Google doodles

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October 21, 2011
Mary Blair's 100th Birthday





I was greatly honored for the opportunity to create a doodle for Mary Blair's 100th birthday. Not to mention somewhat intimidated! Her work was and continues to be a major source of inspiration for a large number of artists working in animation, illustration, and fine art... and the Google Doodle team. So there was some pressure to get it right!

Of course, for all her technical mastery, from her wonderful color schemes to her deceptively simple shapes and compositions, what I've always admired most about her work is the sense of joy that went into making each picture. As a viewer, I can't help but sense that childlike enthusiasm and smile in response. This was Mary's ultimate goal, as she wrote in a letter to her husband, to "live to be happy and paint to express our happiness," and it's a goal very similar to our own as Doodlers -- to inspire happiness in our users when they see something new and unexpected on the Google homepage.

posted by Mike Dutton

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Oct 20, 2011
Park Wan-suh's 80th Birthday





Park Wan-suh [October 20, 1931 – January 22, 2011] was a South Korean writer.

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Oct 15, 2011
Italo Calvino's 88th Birthday








I was overjoyed to be able to celebrate one of my favorite authors, Italo Calvino. Ostensibly a science fiction writer, Calvino is more of a fabulist, using scientific notions as a jumping-off point for whimsical, delightfully far-fetched, extremely warm and compassionate little tales. The first work of Calvino's that I read was Invisible Cities, an imagined dialogue between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan that meditates on the different ways of conceptualizing cities.

For this doodle, however, I decided to illustrate the first story from my favorite Calvino collection, Cosmicomics. Cosmicomics is an audacious series of myths and legends that covers everything from the creation of the universe, to the evolution of land vertebrates, to the social lives of dinosaurs.

In this story, The Distance of the Moon, the protagonist tells of time when the moon orbited so close to the Earth that it was possible to row out into the middle of the ocean and climb onto the surface of the Moon with a ladder. Once on the moon, the protagonists and his friends would frolic and cartwheel while the Moon's gravity gently pulled jellyfish and crabs up out of the sea. It's a fantastic image, and hopefully one that's very evocative to readers of Calvino.

If you haven't yet, please consider investigating his work!

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October 15, 2012
107th Anniversary of Little Nemo in Slumberland





A true pioneer and master draftsman, Winsor McCay is an artist and visionary. As a storyteller, his imagination reaches beyond the confines of reality and even the technology of his time.

Among his most famous works is his weekly comic strip "Little Nemo in Slumberland." This series follows the journeys of Nemo through a fantastic dreamworld. Nightly, he finds himself thrown into a topsy turvy, overgrown, and colorful mess that often leaves him tumbling out of bed. McCay's mastery of perspective, bold use of color, and sheer creativeness yield a series that is visually stunning and immersive. Though not popular in its time, "Little Nemo in Slumberland" became celebrated in the mid 20th century. Since its "rediscovery," the comic has inspired artists, feature animated films, and operas. Original pages have also drawn attention at the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

If drawing painfully intricate comic strips every week isn't enough, McCay is also a pioneer in animation. His short film, "Gertie the Dinosaur" is regarded to have the first character designed for animation with a unique personality. His groundbreaking achievements in animation, art, and storytelling make McCay a perfect candidate for a doodle.

Paying tribute to such a creative giant and body of work, however, is intimidating for any artist. "Little Nemo in Slumberland" is an undertaking in itself, but the doodlers and I wanted to approach this doodle as McCay might have. What if McCay composed a Nemo comic for the internet? What if he had Google engineers to back his creativity? We may never know how far he would have pushed the resources and technology available today, but his work will continue to inspire generations of dreamers.

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Oct 11, 2012
Alicia Moreau de Justo's 127th Birthday




Alicia Moreau de Justo [October 11, 1885 – May 12, 1986] was an Argentine physician, politician, pacifist and human rights activist. She was a leading figure in feminism and socialism in Argentina. Since the beginning of the 20th century, she got involved in public claims for opening rights for women. In 1902, joined by a fellow activists, she founded the Feminist Socialist Center of Argentina and the Feminine Work Union of Argentina.

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Oct 9, 2012
Uganda Independence Day 2012

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October 9, 2015
605th Anniversary of Prague astronomical clock









Check out the Prague Astronomical Clock on Google Street View, from both the outside and the inside [and try taking the stairs!]

The hands of Prague’s astronomical clock have measured a staggering amount of history. It predates Shakespeare by over a century, and had been operational for two years by the time Joan of Arc was born. Despite over a half a millennium of wear and a brush with disaster in WWII, much of its original machinery remains intact, making it the oldest functioning clock of its kind in the world.

