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Jan 18, 2023
Sachio Kinugasa’s 76th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates the 76th birthday of Japanese baseball player Sachio Kinugasa. He broke the record for most consecutive baseball games played in 1987 and held it for nine more years.
On this day in 1947, Kinugasa was born in Kyoto, Japan, to a Japanese mother and an African American father, and as a young boy, he was taunted for being mixed race.
He began playing baseball at Heian Buddhist high school and gained popularity as an infielder in the national high school tournament. In 1965, he was signed to the Hiroshima Carp baseball team. He was part of the starting lineup a few years later as third basemen and was a consistent hitter with around 15 home runs a year for 20+ years.
Kinugasa was dedicated to the sport and played a record-breaking 2,215 games in a row even sometimes with fractured bones. To him, it was more painful to miss a game than to play a game while injured, earning him the nickname Tetsujin [Iron Man]. While he is best known for his consecutive game streak, Kinugasa was a well-rounded player who ranks seventh in career home runs with a grand total of 504, fifth in career hits and tenth in career runs batted in. In 1975, he helped the Carp win their first ever league championship.
He received many awards for his athletic performance. Kinugasa was named Central League MVP in 1984 for winning the Japanese championship series. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996 and became the second baseball player to receive the People’s Honor Award, given for accomplishments in sports and entertainment, from the Prime Minister of Japan. A lifetime lover of the game, Kinugasa became a baseball announcer for TBS after retiring from the Carp.
Happy birthday to a baseball player who stole countless bases and hearts, Sachio Kinugasa!
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Oct 12, 2018
Celebrating Roberto Clemente
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“I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give.”
—Roberto Clemente
In the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month in the US, today’s Doodle by guest artist Roxie Vizcarra, commemorates the life and career of Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican Hall of Fame baseball star, Latinx trailblazer, and passionate humanitarian.
Born the son of a sugar cane worker in Carolina, Puerto Rico on August 18, 1934, Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker grew up in Barrio San Antón. His athletic gifts were obvious from an early age, joining the Puerto Rican amateur league at age 16. His professional career began in 1952, when the then 18-year-old signed with the Santurce Cangrejeros [[Crabbers), a winter league team in the LBBPR [Puerto Rico’s Baseball League].
Soon after graduating high school, Clemente signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliate in Montreal. His first at bat resulted in a game-winning home run on July 25, 1954. He made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates the following season.
A testament to his unique athletic ability, the right fielder accumulated numerous accolades during his pro career including 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, 4 National League batting titles, 3,000 career hits, the 1966 National League MVP Award, 2 World Series rings, and the 1971 World Series MVP Award. In fact, it was on this day in 1971 that Clemente’s performance led the Pittsburgh Pirates to victory against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of the series, ultimately contributing to their Series title.
Aside from his talents on diamond, it was Clemente’s mission to help others that has solidified his legacy as one of the most humanitarian athletes to play the game. Whether it was delivering food and supplies to those in need, holding baseball clinics for kids, or making generous donations, he consistently sought to be an agent of positive impact and a role model for the youth of his community.
Unfortunately, it was during the pursuit of this mission that Clemente saw his final moments. When a massive earthquake struck Nicaragua on Dec 23, 1972, he decided to personally airlift relief supplies to the nation to ensure they reached those in need. The overloaded plane crashed shortly after takeoff and Clemente passed away at the age of 38.
A few months after his passing, on March 20, 1973, Clemente was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame, becoming the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be so honored. Major League Baseball has honored his legacy since then by presenting the Roberto Clemente Award each year to an outstanding player who shows a strong commitment to community work.
Other posthumous awards Clemente has received include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Roberto Clemente Walker Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Citizens Medal. Sixty years after Clemente’s pro debut, Puerto Rico’s professional baseball league was even renamed the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente—a testimony to the enduring impact he made on his community and beyond.
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July 31, 2022
Celebrating Pétanque
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Interactive version: https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-petanque
Today’s interactive Doodle game celebrates Pétanque, a beloved French outdoor game played around the world. Just click the Doodle to play a random match or challenge your friends!
Long before Pétanque became France’s go-to afternoon activity, Ancient Greeks played games tossing flat stones and eventually stone balls. After modifying the game by adding a target ball, Ancient Roman soldiers and sailors brought the game to France.
The modern game of Pétanque originated in 1907 in Provence, France when a local cafe owner adjusted the rules to accommodate a player whose rheumatism prevented him from running. With a reduced length of the field and a stationary toss, Pétanque spread quickly across the country.
The rules of the game are fairly simple: throw, toss, or roll your team’s metal boules closer to the target boule than the other team. Over a series of rounds, the first player or team to score thirteen points wins! The goal might sound simple, but players can use a number of tactics to gain an advantage over their opponent. “Shooting” is a popular strategy, often used at competitive levels, where players attempt to knock away an opponent's boule from the target.
Nowadays, Pétanque is more than just a leisure activity with friends—the game is played competitively at regional, national and international levels throughout the world. The best players attend showcase events like the Mondial La Marseillaise in France and the La British Open in England.
Click today’s Doodle and get the boules rolling!
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Oct 12, 2021
Eugenio Montale's 125th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Aosta, Italy-based guest artist Andrea Serio, celebrates the 125th birthday of Italian poet, critic, and translator Eugenio Montale. Renowned for his masterful ability to capture human emotion, he is widely considered one of the greatest poets of contemporary history.
Born on this day in 1896 in the Italian port city of Genoa, Eugenio Montale first pursued a career as a baritone opera singer before finding his true voice as a poet. In a poem from “Ossi di Seppia” [“Cuttlefish Bones,” 1925], his first published collection, Montale used the rocky Italian coast as a symbol to provide both his readers and himself an escape from the anxiety of postwar Italy. This critically acclaimed collection differed from the extravagant language in poems of the time, and represented a turn in the tide for 20th-century literary symbolists.
