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September 19, 2019
Tin Tan’s 104th Birthday
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The exact origins of the Mexican-American term “Pachuco” are hard to pin down, but one of the most famous Pachucos in history would have to be Tin Tan. Today’s animated Doodle celebrates the actor, singer, and comedian who got his start in the nightclubs of Ciudad Juarez, just south of the Rio Grande, and went on to redefine a misunderstood youth culture.
Born in Mexico City on this day in 1915, Germán Genaro Cipriano Gómez Valdés de Castillo, also known as Tin Tan, helped to popularize the Mexican-American Pachuco. Known for their streetwise swagger and “zoot suits,” Tin Tan’s Pachuco characters were a variation on the “tramp” often portrayed by Mexican film actor Cantinflas. Often accompanied by Marcelo Chávez on guitar, Tin Tan appeared alongside the actress Famie Kaufman, also known as Vitola, though legend has it that he kissed more leading ladies than any actor in history.
His performance in films like the musical comedy Calabacitas Tiernas helped popularize the dialect known as caló, a mixture of Spanish and English spoken along the border. Besides appearing in more than 100 films, Tin Tan also recorded 11 records and voiced beloved Disney characters like Baloo in The Jungle Book and Cat O'Malley in The Aristocats.
Though he reportedly turned down The Beatles’ invitation to appear on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Tin Tan was honored by the Asociación de Actores de México. His legacy lives on in a statue on Génova Street in Mexico City’s Zona Rosa, standing as a symbol of pride in Mexico’s cultural heritage.
Feliz Cumpleaños, Tin Tan!
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Sep 7, 2017
Sir John Cornforth’s 100th Birthday
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Today's Doodle celebrates chemist Sir John Warcup Cornforth, born in Sydney on this date in 1917. During childhood, Cornforth began to lose his hearing, and he was completely deaf by the age of 20. Unable to hear the lectures in his classes at the University of Sydney, he devoured chemistry textbooks on his own.
One fateful day at university, Cornforth met fellow chemist Rita Harradence. She had broken a flask in the lab and asked Cornforth — an accomplished glassblower — to repair it. Thus began a long professional and romantic partnership. In 1939, Cornforth and Harradence both won scholarships to study at Oxford, and they married two years later. Together they wrote more than 40 scientific papers. [Now that's chemistry!]
At Oxford, Conforth joined the team that made great strides in the study of penicillin. He then returned to his earlier research on the three-dimensional structure ["stereochemistry"] of various chemical reactions. In 1975, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for this work. Cornforth and co-laureate Vladimir Prelog studied the enzymes that activate changes in organic compounds. Their conclusions opened the door to many discoveries, including the development of cholesterol-lowering drugs.
When the Nobel Prize was announced, the press release admitted, "This subject is difficult to explain to the layman." But it was already clear that millions of people would benefit from Cornforth's lifelong curiosity about the workings and wonder of the natural world.
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Sep 16, 2019
Lupicínio Rodrigues’ 105th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Brazilian composer and singer Lupicínio Rodrigues, whose sentimental songs made his name synonymous with the musical genre samba-canção, also known as samba triste or “sad samba.” Born on this day in 1914 in the city of Porto Allegre, Rodrigues was a master of dor-de-cotovelo music—which literally translates as “elbow pain music,” or songs that express heartache.
Raised in a family of modest means, Rodrigues lived in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, but his dramatic songs were spread far and wide by sailors visiting his hometown, a popular cruise ship port. “Carnaval,” one of his first compositions, won a contest when he was just 14 years old.
Starting in the 1940s and ’50s, his work was recorded by the most popular vocalists in Brazil, including Francisco Alves, Orlando Silva, Linda Batista, Nora Ney, Elza Soares, Gilberto Gil, and Jamelão—who eventually recorded an entire album of his compositions.
Asked about the inspiration for his tales of jealousy, betrayal, and lost love, Rodrigues answered, “my life.” A family memoir quoted him as saying, "I've been suffering a lot at the hands of women, because I'm so sentimental, but I've also made fortunes from what they do to me.”
In honor of his 80th birthday, his home state of Rio Grande do Sul announced the Lupicínio Rodrigues Cultural Year, a fitting tribute to the composer’s enduring artistry, full of pathos and passion.
