Google doodles

[9A]

7 Jan 2019

Fahrelnissa Zeid’s 118th Birthday





“I am a descendent of four civilizations,” wrote Fahrelnissa Zeid, describing her 1980 self-portrait Someone from the Past. “The hand is Persian, the dress Byzantine, the face is Cretan and the eyes Oriental, but I was not aware of this as I was painting it.”

One of the first women to attend art school in Turkey, Fahrelnissa Zeid went on to become a member of both the École de Paris [School of Paris] and D Grubu, a Turkish avant-garde group. Celebrated for her abstract paintings, Zeid also did representational work and even painted designs on chicken bones. Bridging western abstraction and eastern styles, her work broke down gender and culture barriers.

Born on the Turkish island of Büyükada on this day in 1901, Zeid was raised in a prestigious Ottoman family. In 1919 she enrolled at the Imperial School of Art in Istanbul, later traveling through Europe and visiting a variety of art and cultural sites across Spain, Italy, and more.. She continued her training at Académie Ranson in Paris.

In the 1930s, Zeid married into the royal family of Iraq and moved to Berlin until World War II forced her to move to Baghdad. “I did not ‘intend’ to become an abstract painter,” she said of the bold abstract paintings she began painting between Baghdad, Turkey, Paris, and London—blending Eastern and Western influences.

In the 1970s Zeid moved to Amman, Jordan, where she founded the Fahrelnissa Zeid Institute for Fine Arts . A 2017 retrospective of her work at the Tate Modern in London referred to Zeid as “one of the greatest female artists of the 20th century.”

Happy Birthday, Fahrelnissa Zeid!

[9A]

31 July 2016

Munshi Premchand’s 136th Birthday





Today’s homepage celebrates a man who forever changed India’s literary landscape. Born Dhanpat Rai in a small village in northern India, the prolific author is best known under his pen name, Premchand. He’s also been called Upanyas Samrat, or “emperor among novelists,” having produced more than a dozen novels, 250 short stories, and a number of essays throughout his lifetime.

Writing wasn’t always his main focus, though. Premchand was a teacher for many years until he joined the non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in the 1920s. Gandhi influenced much of Premchand’s later work, which brought to light some of India’s most prominent social issues of the time.

His last and most famous novel, Godaan [1936], inspired today’s Doodle, which depicts Premchand bringing his signature working-class characters to life. On what would have been his 136th birthday, this illustration pays tribute to the many important stories he told.

Today’s homepage celebrates a man who forever changed India’s literary landscape. Born Dhanpat Rai in a small village in northern India, the prolific author is best known under his pen name, Premchand. He’s also been called Upanyas Samrat, or “emperor among novelists,” having produced more than a dozen novels, 250 short stories, and a number of essays throughout his lifetime.

Writing wasn’t always his main focus, though. Premchand was a teacher for many years until he joined the non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in the 1920s. Gandhi influenced much of Premchand’s later work, which brought to light some of India’s most prominent social issues of the time.

His last and most famous novel, Godaan [1936], inspired today’s Doodle, which depicts Premchand bringing his signature working-class characters to life. On what would have been his 136th birthday, this illustration pays tribute to the many important stories he told.

[9A]

6 January 2021

Juliano Moreira's 149th birthday


Today’s Doodle celebrates the Brazilian psychiatrist, scientist, professor, and social reformer Juliano Moreira. Throughout his early 20th-century career, Moreira revolutionized the treatment of people with mental illnesses in Brazil and fought tirelessly to combat scientific racism and the false linkage of mental illness to skin color.

Juliano Moreira was born on this day in 1872 in Salvador, Brazil to a mother who was a slave at an aristocratic residence. Based on his exceptional intelligence, Moreira was allowed to matriculate at the Bahia School of Medicine at just 13 years old. He earned his medical degree while he was still a teenager, and in 1896 the University of Bahia appointed him as a professor of psychiatry.

Moreira turned his attention to the treatment of mental illness, and he traveled the world to study other countries’ approaches. He gained the opportunity to apply his newfound knowledge in 1903 when he was appointed to run a national hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for patients with mental illnesses. Over nearly three decades in the position, he implemented sweeping reforms to provide a more humanistic and scientific approach to patient care. He also co-authored a 1903 law that compelled the humane treatment of people with mental illnesses in the country.

To honor Moreira’s legacy, a hospital in his hometown of Salvador was renamed the Juliano Moreira Hospital in the mid-’30s.

Happy birthday, Juliano Moreira, and thank you for your dedication to a brighter future of psychiatric care!