Today’s Doodle honors a magnificent achievement in medieval engineering and a cultural landmark whose symbolism, design, and intermittent repairs are a remarkable catalogue of Europe’s past.

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October 9, 2017
Bagong Kussudiardja’s 89th Birthday





On this date in 1928, Bagong Kussudiardja, better known as ‘Bagong,’ was born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A world-renowned choreographer, painter, sculptor, and poet who marched to the beat of his own drum, Bagong spent his formative years studying art, music, and Javanese court dance.


After Indonesia’s independence in 1945, Bagong yearned to expand on his classical training. He started by studying Japanese and Indian dance. From 1957-1958, he trained in the U.S. under Martha Graham, the legendary choreographer famous for her boundary-breaking techniques.

Back on home turf, Bagong incorporated those modern moves to further elevate traditional Indonesian dances. He established the Pusat Latihan Tari Bagong Kussudiardja [Center for Dance] in 1958, followed by the still-thriving Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja [Center for the Arts] in 1978. And he choreographed more than 200 dances in his creative, intricate style.

But choreography was just one part of the picture. Bagong was also revered for his batik oil paintings and watercolors. He worked in a myriad of styles, including impressionistic, abstract, and realistic.
Today’s Doodle illustrates Bagong in his element — paintbrush in hand, richly costumed dancers leaping for joy.

Happy birthday to this avant-garde Javanese artist.

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October 10, 2020
Celebrating Anton Wilhelm Amo








Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Berlin-based guest artist Diana Ejaita, celebrates Ghanian-German philosopher, writer, and academic Anton Wilhelm Amo— widely credited as one of Europe’s first African-born university students and professors as well as one of the 18th century’s most notable Black philosophers. On this day in 1730, Amo received the equivalent of a doctorate in philosophy from Germany’s University of Wittenberg.

Amo was born around 1703 near the town of Axim on Africa’s Gold Coast [now Ghana]. Though the circumstances of his relocation are unclear, Amo grew up in Amsterdam, where he was given the name Anton Wilhelm by the family he lived with. Amo began his university studies in 1727 and two years later completed his first dissertation: a legal and historical argument against European slavery.

Amo published work across a variety of disciplines from philosophy to psychology and established himself as a renowned Enlightenment thinker. He went on to teach at a number of German universities, and also found time to master seven languages during his lifetime. An influential champion for the cause of abolition, Amo ultimately became embattled by racism and opposition to his beliefs. In 1747, he sailed back to present-day Ghana, where he remained for the rest of his life.

In honor of Amo’s legacy, the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg erected a statue in his likeness in 1965. In August 2020, Berlin announced plans to name a street after him in the city’s Mitte district.

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October 10, 2011
Fridtjof Nansen's 150th Birthday




Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat and humanitarian. He led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, traversing the island on cross-country skis. He won international fame after reaching a record northern latitude of 86°14′ during his Fram expedition of 1893–1896. Although he retired from exploration after his return to Norway, his techniques of polar travel and his innovations in equipment and clothing influenced a generation of subsequent Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.

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October 12, 2011
Art Clokey's 90th Birthday

A preliminary sketch for Art Clokey's doodle.

Art Clokey, creator of The Gumby Show, led an incredibly fascinating life. A pioneer of animation, he worked with clay to create dynamic stop-motion sequences that were entertaining as well as beautiful. His first student film, Gumbasia [1955], was highly abstract, but contained hints of the playful transformations prevalent in his later work.

His innovation and his palpable love for animation soon led to the creation of The Gumby Show, starring the characters that feature in our doodle. From left to right we have: the Blockheads, Prickle, Goo, Gumby, and Pokey. Together they went on many misadventures, learned valuable lessons, and delighted their audience.



An unedited frame of animation, with the support arm still visible.


For this doodle we had the pleasure of working with Joe Clokey, Art's son, to ensure that we would do justice to Art's cherished characters. The animations were produced by veteran industry professional Anthony Scott, who worked on such contemporary stop-motion classics as The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, The Corpse Bride, and Coraline. Stop-motion has always captivated me, and it requires so much care, time, and dedication – but watching it come together is incredible.




Another original frame of animation.


The final doodle was a collaboration with engineer Bradley Bossard, who transformed the already delightful animations into an interactive experience.

We hope this doodle put a smile on your face!

Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino

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Nov 6, 2015
Adolphe Sax’s 201st Birthday







If you were alive in the mid-nineteenth century and had a particularly keen ear for music, you might have noticed a void somewhere between the brass and woodwind sections. Adolphe Sax certainly did, and being both a talented musician and the enterprising man that he was, he started tinkering and endeavored to fill it. The result was the iconic, honey-toned instrument still bearing his name: the saxophone.

The son of an instrument-maker, Sax was highly creative and had a deep understanding of brass and woodwinds. He started tinkering with instruments of his own, and upon bringing together the body of a brass and the mechanics of a woodwind created a hybrid that would revolutionize music. His eponymous saxophone had a sound all its own, a wonderfully smoky middle ground between the two.

The Saxophones that were popularized by the likes of John Coltrane, Lisa Simpson, and Kenny G constitute only a fraction of his impressive body of work. From the whimsical looking 7-bell trombone to the large and swooping saxtuba, Sax never tired of exploring, experimenting, and creating new—and sometimes unusual—instruments. To properly highlight his inventiveness we couldn’t possibly make just one Doodle. Which is why you can find five unique Doodles today, each celebrating a different instrument created at the hands of Mr. Sax. There is one notable exception—what we affectionately call The Googlehorn. Inspired by the intricate tubing Sax employed to alter and manipulate sound, this is Doodler Lydia Nichols' attempt to fashion an instrument as unique and quirky as both Adolphe Sax and Google.

All five Adolphe Sax inspired Doodles!

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Nov 9, 2015
Hedy Lamarr's 101st birthday





We love highlighting the many good stories about women’s achievements in science and technology. When the story involves a 1940s Hollywood star-turned-inventor who helped develop technologies we all use with our smartphones today… well, we just have to share it with the world.

Today on Google’s homepage we’re celebrating Hedy Lamarr, the Austrian-born actress Hollywood once dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Lamarr’s own story reads like a movie script: bored by the film industry and feeling typecast, Lamarr was more interested in helping the Allied war effort as World War II broke out than in the roles she was being offered. She had some background in military munitions [yes, really], and together with a composer friend, George Antheil, used the principles of how pianos worked [[yep, pianos) to identify a way to prevent German submarines from jamming Ally radio signals. The patent for “frequency hopping” Lamarr co-authored laid the groundwork for widely-used technologies like Bluetooth, GPS and wifi that we rely upon daily.

It’s no wonder, then, that Lamarr has kind of a mythical status at Google, and I was pretty excited at the chance to tell her story in Doodle form. This took some tinkering of my own—after deciding on the movie format as a nod to her Hollywood career, I dug through old fashion illustrations and movie posters to try to capture the look and feel of the 1940’s. Sketching storyboards on a yellow notepad helped me figure out how to show Lamarr in very different scenarios—movie star by day, inventor by night—which we then animated and set to the awesome soundtrack created by composer Adam Ever-Hadani.

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Nov 11, 2015
Angola Independence Day 2015





Forty years ago today, Angola became an independent nation. Known for its stunning rock formations, long stretches of temperate coastline and rich biodiversity, today’s Doodle honors the beauty of this flourishing West African country and the fine people who will celebrate its National Day.

Angola,, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country in southern Africa. It shares borders with Namibia in the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the north, and Zambia in the east. Its west border touches the Atlantic Ocean. Its coastline is 1600 kilometers. Angola's capital is Luanda. The country has many natural resources.

Angola is a member state of the African Union, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the Latin Union, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone and the Southern African Development Community.

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Nov 11, 2015
Poland Independence Day 2015







Every year, as winter sets in throughout the southern hemisphere, the world’s White Storks take off for the north. Their flight is monumental. They cover thousands of miles, over wild seas, chasing the warm sun of summer. And in the end, a quarter of them arrive in one specific place: the country of Poland.

Poland, whose independence we remember each November, plays host annually to 40,000 pairs of stork. That’s more than anywhere else in the world! Today, we celebrate the diversity, freedom, and natural richness of Poland with a doodle by Robinson Wood.

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November 11, 2012
Roberto Matta's 101st Birthday






Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren, better known as Roberto Matta, was one of Chile's best-known painters and a seminal figure in 20th century abstract expressionist and surrealist art.

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February 11, 2019
Lyubov Orlova’s 117th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and work of the Russian movie star Lyubov Orlova.

Born near Moscow on this day in 1902, Orlova began musical training at an early age. Her parents hoped she would become a classical pianist, and she impressed the Russian opera singer Feodor Chaliapin with her talent when she was still a little girl. She began her studies at the Moscow Conservatory and worked with the Moscow Musical Theater, singing in operas and dancing before making the transition to the big screen.

