Thai government registered the rooster bowl as a Geographical Indication product of Lampang on this day in 2013. This means international trade law affirms the quality and reputation of rooster bowls made in the region!
The rooster bowl was imported to Thailand from China. In the original artwork, the rooster symbolized hard work while the banana leaf and red peony represented dreams of good fortune.
In 1957, entrepreneurs opened many rooster kitchenware factories in Thailand’s Lampang province. The region, teeming with clay minerals, was better suited for ceramic manufacturing.
As Lampang began mass producing tableware with rooster designs, the bowl became one of the region’s best-selling products—bringing financial stability and freedom to Lampang locals.
Although Lampang continues to manufacture rooster bowls today, few factories can afford to design rooster bowls according to the traditional style and material, causing the original hand-painted rooster bowls to become a rare collector’s item.
Be sure to check your kitchen cabinets for vintage rooster bowls—they just might bring your family good fortune!
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16 September 2019
Chrisye’s 70th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Yogyakarta-based guest artist Antares Hasanbasri, celebrates the progressive Indonesian pop singer and songwriter, Chrisye. Born Chrismansyah Rahadi in Jakarta on this day in 1949, Chrisye won many awards in his 40-year career and is widely considered one of the greatest Indonesian musicians of all time.
Chrisye’s parents had hoped he’d become an engineer. To their surprise, he fell in love with music early, starting a band with his brother Joris and later playing bass with his neighbors, eventually forming a band named Gipsy. Chrisye’s early recordings with Gipsy, as well as a number of other solo albums, solidified his place as one of Indonesia’s most popular recording artists.
Gipsy’s breakthrough occurred when they collaborated with Guruh Sukarnoputra in 1976 through the album Guruh Gipsy, blending contemporary rock and traditional music of Java and Bali, in a style called called gamelan.
A 1977 film soundtrack, Badai Pasti Berlalu [The Storm Will Surely Pass], birthed two of his most critically acclaimed works, including "Lilin-Lilin Kecil" [“Little Candles”] written by James F. Sundah. His smooth vocals on the song, emanating hope from an older generation, made the uplifting memorial song a favorite—and was also what inspired the art in today’s Doodle. The success of the soundtrack album led to a solo career with Chrisye’s first solo project, Sabda Alam, in 1978.
Chrisye appeared in the 1980 film Seindah Rembulan [As Beautiful As the Moon] and eventually married Yanti, former singer born G.F. Damayanti Noor, raising four children. He won numerous accolades, including Anugerah Musik Indonesia awards for Best Male Pop Singer and Best Album.
“Semangat bermusik saya tidak akan pernah mati,” Chrisye once wrote. “My musical spirit will never die.”
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September 2020
Celebrating Dr. Harold Moody
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Dublin-based guest artist Charlot Kristensen, celebrates Jamaican-born British doctor, racial equality campaigner, and founder of the U.K.'s first civil rights movement Dr. Harold Moody. On this day in 1904, Dr. Moody arrived in the U.K. from Jamaica to pursue his medical studies at King’s College London. Alongside his medical work, he dedicated his life to campaigning for racial equality and advocating against discrimination.
Harold Arundel Moody was born on October 8, 1882, in the Jamaican capital of Kingston. He received early exposure to the medical field while in secondary school through his work for his father’s pharmaceutical business. Determined to become a doctor, he left Jamaica in 1904 to study medicine in London.
Dr. Moody soon came face-to-face with rampant racism in Edwardian London. Even though he qualified to practice medicine, finished top of his class, and won numerous academic prizes, he was repeatedly refused work due to the color bar system that denied people opportunities based on race. Instead, he opened his own private medical practice in Peckham, South East London—the neighborhood that inspired the design of the buildings situated below Dr. Moody in today’s Doodle. The children depicted represent the countless impoverished youth Dr. Moody would treat free of charge, in a time before the U.K. had a National Health Service. In doing so, Dr. Moody earned a reputation as a compassionate humanitarian and philanthropist who would always help those in need.
Dr. Moody’s determination to improve the lives of those around him wasn’t limited to his medical practice—he simultaneously focused his attention on combating racial injustice as well. He founded the League of Coloured Peoples in 1931 with the mission to fight for racial equality both in the U.K. and around the world. The group pushed for change, at a government level, to combat discrimination in its many forms.
Thank you, Dr. Moody, for paving the way towards a more equal future.
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7 September 2022
Louise 'Miss Lou' Bennett-Coverley's 103rd birthday
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Today's Doodle, illustrated by Jamaican guest artist Robyn Smith, celebrates Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley’s 103rd birthday. The Jamaican poet, folklorist, activist and entertainer empowered the country to take pride in its language and culture. Known by many Jamaicans as “Miss Lou,” Bennett's social commentary and sense of humor made her a popular personality in the country.