[9A]

January 6, 2015

Gaspar Henaine [Capulina]’s 89th Birthday






Gaspar Henaine, more commonly known by his pseudonym Capulina, was a Mexican comedian, actor, singer, film producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for partnering with Marco Antonio Campos as the double act Viruta and Capulina and for his subsequent solo career. He was later given the nickname "El Rey del Humorismo Blanco" [The King of White Humor], due to his clean, innocent style of comedy.

[9A]

6 January 2009

La Befana 2009



In Italian folklore, the Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve [the night of January 5] in a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi Kings.

A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany. In popular folklore, the Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. In many poorer parts of Italy and in particular rural Sicily, a stick in a stocking was placed instead of coal. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some the sweeping means the sweeping away of the problems of the year. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.

She is usually portrayed as a hag riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both.

[9A]

3 August 2020

Celebrating Vicki Draves




Today’s Doodle celebrates Filipino American diver and coach Victoria “Vicki” Draves, the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic medal. On this day in 1948, Draves won the gold medal in the women’s 3-meter springboard event at the London Summer Olympics.

Victoria Draves was born Victoria Taylor Manalo in the South of Market district of San Francisco on December 31st, 1924. Growing up, she and her family often hopped on the trolley to the enormous Fleishhacker Pool to swim and watch the divers. When she was a teenager, a member of a local swim team asked if she wanted to learn to dive, and she eagerly accepted, springboarding her into the sport she went on to champion.

After thousands of dives to perfect her form and three consecutive U.S. National Diving Championship platform titles, Draves earned a spot at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She dominated the games one faithful leap at a time and made history as the first woman to take home the gold in both the platform and springboard events.

Thank you, Vicki Draves, for inspiring people everywhere to aim high and take the plunge!

[9A]

26 October 2020

Dolores Cacuango's 139th Birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates the 139th birthday of Ecuadorian civil rights pioneer Dolores Cacuango, who spent decades fighting fiercely for the rights of the country’s Indigenous people. Cacuango was a dedicated advocate for accessible education and instrumental in establishing Ecuador’s first bilingual schools, which practiced in Spanish and the Indigenous language of Quichua.

Dolores Cacuango was born on this day in 1881 in the Pesillo hacienda in the northern canton of Cayambe, Ecuador. Like many Indigenous people before her, she began to work at a young age, and at 15 years old was forced to relocate to the Ecuadorian capital of Quito to become a servant. With new insight into the troubling racism and class inequality facing her people, Cacuango returned home committed to the struggle for change.

Back in Pesillo, she became a leader in the movement against the exploitative hacienda system, and through her dynamic speeches, she advocated for causes like land rights, economic justice, and education for the Indigenous community. In 1926, she helped lead the people of Cayambe in challenging the sale of their community land, setting a strong example for future movements. Some two decades later in 1944, she also contributed to the establishment of the groundbreaking Ecuadorian Federation of Indians, which united Indigenous people around economic and cultural issues. She spent the rest of her life advocating for indigenous rights for current and future generations.

Today, Cacuango’s legacy is remembered with a street named in her honor in northern Quito.

[9A]

10 December 2020

Celebrating Sir W. Arthur Lewis





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Manchester-based guest artist Camilla Ru, celebrates St. Lucian economist, professor, and author Sir W. Arthur Lewis, considered one of the pioneers in the field of modern development economics. A trailblazer not only in his research, he was also the first Black faculty member at the London School of Economics, first Black person to hold a chair in a British university [at Manchester University], and the first Black instructor to receive full professorship at Princeton University. On this day in 1979, Lewis was jointly awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his pioneering work to model the economic forces that impact developing countries.


William Arthur Lewis was born on January 23, 1915, in Castries on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, at the time a British colony. Despite facing challenges with racial discrimination, in 1932 he won a government scholarship and set out to study at the London School of Economics, where he eventually earned a doctorate in industrial economics. Lewis quickly ascended the ranks of academia and by 33 was a full professor—one of the highest distinctions of a tenured professor.

Lewis shifted his focus to world economic history and economic development and in 1954 published his foundational article “Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour.” Among many valuable accomplishments, Lewis contributed influential work to the United Nations and shared his expertise as an adviser to governments in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. He also helped establish and served as the first president of the Caribbean Development Bank.

In honor of his lifelong achievements, the British government knighted Lewis in 1963.

[9A]

9 August 2020

Celebrating Mekatilili wa Menza







Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Nairobi-based guest artist Wanjira Kinyua, celebrates legendary Kenyan activist Mekatilili wa Menza, known for inspiring the Giriama people to resist colonial rule in the early 20th century. Today on the Kenyan coast, the resilient legacy of Menza is commemorated during the festivities of the traditional Malindi Cultural Festival, an annual celebration of local history and pride.

