Google doodles

[9A]

July 12, 2017

Tayeb Salih’s 88th Birthday


“There are many horizons that must be visited, fruit that must be plucked, books read, and white pages in the scrolls of life to be inscribed with vivid sentences in a bold hand,” claims the narrator of Tayeb Salih’s most critically acclaimed novel, Seasons of Migration to the North.

First published in Arabic in 1967, Seasons of Migration to the North was an international hit and is considered a national treasure of Sudan. It was eventually translated into 20 languages, and in 2011 it was deemed the most important Arabic novel of the 20th century by the Arab Literary Academy.

Before his literary successes, Salih was born to a poor family in a village in northern Sudan in 1929. He studied in the capital, Khartoum, before moving to England four years before his country gained its independence in 1956. After leaving Sudan, Salih spent much of his life living in various cities across Europe and the Arab world, but his work always found a firm foundation in his homeland -- mostly the fictional village of Wad Hamid.

Today’s doodle honors his sense of a setting, incorporating recurring elements from some of Salih’s most popular stories, like Seasons, The Wedding of Al Zein [[1962), and A Handful of Dates [1964]. Through Salih’s window we can see a boy and his beloved grandfather, the shade of a palm tree, and the river Nile.


Happy 88th birthday, Salih!

[9A]

July 12, 2019


René Favaloro’s 96th Birthday


“‘We’ is more important than ‘I.’ In medicine, the advances are always the result of many efforts accumulated over the years,” wrote Dr. René Favaloro, the Argentinian surgeon who introduced coronary artery bypass surgery into clinical practice and is celebrated in today’s Doodle.

Born in the city of La Plata on this day in 1923, René Gerónimo Favaloro spent the first 12 years of his medical career as a country doctor in the farming community of Jacinto Arauz. He built an operating room, trained his own nurses, set up a local blood bank, and educated patients on how to prevent common ailments. The experience left him with a lifelong conviction that healthcare was a basic human right, regardless of economic circumstances.

In 1962, he traveled to the United States to practice at the Cleveland Clinic, where he worked alongside Mason Sones, a pioneer of cineangiography—the reading and interpreting of coronary and ventricular images. After studying angiograms in the Sones Library, Dr. Favalaro was convinced that coronary artery bypass grafting could be an effective therapy.

On May 9th, 1967, Dr. Favaloro operated on a 51-year-old woman with a blockage in her right coronary artery. Attaching her to a heart-lung machine, he stopped her heart and used a vein from her leg to redirect blood flow around the blockage. The historic operation was a success, and since then, the procedure has saved countless lives during the past half-century.

Returning to Argentina in the early 1970s, Dr. Favaloro established the Favalaro Foundation in Buenos Aires. The center serves patients based on their medical needs rather than their ability to pay and teaches Dr. Favaloro’s innovative techniques to doctors all over Latin America.

[9A]

August 31, 2018

Malaysia National Day 2018




Today’s Doodle celebrates Malaysia’s Independence Day. Also known as Hari Kebangsaan or “National Day” it’s a commemoration of the moment in 1957 when Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Chief Minister of Malaya, read the declaration of independence from Great Britain.

This year’s Hari Kebangsaan will be particularly exciting because, for the first time since 1957, Malaysian citizens recently elected a new government. When fireworks explode in the sky above this multicultural southeast Asian country this, proud Malaysian citizens will look forward to the future as they celebrate their nation and their flag, also known as Jalur Gemilang or “Stripes of Glory.”

Malaysia has had many flags over the years, many including the Malayan tiger seen in Today’s Google Doodle. The tiger is part of the national consciousness, representing strength and courage. Of the nine subspecies of tigers, the ones indigenous to Malaysia are slightly smaller, and live in the tropical forest. They are the subject of many Malay folklore. Some stories cast them as humans morphed into animal form: the were-tiger harimau jadian, for example, is a fabled guardian of palm plantations.

The Malaysian flag will be flown today at parades and in households where families celebrate over plates of Nasi Lemak, a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf, Malaysia’s national dish. There are many reasons to celebrate this major holiday, which also coincides with lunar new year, and hari raya, the feast that concludes Ramadan.

Happy National Day Malaysia!

[9A]

August 31, 2015

Malaysia Independence Day 2015







Deep within a Malaysian street market, a teamaker spins a metal cup towards the sky. In mid-air, he turns it just so, and out pours a hot mix of tea and condensed milk. The drink speeds towards the ground – until another cup swoops in, scooping it out of the air. The tea is saved, and the wide-eyed crowd bursts into cheers!

This is the ritual of “teh tarik,” the national drink of Malaysia. Brewed hot, it cools and thickens as it’s slung back and forth between the teamaker’s special mixing cups. It’s not only delicious to drink, but a delight to watch. That’s why we chose it for the Malaysian Independence Day doodle, illustrated by guest artist Alyssa Winans.

[9A]

June 12, 2018

Eugénie Brazier’s 123rd Birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates Eugénie Brazier, also known as “La Mère Brazier” [the Brazier Mother']. Brazier was a French chef who was famously awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide.

Eugénie Brazier was born in a mostly rural region of eastern France, in the late 19th century. When her mother passed away, Brazier relocated to a nearby farm where she looked after the cows and pigs and began her exploration into the local cuisine. Later, at age 20, Brazier gave birth to her son Gaston, and left for Lyon to pursue an apprenticeship and refine her skills.

