Google doodles

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February 1, 2016


Celebrating Frederick Douglass







There is scarcely a finer example of the power of education than Frederick Douglass. To celebrate the 198th birthday of one of American history’s most important thinkers, we invited guest artist Richie Pope to illustrate today’s homepage. For historical perspective, we turned to the Gilder Lehman Institute’s curator and director, Sandra Trenholm, who offered this biographical sketch:

Born Frederick Bailey in Maryland in February 1818, Frederick Douglass was the son of an enslaved woman and an unknown white father. His early life was spent on a plantation. However, when Douglass was eight years old, he was sent to Baltimore to work for the family of Hugh and Sophia Auld. In the Auld household, he learned a very valuable and life-changing lesson: education was the key to his freedom.

Sophia Auld had not owned slaves before and treated Douglass with great kindness, taught him the alphabet, and awakened his love of learning. In his autobiographies, Douglass later wrote, “The frequent hearing of my mistress reading the Bible aloud… awakened my curiosity in respect to this mystery of reading, and roused in me the desire to learn.” When Hugh Auld learned of his wife’s activities, he warned that “if you teach him how to read, he’ll want to know how to write, and this accomplished, he’ll be running away with himself.” It was a statement that burned itself into Douglass’s mind. “From that moment, I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom.”

Although Sophia now refused to teach him, Douglass would not be thwarted in his quest for an education. His duties in the Auld household frequently had him running errands in the city. Away from the scrutiny of his masters, he obtained a copy of Noah Webster’s spelling book and made friends with a group of white boys who gave him spelling lessons. At the age of thirteen, he made a little extra money shining boots and bought a copy of the Columbian Orator for fifty cents [just over fourteen dollars now].

This collection of political speeches, poems, and essays introduced Douglass to the ideals of the American Revolution.

At the age of fifteen, Douglass’s legal owner died and he was forced to return to plantation life. He spent the next five years assigned to several harsh masters, and endured severe hunger and beatings. After two unsuccessful attempts, he escaped from slavery in 1838 at the age of twenty and changed his name to Frederick Douglass.

Despite being at great risk of capture as a runaway slave, Douglass spoke about his experiences frequently at anti-slavery meetings. A truly gifted, eloquent, and articulate speaker, Douglass quickly became a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. He published his first autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave, in 1845. His fame attracted slave catchers which prompted him to leave the United States. In 1847, a group of British supporters raised money to purchase his freedom, and Douglass was able to return to the United States a free man. Upon his return, Douglass continued to advocate the abolition of slavery. He also championed equal rights for all Americans, regardless of race or gender. He published two additional autobiographies, founded five newspapers, and served as the US Consul General to Haiti.

At a time when many argued that slaves did not possess the intellectual capacity to be educated, Douglass stood as stark evidence of enslaved people’s potential. Yet despite all he accomplished in his life, Douglass was haunted by the uncertainty of something most people take for granted--the date of his birth. On March 24, 1894, Douglass wrote to Hugh Auld’s son, Benjamin, hoping to find out how old he was:

The principal thing I desired in making the inquiries I have of you was to get some idea of my exact age. I have always been troubled by the thought of having no birth day. My Mistress Lucretia Auld, said that I was eight or nearly eight when I went to Baltimore in the summer of 1825, and this corresponds with what you have heard your kind mother say on the subject. so I now judge that I am now about 77-years old.

Frederick Douglass died a year later, on February 20, 1895, not knowing the date of his birth. It was not until after his death that historians discovered Aaron Anthony’s plantation ledger recording Douglass’s birth year as 1818. The exact date is still unknown.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a New York–based national nonprofit devoted to the teaching and learning of American history. On February 4, 2016, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University, the Institute will award the 17th annual Frederick Douglass Book Prize.

To help us commemorate Frederick Douglass’s legacy, the Gilder Lehman Institute curated an exhibit of photographs and ephemera that you can explore here. Through our partnership with Open Road Integrated Media, Google Play Books is offering a free download of Douglass’s seminal autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave, which is available starting today, February 1, 2016.