Mnyazi wa Menza was born in the Giriama village of Matsara wa Tsatsu in coastal Kenya during the mid-19th century. By the early 20th century, British colonial rule had threatened the sovereignty and freedom of the Giriama people with forced labor and taxation. At a time when women’s power was limited within her society, Menza was compelled to organize her people against colonial control.

Today revered as one of Kenya’s first Mau Maus [freedom fighters], Menza traveled from village to village spreading messages of opposition, performing the ecstatic native dance of kifudu to draw large crowds and then unleashing her powerful oratory skills to garner support. Today’s Doodle artwork features a depiction of Menza leading the energetic kifudu dance that called so many to action.

Menza’s leadership contributed to uprisings by the Giriama against the British in 1913 and 1914, and despite her multiple arrests and imprisonments, her campaign of resistance proved successful. The British ultimately relaxed control of the region, effectively granting the demands for which Menza and the Giriama had fought tirelessly for.

[9A]

August 1, 2014

Comtesse de Ségur's 215th Birthday







Little Sophie from the novel Les Malheurs de Sophie [“Sophie's Misfortunes”] reaches for a sweet treat on our homepage in France for writer Countess of Ségur’s 215th birthday.

[9A]

23 August 2021

Aimé Painé's 78th birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the 78th birthday of Argentinian activist and singer Aimé Painé, a member of the Mapuche nation who devoted her life to preserving the traditional music of her community.

On this day in 1943, Aimé Painé was born in Ingeniero Luis A. Huergo, Argentina as Olga Elisa, a name she had to adopt due to a law that barred the use of Indigenous names. After being separated from her family at the age of three, Painé’s adoptive parents recognized her unique vocal talent and enrolled her in music school. She joined the National Polyphonic Choir in Buenos Aires in her late 20s. During one of the group's international recitals, she learned that Argentina was among the only nations in attendance that didn’t perform Indigenous music. This denial of native heritage prompted Painé to embark on a journey to southern Argentina to reconnect with her Indigenous roots.

Her quest led to a reunion with her biological, Mapuche father who inspired Painé to carry on their ancestral heritage through music. She reinterpreted ancient Mapuche songs in the native language of Mapudungun while playing traditional instruments, such as the cultrun and the cascahuillas. As one of the first musicians to popularize Mapuche music, Painé traveled across Argentina dressed in traditional Mapuche garb through the 1980s, singing stories of her people and denouncing their marginalization.

In 1987, Painé represented the Mapuche people at a United Nations conference, where she brought global awareness to her community’s struggle for equal rights. Today, Painé's legacy is honored each year on September 10 as the “Day of Mapuche Culture” in Argentina.

Happy birthday, Aimé Painé and thank you for safeguarding Mapuche musical traditions!

[9A]

5 December 2017

Veronika Dudarova’s 101st Birthday




In today’s Doodle, Google-hued lights shine on a group of musicians led by Veronika Dudarova, the first Russian woman to conduct an orchestra.

Born in 1916, Dudarova spent her formative years studying piano and musicology in the company of some of Russia’s most renowned musical talents. In 1947, she graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, joining the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra as a junior conductor. She spent 13 years in that role before taking over as principal conductor in 1960. In 1991, Dudarova formed the Symphony Orchestra of Russia, which she led until 2003.

One of the very few female conductors in the world, Dudarova holds the Guinness World Record as the only woman to lead a major symphony orchestra for more than 50 years. During her career, she won the State Russian Music Award, was named the People’s Artist of the USSR, and even had a minor planet named after her.

On what would’ve been Dudarova’s 101st birthday, we honor the conductor’s dramatic style as she leads the Google letters in a passionate, homepage-worthy performance.

[9A]

3 Dec 2014

Anna Freud's 119th Birthday







Take a peek inside the mind of psychoanalyst Anna Freud for her 119th birthday. As the daughter of famed neurologist Sigmund Freud, Anna followed her father’s footsteps into the field and is recognized as the founder of psychoanalytic child psychology.

[9A]

20 December 2010

Mehmet Akif Ersoy's Birthday







Mehmet Akif Ersoy was a Turkish pan-Islamist poet, writer, academic, politician, and the author of the Turkish National Anthem. Widely regarded as one of the premiere literary minds of his time, Ersoy is noted for his command of the Turkish language, as well as his patriotism and role in the Turkish War of Independence.