Although he rejected the label, Montale is considered among the founders of the modernist poetic movement of Hermeticism—a “hermetic” [hidden or sealed] literary style often achieved through purposefully hard-to-interpret analogies and emotional vocabulary. Montale garnered worldwide fame for five volumes of symbolist poetry published during his 50-year writing career. In addition, he worked as an internationally renowned essayist, music and literary critic, and translator of English classics ranging from Shakespeare to Mark Twain.
In 1975, Montale’s uncompromising verse was recognized at the highest level when he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Often alluded to in the work of modern poets—Montale’s famously difficult poetry continues to have a profound effect on the literary world today.
Happy birthday, Eugenio Montale!
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October 8, 2010
César Milstein's 73rd Birthday
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César Milstein was an Argentine biochemist in the field of antibody research. Milstein shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984 with Niels Kaj Jerne and Georges J. F. Köhler for developing the hybridoma technique for the production of monoclonal antibodies.
The major part of Milstein's research career was devoted to studying the structure of antibodies and the mechanism by which antibody diversity is generated. It was as part of this quest that, in 1975, he worked with Georges Köhler [a postdoctoral fellow in his laboratory] to develop the hybridoma technique for the production of monoclonal antibodies—a discovery recognized by the award of the 1984 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. This discovery led to an enormous expansion in the exploitation of antibodies in science and medicine.
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Sep 30, 2010
Flintstones' 50th Anniversary
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As a young kid, I drew a lot of dinosaurs. My dad would bring home reams of dot matrix printer paper from work, which I'd take, fold into stapled booklets, and then fill with dinosaurs doing what dinosaurs did best — eating, leaping about, facing off in epic combat on top of spewing volcanoes. What I didn't know was that dinosaurs were also quite handy. A brontosaurus tail made an excellent water slide, you could walk up a row of plates on a stegosaurus' back like a flight of stairs, and the triceratops' horns were actually cutting-edge can openers. For these paleontological insights into Stone Aged innovation, I have the Flintstones to thank.
The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles. It was originally broadcast on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television.
The Flintstones may have lived in the prehistoric town of Bedrock, but their technology was on par with much of what we use today. Everyone drove human-powered vehicles [zero emissions!], composted scraps in a dinosaur under the kitchen sink, and even wore solar powered watches—that is, if you count sundials. In short, Bedrock was the modern city of the past... and I wanted to live in it! Unfortunately, that didn’t quite pan out, but to be able to pay tribute to one of my favorite childhood TV shows in the form of a Google doodle is easily the next best thing.
On the 50th anniversary of its first airing, we gladly salute “The Flintstones” for inspiring our imaginations and encouraging us to think outside of the box, even if it means taking a look back now and then. I hope you’ll join the rest of us here at Google in a little nostalgia to mark this fun occasion!
Oh, and if you know any saber-toothed tigers looking for an internship as a hole puncher, give me a buzz.
posted by Mike Dutton
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July 31, 2020
Celebrating Pacita Abad
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Philippine artist, feminist, and activist Pacita Abad, renowned for her bold use of color and mixed media as well as her use of art to address global themes. On this day in 1984, Abad made history as the first woman to receive the Philippines’ prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men award.
Pacita Abad was born on October 5th, 1946 in Basco, in the northern province of Batanes, the Philippines. She pursued graduate studies in San Francisco, California in the U.S. in 1970 and became very involved in the city’s artistic community. Abad went on to study painting and then traveled the world with her art supplies, from Bangladesh to Sudan, and the cultures she encountered had a profound influence on her ever-evolving artistic style. Dedicated to improving the world through art, she used pieces like her 1979 series “Portraits of Cambodia” to raise awareness of societal issues.
Over time, Abad transitioned toward abstract work and pioneered a painting technique called trapunto [Italian for quilting]. To achieve this style, she stuffed her canvases to create a sculptural effect and integrated culturally significant materials discovered during her travels, like shells and fabrics. Abad channeled a passion for public art into her 2003 project “Painted Bridge,” for which she covered Singapore’s 55-meter Alkaff Bridge with an explosion of 2,350 vibrantly colored circles.
Abad crafted over 5,000 pieces of art, and today her colorful legacy resonates in collections in over 70 countries.
Thank you, Pacita Abad, for painting the picture of a brighter tomorrow!
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Sep 20, 2023
Celebrating Matilde Landeta
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Mexican filmmaker Matilde Landeta. Known for her realistic depictions of female protagonists, Landeta was one of the first women to work as a director and screenwriter in the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.
Landeta was born in Mexico City on this day in 1913. She grew up with her grandma in San Luis Potosí. Landeta’s brother, who later became an actor, introduced her to movies at a young age. She dreamt of being a film director, but the Mexican film industry disregarded female talent at the time. In 1933, she got her foot in the door as a script supervisor.
After over a decade of conflicts with the Directors’ Association, Landeta finally convinced them to let her work as an assistant director. She spent three years collaborating with some of the most notable Mexican directors, but it became clear the government-subsidized film industry wouldn’t allow her to direct a film herself. In 1947, Landeta, her brother, and several colleagues founded Tecnicos y Actores Cinematograficos Associados [TACMA]. It was time to yell, "Action!" on her dream to make independent films.
Landeta wrote a screenplay, Tribunal para menores, that she intended to direct, but those in the association selected a male director instead. However, she did win the prestigious Ariel Award for her screenplay. Finally, Landeta directed her first feature, Lola Casanova in 1949.
Thanks to the film’s success, Landeta earned the chance to direct her own screenplay adaptation of La Negra Angustias. It later received acclaim for its feminist perspective and exploration of class and gender tensions. Landeta made one more feature before she had a falling out with the director of the National Cinematographic Bank. They barred her from making movies for six years.
Landeta was a trailblazer who helped put women in front of and behind the Mexican film cameras. In 2004, the Matilde Landeta Cultural Association started to award screenwriters annual scholarships. Her work and ambition continue to inspire directors around the world.
Happy birthday, Matilde Landeta!
