Google doodles

[9A]

1 Mar 2013

Ryunosuke Akutagawa's 121st Birthday




Ryūnosuke Akutagawa was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him.

[9A]

27 January 2014

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's 200th Birthday




Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. His major restoration projects included Notre-Dame de Paris, the Basilica of Saint Denis, Mont Saint-Michel, Sainte-Chapelle, and the medieval walls of the city of Carcassonne, and he planned much of the physical construction of the Statue of Liberty [Liberty Enlightening the World]. His later writings on the relationship between form and function in architecture had a notable influence on a new generation of architects, including Victor Horta, Hector Guimard, Antoni Gaudí, Hendrik Petrus Berlage, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.

[9A]

27 January 2022

Arkhip Kuindzhi's 180th birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 180th birthday of Russian artist Arkhip Kuindzhi. By integrating emerging discoveries in physics and chemistry with the contemporary styles of Impressionism and Romanticism, Kuinzhi developed a new painting technique that captured the natural world like never before.

Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi was born on this day in 1842 in the coastal town of Mariupol, Ukraine, into a family of cobblers and goldsmiths. To support his family, Kuindzhi worked odd jobs growing up while fostering his early interest in drawing on his off time. Historians believe a bread merchant was the first to notice Kuindzhi’s talent as an artist and encouraged him to apprentice under Ivan Aivazovsky, a popular painter of maritime scenes.


Kuindzhi walked over 250 miles from his hometown to Aivazovsky’s studio in Feodosia, Ukraine. Despite Aivazovsky denying him an apprenticeship, Kuindzhi pursued an education at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, where he took classes on the physical effects of light with famed Russian chemist Dmitrii Mendeleev. Due to its limited focus on European painting methods, the academy’s rigid traditions frustrated Kuindzhi. He left the school to paint natural landscapes of the Russian countryside and co-founded an organization for nomadic painters known as the “Society of Itinerant Artists” in 1870.

Kuindzhi became known for capturing massive, empty scenes of contemporary Russia, such as the seascape painting “Red Sunset on the Dnieper, 1905-8,” which remains his most famous work to date. Today, his former living quarters in St. Petersburg host many of his paintings and have been opened to the public as The Arkhip Kuindzhi Apartment Museum.

Here’s to a painter who shined a new light on contemporary art—Arkhip Kuindzhi!

[9A]

25 June 2022

Honouring Anne Frank




This post includes mentions of the Holocaust, which may be sensitive to some readers.

Today's slideshow Doodle honors globally renowned Jewish German-Dutch diarist and Holocaust victim Anne Frank. Although only written between the ages of 13-15, her personal account of the Holocaust and events of the war remains one of the most poignant and widely-read accounts to date. Today's Doodle features real excerpts from her diary, which describes what she and her friends and family experienced in hiding for over two years. Today is the 75th anniversary of the publication of her diary, which is widely considered one of the most essential books in modern history.

Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany, but her family soon moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands to escape the increasing discrimination and violence faced by millions of minorities at the hands of the growing Nazi party. World War II ignited when Anne was 10 years old, and soon after, Germany invaded the Netherlands, bringing the war to her family’s doorstep. Jewish people were particularly targeted by the Nazi regime, experiencing imprisonment, execution, or forced relocation to inhumane concentration camps. Unable to live and practice freely and safely, millions of Jews were forced to flee their homes or go into hiding. In the spring of 1942, Anne’s family did just that, hiding in a secret annex in her father’s office building to avoid persecution.

The Frank family, like millions of others, were forced to act quickly and leave nearly everything behind to seek protection. Among Anne’s few possessions was an unassuming gift she had received on her thirteenth birthday just weeks earlier: a checkered hardback notebook. It soon became her vehicle to change the world forever. Over the following 25 months in hiding, she filled its pages with a heartfelt account of teenage life in the “secret annex,” from small details to her most profound dreams and fears. Hopeful that her diary entries could be published after the war, Anne consolidated her writing into one cohesive story titled “Het Achterhuis” [“The Secret Annex”].

On August 4, 1944, the Frank family was found out by the Nazi Secret Service, arrested, and taken to a detention center where they were forced to perform hard labor. They were then forcibly deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland where they lived in cramped, unhygienic conditions. A few months later, Anne and Margot Frank were transported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. In addition to the brutal, intentional killings of prisoners by Nazi forces, deadly diseases spread rapidly. Eventually, Anne and Margot succumbed to the inhumane conditions they were forced to live in. Anne Frank was just 15 years old.

Although Anne Frank did not survive the horrors of the Holocaust, her account of those years, commonly known as “The Diary of Anne Frank,” has since become one of the most widely read works of non-fiction ever published. Translated into upwards of 80 languages, Frank’s memoir is a staple in today’s classrooms, utilized as a tool to educate generations of children about the Holocaust and the terrible dangers of discrimination and tyranny.

Thank you, Anne, for sharing a critical window into your experience and our collective past, but also unwavering hope for our future.