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Oct 9, 2011

Hangul Proclamation Day 2011





The Korean Alphabet Day, known as Hangeul Day [한글날] in South Korea, and Chosŏn'gŭl Day in North Korea, is a national Korean commemorative day marking the invention and the proclamation of Hangul [한글; 조선글], the alphabet of the Korean language, by the 15th-century Korean monarch Sejong the Great. It is observed on October 9 in South Korea and on January 15 in North Korea. Excluding year 1990 to 2012 where the government maximized business days to expedite industrial growth, Hangul day has been a national holiday in South Korea since 1970.

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October 9, 2012


Uganda Independence Day 2012





Independence Day in Uganda is a state holiday celebrated on October 9 every year. It celebrates Uganda’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1962.

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July 9, 2020

Argentina Independence Day 2020




In recognition of 204 years of Argentinian sovereignty, today’s Doodle celebrates Argentina’s Independence Day, also known as Nueve de Julio [Ninth of July]. On this day in 1816, provincial leaders gathered at a home in the northern city of San Miguel de Tucumán to officially declare the nation’s independence from Spain.

Depicted in the Doodle artwork is Argentina’s national flower, the bloom of the indigenous cockspur coral tree known in Spanish as the ceibo. The ceibo’s distinctive flowers are hard to miss, consisting of bright carmine-red petals that bloom in groups of five.

The small trees are found primarily in Argentina’s central and northern regions, from the banks of Iguazu Falls down to the urban parks of the capital of Buenos Aires. The ceibo has long been held as a symbol of the country’s cultural identity and memorialized in folklore, song, and poetry. The indigenous species was declared the national flower of Argentina in 1942, and its fiery red is represented among the many colors of the Argentine coat of arms.

¡Feliz Día de la Independencia, Argentina!

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July 9, 2016

Argentina National Day 2016





Happy 9 de julio, Argentina!

Today is Argentina's Independence Day, which is celebrated every year on July 9th. 200 years ago, Argentina signed a Declaration of Independence from the Spanish monarchy, and a pact to enter into nationhood as one people, regardless of origin. Today's Doodle depicts the escarapela, a symbol of Argentine pride. Today, Argentines around the world will proudly sport this ribbon in the colors of the Argentine flag and in celebration of their nation.

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July 20, 2020

Colombia Independence Day 2020









Today’s Doodle celebrates the Independence Day of the country often called the gateway to South America: Colombia. On this day in 1810, residents of Bogotá called for freedom from Spanish rule. This crucial event resulted in a temporary independence that helped pave the way for Colombia’s eventual permanent sovereignty.

Featured in today’s Doodle artwork is Colombia’s national flower, the Cattleya trianae. Also known in Spanish as the Flor de Mayo [May Flower], the Cattleya trianae orchid commonly grows throughout the cloud forests of the Colombian Andes.

Colombia is home to upwards of 4,000 unique species of orchid, more than any other country in the world, and the Cattleya trianae is among 1,500 varieties that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Named after Colombian botanist José Jerónimo Triana, the Cattleya trianae was chosen as the country’s national flower in 1936 due to its red, blue, and yellow coloring, the same as the stripes of Colombia’s flag.

¡Feliz Día de la Independencia, Colombia! Happy Independence Day!

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July 20, 2014

Colombia Independence Day 2014





Painted by guest artist, Jorge Riveros.
Pintado por el artista invitado, Jorge Riveros.

[9A]

July 20, 2017


Gilberto Bosques Saldívar’s 125th Birthday







Today marks the 125th birthday of Gilberto Bosques Saldívar, the diplomat known as the “Mexican Schindler” who is said to have saved 40,000 lives during WWII while serving as Mexico’s Consul General in France.