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October 1, 2006
Castellers 2006
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lz...UNiGaMTfb=s660
A castell is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several colles castelleres [teams that build towers] attempt to build and dismantle a tower's structure. On 16 November 2010, castells were declared by UNESCO to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...t%C3%B2ria.jpg
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16 September 2021
Lo Man-fei's 66th birthday
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Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the 66th birthday of Taiwanese dancer, choreographer, and teacher Lo Man-fei, a lifelong advocate for the development of Taiwanese dancers and performance art.
Lo Man-fei was born on this day in 1955 in Taipei City, Taiwan and took her first steps toward a career in dance at 5 years old. In college, her unique talent was fostered by some of Taiwan’s leading choreographers, including Lin Hwai-min, the founder of one of the nation’s most acclaimed dance troupes—Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. She graduated from National Taiwan University with a degree in English literature and moved to the U.S. in 1978 to study with the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the José Limón Dance Company. However, she decided to return to Taiwan to join Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. In 1979, Lo formally joined Cloud Gate—an acceptance she attributed in part to the skills passed down to her from masters such as Lin.
With a repertoire utilizing techniques from ballet, modern dance, and traditional Chinese dance, she toured the world with Cloud Gate until 1982, capturing a blend of these styles with what she referred to as her own “vocabulary” of movements. Lo worked on Broadway in the early 1980s and in 1985, earned a master’s degree in dance at New York University before returning to Taiwan. She then rejoined Cloud Gate, choreographed original performances, and nurtured a new generation of dancers as a professor at the National Institute for the Arts [now the Taipei National University of the Arts].
In 1999, Cloud Gate 2, an evolution of Taiwan’s renowned troupe, appointed Lo as its artistic director and Cloud Gate later established a scholarship in her honor. She is best known today for her solo performance in “Requiem,” a 10-minute, non-stop spinning routine choreographed specifically for her by none other than Lin Hwai-min himself.
Happy Birthday to Lo Man-fei, who always put her best foot forward!
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1 March 2023
Celebrating Mickey Chen
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Taiwan-based guest artist Dyin Li, celebrates Taiwanese filmmaker and activist Mickey Chen, who focused on telling stories from people that belonged to disenfranchised communities. On this day in 1999, his film Boys for Beauty became the first LGBTQ-themed documentary to be screened at a movie theater in Taiwan.
Chen, fascinated by cameras from a young age, started creating movies in college. At 30, he made his directorial debut with Not Simply a Wedding Banquet [[1997), a documentary about the first gay couple to have a public wedding in Taipei. It explored the struggles that members of the LGBTQ+ community faced in Taiwan.
In 1999, Chen released Boys for Beauty, an eye-opening exposé that followed the lives of three gay teenagers from Taipei. The film took a bold stance against gender norms and showcased the societal pressures each subjects’ relatives endured. It was a box office success and a pivotal achievement for Taiwanese cinema.
Boys for Beauty won countless awards and film festival placements, most notably the Audience Award at the 2000 Taiwan International Documentary Festival. Chen gave an inspiring acceptance speech that praised the LGBTQ+ movement and invited several directors to join his on stage in an act of solidarity.
Chen wrote and directed many more documentaries such as Memorandum on Happiness [2003], Scars on Memory [2005], and Fragile in Love [2007]. He also published Taipei Father, New York Mother in 2011, a book about family tragedies that occurred during his youth. Throughout his career, Chen documented significant moments of LGBTQ+ history in Taiwan and opened the eyes of the public to them and Taiwan’s progressive LGBTQ+ societal views are a result of trailblazers like him.
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13 August 2023
Sridevi's 60th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Mumbai-based guest artist Bhumika Mukherjee, celebrates Indian actress Sridevi’s 60th birthday! Starring in nearly three hundred movies over the course of four decades, Sridevi made Bollywood’s sweeping dramas and comedies shine, oftentimes without a male counterpart in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Sridevi was born on this day in 1963 in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. She fell in love with movies as a child and started acting at four years old in the Tamil movie, Kandhan Karunai. Sridevi learned to speak multiple South Indian languages, which allowed her to break into India’s other film industries. Early in her career, she acted in a variety of genres and across multiple film industries, including Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam movies.