Eight years after moving to Lyon, Eugénie Brazier opened La Mère Brazier which quickly developed a reputation as an elegant culinary destination for politicians and celebrities. La Mère Brazier expanded many times to accommodate the massive increase in customers. Eventually, she expanded the business west to Col de la Luère, where her restaurant’s lack of running water or electricity didn’t stop it from achieving the highest degree of praise.

[9A]

June 12, 2013


Philippine Independence Day 2013

[9A]

June 12, 2020

Russia National Day 2020




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Olesya Shchukina, commemorates Russia National Day, known locally as Den Rossii. On this day in 1990, Russia became an independent nation following the official adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation, which was then followed by the establishment of the national anthem and flag.

From the Bering Sea in the country’s Asian east, to the shores of the Baltic Sea in the European west, Russia has celebrated June 12th as a public holiday and a time to pay tribute to the country’s identity and heritage since 1992.

Today, Russia’s widely varied cultures and ethnicities are symbolized by historical customs, such as the playing of the country’s many traditional folk instruments. These unique musical instruments include Iozhkis [spoons], buben [tambourines], and accordions, as depicted in today’s Doodle.

С днем России! Happy Russia Day!

[9A]

June 12, 2010
Doodle 4 Google 2010 - UK by Daniel Joel

[9A]

June 12, 2014

World Cup 2014 #1






Anything can happen during the World Cup. Who’ll win? Who’ll score? Which super psychic animal will replace Paul the Octopus?

In this spirit we’ve relocated some of our doodlers to Brazil to celebrate the essence of the biggest sporting event for the world’s most popular sport–in the moment.

[9A]

June 12, 2019


Philippines Independence Day 2019

[9A]

October 12, 2020

Laudelina de Campos Melo's 116th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 116th birthday of Afro-Brazilian union activist, business owner, and domestic worker Laudelina de Campos Melo, who in 1936 founded Brazil’s first association of domestic workers. An eminent pioneer in the struggle for Brazilian workers’ rights, Melo dedicated her life to the fight against racial, class, and gender discrimination.

Laudelina de Campos Melo was born on this day in 1904 in Poços de Caldas, in Brazil’s southeastern state of Minas Gerais. Her mother served as a domestic worker and Melo became one as a teenager as well. In the process, she witnessed firsthand the racism, poor working conditions, and exploitation faced by so many workers, including her own mother— an experience that inspired her fight for change.

Melo relocated to the coastal city of Santos in 1924 and became involved in local organizations with a focus on improving the lives of Black Brazilians. This set a course of activism that she followed throughout her life. In 1936 she founded the historic Association of Domestic Workers, and she later formed a similar association in Campinas, which went on to officially earn recognition as a union in 1988.

In 2015, Melo’s movement for justice achieved another victory: when the Brazilian government passed legislation to extend labor rights to domestic workers.

Happy birthday, Laudelina de Campos Melo!

[9A]

October 12, 2020

Oğuz Atay’s 86th Birthday







Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Istanbul-based guest artist Enes Diriğ, celebrates the 86th birthday of Turkish author, playwright, engineer, and professor Oğuz Atay. His 1972 novel “Tutunamayanlar”[“The Disconnected”] is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant Turkish novels of the 20th century. With his reliance on shifting narrative perspectives and blend of dreams and reality, Atay was among the first Turkish writers to explore the postmodern style known as metafiction.

Oğuz Atay was born on this day in 1934, in İnebolu, a coastal town on the Black Sea in the Kastamonu Province of Turkey. Raised in a well-connected family, he received a top education and went on to pursue a career in the field of civil engineering. In 1960, Atay became a lecturer at the Istanbul State Engineering and Architecture Academy, but it was the fiction he wrote in his downtime that came to define his legacy.

Atay entered the limelight of Turkish literature with the publication of “Tutunamayanlar” in 1972, a towering literary achievement which he followed up with a rapid string of novels through the ‘70s. All the while, he continued his teaching career and in 1975 was made an associate professor.

Atay’s “Tutunamayanlar” was identified by UNESCO in 2002 as an important literary work in need of an English translation. It has since been translated into English, Dutch, and German, opening Atay’s seminal novel to non-Turkish readers around the world.

Happy birthday, Oğuz Atay!

[9A]

April 29, 2017

Tama’s 18th Birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates little Tama, the beloved stationmaster of Kishi Station in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan.

For many years, the train station was lightly traveled, causing officials to close it in 2004. But in 2007, the railway appointed Tama the calico cat to be the stationmaster. The new local celebrity drew crowds of travelers to see her in her office, where she sometimes wore an official cat-sized cap. Not only did Tama draw tourists to her new cat-themed cafe and gift shop [even the station itself got a cat-themed makeover!], but her celebrity also kept the train service open for local residents.

Though Tama passed away in 2015, a new kitty called Nitama [or “Tama the second”] keeps the trains running and poses for selfies with passengers.

Happy birthday to the world’s first feline stationmaster!




Doodle by Lydia Nichols

[9A]

February 14, 2013

Valentine's Day and George Ferris' 154th Birthday






Romance and amusement parks often go hand in hand. In many places a carnival, fair or circus is a popular destination for a thrilling and action-packed date. Coincidentally, George W.G. Ferris Jr., the creator of the Ferris Wheel was born on Valentine’s Day in 1859. This year seemed like a golden opportunity to combine our celebration of love with the birthday of the engineer whose mechanical invention has filled so many hearts with wonder.