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Mar 01, 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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Feb 10, 2023
P.K. Rosy's 120th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle honours P.K. Rosy, who became the first female lead in Malayalam cinema. On this day in 1903, Rosy was born Rajamma in Thiruvananthapuram, formerly Trivandrum [Kerala’s capital city].
Rosy’s passion for acting began at a young age. In an era when performing arts was discouraged in many sections of society, especially for women, Rosy broke barriers with her role in the Malayalam film Vigathakumaran [The Lost Child]. Though she never received recognition for her work during her lifetime, Rosy’s story is relevant to conversations about representation in the media. Today, her story serves as motivation and inspiration for many.
Thank you for your courage and the legacy you leave behind, P.K. Rosy.
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Nov 27, 2022
Ronit Elkabetz's 58th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates what would have been Ronit Elkabetz’s 58th birthday, and was illustrated by Israeli guest artist Maya Shleifer. One of the most acclaimed actresses of her time, the Mizrahi star is considered an icon across Israel and France for her work on both sides of the camera.
Elkabetz was born on this day in Beersheba, Israel, in 1964. She grew up speaking Hebrew, Arabic, and French thanks to her Moroccan roots. With piercing good looks and poise beyond her years, 17-year-old Elkabetz began her career as a fashion model in Tel Aviv.
In 1990, Elkabetz auditioned for what she believed was a commercial—it was actually for the film, The Appointed. Despite having no acting training or experience, Elkabetz won the lead role that set her film career into motion. Next, she starred in Sh'Chur as the older sister in a family caught up in superstitions, for which she won her first Ophir Award [the Israeli Oscars].
In 1997, she moved to Paris to study acting at Theatre du Soleil and supported herself by working as a waitress. After completing her training, she starred in the French film Origine contrôlée. Months later, she earned her second Israeli Ophir Award for Late Marriage. Elkabetz's ability to capture emotionally rich characters made her an in-demand actress in both Israeli and French cinema.
After starring in Or, which won the Camera d’Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Elkabetz became interested in other parts of the filmmaking process. In that year she worked on her debut film as a director and screenwriter, To Take a Wife, which would become the first of a film trilogy she created with her brother, director and actor Shlomi Elkabetz. The Elkabetz trilogy, an Israeli-French co-production, also includes the films Shiva and Golden Globe nominated Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem. It had a tremendous impact on Israeli society and culture, featuring the first authentic portrayal of a Mizrahi family in Israeli cinema and promoting the plight of Jewish women denied a divorce in the rabbinical court system in Israel.
Elkabetz was nominated for thirteen Ophir Awards over the course of her career. She was also awarded the French Legion of Honor for her work. Leaving behind a groundbreaking legacy of strong female leads, Elkabetz conquered complex roles and multiple art forms while popularizing Israeli cinema.
Happy birthday, Ronit Elkabetz!
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Apr 09, 2022
Nomhle Nkonyeni's 80th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates the 80th birthday of Nomhle Nkonyeni, a Black South African actress who overcame discrimination to take the stage during apartheid.
Nomhle Nkonyeni was born on this day in 1942 in Aggrey Road, in the city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth. Her notable acting career began as early as age 19 when she co-founded the Serpent Players. This interracial theater troupe’s name was inspired by the abandoned snake pit in which they were forced to first perform due to discrimination. Nkonyeni continued to defy discrimination laws, with the acting group eventually drawing interracial audiences to view political protest theater.
Almost two decades later, Nkonyeni made history by becoming the first Black actress to perform at The CAPAB theater, a major performing arts center in Cape Town. She played the lead role in Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena, which details the struggles of a Black South African woman navigating discriminatory laws. Nkonyeni’s talent became known on the small and big screens as well, where she held numerous roles in television shows and films such as Tsha Tsha, Scandal!, Zulu, and Red Dust—her career spanning over five decades.
Nkonyeni also dedicated her life to empowering the next generation. She volunteered as a drama teacher for homeless youth in her spare time and led youth theater programs in Cape Town. In 2016, Nkonyeni received a lifetime achievement award from the South African Film and Television Awards for her legacy and impact—both on and off the stage.
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Apr 22, 2023
Earth Day 2023
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Today’s annual Earth Day Doodle highlights how individuals and communities can work together in big and small ways to take action against climate change. On this day, people all over the globe honor the achievements of the environmental movement and consider areas where further climate justice is needed.
As depicted today’s Doodle [which is made from real leaves] there’s a spectrum of actions we can take in our day-to-day that can add up to make a real difference. This includes:
at home: opting to air dry laundry instead of using the dryer
how/what we consume: practicing a plant-based diet or opting for plant-based options when possible
how we get around: walking or riding a bike instead of driving, when possible
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1 April 2020
Dame Jean Macnamara's 121st birthday
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Sydney-based guest artist Thomas Campi, celebrates Australian doctor and medical scientist Dame Jean Macnamara on her 121st birthday. Dr. Macnamara applied her tireless work ethic to better understand and treat various forms of paralysis including polio, and her work contributed to the development of a successful polio vaccine in 1955.
Annie Jean Macnamara was born in Beechworth, Victoria, Australia on this day in 1899, and as a teenager during World World I felt a strengthened resolve “to be of some use in the world.” Standing just 152cm tall, the forthright Dr. Macnamara proved to be a force to be reckoned with.
Dr. Macnamara graduated from medical school in 1925, the same year a polio epidemic struck the capital city of Melbourne. As a consultant and medical officer to the Poliomyelitis Committee of Victoria, she turned her focus to treating and researching the potentially fatal virus, a particular risk for children.
In collaboration with the future Nobel Prize winner Sir Macfarlane Burnet, she discovered in 1931 that there was more than one strain of the poliovirus, a pivotal step towards the development of an effective vaccine nearly 25 years later.
Dr. Macnamara continued to work with sufferers of the disease—especially children—for the rest of her life, developing new methods of treatment and rehabilitation.
For her invaluable commitment to children’s lives, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire [DBE] in 1935. During her lifetime, Dr. Macnamara's research also played a major role in the introduction of myxomatosis to control rabbit plagues, minimising environmental damage across Australia.