Born in Chiautla de Tapia, Puebla, Saldívar made a career of looking after the good of the public from young adulthood: serving as a teacher, government newspaper director, and ultimately, a public servant. In 1939, he was sent to France to serve as Mexico’s Consul General.

After fleeing the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1940, Saldívar received support from the Mexican government to establish a consulate in southern France. He rented a castle and holiday camp in Marseilles at which he hid Jews and Spanish Civil War refugees, maintaining that they were protected under international law in what he considered a Mexican territory. He land his team issued Visas and chartered travel for tens of thousands of wishing to escape to Mexico until he was arrested by Nazi forces. After one year of imprisonment, he continued his career in public service for the remainder of his life.

Today we celebrate Saldívar’s remarkable courage and moral conviction with a Doodle that illustrates the peace his actions made possible for the lives of so many.

Click below to learn more about Gilberto and the families whose lives he touched:

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July 20, 2009

40th Anniversary of Moon Landing




A Moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, on 13 September 1959.

The United States' Apollo 11 was the first crewed mission to land on the Moon, on 20 July 1969. There were six crewed U.S. landings between 1969 and 1972, and numerous uncrewed landings, with no soft landings happening between 22 August 1976 and 14 December 2013.

The United States is the only country to have successfully conducted crewed missions to the Moon, with the last departing the lunar surface in December 1972. All soft landings took place on the near side of the Moon until 3 January 2019, when the Chinese Chang'e 4 spacecraft made the first landing on the far side of the Moon.

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July 20, 2011

Gregor Mendel's 189th Birthday



Gregor Johann Mendel was a meteorologist, mathematician, biologist, Augustinian friar and abbot of St. Thomas' Abbey in Brno, Margraviate of Moravia. Mendel was born in a German-speaking family in the Silesian part of the Austrian Empire [today's Czech Republic] and gained posthumous recognition as the founder of the modern science of genetics. Though farmers had known for millennia that crossbreeding of animals and plants could favor certain desirable traits, Mendel's pea plant experiments conducted between 1856 and 1863 established many of the rules of heredity, now referred to as the laws of Mendelian inheritance.

Mendel worked with seven characteristics of pea plants: plant height, pod shape and color, seed shape and color, and flower position and color. Taking seed color as an example, Mendel showed that when a true-breeding yellow pea and a true-breeding green pea were cross-bred their offspring always produced yellow seeds. However, in the next generation, the green peas reappeared at a ratio of 1 green to 3 yellow. To explain this phenomenon, Mendel coined the terms "recessive" and "dominant" in reference to certain traits. In the preceding example, the green trait, which seems to have vanished in the first filial generation, is recessive and the yellow is dominant. He published his work in 1866, demonstrating the actions of invisible "factors"—now called genes—in predictably determining the traits of an organism.

The profound significance of Mendel's work was not recognized until the turn of the 20th century [more than three decades later] with the rediscovery of his laws. Erich von Tschermak, Hugo de Vries and Carl Correns independently verified several of Mendel's experimental findings in 1900, ushering in the modern age of genetics.

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July 20, 2010


Nam June Paik





Nam June Paik [Korean: 백남준; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006] was a Korean American artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use [1974] of the term "electronic super highway" to describe the future of telecommunications.

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July 21, 2012

Belgium National Day 2012






Belgian National Day is the national holiday of Belgium commemorated annually on 21 July. It is one of Belgium's ten public holidays and marks the anniversary of the investiture of King Leopold I, the country's first monarch, in 1831.

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October 16, 2019

Celebrating Wanda Rutkiewicz




“I adored the physical movement, the fresh air, the camaraderie, and the excitement,” wrote the Polish mountain climber Wanda Rutkiewicz. On this day in 1978, she reached the summit of Mount Everest, becoming the third woman to ascend the world’s highest peak, and the first Pole, male or female. Rutkiewicz would go on to complete seven more 8,000-meter-plus [26,247-foot-plus] climbs, establishing herself as one of the most celebrated climbers in mountaineering history and one of the greatest female climbers of all time.