In 1976, Sridevi gained national recognition as the protagonist in K. Balachander's Moondru Mudichu. After the film’s success, she and her co-stars became even more famous with a string of hit films like Guru and Sankarlal. Widely considered the star of Tamil cinema at the time, Sridevi’s on-screen charisma garnered attention from producers from the Hindi-speaking film industry as well.
After playing the lead role in the action comedy Himmatwala, Sridevi established herself as a national icon and box-office attraction in Bollywood. Over the next decade, Sridevi starred in hits like the romantic drama film Sadma and the comedy ChaalBaz. She remains one of the only Bollywood actresses to headline blockbuster movies without a male actor in an industry that was traditionally male-dominated.
Sridevi took a break from acting in the early 2000s before starring in television shows like Malini and Kaboom. She then joined the Asian Academy of Film & Television board of directors. In 2012, she announced her comeback with English Vinglish; the film marked her successful return as a leading lady in Bollywood after a long hiatus. The Indian government also honored her with the Padma Shri. In 2017, Sridevi starred in the crime thriller Mom as a rage-filled and protective mother, earning her the National Film Award for best actress.
Sridevi forever made her mark on the film industry by charting new avenues for women to take on leading roles in Indian cinema. She will be remembered as one of the greatest Indian actors of her time.
Happy birthday, Sridevi!
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13 August 2014
Ivan Sechenov's 185th Birthday
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Our doodle in Russia celebrates the father of objective physiological psychology, Ivan Sechenov. Sechenov theorized that all human actions, conscious and unconscious, are conditioned responses to external stimuli.
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Jun 11, 2010
Jacques Cousteau's 100th Birthday
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Jacques-Yves Cousteau, was a French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqua-Lung, pioneered marine conservation and was a member of the Académie Française.
Cousteau described his underwater world research in a series of books, perhaps the most successful being his first book, The Silent World: A Story of Undersea Discovery and Adventure, published in 1953. Cousteau also directed films, most notably the documentary adaptation of the book, The Silent World, which won a Palme d'or at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. He remained the only person to win a Palme d'Or for a documentary film, until Michael Moore won the award in 2004 for Fahrenheit 9/11.
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13 Aug 2012
Cassiano Branco's 115th Birthday
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Cassiano Viriato Branco [Lisbon, August 13, 1897 – Lisbon, April 24, 1970] was a Portuguese architect. He is one of the most important architects of the first half of the 20th century in Portugal. Some of his projects include the Coliseu do Porto, Hotel Vitória and the Portugal dos Pequenitos theme park.
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12 July 2013
Claude Bernard's 200th Birthday
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Claude Bernard was a French physiologist. Historian I. Bernard Cohen of Harvard University called Bernard "one of the greatest of all men of science". Among many other accomplishments, he was one of the first to suggest the use of a blinded experiment to ensure the objectivity of scientific observations. He originated the term milieu intérieur, and the associated concept of homeostasis [the latter term being coined by Walter Cannon].
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29 April 2011
Royal Wedding
https://www.google.com/logos/2011/royalwedding11-hp.png
Admittedly, this was one a bit challenging as far as doodles go. We usually replace a letter or two, but in this case, the entire logo was replaced with scenery, hidden in the form of buildings, bridges and fairy tale-esque castles, not to mention that huge crowd! If you found the logo a little difficult to read, that’s okay, we did it on purpose — we just didn’t want our logo to steal any attention away from the bride and groom’s big day!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/PJk04k_jcSkTMGn...BU2Iz86_US7=s0
posted by Mike Dutton
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29 April 2014
Ustad Alla Rakha's 95th Birthday
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Ustad Allarakha Qureshi [29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000], 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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19 Nov 2022
Celebrating Enrique de la Mora
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Enrique de la Mora y Palomar, a Mexican architect who shaped the image of contemporary cities in Mexico, and was illustrated by Mexico-based artist Julian Ardila. De la Mora experimented with hyperbolic paraboloid shell roofs, also known as saddle roofs, to create structurally efficient buildings with a modern aesthetic. On this day in 1946, Enrique de la Mora received the Premio Educación Pública award from the Administrative Commission of the National Prize for Arts and Sciences for his Purísima Concepción Parish design.