She made her onscreen debut in the 1930s, and her breakthrough role was starring in the film Jolly Fellows directed by Grigoriy Aleksandrov, whom she would go on to marry. Together they produced many successful films, including Цирк [Circus] and Волга-Волга [Volga-Volga]. Orlova was awarded various honors for her talents, including the prestigious title People’s Artist of the U.S.S.R.

Orlova was a strong believer that age was simply a state of mind. Always preferring to keep her exact age a mystery, her character in the play Lovely Liar even famously remarked: “I will never turn over the age of thirty-nine, even for a single day!”

In the later years of her career, she returned to the stage, appearing at Moscow’s Mossovet Theater in plays directed by Yury Zavadsky.

On what would have been her 117th birthday, we honor Lyubov Orlova, a legend of Soviet cinema.

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February 11, 2013
Elsa Beskow's 139th Birthday





Elsa Beskow [née Maartman] was a famous Swedish author and illustrator of children's books. Among her better known books are Tale of the Little Little Old Woman and Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender.

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Nov 13, 2015
Dorothea Christiane Erxleben's 300th Birthday







Throughout her life, Dorothea Christiane Erxleben advocated for women's rights and maintained the unwavering conviction that women should be allowed to—and ought to—pursue an education. After receiving a dispensation from Frederick the Great, Erxleben earned her M.D. from University of Halle in 1754, the first woman in Germany’s history to do so!

Happy 300th birthday, Dr. Erxleben!

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November 13, 2010
Robert Louis Stevenson's 160th Birthday








Robert Louis Stevenson [born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894] was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped and A Child's Garden of Verses.

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Nov 21, 2010
Loy Krathong Festival 2010





Loy Krathong is a Siamese festival celebrated annually throughout the Kingdom of Thailand and in nearby countries with significant southwestern Thai cultures. The name could be translated as "to float ritual vessel or lamp," and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river. Many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, the Hindu Goddess Ganga. This festival can see the traces of its origin back to India.

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November 21, 2008
René Magritte's 110th Birthday - Courtesy of Succession René Magritte / ARS, NY






René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.

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November 21, 2019
Celebrating Matilde Hidalgo de Procel





Today’s Doodle celebrates Ecuadorian physician, poet, and activist Matilde Hidalgo de Procel, who was born on September 29th, 1889 in the city of Loja and became the first woman to vote in Latin America in 1924. Inspiring her native Ecuador to become the first Latin American state to grant suffrage to all women, this trailblazing pioneer for women’s rights smashed through glass ceilings throughout her entire lifetime, also becoming the first female Ecuadorian doctor on this day in 1921.

The youngest of six children raised by a widowed seamstress, Procel aspired to continue her education past sixth grade. Her older brother Antonio requested that his sister be allowed to attend high school with him, and the Director of Bernardo Valdivieso School granted their wish. Despite being ostracized by her peers, Procel persevered, graduating with honors in 1913.

She went on to study medicine at the Universidad del Azuay [now known as University of Cuenca], and the Central University, becoming the first female doctor in Ecuadorian history.

By signing the register of voters in 1924, Procel set the stage for yet another “first.” When the State Council questioned her right to vote, she pointed out that Ecuador’s Constitution makes no mention of gender as a requirement for voting—only citizenship, age, and literacy. Her argument was affirmed by unanimous vote, ensuring that both Procel and Ecuador would go down in history.

After a lifetime of leadership, Procel eventually ran for public office, becoming Ecuador’s first female elected official in 1941. The Ecuadorian government awarded her the Medal of Merit and the Medal of Public Health, while her hometown of Loja established a museum in her honor.

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Nov 1, 2008
Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead 2008

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November 1, 2014

Mariquita Sanchez de Thompson's 228th Birthday





Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson y de Mendeville, was a patriot from Buenos Aires and one of its leading salonnières, whose tertulias gathered many of the leading personalities of her time. She is widely remembered in the Argentine historical tradition because the Argentine National Anthem was sung for the first time in her home, on May 14, 1813.

A tertuliais a social gathering with literary or artistic overtones, especially in Iberia or in Latin America. Tertulia also means an informal meeting of people to talk about current affairs, arts, etc. The word is originally Spanish [borrowed by Catalan and Portuguese], but it has only moderate currency in English, used mainly in describing Latin cultural contexts.

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November 1, 2012
L.S. Lowry's 125th Birthday




Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist. His drawings and paintings depict Pendlebury, Lancashire, where he lived and worked for more than 40 years, Salford and its vicinity.