A framed version of the national anthem by Ersoy typically occupies the wall above the blackboard in the classrooms of every public as well as most private schools around Turkey, along with a Turkish flag, a photograph of the country's founding father Atatürk, and a copy of Atatürk's speech to the nation's youth.

[9A]

19 December 2010

Edith Piaf's 95th Birthday




Édith Piaf was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars.

Piaf's music was often autobiographical, and she specialized in chanson réaliste and torch ballads about love, loss and sorrow. Her most widely known songs include "La Vie en rose" [1946], "Non, je ne regrette rien" [1960], "Hymne à l'amour" [1949], "Milord" [1959], "La Foule" [1957], "L'Accordéoniste" [1940], and "Padam, padam..." [1951].

Since her death in 1963, several biographies and films have studied her life, including 2007's La Vie en rose. Piaf has become one of the most celebrated performers of the 20th century.

[9A]

19 December 2011

110th Anniversary of the Uganda Railway's Completion





Construction began at the port city of Mombasa in British East Africa in 1896 and finished at the line's terminus, Kisumu, on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, in 1901.

Several films have featured the Uganda Railway, including Bwana Devil, made in 1952, the Tsavo man-eaters are part of the plot of the 1956 film Beyond Mombasa, The Ghost and the Darkness, in 1996 and Chander Pahar, a 2013 Bengali movie based on the 1937 novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. In addition the 1985 film Out of Africa shows the railway in a number of its scenes. A documentary on the construction of the line, The Permanent Way was made in 1961.

[9A]

19 December 2022

Celebrating Judith Leyster





One could say painting came easel-y to Judith Leyster, a 17th-century master painter and a central figure in the Dutch Golden Age. However, misogyny and a forged signature caused art dealers to misattribute her paintings to male artists for decades. On this day in 2009, the National Gallery of Art and the Frans Hals Museum held exhibitions to rightfully honor her legacy. Today’s Doodle celebrates her work.

Leyster, whose name means “lodestar” [a person or thing that serves as an inspiration or guide], was born in Haarlem in 1609. Although art historians know little about her formal education, rumor has it she showed remarkable talent at a young age. When poet Samuel Ampzing visited Haarlem to chronicle the city in 1628, he famously described 19-year-old Leyster as a painter of “good and keen insight.”

At the time, professional female painters were rare in Europe. But Leyster never let this dissuade her. Using her spontaneous and free signature brushstrokes to capture everyday life, Leyster finished her first known painting, Serenade and Jolly Topper, in 1629. She signed with a distinct monogram: “J.L.” crossed by a star—a play on her last name.

A few years after completing her first painting, Leyster became one of the first women admitted to Haarlem’s prestigious painters’ guild. During this time, she also set up her own studio and began taking in students.


Leyster may have earned the respect of her peers and enjoyed financial success as an artist, but she was erased from history when art scholars later mistook her paintings as those of her male contemporaries’.

In 1892, a keen observer finally noticed a star insignia on one of Leyster’s paintings in the Louvre and remarked that it did not match the signature of the male artist’s. This forced the artworld to reckon with their decades-long misattribution, allowing Leyster to reclaim her place in history. Scholarly detectives have since identified more than 30 Leyster masterpieces. Curious to see them? Among her known works, the most famous is a self-portrait turning to the viewer with a knowing smile.

[9A]

19 December 2022

Celebrating the 2022 World Cup Champions: Argentina







A World Cup final for the ages delivered a crowning glory for soccer icon Lionel Messi on Sunday as Argentina beat reigning men's champion France on penalty kicks.

One of the most dramatic major sporting events in history had the teams tied 3-3 after extra time, with the French ultimately missing twice in the shootout before Gonzalo Montiel converted to seal an exhausting and emotional victory.

[9A]

Dec 19, 2016

Franz Sacher’s 200th Birthday







In the world of baked goods, few cakes have the culinary status–or intriguing backstory–of the Sacher-Torte, first concocted by the Austrian confectioner, Franz Sacher, in Vienna in 1832.

Perhaps destiny had a hand in its creation. Sacher was a 16-year-old apprentice honing his craft in the court of Austrian state chancellor, Prince Metternich, when the kitchen was tasked with creating a special dessert for the prince’s fussy guests. On the day of the dinner, the chef became ill, and the tall order fell to Sacher.

The trainee whipped up a chocolate cake topped with apricot jam and bittersweet chocolate icing. It was a hit with the prince’s guests, but it wasn’t until Sacher’s son Eduard refined the recipe decades later, that the Sacher-Torte became a Viennese sensation.