Early in the process we decided on depicting a scene with two, side-by-side Ferris Wheels among a landscape of other amusement park rides. Then when two Ferris Wheel carts happened to stop across from each other we thought that was the perfect moment for two characters to have a love at first sight moment. We thought this would be the best way to highlight the Ferris Wheel in its natural habitat and provide a clever way to introduce some valentines to each other. Plus, we thought it would be fun to push a big button to generate a whole series of combinations.

The greater challenge turned out to be determining who would be riding these Ferris Wheels. What pairs would we create? How silly should we be? Chocolate and peanut butter? An astronaut and an alien? A blog post and a troll? After they see each other, would they jump out of their carts and ride the roller coaster? Or would we show their life story from youth to old age?

We ultimately decided that our cast of characters should all be animals and the result of their initial encounter should be a date. At first we assigned circus jobs to all the animal characters. For example, the monkey was a clown, the bear was a trapeze artist, the frog was a sword swallower, and so on. But why would they be riding the Ferris Wheel? Shouldn’t they all be performing? And would people understand that the turtle was wearing a helmet and goggles because he was in the cannonball act? In the end, we simplified the characters and focused on making the animals as engaging, colorful and personable as possible without worrying about their day jobs.



Final animal character illustrations.


For the resulting dates, we used newspaper comic strips and their 3-panel composition as inspiration for style and narrative structure. The comic strip format gave us room to tell a wide variety of stories and the horizontal format worked nicely in our layout. Once we decided on comics, the date scenarios really just starting writing themselves. As always, we had more ideas than time to illustrate and animate.


The final comic.


We hope you enjoyed the final interactive doodle and perhaps learned a little bit about love, life and Ferris Wheels.

- Brian Kaas, Doodler

[9A]

February 14, 2011


Happy Valentine's Day from Google & Robert Indiana. Courtesy of the Morgan Art Foundation / ARS, NY






Robert Indiana [born Robert Clark; September 13, 1928 – May 19, 2018] was an American artist associated with the pop art movement. His "LOVE" print, first created for the Museum of Modern Art's Christmas card in 1965, was the basis for his 1970 Love sculpture and the widely distributed 1973 United States Postal Service "LOVE" stamp. He created works in media including paper [silk screen] and Cor-ten steel.



1973 LOVE stamp






.

[9A]

January 11, 2017

100th Anniversary of The Russian Nature Reserves



A century ago, Russia established its first Zapovednik [nature reserve], Barguzinsky Nature Reserve, located in Buryatia, on the northeast shores of Lake Baikal. On January 11, the country marks the 100th anniversary of its pioneering system of protecting natural areas with Nature Reserves and National Parks Day.

Today, the country’s stewardship of its wild landscapes continues to gain ground, with over 13,000 specially protected natural areas occupying millions of acres—about 11.4 percent of Russia’s vast territory. Ranging from tiny to titanic, they include 103 reserves, 49 national parks, and 68 national nature sanctuaries, with initiatives underway to expand old areas and develop new protected territories. Expansion is in sync with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree to make 2017 the Year of Ecology in the Russian Federation.

Our Doodle is rendered in a woodblock style reminiscent of Russian postage stamps issued for Barguzin’s half-centennial, and inspired by six specially protected natural areas: Barguzin Nature Reserve, Ergaki National Park [aka Yergaki], Russian Arctic National Park, Lake Baikal [frozen], Kronotsky Nature Reserve, and Dalnevostochny Morskoy Nature Reserve [Far East Marine Nature Reserve].

[9A]

January 11, 2016

Alice Paul’s 131st Birthday






“I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.” -- Alice Paul

When the 19th Amendment to the Constitution became law in August of 1920, women finally won the right to vote after a very long fight. Many suffragists played vital roles in this victory, but none more so than Alice Paul. Paul first made a name for herself by organizing a successful women’s suffrage parade the day before Woodrow Wilson’s first inauguration. Paul thought that public demonstrations were the smartest ways to achieve voting rights. That belief put her at odds with the National American Woman Suffrage Association, so she founded her own organization, the National Women’s Party.

Paul’s group organized daily protests in front of the White House [marking the first time anyone demonstrated there]. Police arrested the protestors on a made up charge, and Paul was one of the women to be sent to jail. While in jail she and the other women were treated horribly. Journalists wrote about the mistreatment, people became outraged, and the suffragists gained public support. A short while later President Woodrow Wilson declared his support for a constitutional amendment that would finally give women the right to vote. It would take another couple of years for the amendment to become the law, but his support marked a crucial turning point. Alice Paul dedicated the rest of her life to fighting for the equality of women, authoring the very first version of the Equal Rights Amendment and working the rest of her life towards its passage.

Today, on what would have been her 131st birthday, we salute Alice Paul with a Doodle that pays tribute to her pivotal role in the fight for women’s suffrage and her unyielding dedication to women’s rights.

[9A]

January 13, 2018


Zhou Youguang’s 112th Birthday




The O’s in today’s Doodle flip from Pinyin [Gǔgē] to Chinese characters [谷歌]. Were it not for celebrated linguist Zhou Youguang, this phonetic translation would never have come to life, and the world would still be referring to ‘Beijing’ as ‘Peking,’ and to ‘Chongqing’ as ‘Chungking.’

Popularly dubbed ‘the Father of Pinyin,’ Youguang spent three years developing the system of ‘spelled sounds’ that is now the international standard for Romanized Chinese. The new system transformed China’s literacy rate, providing more natural passage into the written language, which requires mastering thousands of characters. It bridged multiple Chinese dialects with its shared designations of sound. Today, schoolchildren learn Pinyin before characters, and it is often used to input characters on smartphones and computers.