Lowry is famous for painting scenes of life in the industrial districts of North West England in the mid-20th century. He developed a distinctive style of painting and is best known for his urban landscapes peopled with human figures, often referred to as "matchstick men". He painted mysterious unpopulated landscapes, brooding portraits and the unpublished "marionette" works, which were only found after his death.

His use of stylised figures, which cast no shadows, and lack of weather effects in many of his landscapes led critics to label him a naïve "Sunday painter".

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November 1, 2008
1000 Years of The Tale of Genji




The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. The original manuscript, created around the peak of the Heian period, no longer exists. It was made in "concertina" or orihon style: several sheets of paper pasted together and folded alternately in one direction then the other. The work is a unique depiction of the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period. It is written in archaic language and a poetic yet confusing style that make it unreadable to the average Japanese speaker without specialized study. It was not until the early 20th century that Genji was translated into modern Japanese by the poet Akiko Yosano. The first English translation was attempted in 1882 but was of poor quality and incomplete.

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Nov 8, 2011
Edmond Halley's 355th Birthday







Edmond [or Edmund] Halley, was an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist. He was the second Astronomer Royal in Britain, succeeding John Flamsteed in 1720.

From an observatory he constructed on Saint Helena in 1676–77, Halley catalogued the southern celestial hemisphere and recorded a transit of Mercury across the Sun. He realised that a similar transit of Venus could be used to determine the distances between Earth, Venus, and the Sun. Upon his return to England, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and with the help of King Charles II, was granted a master's degree from Oxford.

Halley encouraged and helped fund the publication of Isaac Newton's influential Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica [1687]. From observations Halley made in September 1682, he used Newton's laws of motion to compute the periodicity of Halley's Comet in his 1705 Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets. It was named after him upon its predicted return in 1758, which he did not live to see.

Beginning in 1698, Halley made sailing expeditions and made observations on the conditions of terrestrial magnetism. In 1718, he discovered the proper motion of the "fixed" stars.

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Dec 3, 2011
Nino Rota's 100th Birthday




Giovanni Rota Rinaldi, better known as Nino Rota , was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti. He also composed the music for two of Franco Zeffirelli's Shakespeare films, and for the first two films of Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy, earning the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II [1974].

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Dec 2, 2013
Carlos Merida's 122nd Birthday






Carlos Mérida was a Guatemalan artist who was one of the first to fuse European modern painting to Latin American themes, especially those related to Guatemala and Mexico. He was part of the Mexican muralism movement in subject matter but less so in style, favoring a non-figurative and later geometric style rather than a figurative, narrative style. Mérida is best known for canvas and mural work, the latter including elements such as glass and ceramic mosaic on major constructions in the 1950s and 1960s.

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December 16, 2010
Jane Austen's 235th Birthday





Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her use of biting irony, along with her realism, humour, and social commentary, have long earned her acclaim among critics, scholars, and popular audiences alike.

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December 13, 2016
Türkan Saylan’s 81st Birthday

“You, my dear daughter, stop asking yourself, ‘Why am I born a girl?’ and aim at becoming the best you can be.”

Türkan Saylan, one of Turkey’s first female dermatologists and a champion of women’s rights, wrote these words to the young girls of her native country. The message, which was part of a book she authored, perfectly describes her approach to life.

As a young doctor in the 1970s, Saylan played a lead role in the battle against leprosy. She helped to found both the Turkish Leprosy Relief Association and the International Leprosy Union. She also served as a consultant on the disease for the World Health Organization. Later, she shifted her focus to another cause: bringing education to impoverished young girls. And in 1989, she helped start the Association to Support Contemporary Life, an organization that has built hundreds of schools in rural areas and awarded more than 60,000 scholarships.

Showing Saylan in her lab coat with several young girls in tow, today’s Doodle pays tribute to her incredible life’s work on what would’ve been her 81st birthday.

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September 10, 2018
Professor Dorothy Hill’s 111th Birthday






“I couldn’t really see why a woman couldn’t run a university,” said Dorothy Hill, the trailblazing Australian geologist and paleontologist who became president of the Professorial Board at her alma mater, the University of Queensland, in 1971. A pioneer in her field, Hill was the first woman to become a professor at any Australian university as well as the first female president of the Australian Academy of Science.

After studying chemistry in at university, Hill took an early interest in the geology of coral. After graduating with honours, she won a scholarship to earn her PhD at Cambridge University, where she published papers on the structure and morphology of coral and earned a pilot’s license in her spare time. In 1939, Hill worked with the Geological Survey of Queensland studying early core samples of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Following the war, Hill continued to win prestigious accolades, becoming president of the Royal Society of Queensland, Chairman of the Geological Society of Australia, Queensland Division, and the first female fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1956. She edited the Journal of the Geological Society of Australia and published more than 100 research papers in various respected journals. In 1964, Hill was awarded the Lyell Medal for scientific research and became the first Australian woman to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of London.