De la Mora was born on November 19, 1907 in Guadalajara, a city in Western Mexico. His father, Manuel de la Mora y del Castillo Negrete, was a prominent engineer and architect.
Following his father’s footsteps, the young De la Mora attended the National School of Architecture and graduated in 1933. A year later, he launched his career by designing the El Puerto de Liverpool department store in Mexico City.
De la Mora went on to design more than 100 architectural projects over the next two decades, including major university buildings and churches. His building designs focused on optimizing structures with symmetrical curves such as hyperbolas, parabolas, vaults and arches.
His most notable work was Iglesia La Purísima, the first Mexican church with a modern architectural design. The structural innovation behind the church’s parabolic vaulted ceilings won him a National Architecture Award in 1946.
His other major works include the master plan for the Monterrey Institute of Technology, the Mexican Stock Exchange, and the School of Philosophy and Literature [Facultad de Filosofía y Letras] at the National Autonomous University of Mexico which later became a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Today, De la Mora is remembered as an important figure in the structural expressionism movement. We can find his exceptional work and influence across major Mexican cities.
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11 August 2015
Gustavo Cerati’s 56th Birthday
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When he was 9 years old, Gustavo Cerati’s parents gave him his first guitar. Thus began the long career of one of the most unique, inspiring, and cherished Ibero-American rock musicians of all time.
Gustavo Cerati started his first band only a few years later. When Soda Stereo formed in 1982, Gustavo and his bandmates broke the mold on Latin rock, captivating Spanish-speaking audiences throughout the Americas, all the way across the ocean to Spain. After 15 years as a band, they said an emotional goodbye with El Último Concierto [The Last Concert].
Gustavo wasn’t done setting the stage for Latin rock. As a solo act, he’d release 5 albums and receive dozens of awards for his influence on Latin rock. His larger-than-life musical persona was so beloved that his passing in 2014 inspired tributes from musicians like Shakira and U2.
In today’s Doodle drawn by Kevin Laughlin, Gustavo strums his guitar while we thank him with his iconic words, “Gracias totales!” Take a listen to Gustavo Cerati and the musicians he influenced on his Google Play Music radio channel.
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May 19, 2014
Rubik's Cube
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YF...-dBdDQvHc=s660
The Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980. Rubik's Cube won the 1980 German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle. As of January 2009, 350 million cubes had been sold worldwide, making it the world's top-selling puzzle game. It is widely considered to be the world's best-selling toy.
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20 Jul 2023
Colombia Independence Day 2023
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Today’s Doodle honors Colombia’s Independence Day. On this day in 1810, Colombia signed the Act of Revolution and declared freedom from Spanish rule.
Colombia’s capital Bogotá is at the center of celebrations. People from across the country gather there to watch vibrant parades, military demonstrations, and historic reenactments. For dinner, families enjoy the national dish of bandeja paisa, which consists of grilled beefsteak, steamed white rice, red beans, fried eggs, sweet plantains, fried pork, and slices of avocado. After feasts, many flock to beaches to watch fireworks light up the night sky.
Today’s Doodle artwork features the country’s national plant — a frailejon. There are 47 species of frailejones and they can grow up to 18.5 meters!
Happy Independence Day, Colombia!
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17 Jul 2023
Celebrating Asma Hamza
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Sudanese composer and oud player Asma Hamza. On this day in 1997, Asma was amongst the winners of the Laylat AlQadr AlKubra music competition in Sudan. This win was a turning point in her career and helped her gain recognition in a male-dominated field.
Asma was born in 1932 and loved music while growing up, dreaming of one day becoming a singer. Her vocal cords, however, weren’t equipped to do that safely, so she switched from singing tunes to whistling them. When her father heard her whistle in harmony, he borrowed an oud, similar to a lute but with a thinner neck and no frets, so Asma could practice.
She taught herself how to play songs she’d heard on the oud, from her own memory and ear for music. Her father encouraged her musical career from the start, but he was one of few. At that time, it was not socially acceptable for women to create music in Sudan; Asma recalls that the first piece she composed was in secret.