Pursuing his love of language throughout his life, Youguang authored more than 40 books and translated the Encyclopedia Britannica into Chinese. Born on this day as Zhou Yaoping, this storied linguist later adopted the pen name ‘Yougang’ because he wanted to ‘bring light’ to the world. Today, we celebrate what would’ve been Yougang’s 112th birthday with a special place in the spotlight.
Doodle by Cynthia Yuan Cheng

[9A]

January 13, 2018

5th African Nations Championship





Can you feel the excitement in the air? Once again, the African Nations Championship is upon us!
Today we’re celebrating the start of the 5th African Nations Championship, a football tournament drawing in teams from across Africa to compete for the coveted title. The first tournament was held in Ivory Coast in 2009, designed to showcase the football talent amongst the best African national teams. The Confederation of African Football organizes the competition every two years and only allows footballers playing for their country’s domestic team to participate. As a result, the best African talent will be on display - you won’t want to miss it!

All the action is taking place in Morocco as the first games of the 2018 tournament kick off today. Sixteen teams will descend upon various stadiums across Morocco, but only one will be crowned the champion, during the final game on February 4, played in Casablanca.

Today’s doodle features players wearing each of the flags of the countries represented. They’re practicing their skills, just like each of the African Nations have done all year.
Good luck to all the players [and fans!] across Africa!

[9A]

September 27, 2016

Google's 18th Birthday






Doodler Gerben Steenks designed today’s Doodle in celebration of Google’s 18th birthday.

[9A]

Sep 30, 2016
Andrejs Jurjans’s 160th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates a man who, in many ways, carried Latvian music forward into the 20th century.

As the country’s first professional composer and musicologist, Andrejs Jurjāns delved into the Latvian folk music of the past while taking the sounds of his homeland to new heights. Throughout his lifetime, he collected and analyzed thousands of folk melodies, organizing them into an anthology that was published across six volumes. He also composed the first-ever Latvian symphonic works, including an instrumental concerto and a cantata, and was well-known for his choir arrangements.

When Jurjāns wasn’t crafting original pieces, he spent much of his time teaching. From 1882 — the year he finished his own schooling at the St. Petersburg Conservatory — to 1916, he shared his knowledge of music theory and more with students. Through his instruction, research, and composition, Jurjāns inspired many of the Latvian musicians who came after him. Today we pay tribute to that legacy on what would have been the composer’s 160th birthday.

[9A]

Oct 1, 2016

Nigeria Independence Day 2016




This year on National Day, Nigeria celebrates 56 years of independence. Annual celebrations usually start with the President’s speech and continue with patriotic parades and festivities. In Nigeria and all over the world, people host parties festooned with green and white flags, play games, and enjoy traditional, home-cooked foods.

Today’s Doodle showcases sectors that Nigeria is developing and takes great pride in, such as agriculture, science, literature, engineering, and culture including Naija music and the Nollywood industry. Young people are key to the country’s future and are shown here celebrating in patriotic green and white fashions.

Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!

[9A]

October 1, 2019
Celebrating Dr. Herbert Kleber






“Of course I’m an optimist,” psychiatrist Dr. Herbert Kleber once remarked. “How else do I work with addicts for 40 years?” Today’s Doodle celebrates Dr. Kleber—born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 19th, 1934, and hailed for his pioneering work in addiction treatment—on the 23rd anniversary of his election to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine [formerly the Institute of Medicine]. This Doodle was illustrated by Massachusetts-based artist and author of the graphic memoir Hey, Kiddo Jarrett J. Krosoczka.

Volunteering for the United States Public Health Service in 1964, Dr. Kleber was assigned to a prison hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where thousands of inmates were being treated for addiction. Noticing that the vast majority of patients would relapse shortly after release, he began to develop a new approach.

Describing his method as “evidence-based treatment,” Dr. Kleber viewed addiction as a medical condition as opposed to a moral failure. Rather than punishing or shaming patients, as many of his predecessors in the field had done, Dr. Kleber stressed the importance of research, helping to keep many patients on the road to recovery and avoid relapse through the careful use of medication and therapeutic communities.

Dr. Kleber’s success attracted the attention of President George H.W. Bush, who appointed him Deputy Director for Demand Reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy. As co-founder of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Dr. Kleber was a leader in reframing the field of substance abuse research and treatment as a medical discipline.

At the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, he and his then-wife Dr. Marian W. Fischman established America’s leading research program on substance abuse. During his 50-year career, Dr. Kleber authored hundreds of articles, wrote important books, and mentored numerous other medical professionals in the field of addiction treatment. A self-described “perpetual optimist,” Dr. Kleber changed the landscape of addiction treatment, allowing patients to be diagnosed and treated rather than shamed—and saving countless lives in the process.

[9A]

October 1, 2017


Grandparents' Day 2017 [Greece]

[9A]

October 1, 2020

Chuseok 2020


Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Koreanguest artist Haleigh Mun, commemorates Chuseok [추석], also known in English as Korean Thanksgiving. Among the country’s most important holidays, Chuseok falls each year on the date of the harvest moon and is celebrated over a three-day period that includes the preceding and following days.