[9A]

21 Jan 2014
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Grandmother's Day 2014

[9A]

22 Jan 2014

Grandfather's Day 2014

[9A]

17 Jan 2014

Tomás Carrasquilla's 155th Birthday


Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo was a Colombian writer who lived in the Antioquia region. He dedicated himself to very simple jobs: tailor, secretary of a judge, storekeeper in a mine, and worker at the Ministry of Public Works. He was an avid reader, and one of the most original Colombian literary writers, greatly influencing the younger generation of his time and later generations. Carrasquilla was little known in his time, according to Federico de Onís, a scholar of Carrasquilla's works. It was only after 1936, when he was already 78 years old, when he was awarded with the National Prize of Literature, that Carrasquilla got a national recognition. Tomás Carrasquilla Library Park is named in his honor.

[9A]

17 January 2022

Forges' 80th birthday


Today’s Doodle celebrates Spanish cartoonist, author, television writer, and film director Antonio Fraguas de Pablo–better known by his pen name Forges–who is widely considered among the nation’s most significant graphic humorists of his era. In his signature style of simple, thick, black outlines, Forges provided the Spanish public with a satirical yet compassionate lens into some 50 years of the country’s history.

Antonio Fraguas de Pablo was born in Madrid, Spain on this day in 1942, and from a young age, he knew he wanted to become a cartoonist. At 14, he began to work as a technician for the public broadcaster Televisión Española, and while there, he published his first cartoon in the newspaper Pueblo in 1964. He continued to publish his cartoons over the following years, and in 1973, he finally left his job to realize his childhood dream of becoming a full-time cartoonist.

Forges quickly rose in popularity, filling newspaper pages with a subversive cast of cartoon characters who helped the public to process an unfolding evolution in Spanish society. Over the decades that followed, he put out many thousands of cartoons that explored everything from new technology to the discovery of the Higgs boson particle. A true creative powerhouse, Forges also directed films, wrote scripts for television comedies, published books of cartoons, and even wrote a novel.

Forges received countless accolades throughout his career, including Spain’s Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 2011.

[9A]

17 January 2013

Cecilia May Gibbs' 136th Birthday



Cecilia May Gibbs was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best known for her gumnut babies [also known as "bush babies" or "bush fairies"], and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.

[9A]

27 November 2022

Ronit Elkabetz's 58th birthday





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!

[9A]

28 November 2016

Drs. Suyadi's 84th Birthday





Drs. Suyadi, known widely by his alter-ego's name: Pak Raden, created books and animated films for children. His career spanned many years, creating his first book in 1952 at university and completing his last book, Petruk Jadi Raja, in 2008 at the age of 76.

In addition to books and films, Suyadi is perhaps best known for creating a children's puppet show called “Unyil.” The show aired on the Indonesian national station TVRI every Sunday from 1981 - 1993. To this day, the puppets are remembered fondly across Indonesia, especially Pak Raden, the grumpy character played by Suyadi himself. Never seen without his cane and false mustache, Pak Raden was one of the Unyil’s most popular puppets.

Today’s Doodle celebrates Drs. Suyadi on what would be his 84th birthday. Thank you for creating joy and inspiring curiosity in children and adults alike!

[9A]

7 Dec 2016

340th Anniversary of the Determination of the Speed of Light



While working in the Royal Observatory in Paris in 1667, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer discovered that the speed at which light travels could be measured. His theory built on earlier ideas by Galileo, and the observance of how the timings between Jupiter’s moon eclipses changed depending on its distance from the Earth. His theories gained support from other great scientific minds of the time, including Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley.

Rømer also made significant contributions to Copenhagen, where he spent his later years, having introduced oil lamp street lighting and proper sewers to the city. Another achievement includes the invention of the mercury thermometer in 1709, which was said to have inspired Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit to invent the temperature scale still in use today.

Today’s Doodle shows Rømer hard at work in his observatory 340 years ago.

[9A]

7 Dec 2016

Abd al-Rahman Al-Sufi's [Azophi] 1113th Birthday




Abd al-Rahman Al-Sufi forever changed the way we look at the stars in the sky. As one of the world’s most influential astronomers, he dedicated his life to furthering our understanding of the stars and constellations. The lunar crater "Azophi" and the minor planet "12621 Alsufi" are named after him.

One of Al-Sufi's greatest works involved fact-checking the Greek astronomer Ptolemy's measurements of the brightness and size of stars. In the year 964 AD, Al-Sufi published his findings in a book titled Kitab al-Kawatib al-Thabit al-Musawwar, or The Book of Fixed Stars. In many cases, he confirmed Ptolemy’s discoveries, but he also improved upon his work by illustrating the constellations and correcting some of Ptolemy’s observations about the brightness of stars.

Today's Doodle celebrates Al-Sufi on what would be his 1,113th birthday with a representation of the constellation Cancer, also known as “the crab.” The artwork closely mirrors what appeared in Al-Sufi’s manuscript, The Book of Fixed Stars.The words around the crabs indicate the cardinal directions of North, South, East, and West, with the smaller labels providing additional assistance in viewing the constellations.