Today, the dessert is a signature of Café Sacher in Vienna's Hotel Sacher [and other locations in Austria]. The authentic recipe for the Original Sacher-Torte remains a deep, dark, delicious secret.

Our Doodle honors Sacher’s 200th birthday with an animation of his famous cake, illustrated Viennese style with a pot of coffee. With each “bite,” the torte slices slowly disappear, leaving barely a crumb.

[9A]

11 January 2012

Nicolas Steno's 374th Birthday



Known as the father of stratigraphy and geology, Nicholas Steno worked to understand history by what he could find in the ground. Rather than simply write books about his findings, Steno opted to do his own hands-on research. As an innovative thinker, he disagreed with his contemporaries in thinking that shark-tooth-shaped objects found imbedded in rocks "fell from the sky." Instead, Steno argued that these formations were fossils. His dedication to analysis, critical thinking, and creative thinking make him a great subject for a Google doodle!

Considering Steno's contributions to stratigraphy and geology, I wanted to honor his birthday with a unique take on his work. I knew that the colorful and geeky aesthetic of stratigraphy was the right direction for the doodle, but the team and I weren't sure how to apply it. Should we set the doodle in the middle of the country? Should we relate it to Google culture? Should I just make things up? Below are the exploration sketches.

After consulting a few geology nerds within Google, I decided to set the land in our very own Mountain View! I learned an interesting fact about our home-- there are no dinosaur fossils in the Bay Area [except for Stan of course].

Also staying a little more faithful to stratigraphy graphs, I formed the Google logo as though it was cut from a chunk of three dimensional land. Below are early drafts of the final direction.

There were so many different ways to think about Steno and his studies, it was a challenge and pleasure to honor such a fascinating person!

posted by Jennifer Hom

[9A]

7 January 2013

Nanakusa Gayu [7 Herb Porridge]



The Festival of Seven Herbs or Nanakusa no sekku is the long-standing Japanese custom of eating seven-herb rice porridge ; one of the Gosekku.

The seventh of the first month has been an important Japanese festival since ancient times. Jingchu Suishiji, written in the Six Dynasties China, recorded the Southern Chinese custom of eating a hot soup that contains seven vegetables to bring longevity and health and ward off evil on the 7th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. Since there is little green at that time of the year, the young green herbs bring color to the table and eating them suits the spirit of the New Year. The custom was present in Taiwan until the mid-Qing Dynasty, and is still present in parts of rural Guangdong province.

The seven flowers of autumn are bush clover [hagi], miscanthus [obana, Miscanthus sinensis], kudzu, large pink [nadeshiko, Dianthus superbus], yellow-flowered valerian [ominaeshi, Patrinia scabiosifolia], boneset [fujibakama, Eupatorium fortunei], and Chinese bellflower [kikyō, Platycodon gradiflorus]. These seven autumn flowers provide visual enjoyment. Their simplicity was very much admired: they are small and dainty yet beautifully colored. They are named as typical autumn flowers in a verse from the Man'yōshū anthology.

Unlike their spring counterparts, there is no particular event to do anything about the seven flowers of autumn. The autumn flowers are not intended for picking or eating, but for appreciation, despite each one is believed to have medical efficacy in traditional Chinese medicine. Tanka and haiku theming hanano [lit. flower field], meaning fields where the autumn wildflowers are in full bloom, have a centuries-old history.

[9A]

July 27, 2011

Enrique Granados' 144th Birthday





Pantaleón Enrique Joaquín Granados y Campiña, commonly known as Enrique Granados, was a Spanish composer of classical music, and concert pianist. His most well-known works include Goyescas, the Spanish Dances, and María del Carmen.

Granados wrote piano music, chamber music [a piano quintet, a piano trio, music for violin and piano], songs, zarzuelas, and an orchestral tone poem based on Dante's Divine Comedy. Many of his piano compositions have been transcribed for the classical guitar; examples include Dedicatoria, Danza No. 5, and Goyescas.

His music can be divided into three styles or periods:

A romantic style including such pieces as Escenas Románticas and Escenas Poeticas.
A more typically nationalist, Spanish style including such pieces as Danzas Españolas [Spanish Dances], 6 Piezas sobre cantos populares españoles [Six Pieces based on popular Spanish songs].

The Goya period, which includes the piano suite Goyescas, the opera Goyescas, various Tonadillas for voice and piano, and other works.

Granados was a significant influence on at least two other famous Spanish composers and musicians, Manuel de Falla and Pablo Casals. He was also the teacher of composer Rosa García Ascot.