In keeping with Chuseok’s origins as a harvest celebration, culinary traditions are integral to the holiday. Among the most significant centerpiece dishes is songpyeon, small round rice cakes traditionally packed full of nutritious ingredients like sesame seeds, beans, and nuts and steamed along with an aromatic layer of pine needles. A lot can ride on the preparation of the dish—it is said that whoever crafts beautiful songpyeon will be met with good fortune.

Happy Chuseok!

[9A]

Oct 1, 2020

Celebrating Ignatius Sancho




To honor the start of the UK’s Black History Month, today’s Doodle, illustrated byUK-based guest artist Kingsley Nebechi, celebrates British writer, composer, business owner, and abolitionist Ignatius Sancho. A former slave who advocated for abolition through prolific letter-writing, Sancho became the first person of African descent to cast a vote in a British general election.

Born in Africa around 1729, Ignatius Sancho was enslaved for the first five years of his life on the Caribbean island of Grenada before he was taken to England as a toddler. There, he was forced to serve as a slave for three sisters in Greenwich but eventually managed to run away and escape. He then gained employment with another aristocratic family for whom he worked for the next two decades. Having taught himself to read and write, Sancho utilized his employers' extensive library to further his self-education.

A skilled writer, Sancho penned a large volume of letters, many of which contained criticism of 18th-century politics and society. Newspapers published his eloquent calls for the abolition of slavery, which provided many readers their first exposure to writing by a Black person. The multi-talented Sancho also published four collections of music compositions and opened a grocery store with his wife in Westminster. As a financially independent male homeowner, he was qualified to vote—a right he historically exercised in 1774.

Sancho’s extensive collection of letters was published posthumously in 1782, garnering huge readership and widespread attention to the abolitionist cause.

Thank you, Ignatius Sancho, for your courageous fight in the name of freedom and equality.

[9A]

October 18, 2018

Professor Dr. Rawee Pawilai’s 93rd Birthday







Born on this day in 1925, Professor Dr. Rawee Pawilai found his calling at age 19, when he joined the faculty of Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University in the Astronomy Department, where he would preside for 42 years. His research on solar radiation and the structure of the solar layer helped make him Thailand’s most renowned astronomer.

A member of Thailand’s Royal Institute, Dr. Pawilai also served as president of the Thai Astronomical Society. Beyond his interest in studying the stars, Dr. Pawilai expanded into the literary world. He wrote and translated 21 books on topics ranging from science and astronomy to philosophy and children’s literature. His translations included The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran as well as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, making it possible for many Thai readers to enjoy these classics for the first time. Today’s Doodle shows the legacy Pawilai has created in translating valuable literature for future generations [along with a nod to his love for the stars and space above].

In 2007, Dr. Pawilai was honored with the title of Thailand’s National Artist for his written works. The 81-year-old attended an award ceremony at Chitlada Palace, receiving a pin and commemorative plaque from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Expressing his gratitude at the honor, he said his greatest satisfaction was simply to spread knowledge through straightforward yet entertaining prose.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Pawilai!

[9A]

October 1, 2013


Childrens Day 2013 [El Salvador]

[9A]

Oct 1, 2013


Childrens Day 2013 [Guatemala]

[9A]

October 9, 2018

Lucy Tejada’s 98th Birthday




"My art was always more imaginative.,I would think through the composition and capture it, the colors emerging according to my state of mind.”

-Lucy Tejada


Contemporary painter Lucy Tejada was born on this day in Pereira, Colombia. She attended Javeriana University in Bogota, where she discovered the work of Columbian artist Alejandro Obregón Rosės, which had a profound impact on her life. “I started going to the teacher's exhibitions all the time,” she recalled in an interview, “until one day he came out and asked me: ‘Why do you come so much?’” The elder artist encouraged her to enroll in the School of Fine arts, and she continued her artistic education at the School of Graphic Arts of Madrid, achieving her first solo exhibition in 1947.

During the 1950s Tejada traveled through Europe, immersing herself in great collections like the Madrid’s Prado Museum and the Louvre in Paris. She exhibited her work in the Venice Biennial as well as in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, emerging as an important figure in South American contemporary art. After her travels through Europe she returned to Colombia, building a house in Cali where she raised her two children.

Alejandro Obregón Rosės described her as “painter of the tenderness.” In 2007, Colombia’s Culture Ministry awarded her the Medal of Cultural Merit in recognition of her 50 year career. Her legacy lives on with the Lucy Tejada Cultural Center, which opened this year in Pereira. In accordance with the artist’s wishes, Tejada’s family donated a collection of 163 pieces of her work to be exhibited in the city as well..

Feliz Cumpleaños, Lucy Tejada!

[9A]

Oct 10, 2013

Leyla Gencer's 85th Birthday






Ayşe Leyla Gencer was a Turkish operatic soprano.

Gencer was a notable bel canto soprano who spent most of her career in Italy, from the early 1950s through the mid-1980s, and had a repertoire encompassing more than seventy roles. She made very few commercial recordings; however, numerous bootleg recordings of her performances exist. She was particularly associated with the heroines of Donizetti.

[9A]

Oct 14, 2013

Katherine Mansfield's 125th Birthday







Kathleen Mansfield Murry [née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923] was a prominent modernist writer who was born and brought up in New Zealand. She wrote short stories and poetry under the pen name Katherine Mansfield. When she was 19, she left colonial New Zealand and settled in England, where she became a friend of D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Lady Ottoline Morrell and others in the orbit of the Bloomsbury Group. Mansfield was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in 1917, and she died in France ag ed 34.