Born on February 4, 1943 to a Polish family in the village of Plungiany—now part of Lithuania— Wanda studied electrical engineering at Wroclaw University of Technology. She discovered her passion for climbing by chance after her motorcycle ran out of fuel in 1961. One of the people who stopped to help invited her to join him on a climb of the Falcon Mountains.

Ten years after reaching the peak of Mount Everest, Rutkiewicz became the first woman to climb K2—the world’s second-highest peak—doing so without using supplemental oxygen. Two of her fellow climbers perished on the descent from K2, but she would continue pursuing her dreams.

Rutkiewicz published books and produced documentaries about her climbs, but despite her many accomplishments, she found some male climbers to be condescending. She went on to advocate for women’s climbing and to organize several all-female expeditions. In 1990, she declared her goal of climbing eight 8,000-meter-plus [26,247-foot-plus] peaks in just over a year’s time, a program she called the “Caravan of Dreams.” Although she did not complete that particular mission, Wanda Rutkiewicz has continued to inspire generations of climbers to follow in her footsteps.

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August 4, 2021


Get Vaccinated. Wear a Mask. Save Lives. [August 4]


Get vaccinated. Wear a mask. Save lives.

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, help stop the spread by finding a local vaccine site and following these steps for prevention.

Learn more about resources to help you and your communities stay informed and connected, and the latest ways we're responding.

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August 4, 2011

Roberto Burle Marx's 102nd Birthday





Roberto Burle Marx [August 4, 1909 – June 4, 1994] was a Brazilian landscape architect [as well as a painter, print maker, ecologist, naturalist, artist and musician] whose designs of parks and gardens made him world-famous. He is accredited with having introduced modernist landscape architecture to Brazil. He was known as a modern nature artist and a public urban space designer. His work had a great influence on tropical garden design in the 20th century. Water gardens were a popular theme in his work. He was deftly able to transfer traditional artistic expressions such as graphic design, tapestry and folk art into his landscape designs. He also designed fabrics, jewellery and stage sets.

He was one of the first people to call for the conservation of Brazil's rainforests. More than 50 plants bear his name. He amassed a substantial collection of plants at his home, including more than 500 philodendrons.

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August 4, 2014

Maria Zankovetska's 160th Birthday





Happy 160th birthday to Ukrainian actress Maria Zankovetska! Despite the fame she attained throughout her career, Zankovetska never forgot her roots. She paid homage to the village she was born in [Zankiv] by using it as the basis for her stage name.

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August 15, 2018

India Independence Day 2018






Thousands of kites dot the skies over India as the country celebrates its 72nd Independence Day. Both a solemn and joyful occasion, this marks the day in 1947 when India became an independent, autonomous state, fulfilling the dream of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Commemorations begin on the eve of August 15, when the president delivers an address to the nation and citizens reflect on modern India’s origins as they look with pride toward the future. On Indian television you’ll find films honoring India’s history running around the clock. Crowds of people sing the national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana,” which was played in 1947 at the United Nations to mark India’s entry.

Today’s Doodle—featuring images of some of India’s iconic colorful plantlife and mighty animals—was inspired by Indian truck art, a long-standing tradition in this four million square kilometer nation where truckers who live on the road surround themselves with cheerful folk art to occupy their minds during long months away from their families.


Happy Swatantrata Diwas

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August 15, 2016

South Korea National Day 2016



Today marks the celebration of Gwangbokjeol, the anniversary of the end of Imperial Japanese colonial rule of South Korea in 1945. Exactly three years later, the Republic of Korea was formally established. A national public holiday, Gwangbokjeol is observed with special activities and events, including free public transit, admission to many museums, and an official celebration attended by the president.

Today’s Doodle depicts historic Sungnyemun, the largest castle gate of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul. The symbolic Sungnyemun is the most famous of the Joseon Fortress architecture and was designated as the first National Treasure of South Korea in 1962.