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2 May 2016
Mario Miranda’s 90th birthday
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Mario Miranda was a beloved cartoonist best known for his works in the Times of India and The Illustrated Weekly of India. Based primarily on the bustling cityscape of Mumbai, Miranda’s works often feature complex, multi-layered scenes. Humanity floods the canvas and yet each character maintains their individuality.
Our guest Doodler today is Aaron Renier, another artist known for portraying large crowds. “I approached Mario’s work by pretending I was drawing with him,” says Renier. “I chose his most popular style, very flat with criss-crossing interactions.” In this homage to Miranda, we see a rich litany of people, each unique in their perspective. “That is what I liked most about his work,” Renier explains, “trying to pick out who knows who, who's watching who, who's annoyed by who, who's enamored by who. Hopefully people will see something of [Miranda’s] spirit in it.”
Mario Miranda’s works live on throughout India, and on what would have been his 90th birthday, we honor his legacy.
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November 23, 2018
Valdemar Poulsen’s 148th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Valdemar Poulsen, a Danish engineer whose innovations made magnetic sound recording and long-range radio transmission possible. Many modern conveniences, from telephone answering machines to cassettes, even VHS tapes and floppy disks, used the basic technology that he developed by stringing a steel piano wire at a slight angle between two walls. By sliding an electromagnet down the wire he was able to record sound using a microphone and play it back through a telephone earpiece.
Born in Copenhagen on this day in 1869, Poulsen studied medicine for a time before joining the Copenhagen Telephone Company as a technician. During his time he invented the telegraphone—or telegrafon in Danish–– and was awarded a patent. The cylindrical electromagnetic phonograph was capable of recording up to thirty minutes of speech. In 1900 he showed off his device at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, where he recorded the voice of Austrian emperor Francis Joseph—still the earliest surviving magnetic recording. After winning a Grand Prix in Paris, he founded the American Telegraphone Company, but sales were sluggish as the device was truly ahead of its time.
That same year brought another breakthrough, a “singing arc” radio that would transmit up to 150 miles. Subsequent improvements of this design, capable of reaching 2,500 miles, were eventually used by the U.S. Navy.
Although he dropped out of medical school, Poulsen was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Leipzig. He was also a Fellow of the Danish Academy of Technical Science and the Swedish Institute for Engineering Research, and won the Gold Medal of the Royal Danish Society of Science and the Danish Government Medal of Merit. A stamp was issued in his honor and the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences established an annual award in his name.
Happy Birthday, Valdemar Poulsen!
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Mar 23, 2022
Elena Caffarena's 119th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle—illustrated by Chile-based guest artist Catalina Bu—celebrates the 119th birthday of Elena Caffarena, a feminist lawyer who helped Chilean women win the right to vote in national elections. Considered one of the most important Chilean public figures of the 20th century, Caffarena spearheaded Chile’s workers' rights and women’s rights movements.
Caffarena came of age during a time when the working class labored in perilous conditions to earn meager wages. Caffarena attended the University of Chile in the early 1920s and became one of the first Chilean women to earn a law degree. Around this time, she met Luis Emilio Recabarren, a former low-wage worker and union organizer. He deepened her determination to fight for the rights of underserved communities.
In 1935, Caffarena co-founded the Movement for the Emancipation of Chilean Women, the first national group to advocate for equal salaries and opportunities for women. Thanks to a bill that Caffarena co-wrote, the Chilean feminists achieved universal suffrage in 1949.
Today’s Doodle celebrates her birthday and reflects on all she accomplished for the Chilean working class and women!
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Nov 19, 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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May 11, 2021
Go Tik Swan's 90th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Indonesian artist Go Tik Swan, a contemporary master of the ancient art form of designing fabric with hot wax known as batik.
Go Tik Swan was born on this day in 1931 in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. He came of age frequenting his grandfather’s batik workshops, where he absorbed Javanese cultural knowledge from local craftspeople. Fascinated by his ancestry, Swan further explored his heritage by studying Javanese literature and dance at the University of Indonesia.
It was during one of his college dance performances that Indonesia’s president caught wind of Swan’s family background in batik manufacturing and commissioned him to create a new batik style; one that he believed could transcend division and unite the Indonesian people. In the 1950s, Swan fulfilled the president’s request by combining regional batik techniques to introduce “Batik Indonesia.”
Swan held such high reverence for his craft that he considered each piece of batik to carry philosophical meaning, even developing a motif in the 70s entitled Kembang Bangah [“Rotten Flowers''] as a love letter to his national identity. An expert in Javanese culture, he was also a master of kris [an ancient Javanese ceremonial dagger tradition] and a skilled player of gamelan [a popular orchestral form of traditional Indonesian music]. He gave back so much to his heritage, the Surakarta government honored him with the noble title of Panembahan Hardjonegoro.
Happy birthday, Go Tik Swan!
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Jul 01, 2020
Celebrating the Litfaßsäule
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Hamburg-based guest artists Rocket & Wink, celebrates the Litfaßsäule. These iconic advertising pillars were named after the man who first suggested them, Ernst Litfaß [pronounced Lit-fass]. On this date in 1855, to the fanfare of a live orchestra, Berlin’s very first Litfaßsäule was dedicated at the intersection of Münzstraße and what is today Almstadtstraße.
Before the creation of Litfaßsäule, Berlin had a problem with advertisements—they were scattered all over the city, from walls to fences and everywhere in between. The widespread clutter irked Litfaß, and so the clever printer and publisher proposed these dedicated advertising pillars to be placed on Berlin’s busiest corners and plazas as a more organized alternative.
The city agreed to commission 150 pillars as an official system for paid advertisements, and before long the columns were lined cleanly with eye-catching notices for cultural institutions like theaters and dance halls. The unusual, three-meter-tall fixtures were met with huge popularity among Berlin’s residents. Over the decades, the Litfaßsäule came to serve as a symbol of Berlin, and booklovers may even recognize one from the famous cover of Erich Kästner's 1929 children’s book “Emil and the Detectives.”