[9A]

October 14, 2020

Celebrating Claudia Jones




Today’s Doodle commemorates Trinidad-born activist, feminist, journalist, orator, and community organizer Claudia Jones. Among her groundbreaking accomplishments, Jones founded and served as the editor-in-chief for the West Indian Gazette and Afro-Asian Caribbean News—Britain’s first, major Black newspaper. Through its global news coverage, the Gazette aimed to unify the Black community in the worldwide battle against discrimination. The publication also provided a platform for Jones to organize Britain’s first Caribbean carnival in 1959, which is widely credited as the precursor to today’s annual celebration of Caribbean culture known as the Notting Hill Carnival. On this day in 2008, Jones was honored with a Great British Stamp in the “Women of Distinction” series to commemorate her lifetime of pioneering activism.

Claudia Jones was born Claudia Vera Cumberbatch on February 21, 1915 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. At 8 years old, she moved with her family to New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. Passionate about writing, Jones contributed to and led a variety of communist publications as a young adult, and she spent much of her adulthood as an active member of the Communist Party USA.

Throughout her life, Jones tirelessly championed issues like civil rights, gender equality, and decolonization through journalism, community organization, and public speaking. She focused much of her work on the liberation of Black women everywhere from the discrimination they faced due to a combination of classism, racism, and sexism.

Jones’ political activity led to multiple imprisonments and ultimately her deportation to the U.K. in 1955, but she refused to be deterred. Beginning a new chapter of her life in Britain, she turned particular attention to the issues facing London’s West Indian immigrant community. In an effort to counteract racial tensions, she inaugurated an annual Caribbean carnival, whose spirit lives on today as a symbol of community and inclusion.

Thank you, Claudia Jones, for your lifelong commitment to a more equitable world.

[9A]

October 14, 2014

Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin's 135th Birthday





Sybylla from the novel My Brilliant Career gazes upon her grandmother's house in our doodle in Australia for writer Miles Franklin's 135th Birthday. Franklin made a lasting impact on Australian literature and captivated readers with her tales of life in the rural countryside.

[9A]

October 14, 2016

Celebrating Mary Seacole




Today we celebrate Mary Seacole, the Jamaican/Scottish nurse widely known to the British Army as “Mother Seacole.” She learned the ways of herbal medicine from her mother, a “doctress” well-versed in traditional Caribbean and African herbal remedies. Despite the challenges she faced as a woman of mixed race in the 1850s, she began experimenting with medicine under her mother’s guidance at one of the best facilities in Kingston, Jamaica. She moved to Gorgona, where she briefly ran a women’s-only hotel before she set off on a journey that would cement her place in history.

When the Crimean War broke out, Mary’s application to assist was refused despite her nursing experience. Determined to help, she used her own limited resources to travel and set up a hotel behind the lines in Crimea. Here, she tirelessly tended to the curing and comforting of wounded soldiers coming off the battlefield and people from all walks in need: “The grateful words and smiles which rewarded me for binding up a wound or giving a cooling drink was a pleasure worth risking life for at any time.”

Here’s to Mary’s legacy as an empowered healer and humanitarian, which will continue to live on and inspire.

[9A]

Jul 16, 2019


Celebrating Hội An




By the light of the full moon, residents of the town burn incense and light small lanterns, floating them on the river until hundreds of colorful lanterns illuminate the water. During the full moon season with which the Hội An’s lantern festival aligns, today’s Doodle celebrates a historic town that’s remained largely unchanged for several centuries.

Situated on the north bank of Vietnam’s scenic Thu Bon River, right where it empties into the South China Sea, Hội An was one of the busiest trading ports in Southeast Asia from the 15th to the 19th century.

While the name Hội An means “peaceful meeting place,” the seaport has been abuzz with activity since the 2nd century. The surrounding area, known as Quảng Nam province, produced cinnamon and ginseng, as well as textiles and ceramics, enticing traders from all over Asia and Europe. By the 1600s, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Indian, Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, French, British, and American ships would come and go, while Chinese and Japanese traders rented waterfront houses in the seaside town.

Business tapered off when silt accumulation in the river made it difficult for larger ships to navigate. Fortunately, the city was spared from modernization for over 200 years, leaving the original street plan and buildings intact.

In 1999, Hội An was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Seventeenth-century Japanese traders built the lacquered wood Chùa Cầu, or “Bridge Pagoda,” with entrances guarded by statues of monkeys and dogs. Hundreds of timber-frame buildings and Chinese temples line narrow streets that are now popular with sightseers, historians, and filmmakers, seeking to experience and recapture a bygone era.

[9A]

October 20, 2008


Day of Trees 2008






The campaign by the name 'Tree Day-Plant Your Future' was first organized on 12 March 2008, when an official non-working day was declared and more than 150,000 Macedonians planted 2 million trees in one day [symbolically, one for each citizen].

[9A]

Oct 22, 2008

50th Anniversary of Deltawerken




The Delta Works [Dutch: Deltawerken] is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea. Constructed between 1954 and 1997, the works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dykes, levees, and storm surge barriers located in the provinces of South Holland and Zeeland.

The aim of the dams, sluices, and storm surge barriers was to shorten the Dutch coastline, thus reducing the number of dikes that had to be raised. Along with the Zuiderzee Works, the Delta Works have been declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

[9A]

October 22, 2020

Ivan Bunin's 150th Birthday







Today’s Doodle celebrates the 150th birthday of Russian poet, novelist, and translator Ivan Bunin, who in 1933 became the first Russian to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Widely acclaimed for his rare mastery of both prose and poetry, Bunin carried the tradition of classical Russian literature into the 20th century, establishing his legacy as one of the nation’s most revered stylists of his time.

Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin was born on this day in 1870 in the western Russian city of Voronezh. He grew up with a passion for painting—an early creative expression he later credited as an influence on his writing style. Bunin began to publish poetry and stories as a teenager, leading to the 1891 release of his first book, “Stikhotvoreniya: 1887–1891” [“Poetry: 1887–1891”].

In 1901, Bunin won the prestigious Academy of Sciences’ Pushkin Prize for his book of poetry titled “Listopad” [“Falling Leaves,” 1901]. Around this time he began to turn his focus towards prose, establishing himself as one of Russia’s most popular writers.
Known for his understated and musical writing style, Bunin went on to craft vivid portraits of Russia through works like “Derévnya” [“The Village,” 1910], the autobiographical novel “Zhizn Arsenyeva” [“The Life of Arseniev,” 1930], his diaries “Okayánnye Dni” [“Cursed Days: A Diary of Revolution,” 1936], and the book of short stories “Tyomnye allei” [“Dark Avenues,” 1943].


An opponent of the Russian Revolution, Bunin left the country in 1920, ultimately settling in France, where he continued to publish novels and poetry for the rest of his life.



Happy birthday, Ivan Bunin!

[9A]

December 2, 2017


United Arab Emirates National Day 2017





On this day in 1971, the six Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, and Ajman came together at the historic Union House to form a federal union. Ras Al Khaimah joined three months later, thus giving birth to the modern day United Arab Emirates - a young country with an ancient history.

Today’s Doodle celebrates this historic day with a depiction of two young children in national dress, interacting with an oryx and a falcon — the national animals of the UAE.

The Arabian oryx is a type of antelope with long straight horns. Because it lives exclusively in the Arabian desert, it has developed the ability to detect rainfall. Entire herds migrate to such locations. The oryx went extinct by the 1970s, but private breeding helped re-introduce the animal into the wild a decade later.

The falcon, the other national UAE animal, also has deep roots in local culture. Falconry is a beloved sport, its origins dating back to the ancient hunting tradition of the desert nomads. Falcons are so revered, in fact, that they are the only animals allowed to travel in the main cabin of commercial aircraft in the region.

Happy national day, UAE!


Doodle by Cynthia Yuan Cheng

[9A]

December 2, 2013

Maria Callas' 90th Birthday






Maria Callas [December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977] was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and, further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina ["the Divine one"].

[9A]

December 2, 2015
Park Kyung-ni’s 89th Birthday







Pak Kyongni [December 2, 1926 – May 5, 2008] was a prominent South Korean novelist. She was born in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, and later lived in Wonju Gangwon Province. Pak made her literary debut in 1955, with Gyesan. She is, however, most well known for her 16-volume story Toji [ The Land], an epic saga set on the turbulent history of Korea during 19th and 20th century. It was later adapted into a movie, a television series and an opera.

[9A]

November 22, 2017

Celebrating Kimchi






Today we celebrate Kimchi on what is known as “Kimchi Day” in Korea! According to local research, the date is significant in this tasty treat’s creation because salting kimchi today helps the dish reach its full flavor potential.

Packing a powerful punch of napa cabbage, green onion, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, rice flour, salt, ginger, radish, carrot, and garlic, fermented kimchi in onggi [[clay pot) is loved by many around the world and is traditionally eaten with chopsticks. Today’s Doodle celebrates each ingredient that goes into making some seriously scrumptious kimchi.

Kimchi was first referenced in Korea about 2,600-3,000 years ago, and in the 18th century, it was first made with chili peppers. Due to varying regional recipes, there are hundreds of different types of kimchi. Many Korean households even have a separate kimchi refrigerator!

The dish is produced in especially large amounts during November and December. This is when kimjang [kimchi curing] takes place in preparation for winter. During kimjang, cabbage is pickled by cutting it into smaller pieces, soaking it in brine overnight, and dashing salt. Then, yangnyum [radish coated in chili powder] is mixed with ingredients such as green onions, dropwort, mustard leaves, ginger, garlic, and fermented shrimp or anchovies. To complete the process, the pickled cabbage is stuffed or mixed with the yangnyum and stored away to ferment until eating.

During this time, family members and neighbors gather in each other’s kitchens to cook together, trade recipes, and share stories. Listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, kimjang creates moments of joy and encourages living in harmony with nature.

Happy eating!

[9A]

January 22, 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]

January 22, 2015


Grandfather's Day 2015 [Poland]

[9A]

January 22, 2020

Celebrating "Sawaddee"








Today’s Doodle celebrates sawaddee, the Thai way to greet friends and strangers alike. A custom adopted on this day in 1943, this salutation is presented with a wai: a prayer-like pose delivered in concert with a bow that accompanies the expression of sawaddee. The gesture altogether is meant to convey respect and warmth.

Originally coined by linguist Phraya Upakit Silapasan from the root word, “Svasti,” the Sanskrit word for “blessing” or “well-being,” sawaddee soon became an official part of the Thai vocabulary.

Known as the “Land of a Thousand Smiles,” Thailand is world-renowned for its friendly people and gracious hospitality. Today, sawaddee can be heard across the country—from the idyllic beaches of the south, to the temples of the mountainous north, and everywhere in between—epitomizing the welcoming spirit of Thailand.