Professor Hill retired from the University in late 1972, returning to research her landmark Bibliography and Index of Australian Paleozoic Coral, whichwas published in 1978. A Dorothy Hill chair in Paleontology and Stratigraphy was endowed in her honor, and the Australian Academy of Sciences now bestows the Dorothy Hill Award for female researchers in earth sciences. Her colleagues at the University of Queensland created a 3D model of her rock hammer for an exhibition at the School of Earth Sciences. Her name was also given to numerous species of invertebrate fossils, including Acanthastrea hillae, Australomya hillae, Filiconcha hillae, and Reticulofenestra hillae.

Born on this day in 1907, Professor Hill’s accomplishments inspire countless other young women to pursue careers in academia. Today’s Doodle celebrates the intrepid field researcher, scholar and inspirational role model for future generations.

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Sep 2, 2018
Vietnam National Day 2018






Rising from beneath the water to open at dawn, the fragrant lotus seen in today’s Doodle is the national flower of Vietnam. A symbol of hope, the pink and white blossom is also associated with purity—which is woven into Vietnamese culture, medicine, architecture, and cuisine. The traditional Lotus Dance dates back to the 1600s, when it was performed in royal palaces celebrating the birth of Buddha. The archways over Ho Chi Minh City’s Nguyen Hue Boulevard are giant neon lotus flowers, and many Vietnamese dishes include lotus root slices.

In cities and towns all over Vietnam, friends and family get together in celebration of National Day. Parties and festivities occur all over the Southeast Asian country today, with large celebrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The warm summer weather provides an ideal setting for people to enjoy their country’s cultural and natural riches – from food to flowers.

Happy National Day, Vietnam!

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September 2, 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.

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Sep 1, 2016
34th Anniversary of Similan Islands National Park







Today’s Doodle takes you under the stunning waters of Thailand’s Similan Islands. Located northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea, the archipelago of 11 islands is famous for its breathtaking dives. Sea turtles, zebra sharks, and blue-spotted stingrays are just a few of the species an underwater adventurer might encounter.

Equally as inviting as the coral reefs are the park’s white sandy beaches. From there, long-tail boats can be spotted navigating the waters against a backdrop of ironwood and gum trees. Also fluttering above sea level, a number of feathered species call the islands home — everything from white-bellied eagles to yellow-browed warblers.

Rich in both wildlife and natural beauty, the Similan Islands were named a national park 34 years ago today. Now it’s time to dive in and celebrate!

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September 1, 2020
Celebrating Dr. Harold Moody






Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Dublin-based guest artist Charlot Kristensen, celebrates Jamaican-born British doctor, racial equality campaigner, and founder of the U.K.'s first civil rights movement Dr. Harold Moody. On this day in 1904, Dr. Moody arrived in the U.K. from Jamaica to pursue his medical studies at King’s College London. Alongside his medical work, he dedicated his life to campaigning for racial equality and advocating against discrimination.

Harold Arundel Moody was born on October 8, 1882, in the Jamaican capital of Kingston. He received early exposure to the medical field while in secondary school through his work for his father’s pharmaceutical business. Determined to become a doctor, he left Jamaica in 1904 to study medicine in London.

Dr. Moody soon came face-to-face with rampant racism in Edwardian London. Even though he qualified to practice medicine, finished top of his class, and won numerous academic prizes, he was repeatedly refused work due to the color bar system that denied people opportunities based on race. Instead, he opened his own private medical practice in Peckham, South East London—the neighborhood that inspired the design of the buildings situated below Dr. Moody in today’s Doodle. The children depicted represent the countless impoverished youth Dr. Moody would treat free of charge, in a time before the U.K. had a National Health Service. In doing so, Dr. Moody earned a reputation as a compassionate humanitarian and philanthropist who would always help those in need.

Dr. Moody’s determination to improve the lives of those around him wasn’t limited to his medical practice—he simultaneously focused his attention on combating racial injustice as well. He founded the League of Coloured Peoples in 1931 with the mission to fight for racial equality both in the U.K. and around the world. The group pushed for change, at a government level, to combat discrimination in its many forms.


Thank you, Dr. Moody, for paving the way towards a more equal future.