[9A]

June 1, 2021

Celebrating Daniel Balavoine











Today’s Doodle celebrates French singer, songwriter, and activist Daniel Balavoine, a rebellious yet sensitive champion of pop music and human rights. On this day in 1978, Balavoine released his third album “Le Chanteur” [“The Singer”], an emotional reflection on the preciousness of life that skyrocketed his career.

Daniel Balavoine was born on February 5, 1952, in Alençon, France. In his teens, he fought passionately for social causes with energy he began to channel into music in 1970. Although his early musical efforts flew under the radar of mainstream success, Balavoine’s career began to pick up steam when Swiss pop star Patrick Juvet featured him on one of his albums.

In 1975, Balavoine continued to build momentum with the release of his debut solo album “De Vous à Elle en Passant Par Moi” [“From You to Her Through Me”]. A televised performance in 1977 of one of his sophomore album’s hit songs, “Lady Marlène,” captivated French pop icon Michel Berger, who commissioned Balavoine to play Johnny Rockfort in his cyberpunk rock opera “Starmania.” The role was a smash hit that set the stage for Balavoine to become a successful innovator of French electronic pop.

In 1980, he released a hit album, “Un Autre Monde” [“Another World”], featuring some of his most famous songs, such as “Je Ne Suis Pas un Héros” [“I’m not a Hero”], “Mon Fils, ma Bataille” [“My Son, My Battle”], and “La Vie ne M’Apprend Rien” [“Life Teaches me Nothing”]. In that same year, on television he issued a call to action to politician François Mitterrand with a challenge to do more for the youth. This was a defining moment for Balavoine’s legacy as not only a musician, but a vocal activist for the community and symbol for France’s next generation.

In addition to the over 20 million records he sold, Balavoine was a devoted humanitarian. He focused much of his efforts on improving the lives of residents in remote villages of the African Sahara, especially in Mali, where he planned to supervise the installation of water pumps near the route of the 1986 Paris-Dakar rally car race. Balavoine tragically lost his life during this trip, but his legacy has lived on. That same year, Balavoine’s final album “Sauver L'Amour” [“Save Love”] won a posthumous Victoire de la Musique award, one of French music’s highest honors.

Here’s to you, Daniel Balavoine!

[9A]

4 November 2020

Miliki's 91st birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Spain-based guest artist Cinta Arribas, celebrates Spanish clown, actor, director, writer, singer, and composer Emilio Aragón Bermúdez, known fondly by his stage name Miliki. Among his many artistic accomplishments, Aragón starred in the Spanish children’s program “El Gran Circo de TVE” [“TVE’s Great Circus”] which is widely considered one of the most iconic shows in the history of Spanish television.

Emilio Alberto Aragón Bermúdez was born on this day in 1929 in the town of Carmona in southwestern Spain. The son of a clown and an equestrian acrobatics specialist, Aragón honed his talent for performance art as a child surrounded by entertainers. Determined to carry on the family tradition, Aragón launched his clowning career by the age of 11, performing with his brothers at venues like Madrid’s legendary Circo Price [Price Circus].

The siblings moved to Cuba in the 1940s and achieved fame over the following decades as they showcased their endearing talents across the Americas. They found their way back to Spain in 1972 and the very next year, they took Spanish television by storm as the hosts of the children’s show which eventually became known as “El Gran Circo de TVE.”

After a hugely successful decade on air, Aragón moved beyond his identity as a clown and throughout the rest of his career explored new endeavors as a writer, TV presenter, filmmaker, and recording musician—a talent which earned him two Latin Grammy Awards.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Miliki!

[9A]

8 November 2012

Bram Stoker's 165th Birthday





Bram Stoker created a legendary villain when he penned his 19th century story Dracula. Few other characters have haunted popular culture for generations as much as the eponymous Count Dracula, whose fanged face has long been a staple of haunted houses and Halloween costumes. He's also featured in at least 200 feature films since the dawn of cinema, played by such acclaimed actors as Bela Lugosi in 1931 and Gary Oldman in 1992.

An epistolary novel, Dracula is innovative in that it is a story told through diary entries, transcribed phonograph recordings, dictated essays, scholarly articles, records, reciepts, and news stories. In this way, Stoker paints a vivid picture not only of the horror of Dracula's evil power, but of the fascinating Victorian England which he terrorized.

When I set out to create this doodle, I immersed myself in the source material by reading the thoroughly well-documented annotated edition by Leslie S. Klinger. Klinger's notes served to further contextualize the story, which capitalizes on the strict Victorian moral code to spin a tale that is all the more terrifiying for how thoroughly it deviated from contemporary mores.