More than a millennium later, Al-Sufi's keen observations and detailed work still informs our view of the night sky.

[9A]

7 December 2014

250th Anniversary of the Hermitage Museum




The State Hermitage Museum is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the largest art museum in the world by gallery space. It was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, Saint Catherine's Day. It has been open to the public since 1852. The Art Newspaper ranked the museum 6th in their list of the most visited art museums, with 1,649,443 visitors in 2021.

[9A]

7 December 2014

Akiko Yosano's 136th Birthday




Yosano Akiko was the pen-name of a Japanese author, poet, pioneering feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji era as well as the Taishō and early Shōwa eras of Japan. Her name at birth was Shō Hō. She is one of the most noted, and most controversial, post-classical woman poets of Japan.

[9A]

21 September 2020

Celebrating Jovita Idár



Today’s Doodle celebrates Mexican-American journalist, educator, nurse, and activist Jovita Idár, a pioneer in the fight for Mexican-American civil rights at the turn of the 20th century. During the First Mexican Congress, which met the week of September 14 to 22 in 1911, Idár was elected president of the League of Mexican Women, a feminist organization ahead of its time in uniting women around the critical educational, social, and political issues facing the Mexican-American community.

Jovita Idár was born in the border city of Laredo, Texas in 1885 at a time when Mexican-Americans faced rampant discrimination in the state. Determined to stand up for her community, she became a teacher in 1903 but later resigned to join her father’s influential activist newspaper, La Crónica [The Chronicle]. Through her articles, Idár spoke out against discrimination, fought for women’s suffrage, and affirmed the importance of Mexican culture.

In 1911, she and her family helped establish the First Mexican Congress to organize Mexican-Americans across Texas in the fight for civil rights. Building upon the female participation in the congress, Idár then founded the League of Mexican Women and served as its president.

In 1914, Idár continued her groundbreaking journalism career at El Progreso [The Progress] newspaper. Never afraid to make her voice heard, she expressed her criticism of the US army's involvement in the Mexican Revolution in an editorial, which resulted in an attempt by Texas Rangers to shut the publication down. When officers rode up to the El Progreso office, Idár stood in their way and forced them to turn back—a scene recreated in today's Doodle artwork.

Despite Idár’s bravery, the Rangers returned the next day and shut down El Progreso, but Idár refused to be silenced. She returned to La Crónica and eventually ran the paper with her brothers, using its pages to continue her pursuit for justice. In 1917, she moved to San Antonio, Texas, where she carried her activism forward as a prominent leader in the city’s community, including opening a free kindergarten, serving as a Spanish translator at a local hospital, and teaching childcare and feminine hygiene.

Gracias, Jovita Idár, for dedicating your life to the pursuit of equality and justice.

[9A]

15 February 2020

Nise da Silveira's 115th birthday



“To navigate against the current, these rare qualities are needed: a spirit of adventure, courage, perseverance, and passion.”
—Nise da Silveira

Today’s Doodle celebrates visionary Brazilian psychiatrist Nise da Silveira on her 115th birthday. One of the few women in medicine in her time, she boldly challenged established psychiatric practices, pioneering a more humane approach to patient care.

Born on this day in 1905, in the northeastern city of Maceió, da Silveira completed her medical degree in 1926 at just 21 years old, as the only woman in her class. When she began work at a national psychiatric center in 1933, she was discouraged by the harsh medical procedures that doctors were relying upon to treat mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Bravely challenging the status quo, da Silveira instead began to study and advocate for more compassionate rehabilitative treatments. She developed art workshops for patients to express the inner workings of their minds through painting and sculpting, and she later became one of the first to incorporate animals into her practice as “co-therapists.” Da Silveira’s new approach proved highly successful in her patients’ rehabilitation, paving the way for an entirely new way of thinking about psychiatric care.

Da Silveira’s Museu de Imagens do Inconsciente [“Images of the Unconscious Museum”] remains open to this day, maintaining a collection of over 350,000 pieces of patient-created artwork. Her work has inspired countless others, leading to the establishment of therapeutic institutions both in Brazil and around the world.

[9A]

15 February 2022

Lantern Festival 2022




Today’s Doodle celebrates the Lantern Festival on the first full moon of the Lunar calendar. Traditions call for celebrants to light lanterns and send them floating into the sky as a symbolic act that honors one’s ancestors and symbolizes the release of the past while shining a light on the year to come.

Modern-day celebrations of the Lantern Festival have ancient roots. Stretching back over 2,000 years to the start of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the customs that characterize the holiday are a testament to the power of China’s oral storytelling traditions. The most common type of lantern seen across the skies today are small orbs, but many artisans create unique designs that take on all sizes and shapes—from giant dragons to lanterns small enough for children to carry.

To add an extra element of fun, many people slip small pieces of paper inscribed with riddles inside their lanterns. Some riddles are even made so difficult, they’ve earned the nickname “lantern tigers,” as it’s said it's easier to fight a tiger than solve them!

Happy Lantern Festival!