[9A]

September 1, 2011
Tarsila do Amaral's 125th Birthday







Besides the 230 paintings, hundreds of drawings, illustrations, prints, murals, and five sculptures, Tarsila's legacy is her effect on the direction of Latin American art. Tarsila moved modernism forward in Latin America, and developed a style unique to Brazil. Following her example, other Latin American artists were influenced to begin utilizing indigenous Brazilian subject matter, and developing their own style. The Amaral Crater on Mercury is named after her.

In 2018 MoMA opened a solo exhibition of her work.

[9A]

September 1, 2020
Aya Kōda’s 116th Birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Yuko Shimizu, celebrates the 116th birthday of Japanese novelist, essayist, and feminist Aya Kōda, widely revered as one of the most luminary Japanese authors of her time. Kōda’s writing eloquently explored topics like familial relationships, gender roles, and traditional Japanese culture, and she came to be closely associated with the appearance of the kimono in her work.

Aya Kōda was born on this day in 1904 in the Japanese capital of Tokyo. Her father, Rohan Kōda, was one of Japan’s most esteemed authors, and Kōda began her writing career at age 43 with an essay about him for a literary journal.

In the 1940s and ‘50s, Kōda honed her captivating style through a series of similarly autobiographical essays that chronicled her life with the eccentric Rohan. Despite her unexpected literary success, she stopped writing for several months to work as a maid at a geisha house. Kōda’s experience among the kimono-clad women there inspired her 1955 debut novel “Nagareru” [“Flowing”], which is cited as a critical turning point in her career.

Today’s Doodle artwork depicts Kōda dressed in a kimono, a subject she examined so frequently that her first 1958-’59 essay collection featured covers made of hand-stitched kimono fabric. In the background of the Doodle artwork is the Horinji Temple found in Japan’s Nara prefecture. The Kōda family had strong ties to pagodas, and when a fire caused by lightning burnt down the original Horinji Temple in 1944, Kōda raised money that helped fund its 1970s reconstruction. Kōda went on to produce a prolific body of work, much of which can be found in her 23-volume, career-spanning collection published from 1994-’97.

Happy birthday, Aya Kōda, and thank you for sharing the fabric of Japanese culture with the world!

[9A]

Oct 27, 2020
Dr. Stamen Grigorov’s 142nd Birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the 142nd birthday of Bulgarian physician and microbiologist Dr. Stamen Grigorov, the first scientist to discover the bacterium essential to the fermentation of yogurt. Grigorov also contributed to the development of the world’s first tuberculosis vaccine.

Stamen Grigorov was born on this day in 1878 in the village of Studen Izvor, located in the Trun region of western Bulgaria. Passionate about science from a young age, he went on to earn a doctorate from the Medical University of Geneva, Switzerland. Following his wedding in 1904, Grigorov returned to the university to work as a research assistant.

As a reminder of home, Grigorov’s wife gifted him with some Bulgarian culinary staples, including yogurt. Intrigued by yogurt’s reputed health benefits, Grigorov decided to inspect it under a microscope. Following thousands of experiments, in 1905 he finally found what he was looking for: the rod-shaped microorganism that causes yogurt’s fermentation. The bacterium was later renamed Lactobacillus bulgaricus in honor of Grigorov’s home country.

Later that year, Grigorov took a position as chief physician at a local hospital in his hometown of Trun. In 1906, he released a groundbreaking paper demonstrating the first use of penicillin fungi against tuberculosis. He continued this research and worked as a doctor throughout the rest of his life, saving thousands of lives along the way.

In honor of Grigorov’s legacy, his home village of Studen Izvor today houses one of the world’s only museums of yogurt.

Честит Рожден ден, Dr. Grigorov!

[9A]

May 29, 2018
Nepal Republic Day 2018






In today’s Doodle, one of the rose-gold peaks of the Himalayas rises through the clouds in honor of Nepal’s 11th National Republic Day. The holiday commemorates the country becoming a federal democratic republic on May 28, 2008, ending 239 years of monarchy.

Republic Day, also called Ganatantra Diwas, is celebrated throughout Nepal and around the world. Typically, a parade held in Tundikhel—a wide, open space in the heart of Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu—is chief among the celebrations. In years past, government officials have released pigeons, a sign of peace, from the Army Pavilion. Army helicopters splashed with the Republic flag sprinkled flower petals from the sky. The Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and the Armed Police Force marched with artists, musicians, and karatekas [practitioners of karate], displaying different aspects of Nepal’s myriad cultures and traditions.

Today, we wish Nepalis everywhere a happy Ganatantra Diwas with the country’s colorful prayer flags and magnificent mountains—a symbol of national pride.

Doodle by Vrinda V Zaveri

[9A]

[Thought some of you might enjoy this. It was posted a few months ago. Fun to play with.]