Bennett was born on September 7, 1919 in Kingston, Jamaica. She developed a passion for literature and Jamaican folklore in school and began writing poetry. Fascinated by her native language, Bennett wrote in the local dialect. Her first public appearance was her recital of a poem in Jamaican patois at a concert.
Soon, Bennett was given a weekly column in The Gleaner, the island’s newspaper at the time, though they originally rejected Bennett’s poems. The majority of Jamaicans speak patois, but critics denounced it as an inferior and improper language. Her column, which captured the experiences of Jamaicans in their own language, gained support across the country.
In 1942, Bennett published her first book of poetry, Dialect Verses. It earned her a British Council scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. As the school's first Black student, Bennett worked for the British Broadcasting Commission [BBC] where she hosted the radio program Caribbean Carnival. After completing her degree, she hosted other programs like West Indian Guest Night and acted in theater companies.
Returning to Jamaica in 1956, Bennett worked as a Drama Officer and later Director of the Jamaica Social Welfare Commission. On behalf of the commission, she moved around the country to train village instructors and regional officers with workshops like playmaking, improvisation and mime. She gave lectures on Jamaican folklore in the United States and England. Bennett also hosted radio programs like Laugh with Louise and Miss Lou's Views, and Ring Ding, a beloved Saturday morning children’s TV show airing on Jamaica Broadcasting Commission [JBC].
In 1998, the Jamaican government appointed Bennett as the country’s Cultural Ambassador at Large. She was also inducted into the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II. Bennett was a champion of her country’s language and culture, inspiring Jamaicans to take pride in both.
Happy Birthday, Miss Lou!
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Nov 13, 2010
Robert Louis Stevenson's 160th Birthday
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Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer, most noted for writing Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, and A Child's Garden of Verses.
Born and educated in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial trouble for much of his life, but continued to write prolifically and travel widely in defiance of his poor health. As a young man, he mixed in London literary circles, receiving encouragement from Andrew Lang, Edmund Gosse, Leslie Stephen and W. E. Henley, the last of whom may have provided the model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island. In 1890, he settled in Samoa where, alarmed at increasing European and American influence in the South Sea islands, his writing turned away from romance and adventure toward a darker realism. He died in his island home in 1894.
A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, though today his works are held in general acclaim. In 2018 he was ranked, just behind Charles Dickens, as the 26th-most-translated author in the world.
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Feb 4, 2009
Božena Němcová's Birthday
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Božena Němcová [4 February 1820[citation needed] in Vienna – 21 January 1862 in Prague] was a Czech writer of the final phase of the Czech National Revival movement.
Her image is featured on the 500 CZK denomination of the banknotes of the Czech koruna.
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Mar 1, 2009
St. David's Day 2009
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Saint David's Day, or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. The feast has been regularly celebrated since the canonisation of David in the 12th century, by Pope Callixtus II, though it is not a public holiday in the UK.
Traditional festivities include wearing daffodils and leeks, recognised symbols of Wales and Saint David respectively, eating traditional Welsh food including cawl and Welsh rarebit, and women wearing traditional Welsh dress. An increasing number of cities and towns across Wales including Cardiff, Swansea and Aberystwyth also put on parades throughout the day.
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Mar 2, 2009
Dr. Seuss' 105th Birthday
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Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author, political cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, and filmmaker. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. His work includes many of the most popular children's books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages by the time of his death.
Geisel adopted the name "Dr. Seuss" as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College and as a graduate student at Lincoln College, Oxford. He left Oxford in 1927 to begin his career as an illustrator and cartoonist for Vanity Fair, Life, and various other publications. He also worked as an illustrator for advertising campaigns, most notably for FLIT and Standard Oil, and as a political cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM. He published his first children's book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1937. During World War II, he took a brief hiatus from children's literature to illustrate political cartoons, and he also worked in the animation and film department of the United States Army where he wrote, produced or animated many productions including Design for Death, which later won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
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Jul 9, 2015
Aiga Rasch’s 74th Birthday
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Aiga Rasch was a German illustrator, graphic designer and painter. Though her best-known work covered the youth mystery book series Die drei ??? [The Three Investigators], it doesn't take a detective to identify Aiga Rasch's signature style. In Germany, the book series gained a wide following, with Rasch's cover art propelling the books into unmistakeable icons. Her illustrations are concise and powerful, and the colorful covers impeccably translate the stories within.