[9A]

15 February 2015

50th anniversary of the Canadian flag




The Maple Leaf flag became Canada's flag on 15 February 1965.

Before this, Canada used the British Red Ensign with Canada's coat of arms on it. Flag experts say that the Red Ensign was defaced by the coat of arms.

Flag and heraldry experts also call the design of the flag a Canadian Pale. This is because the white stripe in the middle [called a pale in heraldry] was not the usual narrow stripe but was half the width of the flag. This was the first time a design like this was used.

On some days the Canadian government flies the Royal Union Flag next to the Maple Leaf Flag. The Royal Union Flag is the British Union Jack, and is a symbol that Canada is a member of the Commonwealth, and that Canada and Britain share a history and a monarch.

The Queen of Great Britain, had some say in what the flag was to be. She thought that the maple leaf greatly represents the country of Canada.

[9A]

3 Feb 2015

Setsubun 2015




Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan. The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, known as Setsubun; though previously referring to a wider range of possible dates, Setsubun is now typically held on February 3 [in 2021 it was on 2nd February], with the day after – the first day of spring in the old calendar – known as Risshun.

[9A]

3 February 2014

Anniversary of the coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada




The coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was −63.0 °C or −81.4 °F in Snag, Yukon.

[9A]

31 Jan 2014


Lunar New Year 2014 – Vietnam

[9A]

29 January 2023

Celebrating Bubble Tea



Tangy and fruity or sweet and milky? The combinations are endless! Today’s interactive game Doodle celebrates bubble tea, also known as boba tea and pearl milk tea. Honeydew, matcha, raspberry, mocha – no matter the flavor, don’t forget to mix in some bubbly balls made with fruit jelly or tapioca. Bubble Tea gained such popularity globally that it was officially announced as a new emoji on this day in 2020.

This Taiwanese drink started as a local treat and has exploded in popularity over the last few decades. Bubble tea has its roots in traditional Taiwanese tea culture which dates back as early as the 17th century. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that the bubble tea as we know today was invented. As waves of Taiwanese immigrants over the past few decades brought this drink overseas, innovation on the original bubble tea continues. Shops around the world are still experimenting with new flavors, additions, and mixtures. Traditional tearooms across Asia have also joined in on the boba craze, and the trend has reached countries like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and more!

Satisfy your craving and make a yummy cup of bubble tea in today’s interactive Doodle, which features Taiwan’s indigenous Formosan Mountain Dog as well as a crew of familiar Doodle characters!

[9A]

31 Jan 2014

Chinese New Year 2014




Today's Doodle was illustrated by guest artist Oamul Lu.

[9A]

31 January 2014

Lunar New Year 2014 – Korea

[9A]

31 January 2012

Discovery of the Iguazu Falls




Iguaçu Falls are a series of massive waterfalls that lie on the border of Argentina 80% and Brazil 20%. It is fed by the Iguaçu River, which flows into the Paraná River. 275 individual waterfalls side by side, some as tall as 269 feet [82 m], make up the falls, though most are around 210 feet [64 m].

[9A]

31 January 2013


Jackie Robinson's 94th Birthday


Jack Roosevelt Robinson [January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972] 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.



Robinson with Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954

[9A]

31 January 2012

Atahualpa Yupanqui's 104th Birthday



Atahualpa Yupanqui [born Héctor Roberto Chavero Aramburu; 31 January 1908 – 23 May 1992] was an Argentine singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered the most important Argentine folk musician of the 20th century.

[9A]

30 Jan 2012

I.L. Caragiale's 160th birthday



Ion Luca Caragiale was a Romanian playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist. Leaving behind an important cultural legacy, he is considered one of the greatest playwrights in Romanian language and literature, as well as one of its most important writers and a leading representative of local humour.

Although few in number, Caragiale's plays constitute the most accomplished expression of Romanian theatre, as well as being important venues for criticism of late-19th-century Romanian society.

[9A]

16 March 2022

Rosa Bonheur's 200th birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the 200th birthday of French painter Rosa Bonheur, whose successful career inspired a future generation of women in the arts.

Rosa Bonheur was born on this day in 1822 in Bordeaux, France. Her early artistic education was facilitated by her father, a minor landscape painter. Although her aspirations for a career in the arts were unconventional for women of the time, Bonheur closely followed the development of artistic traditions through years of careful study and preparing sketches before immortalizing them on canvas.

Bonheur's reputation as an animal painter and sculptor grew into the 1840s, with many of her works exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon from 1841 to 1853. Scholars believe an 1849 exhibition of “Plowing in Nivernais,” a government commission that is now housed in France’s Musée Nationale du Château de Fontainebleau, established her as a professional artist. In 1853, Bonheur garnered international acclaim with her painting “The Horse Fair,” which depicted the horse market held in Paris. As her most well-known work, this painting remains on exhibit in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

To honor this celebrated painting, the French Empress Eugénie awarded Bonheur the Legion of Honor—one of the nation’s most prestigious awards, in 1865.