I wanted to give a nod to each of the major characters in the story, as it is their collective observations which shape the saga. I invite our users to see if they can identify 7 protagonists, 4 antagonists, and 1 who falls somewhere in-between. For the visual style, I was very much influenced by the works of Edward Gorey and Aubrey Beardsley, whose artwork embodied the debauched Gothic horror that Stoker so skillfully conveyed in his work.

Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino, Doodler

[9A]

9 October 2022

Celebrating the Regatta de Zamboanga






Today’s Doodle celebrates Regatta de Zamboanga, an annual sailing competition from the southern part of the Philippines.

Every October, thousands of people gather along the kilometer-long stretch of R.T. Lim Boulevard in Zamboanga City to watch hundreds of vintas and their colorful sails race across the coastline. The event is the highlight of the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival honoring its patron saint, the La Virgen Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza.

The racers are mostly Bajau fishermen who come from coastal villages like Sinunuc, Maasin, Labuan, Mariki, and the island of Santa Cruz. Each boat carries two people paddling towards victory.


Also known as lepa-lepa or sakayan, the vintas are traditional outrigger boats with vibrant, rectangular sails. The intricate patterns on the canvas—designed by the racers themselves—symbolize the identities, customs and aspirations of the region’s diverse ethnic groups.

Although the regatta is a friendly competition in celebration of the fishermen’s maritime skills, everyone is motivated to be one of the winning teams to take home a prize.

So, get ready, set, row! And may the fastest vinta paddler win!

[9A]

13 Oct 2015

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s 67th Birthday







Imagine an entire genre of music, rooted in antiquity, that lies hidden to most of the world. Its traditions stretch back 700 years, yet few know it exists. Its beautiful melodies dip and soar. But no one is around to listen.

Such was the state of Qawwali in a not-so-distant past. Then came Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who opened the world’s ears to the rich, hypnotic sounds of the Sufis. Born to a musical family, Khan brought Qawwali from modest origins to international attention. He collaborated with, and influenced, countless musicians. And his endurance was astounding; some performances could last as long as ten hours!

Thanks to his legendary voice, Khan helped bring “world music” to the world. To celebrate his 67th birthday, let’s just listen.

[9A]

23 Oct 2021

Ellya Khadam's 93rd birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Semarang, Indonesia-based guest artist Fatchurofi Muhammad, celebrates Indonesian singer, songwriter, and actor Ellya Khadam, who is widely considered a pioneer of dangdut, a genre of folk music popular in Indonesia that blends local musical traditions together with diverse styles such as Western rock-and-roll and Indian film scores.

Ellya Khadam was born Siti Alya Husnah on this day in 1928 in Jakarta, Indonesia. During her teenage years, Khadam was neighbors with a singer of the Malaysian pop music style known as deli. She developed her musical talent by imitating this genre, which allowed her to make a name for herself by first singing at weddings and later joining local musical outfits.

She rose to prominence as a singer in the Kelana Ria Malay Orchestra during the 1950s, a musical collective that drew much of its inspiration from Indian culture and music. Khadam’s career reached its peak with the release of her 1956 break-out hit song “Boneka India” [Dolls from India] now considered a touchstone of the dangdut genre. She expressed her love for Indian customs not just through using Indian tabla rhythms in her songs but also by donning traditional Indian saris and wearing a sindoor on her forehead.

In addition to her musical output, which popularized dangdut and inspired the younger generation to take the genre to new heights, Khadam starred in dozens of films into the late 1970s. Today, dangdut showcases the nation’s culture on a global scale as one of Indonesia’s most popular musical styles—even making a historic on-stage debut in New York’s Times Square earlier this year!

Happy birthday, Ellya Khadam—thank you for giving a voice to a new wave of Indonesian culture!

[9A]

25 Oct 2021

Galina Vishnevskaya's 95th birthday







Today’s Doodle, illustrated guest artist Darya Shnykina, celebrates the 95th birthday of one of the greatest Russian opera singers of the 20th century—Galina Vishnevskaya.

Galina Pavlovna Ivanova was born on this day in 1926 in Leningrad, Russia [modern-day St. Petersburg] and became enthralled with opera at 10 years old after hearing Tchaikovsky’s epic “Eugene Onegin.” While walking the streets of Leningrad in the early 1950s, Vishnevskaya stumbled upon an invitation to audition for the Bolshoi Theater—Russia’s most prestigious opera hall. She blew the judges away with her audition, earning a spot as the year’s only auditioner accepted into the Bolshoi troupe.