[9A]

April 4, 2018

2018 Commonwealth Games




The 2018 Commonwealth Games are officially underway on Australia’s Gold Coast. Over the next two weeks, thousands of athletes from 70 Commonwealth countries and territories will compete in 18 sports and 7 para-sports. Today’s Doodle jumps right into the action as one of the Google “Os” takes us through various sports in the Games, including boxing, lawn bowls, para-cycling, and netball.

This multi-sport event started in 1930, when 11 countries from the Commonwealth of Nations sent athletes to Ontario, Canada to partake in what were then called the British Empire Games. The inaugural Games included six sports: athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving, and wrestling.

Though competitive by nature, the Games were meant to foster camaraderie and sportsmanship. Since 1930, they’ve taken place every four years, excluding 1942 and 1946, and have grown in teams, athletes, events, and traditions.

2018 is already setting records: this year features the largest integrated program of events and para-events, and for the first time, women will compete for the same number of medals as men.


Let the Games begin!

[9A]

February 11, 2013


Elsa Beskow's 139th Birthday




Elsa Beskow [11 February 1874 – 30 June 1953] 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.

In 1894 Beskow started to contribute to the children's magazine Jultomten. She ultimately began publishing her own books, doing both illustration and text. Overall, she would publish some forty books with her own text and images.

Beskow frequently combined reality with elements from the fairy tale world. Children meet elves or goblins, and farm animals talk with people. Central themes were the relationships between children and adults and children's independent initiative. Her work "depicted a happy home atmosphere in the Swedish countryside of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries."

Beskow became one of the most well known of all Swedish children's book artists. Many of her books became classics and are continually reprinted. Beskow also illustrated ABC books and songbooks for Swedish schools. Her book pages are often framed by decorative framework of the Art Nouveau style.

Beskow received "international recognition for simple, cheerful stories and outstanding illustrations."

[9A]

March 14, 2019

Carolina Maria de Jesus’ 105th Birthday



“Hunger is also a teacher. Who has gone hungry learns to think of the future and of the children.”

—Carolina Maria de Jesus


Nobody expected Carolina Maria de Jesus to become a world-famous author, but her first book, Quarto de Despejo: Diário de uma Favelada [published in English as Child of the Dark: The Diary Of Carolina Maria De Jesus] became an international bestseller.

Born in Brazil on this day in 1914 to a single mother descended from slaves and sharecroppers, Carolina had a limited education. Still, her powerful prose highlighted the struggles of people living in São Paulo’s favelas, sprawling shanty towns in one of the world’s biggest cities.

While raising the first of her three children by herself, Carolina built a makeshift house from cast-off boards, plywood, and other found materials. She made a living as a domestic servant and by recycling paper, cans, and bottles to feed her family. Throughout this, she found time to keep a diary, filling old notebooks with the details of daily life in a world she described as the city’s “dumping room.”

In 1958 Audalio Dantas, a local newspaper reporter, overheard de Jesus exclaiming to a group of men that if they didn’t behave better she would put their names in her book. After asking to see the book, he was impressed with the power of her writing. “Her talent was really one of a kind,” said Dantas, who arranged for the diaries to be excerpted in the local newspaper.

Instantly, the article caused a sensation that led to Carolina’s first book selling 10,000 copies in just three days, becoming one of the most widely read books in Brazilian publishing history. It was eventually translated into 13 different languages and distributed in more than 40 countries, giving a voice to marginalized people and breaking new ground for black authors in Brazil and all over the world.

Happy 105th birthday, Carolina!

[9A]

February 1, 2020


60th Anniversary of the Greensboro Sit-in



In honor of Black History Month, today’s diorama Doodle, created by Compton-based guest artist Karen Collins of the African American Miniature Museum, remembers the Greensboro sit-in on its 60th anniversary. Organized by four Black college freshmen who became known as the “Greensboro Four,” this protest against segregation was a key part of the Civil Rights Movement, sparking a series of similar demonstrations throughout the nation.

Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s nonviolent protests for racial equality, North Carolina A&T State University freshmen Ezell Blair Jr. [a.k.a. Jibreel Khazan], David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil, met at the local Woolworth’s department store in Greensboro, North Carolina on this day in 1960. The group requested service at the “whites-only” lunch counter—a common discriminatory and segregation practice by US businesses and institutions allowed by Jim Crow era laws. Denied service, the four continued to peacefully occupy their seats and refused to leave until the store closed at night.

In the days and weeks that followed, the “Greensboro Four'' were joined by hundreds of other protesters. As the movement grew however, so too did the opposition, who routinely verbally harassed protesters with racial slurs—even resorting to spitting and throwing food at the nonviolent demonstrators. Undaunted, protestors were willing to repeat the sit-ins for as long as necessary, in hopes that the establishment would feel pressured to desegregate.

As a result of the movement’s passion and resilience, Woolworth's fully integrated their dining area on July 25th, 1960. Catalyzing a much larger nonviolent sit-in movement across the country, the protests played a definitive role in the fight for civil rights. In its wake, segregation of public places became illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In recognition of this historic demonstration, the Woolworth’s Department Store in Greensboro is now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, and part of the counter is housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.






A section of the standard wood, stainless steel and chrome lunch counter from the Woolworth's five and dime in Greensboro, North Carolina. It has been preserved in the National Museum of American History, because it was where the series of Greensboro sit-ins, protests against racial segregation caused by Jim Crow laws, began.