Today, there are over 50,000 Litfaßsäule—many like those depicted in the Doodle artwork—in use throughout Germany, and they still serve as a popular and practical advertising channel for local events and small organizations. While many of Berlin’s original pillars have since been removed or replaced by newer models, it’s clear that the Litfaßsäule continue to hold a special place in the hearts of the city’s residents.
Danke to all the Litfaßsäulen that have helped make Berlin such a special place!
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Jul 23, 2018
Ludwig Sütterlin's 153rd Birthday
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Today’s Doodle has the “write” stuff and celebrates German graphic artist and font designer Ludwig Sütterlin for creating the Sütterlinschrift, a unified, kid-friendly script that revolutionized the way Prussian and German school children learned to write from 1915-1941.
At the request of the Prussian Ministry of Culture in 1911, Sütterlin developed a handwriting style that would be easier for beginners to use, especially with the steel-spring pen, a modern invention quickly replacing goose-feather quills dipped in ink. As a result, young students could enjoy simple letters, reduced smudging, and fewer reprimands by teachers. Though forbidden by the National Socialists in 1941, Sütterlinschrift was reintroduced and remained as optional in schools until the 1960s so children could read letters from parents or grandparents.
Sütterlin was also a prolific graphic artist and craftsman who designed Art Deco glassware [as depicted in today’s Doodle], iconic promotions like the “Hammer Poster” for the 1896 Berlin Trade Fair, and notable trademarks like the “Goddess of Light” for the AEG electrical company.
Happy 153rd birthday, Ludwig Sütterlin!
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Sep 12, 2016
Takizo Iwasaki’s 121st birthday
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Most of us are familiar with the wax and plastic replica foods that help you decide what to order at a restaurant, but did you know that the practice dates back to the 1920s?
Takizo Iwasaki re-invented a practice that had been around for over a decade, of creating sampuru [or samples] of food served by restaurants. He started with a perfectly 'cooked' omelet made of wax. Reportedly, upon showing it to his wife, she couldn't even tell the difference between the sampuru and the real thing! The omelet was once open for public viewing in his home prefecture of Gifu, where most of the world's replica food is still made.
Although replica foods are now more often made of plastic than wax, the practice is still done by hand and rarely mass-produced. This is to maintain the quality of the sampuru and the unique dishes that each restaurant requests.
Today's doodle celebrates Takizo Iwasaki on what would be his 121st birthday, with an homage to that original omelet that changed the landscape of sampuru forever.
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Jun 09, 2016
Phoebe Snetsinger’s 85th birthday
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The rough animation for the doodle, featuring [left to right] the blackburnian warbler, red-shouldered vanga, village weaverbird, eastern bluebird, and red-capped manakin.
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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Alternate concepts for the doodle, featuring a portrait and bird nests.
Today, we celebrate the courage of Ms. Snetsigner, and the beauty of life — however hidden it may be.
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Sketches of birds both featured and considered for the doodle.
Happy birthday Phoebe!
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31 Jan 2013
Jackie Robinson's 94th Birthday
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Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball [MLB] in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, it heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored.Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Series championship.
In 1997, MLB retired his uniform number 42 across all major league teams; he was the first professional athlete in any sport to be so honored. MLB also adopted a new annual tradition, "Jackie Robinson Day", for the first time on April 15, 2004, on which every player on every team wears No. 42.
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9 February 2022
Celebrating Toni Stone
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In honor of U.S. Black History Month, today’s Doodle illustrated by San Francisco, CA-based guest artist Monique Wray celebrates athlete Marcenia “Toni” Stone, who overcame both gender and racial discrimination to become the first woman in history to play professional baseball as a regular in a men’s major baseball league. On this day in 2021, Stone was inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.
Marcenia Lyle Stone was born in 1921 in Bluefield, West Virginia during an era of pronounced racial segregation in American sports. In 1931, Stone moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she developed her remarkable athleticism in the city’s public playgrounds and baseball fields. By just 15, the all-male semi-pro Twin Cities Colored Giants broke gender convention by bringing Stone onto its roster. In 1946, Stone went to bat with the San Francisco Sea Lions, marking the start of her illustrious professional career.
Her exceptional batting average of .280 earned her a spot on the bench with the Negro League All-Star team while she continued to travel across the United States playing second base for the minor league New Orleans Creoles. In 1953, Stone filled the spot of future Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron as the second baseman for the Indianapolis Clowns, one of the League’s most prestigious teams. Undeterred by taunts during her debut season with the Clowns, Stone hit a single off of Satchel Paige, who is widely considered the greatest pitcher in Negro League history.
Stone played alongside legendary players such as Jackie Robinson throughout her career before retiring from professional baseball in 1954 as a legend. In 1990, March 6 was declared “Toni Stone Day” in her adopted hometown of St. Paul, where future generations of baseball players practice under the lights of Toni Stone Field. She has been honored by several exhibitions in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1993, was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Here’s to you, Toni Stone—thanks for showing the world what determination and unstoppable love for the game can achieve!
Thank you to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for their support on this Doodle!
Black and white photo of Toni Stone jumping and throwing a baseball
Courtesy of Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Courtesy of the Estate of Toni Stone
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11 February 2021
Celebrating María Grever
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Mexican singer and songwriter María Grever, considered to be one of the country’s greatest composers. Grever spent a lifetime producing hundreds of songs that went on to be covered by some of the world’s most famous artists, like Placido Domingo, Aretha Franklin, and Frank Sinatra. On this day in 1938, Grever recorded “Ti-Pi-Tin,” a waltz about serenading your loved ones that became one of her biggest hits.
María Joaquina de la Portilla Torres was born in the late 19th century in the city of León in central Mexico. As a child, she moved to Seville, where she studied English, French, and music. Grever’s natural musical abilities were evident as she composed a holiday carol for her school. This led her father to provide her some of the finest tutors, including distinguished composers, Debussy and Lehár. Her first record, “A Una Ola” [“To a Wave,” 1912], sold millions of copies, and was eventually covered by several singers.