As she got older, she composed more melodies for several talented Arab artists and became known as one of the first female composers in Sudan. She also continued perfecting her oud playing and became amongst the first formally trained woman oud player in 1946.
Thank you for sharing your musical skills and working towards a more equal world for women, Asma Hamza!
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22 Jul 2023
Lenka Franulic's 115th Birthday
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Get the scoop on Lenka Franulic — today’s Doodle celebrates the first woman formally recognized as a Chilean journalist. On this day in 1908, Franulic was born in Antofagasta to Croatian immigrant parents.
Franulic was a pioneer for women from a young age. At her high school, girls were required to take one less year of humanities than boys, and instead use the time to learn housework. At just 15 years old, she wrote to the Ministry of Education and requested that she and a few friends take the sixth year just like their male counterparts. Her request was granted and she attended the boy’s school. This was groundbreaking because this was the first instance of boys and girls sharing a classroom in Chile.
She studied English at the University of Chile in Santiago, which prepared her for her first formal journalist job translating articles at Hoy magazine. At another magazine under the same publishing house, Ercilla, she requested to move to the reporting scene.
The director was skeptical about a woman reporter, and he tasked her to get an interview with a person who was known for not talking to journalists. Franulic succeeded, and she started to receive more critical and complex tasks. Over the next few years, she became one of the most significant interviewers in the country, talking with local and international politicians — including three Chilean presidents.
Having established herself as a journalist, Franulic went on to work as a reporter for radio stations, including Nuevo Mundo, Nacional, Cooperativa, and Agricultura y Minería. She also became director of the magazines Eva and Ercilla, officially proving that women can not only be reporters, but hold leadership roles guiding the work of other journalists.
Franulic helped create the Círculo de Periodistas, an organization that worked to make journalism a college degree. In 1953 she co-founded the School of Journalism at the University of Chile, the first in the country. A few years later, she received the National Journalism Award, and since 1963, Chile’s National Association of Women Journalists gives the “Lenka Franulic Award” to a woman journalist with outstanding quality work.
She is remembered for her feminist writing and attitude, elevating journalism, and being the first courageous woman to break into the male-dominated industry. Thank you for pushing boundaries, Lenka Franulic!
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25 January 2013
Juraj Jánošík's 325th Birthday
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Juraj Jánošík was a Slovak highwayman. Jánošík has been the main character of many Slovak novels, poems, and films. According to the legend, he robbed nobles and gave the loot to the poor, a deed often attributed to the famous Robin Hood. The legend is known in neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic. The actual robber had little to do with the modern legend, whose content partly reflects the ubiquitous folk myths of a hero taking from the rich and giving to the poor.
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26 Jan 2013
Australia Day 2013
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zN...3HXsmX3rj=s660
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove in New South Wales. In present-day Australia, celebrations aim to reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new members of the Australian community.
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Dec 18, 2022
2022 World Cup Finals
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The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association [FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football], the sport's global governing body and the most popular sport. The championship has been awarded every four years since the 1930 FIFA World Cup, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of World War II. The 2018 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Russia, was won by France, who beat Croatia 4–2.
The World Cup final match is the last of the competition, and the result determines which country is declared the world champion. If after 90 minutes of regular play the score is a draw, an additional 30-minute period of play, called extra time, is added. It is split into segments of two 15 minutes of play time. If the game is still tied after extra time, it is then decided by a penalty shoot-out. The team winning the penalty shoot-out are then declared champions.
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June 14, 2008
Kawabata Yasunari's Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Pi...KZx2paMGv=s660
Yasunari Kawabata [川端 康成, Kawabata Yasunari, 11 June 1899 – 16 April 1972[1]] was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and are still widely read.
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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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15 Jan 2014
The 255th anniversary of the British Museum
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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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14 Apr 2022
Celebrating Sơn Đoòng Cave
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Nestled deep within the remote jungles of central Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, lies a natural phenomenon unparalleled by any other on Earth: the gargantuan Sơn Đoòng Cave. Today’s Doodle celebrates this colossal cavern, which was officially discovered on this day in 2009.