CHROME MUSIC LAB

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/About

What is Chrome Music Lab?

Chrome Music Lab is a website that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments.

What can it be used for?

Many teachers have been using Chrome Music Lab as a tool in their classrooms to explore music and its connections to science, math, art, and more. They’ve been combining it with dance and live instruments. Here’s a collection of some uses we’ve found on Twitter.

Can I use it to make my own songs?

Yes. Check out the Song Maker experiment, which lets you make and share your own songs.

Do I need to make an account?

Nope. Just open any experiment and start playing.

Here’s a collection of some uses we’ve found on Twitter.

[9A]

November 17, 2016
Elisabeth "Ellis" Kaut's 96th Birthday




Who's that little goblin lighting the birthday cake? The impish Pumuckl, created by Elisabeth "Ellis" Kaut, has been playfully causing mischief since 1962. Pumuckl is a kobold, a kind of sprite based in German folklore. He constantly gets into trouble but never intends any real harm. Kaut, who would be 96 today, wrote more than 100 Pumuckl stories. She received several awards and honors for her work, including the prestigious Bavarian Poetentaler literary award.

Today's Doodle was created by Barbara von Johnson, who became the primary Pumuckl illustrator in Kaut's books after winning a competition at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts in 1963.

[9A]

November 17, 2005
Doodle 4 Google 2005 - UK by Lisa Wainaina








The Day of the Child, drawn by 11-year-old Lisa Wainaina.

[9A]

Jun 4, 2014
Alejandro Obregon's 93rd Birthday





Our doodle in Colombie today draws inspiration from the work of painter Alejandro Obregon for what would be his 93rd birthday. Recognized as one of Colombia’s top painters, Obregon’s style is noted for its use of color and geometric forms.

Doodler Betsy Bauer found it both fun and challenging learning to emulate Obregon’s style. “While his work is abstract, you can still find specific forms throughout his pieces. His paint strokes and color choices are bold… I hope to have done his work justice!”

[9A]

June 4, 2013
Vladislav Gorodetsky's 150th Birthday





Vladislav Gorodetsky Leshek Dezidery or Leszek Władysław Dezydery Horodecki, born 23 May 1863 [ June 4 , 1863 in the Gregorian calendar ] to Sholudky and died on January 3 , 1930in Tehran , is a Polish architect active in Poland and Russia.

He is called the "Gaudi of Kiev". Already in his lifetime the name of Vladyslav Horodetskiy was covered with many legends and mysteries, his surprising works were not only known around the world, but also very much loved by people. The artistic treasury of the great architect includes multiple constructions, such as temples, palaces, mansions, museums, exhibition pavilions.

He entered the history of architecture as a disciple of the “modern”, the current which has no narrow specialization for the creator. His interest was also aroused by the design of furniture, the making of sketches for wall paintings, sculptures, stained glass windows, engravings, decoration of books and other art objects. He organically embodied a subtle sense of beauty, a vivid imagination of the painter and an inexhaustible energy of the builder.

[9A]

Jun 4, 2014
25th anniversary of first free elections in Poland

[9A]

May 30, 2014
35th Anniversary of Nezha Conquers the Dragon King





Our homepage in Hong Kong and Taiwan marks the 35th anniversary of Nezha Conquers the Dragon King. A source of pride in China, Nezha was the first Chinese-language animated film to be screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

[9A]

May 30, 2019
2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Begins!






Over 100 players, 10 teams, but only one cup.

Today’s Doodle celebrates the International Cricket Council’s 2019 World Cup, which opens at the Oval in London.​

Taking place every four years, the Cricket World Cup is the world’s leading contest in one-day cricket, and has become one of the most popular sporting events on the planet. Ten teams earn their chance to compete for the cup through a qualifying process that takes five to six years. This year’s round robin will be hosted in England and Wales.

Now England’s official national sport, it is said that cricket began as a children’s game in the Weald of rural England. Cricket spread to North America by the 17th century, eventually arriving in the British colonies of the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa and has since spread around the world.

The world’s first international cricket match, between Canada and the United States, took place in 1844. The first World Cup tournament was held in 1975, won by the West Indies team, who repeated the feat in 1979. This year’s defending champions are Australia, a perennial powerhouse that has won five of the eleven cups.

No matter how heated the competition may get, cricket is highly respected for maintaining high standards of fair play and good sportsmanship. Hence the phrase “It’s just not cricket,” which describes anything considered unfair.

May the best team win!

[9A]

May 30, 2021
Children's Day 2021 [May 30]