[9A]

14 Mar 2022

Celebrating Dr Maggie Lim




Today’s Doodle celebrates Singaporean physician, professor, and public health official Dr. Maggie Lim, the first young woman in Singapore and second Singaporean ever to win the prestigious Queen’s Scholarship in the 45 years of the award’s history. On this day in 2014, Dr. Lim was posthumously inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame.

Maggie Lim, née Tan, was born in January 1913 in Singapore. She began her studies at Raffles Girls’ School, where she excelled in academics with a record six distinctions in her Senior Cambridge examinations. In 1929, she entered the then all-men’s Raffles Institution in preparation for the Queen’s Scholarship examination.

In 1930, Lim made history by winning the scholarship. She left home to attend the London School of Medicine for Women, one of the city’s only training hospitals that exclusively trained women. After years of dedicated study, Lim joined the Royal College of Surgeons and earned her physician's license. She returned to home in 1940 and served her community with a specialization in maternity and child health, helping to establish a system of specialized clinics across Singapore.

In 1963, Dr. Lim contributed her experience from a lifetime of fieldwork as the head of the Ministry of Health's Maternity and Child Welfare Department before retiring from this position to teach epidemiology and public health at the University of Hawaii for the remainder of her career.

[9A]

8 September 2022

Dr Bhupen Hazarika's 96th birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the 96th birthday of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, an acclaimed Assamese-Indian singer, composer and filmmaker who created music for hundreds of films. He was also one of northeast India’s leading socio-cultural reformers, whose creations and compositions united people from all walks of life. Illustrated by Mumbai-based guest artist Rutuja Mali, the artwork celebrates Hazarika’s work to popularize Assamese cinema and folk music.

Hazarika was born on this day in 1926 in northeastern India. His home state, Assam, is a region that has always been home to different tribes and several indigenous groups—such as the Bodo, Karbi, Mising and Sonowal-Kacharis. As a child, Hazarika grew up surrounded by songs and folk tales about life along the mighty Brahmaputra river.

At a young age, Hazarika’s musical talents attracted the attention of renowned Assamese lyricist, Jyotiprasad Agarwala, and filmmaker, Bishnu Prasad Rabha—both doyens of Assam’s rich cultural history. They helped Hazarika record his first song, which launched his music career at 10 years old. By age 12, Hazarika was writing and recording songs for two films: Indramalati: Kaxote Kolosi Loi, and Biswo Bijoyi Naujawan. Over time, Hazarika created numerous compositions, having a penchant for telling people’s stories through songs—stories about happiness and grief, of unity and courage, romance and loneliness, and even strife and determination.

Hazarika was not only a child music prodigy, he was also an intellectual. He graduated with a master’s in political science from Banaras Hindu University in 1946, and went on to earn a PhD in mass communications from Columbia University in 1952.

After completing his studies in America, he returned to India to continue working on songs and films that popularized Assamese culture on both a national and global scale. Over the course of a six-decade career, Hazarika won several prestigious prizes like the ​​Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, for his outstanding contribution to music and culture. He was honored posthumously with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 2019.

He went on to serve as chairman and director of numerous boards and associations, including the Indian government’s National Film Development Corporation.

Happy birthday, Bhupen Hazarika! Your songs and films continue to command respect for Assam’s rich culture.

[9A]

8 September 2014

Ludovico Ariosto's 540th Birthday




Ruggiero from Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem Orlando Furioso saves princess Angelica from a sea-dwelling orc [sounds terrifying] on our homepage in Italy today. Happy 540th birthday to Ariosto!

[9A]

8 September 2012

46th Anniversary of Star Trek's 1st Broadcast





OK, I admit it, I am a die-hard Trekkie. I grew up watching endless reruns of Star Trek, my imagination completely immersed in Gene Roddenberry’s brilliant creation.

Today’s Star Trek doodle is, and Mr. Spock said it best, “Fascinating.” Built using modern web technologies, this beautiful, interactive, multi-scene doodle takes all of us... where no one has gone before. Every scene has hidden surprises you absolutely have to discover for yourself, especially the fate of the Redshirt. A team of outstanding designers and engineers, and numerous Star Trek fans at Google, got really creative with this one.

Working on search at Google has brought me ever so close to realizing my childhood dream of turning science fiction into reality; and Star Trek has played a special role in my journey. Yes! The destiny of search is to become the Star Trek computer, a perfect assistant by my side whenever I need it.

I hope you enjoy today’s magical doodle, and to all my fellow Trekkies, I say... live long and prosper.

Cross-posted from the Google+ post of Amit Singhal, SVP, Engineering


**STAR TREK used under license

[9A]

8 Sept 2012

Macedonia Independence Day 2012




Independence Day in North Macedonia is celebrated on 8 September. It has been a national holiday since 1991, when, following a referendum for Independence, SR Macedonia gained its independence from Yugoslavia, where it was a federal state, and became a sovereign parliamentary democracy.

[9A]

8 September 2015

First Day of School 2015 [Canada]





School’s back in session! Happy first day to all of the students and teachers who are welcoming the start of a new school year. We talked to Doodler Olivia When about today’s animated doodle to learn more.