Expert geologists estimate the Sơn Đoòng [Vietnamese for “Mountain River”] Cave was formed sometime between two to five million years ago—epochs before local farmer Ho Khanh inadvertently stumbled upon its enormous entrance in 1990. The cave remained untouched until 2008, when Khanh retraced his steps to its misty opening, and until 2009 alongside Howard and Deb Limbert of the British Cave Research Association. The intrepid speleologists conducted the cave’s first official survey and concluded that it was the largest cave on the planet.
Inside Sơn Đoòng’s undisturbed inner chambers [big enough to fit an entire city block of 40-story buildings!], scientists discovered a wealth of record-breaking geological formations including the world’s largest limestone pearls and tallest stalagmite. Giant sinkholes situated further into the cave’s depths allow for sunlight and rain to nourish two pristine jungle ecosystems, which are home to flying foxes, the world’s only monkeys to live underground, and eyeless white fish. One of these thriving rainforests is so vast, it even has its own localized weather system!
In 2019, a trio of British divers proved there was still more to discover after finding an underwater tunnel connecting Sơn Đoòng to another cave—tacking on another 5.6 million cubic feet to its already titanic volume of 1.35 billion cubic feet.
Here’s to a natural wonder for everyone’s travel bucket list!
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FIFA Women's World Cup 2023
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=...d=ii_lljd1jzy0
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association [FIFA], the sport's international governing body.
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21 February 2020
Chespirito's 91st birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates the 91st birthday of the iconic Mexican comedian, entertainer, writer, composer, television director, and producer Chespirito, best known for creating and starring in some of the most beloved television series in Mexican history.
Robert Gomez Bolaños was born on this day in 1929 in Mexico City. After studying engineering, he quickly shifted focus to one of his many other passions—writing—and found early success contributing to some of Mexico’s highest-rated television and radio programs.
As a testament to his growing reputation and prolific output, he earned the endearing nickname “Chespirito,” or “Little Shakespeare,” which he embraced for the rest of his life.
One of Chespirito’s first big breaks came in 1970 when he launched his own self-titled, hour-long comedy sketch show. Stepping in front of the camera, Chespirito brought to life two of his most timeless characters: El Chapulín Colorado ["The Crimson Grasshopper"], a satirical superhero, and El Chavo del Ocho ["The Boy From No. Eight."], a quirky 8-year old orphan, both of which went on to earn their own shows.
For more than 40 years, Chespirito masterminded the creation of hundreds of episodes of television, in addition to movies and plays, capturing the hearts of millions with his signature style of clean and hopeful humor. His legacy lives on in the series’ reruns, which have been translated into over 50 languages and continue to run on television networks globally to this day.
Gracias for all the laughs, Chespirito—your infectious smile brings joy to families around the world!
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February 23, 2020
Ca Trù's Founder Commemoration Day 2020
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Ho Chi Minh City-based guest artist Xuan Le, celebrates Ca Trù’s Founders Commemoration Day, a time to honor the genre widely considered to be Vietnam’s most revered traditional form of music.
A style that fits somewhere in between the geisha ceremonies of Japan and the dramatic performances of opera, Ca trù’s unique sound has roots that stretch back to the 11th century. First gaining popularity as entertainment for the aristocracy of Vietnam’s royal palaces, it later made its way into the inns and communal spaces of what is now modern-day Hanoi.
The ensemble is composed of at least three performers, including one female singing intricate poetry while tapping a phach [a small bamboo box], two musicians playing traditional instruments, and occasionally dancers. Ca trù is now found in cities across Vietnam.
Performed in designated Ca trù clubs and at annual festivals, the genre has seen a recent revival due to a concentrated effort from state-run organizations and international agencies. Preservation of Ca trù is elusive due in part to it being a strictly oral tradition that is passed down only through one elite practitioner to the next generation after years of committed study.
Taking into account the precious nature of an invaluable historical relic and the difficulty of its safeguarding, UNESCO is dedicated to protecting the practice and inscribed Ca trù on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.
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May 23, 2014
Otto Lilienthal's 166th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wX...FcFcHKg8A=s660
A crowd gathers to watch the “Gilder King” Otto Lilienthal in flight on our homepage in Germany today. A pioneer in aviation, Lilienthal is known for his work on heavier-than-air flight, and was an inspiration for the Wright Brothers among others.