In 1916, Grever moved to New York, where she soon composed background music in films for both Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. All the while, Grever continued to produce songs that married folk rhythms with styles like tango to captivate audiences throughout the Americas and Spain. Some of her biggest hits included “Júrame” [“Promise, Love,” 1926] and “What a Difference a Day Makes” [originally “Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado,” 1934]. The latter went on to win a Grammy in 1959 as sung by jazz legend, Dinah Washington.
In recognition of her contributions to music, the Union of Women of the Americas [UWA] named Grever “Woman of the Americas” in 1952.
Thanks for all the music María Grever; it continues to strike a chord with listeners around the world today!
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30 June 2016
165th Anniversary of First Firefighter's Corp in Chile
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Since 1851, Chile’s bomberos have risked life and limb to keep citizens safe from fire. There are 307 individual fire departments across Chile bonded together by Chile’s National Board of Fire Departments. What makes the bomberos especially unique is that they all serve on a volunteer basis.
It all started on this day in the bustling seaport of Valparaiso, where the city’s most influential citizens came together to form the First Firefighter’s Corp. More fire departments followed, each created by and for the community it represented.
Today’s Doodle was inspired by those who’ve served the people of Chile through their dedication and selflessness. Though they operate independently, the country’s bomberos share a common goal of working hard to protect local neighborhoods and communities.
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Feb 01, 2024
Alfonso Caso's 128th Birthday
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This Doodle celebrates Mexican archeologist and professor Alfonso Caso. He’s best known for excavating the site of Tomb Seven at Monte Albán — one of the richest archeological findings of all time.
After writing books about his findings and methods, Caso returned to the field. He began to focus on the Mixetecs, indigenous people who lived in Mexico. He discovered sites around the country in Yucuita, Yucuńudahui, and Monte Negro. Building upon his previous findings, Caso was ultimately able to decipher Mixtec writings — an astounding achievement in archeology!
Caso served as the Mexican government’s Director of the National Institute for Indian Affairs for 30 years. He was a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophy Society. Given his numerous accomplishments and efforts to inspire students, it’s hard to not dig the guy!
Happy Birthday, Alfonso Caso!
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Mar 29, 2024
Abbas Attar's 80th Birthday
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This Doodle celebrates French Iranian photographer and journalist Abbas Attar. Best known by his mononym Abbas, he earned fame for his photojournalism and essays chronicling conflicts, religions and the plights of communities around the globe. He dedicated himself to documenting societies in conflict, photographing in his iconic black-and-white style to capture the “suspended moment”.
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Mar 11, 2024
Celebrating the Flat White
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This animated Doodle celebrates the flat white, a popular espresso-based beverage which originated in Australia and New Zealand.
Many speculate the drink was first served in Australia and New Zealand during the 1980s when the drink popped up on menus in Sydney and Auckland around the same time.
Traditionally served in a ceramic cup, a flat white is made up of an espresso shot topped with steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam. Being “flatter” than a cappuccino or latte, flat whites are popular with coffee connoisseurs who are looking for less foam. Often, baristas will show off their skills and create beautiful artwork with the pour, something that’s a common sight in many cafes across Australia and New Zealand.
Coffee culture has changed a lot over the years and so have ways to make the flat white. Made with whole milk back in the day, today it’s common to see Aussies and Kiwis ordering it with plant-based milk — oat milk is a rising favourite!
The flat white has since spread far across the world, delighting and becoming a staple in many nations. No matter the origins, coffee lovers worldwide agree it’s a favourite morning or arvo [afternoon] pick-me-up!
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Mar 07, 2024
Lola Beltrán's 92nd Birthday
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This animated Doodle celebrates Mexican actress and singer Lola Beltrán, who helped popularize Ranchera and Huapango music.
Beltrán grew up in a working class family in El Rosario, Sinaloa. Her church choir inspired her love of singing and she became obsessed with ballads. In 1953, Beltrán and her mother moved to Mexico City to pursue her career as a singer.
After getting a job as a popular radio station’s secretary, Beltrán earned the chance to participate in an on-air singing contest. She didn’t just win — the producers were so impressed that they helped her secure a recording contract. Beltrán started to cover popular songs on air and even earned her own radio show, but she had bigger dreams.
Working with songwriters, Beltrán crafted stories of underdog characters seeking and earning redemption. Her melancholic voice and sensibilities resonated with people across Mexico, and songs like “Cucurrucucu Paloma" and “Cielito Lindo” made her an in-demand talent. Although she sang about the country’s working-class people, she managed to engross audiences from all walks of life.
Beltrán became the first Ranchera singer to perform at the prestigious El Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. She also sang for presidents and leaders around the world. Over the course of her career, Beltrán made 100 albums and starred in 50 films. She inspired generations of Mexican singers to embrace folk music and sing about their authentic experiences.
Happy Birthday, Lola Beltrán!
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Sep 18, 2023
Chile National Day 2023
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Chile’s National Holidays! On this day in 1810, Chile took a pivotal first step toward becoming independent from Spain by creating the Primera Junta de Gobierno [First Assembly Board].
Also known as Fiestas Patrias or Dieciocho, countless celebrations take place nationwide to commemorate Chile’s hard-won independence. Some patriotic parades feature huasos [Chilean cowboys] who stroll by to music, while the grand military and naval parades will march on the Day of the Glories of the Army tomorrow. The blue, white, and red Chilean flag flutters in the breeze next to businesses, homes, and festival tents on both holidays. Those gentle spring winds also make today popular for kite flying and other outdoor gatherings.
Parties called fondas are open to the public, complete with patriotic decorations, dancing, games, and refreshments like empanadas de pino, choripan, and anticuchos. The cueca, Chile’s national dance, is commonly performed. People throughout the country wear traditional clothing like colorful swishy dresses, “chupallas”, and riding boots with spurs. There are many traditions in Chile and the three-legged pigs, as seen in today’s Doodle artwork, are another uniquely-Chilean custom. It is traditional to give away and collect three-legged pigs as they’re believed to be good luck and abundance. The pigs in the Doodle represent the towns of Pomaire [known for its red clay pottery] and Quinchamalí [known for its black clay, with white drawings].