I had a few ideas involving kids, dogs eating homework, and libraries. I thought the idea of a bunch of kids running into a classroom was the most fun though, and started sketching a couple ideas for it. The gag of the letters misspelling Google was the favorite.

This project was sort of interesting because I started by cutting the background and letters out of paper first, and then scanned them in to set up and animate. After that I animated it like I would if I were drawing it. The letters have a bit of squash and stretch, and the run cycles were drawn in afterwards. I really just wanted to hint at the feeling of something more handmade.

I knew from the start I wanted it to be really colorful, and reminiscent of classrooms for younger children. I went through a few variations, but felt this one did the best of balancing things out while not being too overwhelming.

[9A]

17 August 2020

Librado Silva Galeana’s 78th Birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Chihuahua-based guest artist Raul Urias, celebrates Mexican translator, teacher, researcher, and author Librado Silva Galeana, an expert in the ancient Nahuatl language that was spoken within Mexico’s Aztek and Toltec civilizations. Galeana is widely known for his Spanish translation of a 16th-century collection of Nahuatl oral history called Huehuetlahtolli: Testimonies of the Old Word, in addition to many other Nahuatl poems and stories that encapsulate Mexico’s rich history and culture.

Librado Silva Galeana was born on this day in 1942 in Santa Ana Tlacotenco, Mexico. His parents were both Nahuatl speakers and passed the language down to Galeana. Fueled by a love of linguistics, he studied to become a teacher and dedicated much of his academic work to the preservation and promotion of his mother tongue of Nahuatl.

In the mid-1970s, he collaborated with fellow Nahuatl teachers to found the Ignacio Ramírez Social and Cultural Circle, a group named after the famed 19th-century Mexican writer and dedicated to the study of the language. Throughout his career, Galeana carried on Ramírez’s legacy of championing indigenous languages and knowledge. He contributed his expertise in Nahuatl to a variety of scholarly research in order to develop a deeper understanding of the indigenous heritage that helped to shape modern Mexico.

In recognition of his efforts to conserve the Nahuatl language and culture, Galeana was awarded the Nezahualcóyotl Prize for Indigneous Languages by Mexico’s Federal District Department in 1994.

Happy birthday, Librado Silva Galeana, and thank you for helping to preserve and celebrate culture.

[9A]

17 August 2022

Indonesia Independence Day 2022




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Bandung-based guest artist Wastana Haikal, celebrates Indonesia Independence Day. Indonesia officially declared independence on this day in 1945.

Indonesians commemorate the day with parades, carnivals and marching bands. Across the country, the red and white national colors decorate homes and streets in forms of flags and ornaments. The national flag hoisting ceremony, attended by Indonesia's president, is held at the State Palace and kicks off the day’s festivities. Following the broadcasted event, the Independence Day ceremony at Merdeka Palace features public figures, national heroes, and veterans in attendance.

Boat races [Pacu perahus]—like the one featured in today’s artwork—are one of Independence Day’s most popular traditions. The Pacu Jalur Festival hosts the biggest race in the country. After song and dance performances, more than one hundred vibrantly decorated boats row down the Batang Kuantan River. Teams of up to sixty people dress in traditional dance costumes as onlookers gather on the riverbanks.

As a maritime country, Pacu Jalur festival is one of the many traditions that teaches the importance of teamwork. A message that is aligned with Indonesia's national motto, Bhinekka Tunggal Ika [Unity in Diversity].

Happy Independence Day, Indonesia!

[9A]

6 February 2021

Celebrating the Vernadsky Research Base




What do magnetometers, snowmobiles, and penguins all have in common? Each can be found in full-swing at the Ukrainian Akademik Vernadsky Research Base, an Antarctic scientific center widely acclaimed for its climate change research studies. Today’s Doodle celebrates this historic station, which officially transferred from British to Ukrainian control on this day in 1996.

Located on the tiny island of Galindez in the Antarctic Circle, the Vernadsky station is the direct successor to the British Faraday base, which was first established as a meteorological observatory in 1947. Today, the Vernadsky station is operated by a rotating staff of a dozen winterers. For about ten months at a time, each winterer endures extreme isolation [there isn’t a town within 1,000 nautical miles!] and sub-zero temperatures, all in the name of scientific progress. When they aren’t busy preparing for expeditions into the Antarctic wilderness, the base’s personnel work year-round to maintain the station and conduct research on everything from penguin populations to the atmospheric effects of ultraviolet radiation.

Cheers to everyone who keeps their cool at the Vernadsky base, thank you for helping to provide a better understanding of our changing planet!

The Research Team at the Ukrainian Akademik Vernadsky Research Base

[9A]

6 February 2012

François Truffaut's 80th Birthday



François Roland Truffaut was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more than 25 years, he remains an icon of the French film industry, having worked on over 25 films.