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Mar 2, 2009
Dr. Seuss' 105th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/J6...GoyD9M31A=s660
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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March 3, 2020
Girls’ Day 2020
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...7108307-2x.png
Today’s Doodle celebrates Japan’s Girls’ Day, also known as Doll’s Day or Hinamatsuri, an annual celebration of girls in Japan. On the third day of the third month every year, this centuries-old tradition is a time to get dolled up and honor the happiness and health of girls in Japan.
As the peach trees begin to blossom, many families set out ornate dolls dedicated to their young daughters. These dolls are believed to ward off evil spirits while bringing good fortune and prosperity. Some parents and children dress these figurines in the customary kimonos of the Heian Period [794-1185] and display them on tiered platforms with ceremonial red carpet.
The roots of this tradition began with elaborate arrays that are meant to represent a wedding procession of the Heian imperial court. Traditionally, dolls representing an Emperor and Empress—similar to those depicted in the Doodle artwork—sit at the top of these displays and are representative of their roles in Japanese history and culture. Below the Emperor and Empress dolls, also known as the obina [male doll] and mebina [female doll], are other decorative dolls that represent members of the Heian-era court.
In current times, the styles of the dolls displayed have evolved outside of solely representing the Heian time-period. But what has not changed over the years is their meaning. Regardless of the dolls’ new styles, they remain a representation of parents’ wishing for their children’s health and good luck.
The coastal city of Katsuura hosts one of the most dazzling Hinamatsuri celebrations, where residents decorate the town with over 30,000 dolls, the country’s largest Dolls’ Day display.
Happy Girls’ Day, Japan!
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3 March 2015
Girls' Day 2015
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/af...E78dTbAgA=s660
Illustrated by guest artist, Satoe Haile
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March 19, 2008
Las Fallas 2008
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/o3...NqXKW_sTI=s660
The Falles is a traditional celebration held annually in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, Spain. The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, while the Mascletà, a pyrotechnic spectacle of firecracker detonation and fireworks display, takes place every day from 1 to 19 March. The term Falles refers to both the celebration and the monuments burnt during the celebration. A number of towns in the Valencian Community have similar celebrations inspired by the original Falles de València celebration. The Falles festival was added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity list on 30 November 2016.
Each neighbourhood of the city has an organised group of people, the Casal faller, that works all year long holding fundraising parties and dinners, usually featuring the noted dish paella, a specialty of the region. Each casal faller produces a construction known as a falla which is eventually burned. A casal faller is also known as a comissió fallera and currently there are approximately 400 registered in Valencia.
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Mar 24, 2008
Béla Bartók's 127th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AC...0GmAZzRzQ=s660
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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7 March 2021
Celebrating Masako Katsura
https://www.google.com/logos/doodles...9201.5-2xa.gif
Today’s Doodle celebrates ambidextrous Japanese sharpshooter Masako “The First Lady of Billiards” Katsura, who made history as the first woman to compete for an international billiards title on this day in 1952.
Born in Tokyo in 1913, Katsura picked up billiards at age 12 from her brother-in-law, a game room owner, and by 15 she was the Japanese women’s champion in straight rail—a challenging variation of carom billiards in which the cue ball must hit two balls in a row to score points. After 19, she only competed in men’s tournaments; racking up 10,000 points at one exhibition in a mind-boggling four and a half hour run.
By the time Katsura moved to the United States in 1937, word of her unprecedented talent had reached eight-time world champion Welker Cochran. He came out of retirement to challenge her in a series of three-cushion matches, an even tougher version of carom billiards, depicted in the Doodle artwork, that calls for the cue ball to hit at least three cushions before striking the two object balls for points. Katsura so impressed Welker, he organized the World Championship Billiards tournament in 1952 to watch her compete against world’s foremost billiards aficionados. Katsura upset some of the sport’s best players to finish seventh in the tournament, while the progress she made for women in a traditionally male-dominated game was a first.
To celebrate her historic achievements, Katsura was inducted into the Women’s Professional Billiard Association Hall of Fame in 1976 as one of the sport’s all-time greatest players.
So here’s to you, First Lady of Billiards! Thanks for cueing up this sport for generations of women to come.
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21 May 2006
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 147th Birthday
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ht...yjWBlkWdg=s660
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.