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March 19, 2021
Dona Militana's 96th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Bel Andrade Lima, celebrates the 96th birthday of Brazilian singer and storyteller Dona Militana, whose vast memory of medieval ballads provided a unique record of generational Iberian and Brazilian tales.
Militana Salustino do Nascimento, also known as Dona Militana, was born in São Gonçalo do Amarante, Rio Grande do Norte on this day in 1925. As a child, Militana worked the fields; planting crops and weaving baskets with her father, who sang as they toiled. Many of his songs told stories from a bygone era of medieval kings, queens, warriors, and lovers—stories Militana never forgot.
Militana’s traditional talent remained largely unknown for decades, until she was discovered by folklorist Deífilo Gurgel in the 1990s. It was then that she shared with the world her prodigious chronicle of songs and stories—some of which were over 700 years old.
In 2000, Militana recorded “Cantares,” a collection of 54 songs that were novel-like in scope, with lyrics and melodies that accurately reflected the times from which they originated. Upon the project’s release, audiences throughout Brazil learned of Dona Militana—the guardian of a Brazilian history nearly lost to time.
In recognition of her impact on Brazilian culture, Dona Militana was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in 2005.
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Mar 24, 2008
Béla Bartók's 127th Birthday
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Béla Viktor János Bartókwas a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers. Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became ethnomusicology.
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Jun 7, 2008
Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Birthday
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Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdonald, was influential on European design movements such as Art Nouveau and Secessionism and praised by great modernists such as Josef Hoffmann. Mackintosh was born in Glasgow and died in London. He is among most important figures of Modern Style [British Art Nouveau style].
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Feb 17, 2014
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson's 150th Birthday [born 1864]
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Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales, where he spent much of his childhood. Paterson's more notable poems include "Clancy of the Overflow" [1889], "The Man from Snowy River" [1890] and "Waltzing Matilda" [1895], regarded widely as Australia's unofficial national anthem.
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Feb 19, 2014
Gabriele Münter's 137th Birthday
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Gabriele Münter was a German expressionist painter who was at the forefront of the Munich avant-garde in the early 20th century. She studied and lived with the painter Wassily Kandinsky and was a founding member of the expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter.
In 2018, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art of Copenhagen, Denmark, ran an exhibition from May to August with about 130 works by Gabriele Münter, many of which were being shown for the first time, in the artist's first comprehensive retrospective in decades.
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Jan 22, 2020
Celebrating "Sawaddee"
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Today’s Doodle celebrates sawaddee, the Thai way to greet friends and strangers alike. A custom adopted on this day in 1943, this salutation is presented with a wai: a prayer-like pose delivered in concert with a bow that accompanies the expression of sawaddee. The gesture altogether is meant to convey respect and warmth.
Originally coined by linguist Phraya Upakit Silapasan from the root word, “Svasti,” the Sanskrit word for “blessing” or “well-being,” sawaddee soon became an official part of the Thai vocabulary.
Known as the “Land of a Thousand Smiles,” Thailand is world-renowned for its friendly people and gracious hospitality. Today, sawaddee can be heard across the country—from the idyllic beaches of the south, to the temples of the mountainous north, and everywhere in between—epitomizing the welcoming spirit of Thailand.
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9 October 2022
Celebrating the Regatta de Zamboanga
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Regatta de Zamboanga, an annual sailing competition from the southern part of the Philippines.
Every October, thousands of people gather along the kilometer-long stretch of R.T. Lim Boulevard in Zamboanga City to watch hundreds of vintas and their colorful sails race across the coastline. The event is the highlight of the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival honoring its patron saint, the La Virgen Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza.
The racers are mostly Bajau fishermen who come from coastal villages like Sinunuc, Maasin, Labuan, Mariki, and the island of Santa Cruz. Each boat carries two people paddling towards victory.
Also known as lepa-lepa or sakayan, the vintas are traditional outrigger boats with vibrant, rectangular sails. The intricate patterns on the canvas—designed by the racers themselves—symbolize the identities, customs and aspirations of the region’s diverse ethnic groups.
Although the regatta is a friendly competition in celebration of the fishermen’s maritime skills, everyone is motivated to be one of the winning teams to take home a prize.
So, get ready, set, row! And may the fastest vinta paddler win!
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9 October 2011
Mihajlo Pupin's 153th Birthday
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Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin, also known as Michael Pupin, was a Serbian physicist, physical chemist and philanthropist based in the United States.
Pupin is best known for his numerous patents, including a means of greatly extending the range of long-distance telephone communication by placing loading coils [[of wire) at predetermined intervals along the transmitting wire [known as "pupinization"]. Pupin was a founding member of National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics [NACA] on 3 March 1915, which later became NASA, and he participated in the founding of American Mathematical Society and American Physical Society.