[9A]

6 February 2020

María Teresa Vera's 125th birthday



Today’s Doodle honors the life and work of Cuban singer and guitarist María Teresa Vera, who also composed the nation’s rural folk song style, trova. Known as the Grande Dame of Cuban Music, she is widely regarded as one of the country’s most influential musicians.

Born on this day in 1895 in Guanajay, Cuba, Vera picked up the guitar at a young age after becoming a part of a bohemian community of trova musicians. Known as “troubadours,” the wandering street entertainers taught Vera how to compose trova songs and perform the genre’s poetic lyrical vocals together with the guitar. In 1911, Vera performed her first concert in Havana‘s Politeama Grande theater.

One of the first female voices of trova, Vera formed several successful duos and bands to perform original compositions along with her interpretations of other Cuban styles. Some of her songs became regular features on Havana’s radio stations, and her music helped to clear the path for the rise of popular Cuban music around the world in the 1930s and 40s. Throughout her career, she recorded close to two hundred songs, but those close to her say she could play more than a thousand.

Her lifetime accomplishments in music have a lasting impact and inspired a tribute album, “A María Teresa Vera” [“For María Teresa Vera”], a collection of songs recorded to celebrate her 100th birthday.

[9A]

6 February 2013

Mary Leakey's 100th Birthday




Today we celebrate the life and work of anthropologist/archaeologist Mary Leakey. In this Doodle, I wanted to highlight Leakey's work in the most charming way possible. I began by focusing on her discovery of the fossilized Proconsul skull, but ultimately decided to depict a scene of her excavation of the Laetoli footprints. As a fun touch, I included her pet dalmatians, whom are often included in old photographs of Leakey.

This was a fun Doodle to work on! Hats off to Mary Leakey and the fabulous legacy she has left behind!

Posted by Betsy Bauer, Doodler

[9A]

5 Feb 2013

64th anniversary of Alberto Larraguibel's record setting Puissance jump




Colonel Alberto Larraguibel Morales was a Chilean Army officer born in Angol, Chile. He remains as the record holder for highest jump, one of the longest-running unbroken sport records in history – 73 years as of 2023.

[9A]

5 February 2017

100th Anniversary of the Mexican Constitution


Today’s Doodle was created to honor the centennial of Mexico’s Constitution Day. It’s been one hundred years since Mexico’s leadership drafted the Constitution of Mexico, the foundational document that marked the end of the revolution. Led by revolutionary Venustiano Carranza, the constitutional congress set out to clearly lay out the rights of Mexico’s people, setting a standard followed in years to come by other countries worldwide.

[9A]

2 September 2021

Rudolf Weigl's 138th birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 138th birthday of Polish inventor, doctor, and immunologist Rudolf Weigl. He produced the first effective vaccine against epidemic typhus—one of humanity’s oldest and most infectious diseases.

On this day in 1883, Rudolf Stefan Weigl was born in the Austro-Hungarian town of Przerów [modern-day Czech Republic]. He went on to study biological sciences at Poland’s Lwów University and was appointed as a parasitologist in the Polish Army in 1914. As millions across Eastern Europe were plagued by typhus, Weigl became determined to stop its spread.

Body lice were known to carry the typhus-infecting bacteria Rickettsia prowazekii, so Weigl adapted the tiny insect into a laboratory specimen. His innovative research revealed how to use lice to propagate the deadly bacteria which he studied for decades with the hope of developing a vaccine. In 1936, Weigl’s vaccine successfully inoculated its first beneficiary. When Germany occupied Poland during the outbreak of the Second World War, Weigl was forced to open a vaccine production plant. He used the facility to hire friends and colleagues at risk of persecution under the new regime.

An estimated 5,000 people were saved due to Weigl’s work during this period--both due to his direct efforts to protect his neighbors and to the thousands of vaccine doses distributed nationwide. Today, Weigl is widely lauded as a remarkable scientist and hero. His work has been honored by not one but two Nobel Prize nominations!

From studying a tiny louse to saving thousands of human lives, the impacts your tireless work had on the world are felt to this day—Happy Birthday, Rudolf Weigl!

[9A]

2 September 2016

Vietnam National Day 2016




Crowds gathered in Ba Đình Square on September 2nd, 1945, as revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, delivered his historic speech to announce Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence from colonial French rule. Every year, Vietnamese people celebrate National Day by displaying the distinctive red and yellow national flag and with colorful patriotic marches and fireworks.

Today’s Doodle depicts a lotus, which is Vietnam’s national flower. To many people, including Buddhists, it’s a symbol of perfection and purity. During its flowering season, you can easily spot, and often smell, the colorful blooms on ponds across Vietnam. Much of the plant, such as the stem, seeds, and leaves can be used in cooking, plus some parts are also used for natural remedies.

Happy National Day, Vietnam.

[9A]

22 January 2019

Lev Landau’s 111th Birthday


Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, on this day in 1908, Lev Davidovich Landau was a Soviet theoretical physicist who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research into liquid helium’s behavior at extremely low temperatures.