Happy National Holidays, Chile!
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Aug 14, 2023
Nüzhet Gökdoğan's 113th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Turkish astronomer, Nüzhet Gökdoğan, who is widely recognized as one of Türkiye’s first female astronomers. On this day in 1910, Gökdoğan was born in Istanbul, Türkiye. The Doodle artwork was illustrated by İzmir-based guest artist Ali Çetinkaya.
During her schooling, she learned French, German, and Turkish. A college scholarship brought her to Lyon University in France, where she completed her undergraduate degree in mathematics, and in 1933 received her graduate degree in physics from the University of Paris. She interned at the Paris Observatory and they invited her to continue her research there, but Gökdoğan chose to return to Türkiye.
Channeling her passion for astronomy into teaching in this field, Gökdoğan became an associate professor at the Institute of Astronomy at the Faculty of Science at İstanbul University. When she joined as the first Turkish employee, both the textbooks and lectures were in foreign languages like English and German. Multilingual Gökdoğan stepped in and translated course material and six books on topics from Celestial Mechanics to Spherical Astronomy.
In 1937, Gökdoğan wrote her dissertation on interstellar dark matter around the sun and completed her Ph.D. She went on to become a professor at Istanbul University, and in 1954, she was elected as the Dean of the Science Faculty, making her the first female university dean in Türkiye. Gökdoğan authored scientific papers for national journals and three introductory textbooks on astronomy, algebra, and cosmography before retiring in 1980.
The professor is remembered for advancing the astronomy profession in Türkiye and for founding several groups dedicated to science, notably the Turkish Astronomy Association, the Turkish Association of University Women, and the Turkish Mathematics Association.
Happy birthday to the stellar Nüzhet Gökdoğan!
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Aug 11, 2023
Mountain Day 2023
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Today, the love for Japan's 12,000+ mountains reaches a peak — it's Mountain Day! This holiday was advocated for by nature and hiking groups before being enacted in 2014 and celebrated for the first time in 2016. Some speculate that the holiday takes place on August 11th because the kanji for “eight” [八] somewhat resembles a mountain and the number 11 looks like two trees.
This holiday aims to give Japanese people an opportunity to visit, appreciate, and celebrate the mountains that make up 70% of the country’s landmass. Japan has over 400 volcanoes, around 100 of which are active, and about 27,000 hot springs warmed by magma, so there are plenty of ways to take in the natural wonders.
As Japan’s newest public holiday, there are no traditional celebrations on this day, but many try to spend the day outdoors and treasure the peaks and ridges near them. Some visit and climb the highest mountain in Japan, Mt. Fuji, while others take a shorter hike to places like Zushi Beach or Mt. Tenran for a magnificent mountainous lookout. Others opt for an adventure to the stratovolcano Sakurajima which may erupt on the visit — there are minor eruptions about 200 times a year!
In the mood for some peaceful time in the great outdoors? Visit a hot spring for an all-natural hot tub, or paint a landscape while you take in the views.
To summit all up, there are many ways to celebrate the treasures that nature and mountains offer. Happy Mountain Day, Japan!
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Dec 17, 2022
Celebrating Ana Mercedes Hoyos
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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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Aug 09, 2022
Seiki Kuroda's 156th Birthday
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Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and 156th birthday of Seiki Kuroda, who was born on this day in 1866. Kuroda was an influential artist who’s known as the father of Western-style paintings in Japan. He was also a teacher and art administrator for the Tokyo Art School, as well as the founder of the White Horse Society.
He was born in Kagoshima, Japan where he was adopted by his uncle at birth and moved to his estate in Tokyo. At age 18, Kuroda traveled to Paris to study law but instead chose to pursue painting after two years. While in France, he spent a decade learning how to paint in the Western academic-style, honing his craft during a period of self-discovery.
In 1893, Kuroda returned to Japan and breathed fresh air into the Western-style art scene in many Japanese cities. He started a Western painting school called Tenshin Dojo and established pleinairism which is the practice of painting outdoors. In 1986, he founded the Habuka-kai—also known as the White Horse Society—a group of Japanese practitioners of yoga and painting. He was also invited to teach the Western Painting Department at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts.
In his waning years, Kuroda was chosen as a teishitsu gigei-in, or Imperial Household Artist, to create works for the Tokyo Imperial Palace. He also served as the President of the Imperial Art Academy and was titled a Viscount in 1917. Then, in 1920, Kuroda was elected to join Japan’s House of Peers, or Kizoku-in, the new aristocratic social class during the Meiji Era.
Kuroda made a lasting impression on the art world in Japan and beyond, inspiring the next generation of Western-style, Impressionist and Pleinairist artists to continue his legacy. His works can be found in countless museums and galleries such as the Artizon Museum in Tokyo and the Kuroda Memorial Hall within the Tokyo National Museum. Two of his works, Maiko [1893] and Lakeside [1897], have also been selected as commemorative postage stamps by the Japanese government.
Happy 156th birthday, Seiki Kuroda!
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Nov 12, 2021
Celebrating Johannes Vermeer
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Today’s Doodle celebrates Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, a seminal Baroque artist who is widely regarded among the greatest Dutch painters of all time. On this day in 1995, an eponymous exhibition opened at Washington D.C.’s National Gallery of Art, featuring 21 of his 35 existing works.
Johannes Vermeer was born in Delft, the Netherlands, at the height of the Dutch Golden Age in 1632. Although little is known about Vermeer’s early life, historians estimate from his early mythological paintings that he first aspired to be a historical painter.