In 1953, her childhood dreams were realized at the Bolshoi as she portrayed the lead character Tatyana in “Eugene Onegin” with a fresh interpretation of a classic character that became her signature role. This marked the genesis of a virtuosic opera career that took Vishnevskaya to venues around the world—often with her beloved dachshund Pooks in tow—from New York’s Metropolitan Opera to Helsinki’s Finnish National Opera. It was at the latter venue that she gave her final performance of Tatyana before retiring in 1982.

As a devoted humanitarian, Vishnevskaya founded the non-profit children’s welfare organization Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Foundation in 1991 alongside her husband, the world-class cellist Maestro Rostropovich. She also founded the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Centre in 2002 to provide a home for aspiring opera singers. Both organizations carry on her legacy of helping and inspiring others to this day.

Happy birthday, Galina Vishnevskaya!

[9A]

3 October 2022

German Unity Day 2022


Today’s Doodle celebrates German Unity Day, which marks the day when East and West Germany reunited.

Following WWII, Germany was divided into East and West sectors by the occupying forces. After the founding of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, the government built the Berlin wall 1961 and closed all borders to prevent its population from escaping the country. When the GDR opened up its borders for travel again—after months long peaceful protests by citizens in 1989—German people tore down the structure until the wall was no more. Almost a year later, a unification treaty was signed and it went into effect on this day in 1990. As a result, The German Unification spurred nationwide celebrations and ended the period of protests.

After decades of separation, cultural and economic gaps between East and West Germany became apparent. Following reunification, Germans grow closer each year, creating a woven culture and shared understanding. Today, many Germans gather to reflect on the significance of their hard-earned reunification. No matter the differences in views, East and West Germans will always be banded together by history. Today’s Doodle artwork represents this sense of unification and togetherness.

Happy German Unity Day to all!

[9A]

3 October 2017

Gerardo Murillo's [Dr. Atl] 142nd Birthday





Today's Doodle celebrates "Dr. Atl," born Gerardo Murillo in Guadalajara in 1875.

In a time of revolution and renaissance, Murillo greatly influenced Mexico’s political and cultural identity. He was an activist, artist, writer, journalist, and overall cultural leader.

Murillo pioneered the idea of artistic nationalism. To show his pride in his Mexican heritage, he took on the name "Atl," meaning water in Náhuatl. He worked his entire life to promote Native Mexican culture, writing extensively on folk art, music, and dance.

Murillo loved nature, and in volcanoes, he found his greatest inspiration. He frequently hiked to Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, living and painting on the volcanic slopes for weeks at a time. In 1943, he witnessed the birth of Paricutín and documented the experience in his book Cómo nace y crece un volcán, el Paricutín [How a Volcano Is Born and Grows – Paricutín].

For his contributions to the artistic and cultural heritage of Mexico, he was awarded the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor and the National Arts Award.

Today’s Doodle, by artist Julian Ardila, depicts Murillo painting one of his beloved volcanoes.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Dr. Atl!

[9A]

August 27, 2018

198th Anniversary of the First Ascent of the Zugspitze




The Zugspitze is Germany’s tallest mountain, standing at a height of 2,962 meters, and situated along the border between Germany and Austria.

The first people to ascend the Zugspitze were Lieutenant Josef Naus, a 27-year-old engineer from the Royal Bavarian Army, his mountain guide Johann Georg Tauschl, and a military orderly named Maier. Lieutenant Naus was employed by the Royal Bavarian Topographic Bureau, putting together an Atlas of Bavaria. Seeking to prove that this pinnacle was the loftiest in the Kingdom of Bavaria, they trekked across glaciers covered with melting ice— conditions ripe for avalanches.

Setting out in July they made their way across the largest glacier, proceeding to a shepherd’s hut from which they would attempt to climb the summit. After a short night’s rest, Naus’ party undertook their ascent on August 27, 1820, reaching the top seven hours and forty-five minutes later. Storms soon enfolded the mountain, hastening the men’s descent.

Today, visitors can take a cable car up the steep incline to the top, where they are rewarded with awe-inspiring views of the many jagged limestone peaks forming the border between Germany and Austria.

Some believe that local climbers—gatherers or hunters—may have beaten the Naus survey team to the summit before 1820. But Naus, Tauschl, and Maier were the first to prove their success in reaching the pinnacle. Today’s Doodle celebrates the Zugspitze immensity, beauty, and its importance to both Austria and Germany.

[9A]

May 21, 2014

Mary Anning's 215th Birthday









Mary Anning was an English fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist who became known around the world for finds she made in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Channel at Lyme Regis in the county of Dorset in Southwest England. Anning's findings contributed to changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of the Earth.