Described by classmates as a “quiet, shy boy,” young Landau was brilliant at math and science, but struggled in relating to his classmates. Having completed his studies by age 13, Landau was ready to start college long before his peers. Enrolling in the Physics Department of Leningrad University, his first publication, On the Theory of the Spectra of Diatomic Molecules was already in print when he was just 18 years old.

Completing his Ph.D. at age 21, Landau earned a Rockefeller fellowship and a Soviet stipend which allowed him to visit research facilities in Zurich, Cambridge, and Copenhagen, where he had the opportunity to study with Nobel Laureate Niels Bohr. Renowned for his work in quantum theory, Bohr had a profound impact on the young physicist.

Elected to the U.S.S.R.’s Academy of Sciences in 1946, Landau also received the Lenin Science Prize for his monumental Course of Theoretical Physics—a ten-volume study co-written with his student Evgeny Lifshitz. His wide-ranging research has linked his name to many concepts that he was first to describe including: Landau Levels, which are the focus of today’s Doodle, Landau diamagnetism, Landau damping, and the Landau energy spectrum. His legacy is also kept alive by the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics in Moscow—and there is even a crater on the moon named after him!

Happy Birthday, Lev Landau!

[9A]

22 January 2020


Celebrating Anna May Wong



“I felt sure that I’d see my name in electric lights before long.”
–Anna May Wong


Today’s slideshow Doodle celebrates the first-ever Chinese American movie star in Hollywood, Anna May Wong, on the 97th anniversary of the day The Toll of the Sea went into general release, which was her first leading role. Featured in the Doodle slideshow are scenes from her life, including some of her most famous characters from the more than 50 movies she was featured in throughout her career.

The Los Angeles native was born Wong Liu Tsong on January 3rd, 1905. Originally from Taishan, China, Wong’s family taught their children both English and Cantonese. When not at school or in her father’s Sam Kee laundry, Wong began spending her time hanging around movie studios and asking directors for roles, and by age 11, she had chosen her stage name: “Anna May Wong.”

Wong was often overlooked or only offered small roles due to prevailing racial barriers. However, refusing to be limited to or typecast as Asian stereotypes, she moved to Europe in 1928. There, Wong starred in many plays and movies, such as Piccadilly [1929] and The Flame of Love [1930], and was soon promised leading roles in the U.S.

Upon returning to the U.S., one of the roles Wong was cast for was opposite her friend Marlene Dietrich in the 1932 release of Shanghai Express, which became one of her most famous roles. Shortly after, she was named the “world’s best-dressed woman” by the Mayfair Mannequin Society of New York, cementing her position as an international fashion icon. In the 1950s, she also became the first Asian American to land a leading role in a U.S. television series, playing a mystery-solving detective in the show The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.

In recognition of her many accomplishments, Wong was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

[9A]

18 January 2021

Petrona Eyle's 155th birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates Argentine doctor and social activist Petrona Eyle. In addition to her trailblazing career in medicine, Eyle fearlessly campaigned for women’s rights across Latin America and led numerous feminist and humanitarian organizations.

Petrona Eyle was born on this day in 1866 in Baradero in the Argentine province of Buenos Aires. She earned a teaching degree in 1879 and then traveled to Switzerland to study medicine at the University of Zurich, the first European university to accept female students. Following her graduation in 1891, she returned home to Argentina and made history when she revalidated her degree to officially become a doctor in the country.

At the same time, Eyle dedicated herself to the improvement of women’s lives through her involvement with a variety of forward-looking organizations. She co-founded the Association of University Women, a pioneering Argentinian feminist association that fought for equal legal and social rights. Through her involvement there, Eyle also helped organize the First International Feminist Congress, which was held in Buenos Aires in 1910. A writer as well, in the late 1910s she founded the magazine Nuestra Causa [Our Cause], in which she argued vehemently for women’s right to vote.

In 1947, Argentina granted women that right, thanks in no small part to Eyle and the women’s suffrage movement to which she contributed throughout her life.

Happy birthday, Petrona Eyle, and thank you for helping to lead Argentina toward a more equal future.

[9A]

26 Jan 2021

Honoring Maria Island




Today’s Doodle recognizes January 26 by honoring Maria Island—a biodiverse protected State Reserve located off the eastern coast of Tasmania.

The secluded haven is home to a unique collection of mammal, marine, and avian species, including one of Australia’s rarest birds: the endangered forty-spotted pardalote which is depicted in the Doodle artwork.

Native to the island’s dry eucalyptus forests, the tiny pardalote is the first Australian bird known to forage a sugary sap called manna by snipping the leaf stalks of gum trees—a process referred to as “mining” or “farming” by biologists. In response, these trees often heal their wounds with the release of nutritious manna that is then snatched up by the pardalote to feed its offspring.

From the northern peaks of Bishop and Clerk to the jagged rock pillars of Cape Peron in the south, Maria Island teems with wildlife and continues to be one of the richest heritage sites in Australia.

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Today’s Google Doodle was developed in collaboration with Tasmanian Aboriginal community and Elders. We respectfully acknowledge the Tasmanian Aboriginal communities and Elders past and present.