By the 1650s, Vermeer began to paint subtly lit interiors with intricate symbology—a style distinguished by traditional Dutch motifs that became his hallmark. He captured the commonplace in radiant and exquisite detail, creating masterworks including “The Girl with the Pearl Earring '' [1665] which is currently on display at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. The artistic techniques Vermeer employed are still up for debate. Some art historians suggest he traced images projected from a camera obscura [a predecessor to the photographic camera], but with no physical evidence to back up such claims, some Vermeer specialists remain unconvinced.
On the left, the Doodle artwork references “The Allegory of Painting” [[1666-1668) and in the middle, “Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid” [1670-1671]. In 1979, an X-ray revealed a hidden Cupid in Vermeer’s “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window” [1657-1659], referenced on the right of the Doodle. Researchers continued to analyze the canvas in 2017, determining that the Cupid was covered by another painter. In 2021, a German initiative completely restored the painting. These efforts are just a few of the many attempts to demystify Vermeer and some of the world’s most treasured pieces of fine art he left behind.
Here’s to a true artistic luminary—Johannes Vermeer!
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Jun 30, 2020
Celebrating Marsha P. Johnson
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Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Los Angeles-based guest artist Rob Gilliam, celebrates LGBTQ+ rights activist, performer, and self-identified drag queen Marsha P. Johnson, who is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States. On this day in 2019, Marsha was posthumously honored as a grand marshal of the New York City Pride March.
Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24th, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After graduating high school in 1963, she moved to New York City’s Greenwich Village, a burgeoning cultural hub for LGBTQ+ people. Here, she legally changed her name to Marsha P. Johnson. Her middle initial—“P.”—allegedly stood for her response to those who questioned her gender: “Pay It No Mind.”
A beloved and charismatic fixture in the LGBTQ+ community, Johnson is credited as one of the key leaders of the 1969 Stonewall uprising— widely regarded as a critical turning point for the international LGBTQ+ rights movement. The following year, she founded the Street Transvestite [now Transgender] Action Revolutionaries [STAR] with fellow transgender activist Sylvia Rivera. STAR was the first organization in the U.S. to be led by a trans woman of color and was the first to open North America’s first shelter for LGBTQ+ youth.
In 2019, New York City announced plans to erect statues of Johnson and Rivera in Greenwich Village, which will be one of the world’s first monuments in honor of transgender people.
Thank you, Marsha P. Johnson, for inspiring people everywhere to stand up for the freedom to be themselves.
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Aug 23, 2022
Coccinelle's 91st Birthday
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Coccinelle was a pioneer for the LGBTQ+ community and the first French person to undergo gender-affirming surgery. Today’s Doodle celebrates the singer, entertainer and activist’s 91st birthday.
Jacqueline-Charlotte Dufresnoy was born on August 23, 1931 in Paris. Designated male at birth, she grew up with a deep, inner sense of being a female, along with interests in fashion and performance. After wearing a red dress with black polka dots to a party, a teenage Jacqueline earned the nickname Coccinelle, or ladybug in English.
In 1953, Coccinelle made her stage debut at Madame Arthur, a cabaret venue in Paris, performing a song from the film Premier rendez-vous. She earned a role at Le Carrousel de Paris, a popular music hall with many transgender performers, where her talent and stage presence captivated audiences.
Coccinelle became the first French celebrity to undergo gender-affirming surgery at a clinic in Casablanca in 1958. It was illegal to wear clothing not associated with one’s assigned gender in France at the time, and the publicity surrounding her surgery put a spotlight on LGBTQ+ rights.
After returning to France, Coccinelle quickly became an international icon. Her cabaret show toured across the world, including Europe and South America. She also began acting in films like Europa Di Notte in 1959 and Los Viciosos in 1962.
In 1960, Coccinelle got married in a Catholic wedding ceremony, under the condition that she get rebaptized beforehand. Unprecedented legally and religiously, her marriage established transgender people’s right to marry in France.
While continuing to perform, she founded the organization Devenir Femme, which provided support for transgender individuals seeking gender-affirming surgery. She also helped organize the Center for Aid, Research, and Information for Transsexuality and Gender Identity. In 1987, she published a self-titled autobiography that detailed her transition and career on stage.
Coccinelle’s legacy lives on in her work as people all over the world continue to enjoy her music and films. Happy 91st birthday, Coccinelle!
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Jul 02, 2023
Celebrating Diana Sacayán
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Today’s Doodle honors Indigenous Argentine human rights activist Amancay Diana Sacayán. On this day in 2012, Sacayán became the first Argentine trans woman to receive a national identity card affirming her gender. The Doodle artwork, illustrated by Buenos Aires-based guest artist Juan Dellacha, depicts Sacayán as a joyful activist whose persistence, in spite of all the violence she suffered throughout her whole life, left a huge legacy.
A proud descendant of the Diaguita people, Sacayán was born in Tucumán, Argentina, on December 31, 1975. She and her 15 siblings moved to Buenos Aires, where she would spend most of her life. Sacayán enjoyed school until she was expelled as a result of coming out as transgender. She faced police persecution quickly and was arrested multiple times for her clothing choice and trans identity.
Sacayán fought tirelessly for LGBTQ+ rights during her life. She was involved with many activist groups, notably a member of the National Front for the Gender Identity Law and a leader of the International Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Association. She founded the Movimiento Antidiscriminatorio de Liberación [Anti-Discriminatory Liberation Movement], which was dedicated to improving human rights for the queer community, focusing on inclusion within schools, workplaces, and hospitals. Today, because of her activism, trans people can have their name and gender respected when they access health care.
1% of public sector employees in Buenos Aires are in the trans community, thanks to the Trans Labor Quota Law that Sacayán promoted. This law was expanded to the national level in 2020, but tragically, Sacayán was not around to see it. She was killed in a hate crime in 2015, and her murderer is considered the first person in Argentina to be convicted of a hate crime against the trans community.
Her resilience and accomplishments continue to inspire. She persuaded the public sector to include trans people, advocated for hospitals to use people's correct names, and set an example by being the first legally recognized trans person in her country. Thank you for dedicating your life to vastly improve trans rights, Amancay Diana Sacayán.