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August 15, 2016

India Independence Day 2016






“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now that time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of today's midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”

These mindful words, spoken by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947, introduced the world to the free nation of India. Nehru’s speech marked the culmination of the Indian independence movement, which was in motion for nearly a century. “Tryst with Destiny” was the climax; the power of nonviolence had, in the end, freed India.

Today’s Doodle depicts the speech’s historic delivery in the Parliament House before the Indian Constituent Assembly. We celebrate India’s independence and as Nehru so eloquently stated, her leaders’ “pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people.” Jai hind!

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June 4, 2017

Nutan’s 81st Birthday




The conflicted murderess [Bandini]. The anguished untouchable [Sujata]. The hell-raising orphan [Seema]. All memorable characters played by Nutan, a celebrated Indian film actress known for communicating complex emotions using only facial expressions and body language rather than dialogue. An icon of Indian cinema for over four decades, Nutan pioneered powerful women-centric films in an age when male actors dominated the silver screen.

Over her career, her distinct, groundbreaking style helped solidify an award-winning legacy. She won the Padma Shri in 1974 for her contribution to the Arts and a total of six Filmfare Awards, five of which were for Best Actress. She remains the oldest Indian actress to win a Filmfare award.

Today’s Doodle reflects Nutan’s expressive acting style on what would have been her 81st birthday. It was hard to sum up her genius in a single portrait, and so we depicted four distinct expressions.


Happy Birthday, Nutan!


Doodle by Lydia NIchols

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January 22, 2020

Celebrating Anna May Wong






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


Behind the doodle:

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

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

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

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

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

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January 22, 2016

Wilbur Scoville’s 151st Birthday






People have known about the tongue-burning, tear-inducing qualities of peppers long before Columbus reached the Americas. Before Wilbur Scoville, however, no one knew how to measure a pepper's “heat”. The doodle team thought his work in this field—and the development of his eponymous Scoville Scale—deserved some recognition.

Born in Bridgeport Connecticut on January 22nd, 1865, Wilbur Lincoln Scoville was a chemist, award-winning researcher, professor of pharmacology and the second vice-chairman of the American Pharmaceutical Association. His book, The Art of Compounding, makes one of the earliest mentions of milk as an antidote for pepper heat. He is perhaps best remembered for his organoleptic test, which uses human testers to measure pungency in peppers.

Early concept art and character designs

Doodler Olivia When has been thinking about Scoville and his test since last summer. From the start it was clear it was going to be a chance to do something fun. She writes:

Spiciness is somewhat of a universal, comical experience, which I think opened the door for us to do something we usually might not be able to, like a fighting game. I started making storyboards for how the game could unfold while engineers worked on building prototypes. Then I started sketching and making draft art to put in the prototype, so we could see what the experience would be like in interactive form.

Ice cream win: draft and final animations

After that I started working on backgrounds, boss characters, meters, and then all the character animations, and ending animations. At some point we thought about setting it in a human mouth, to clarify things, but then realized that was probably too weird [[thankfully). Designing the boss peppers and animating Scoville's reactions to eating them were probably my favorite parts.

Happy birthday, Wilbur!

Art Olivia When Brian Kaas [design assistance]	Engineering Corrie Scalisi Tom Tabanao Jordan Thompson Kris HomJk Kafalas [prototyping]
Production Gregory Capuano	External Help Manuel Clément [music/sound] Andrew Chavarria [blog post]

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January 22, 2010

Porridge Day 2010







World Porridge Day, on 10 October, is an international event related to porridge. The first of the days was held in 2009. The event is organized to raise funds for the charity Mary's Meals, based in Argyll, Scotland, to aid starving children in developing countries.

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May 22, 2018

Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s 246th Birthday






Today Google is celebrating Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s 246th Birthday. Roy was born in the Bengal Presidency of British controlled India in 1772. He was born to a family of great privilege in the Brahman class. As a young man he traveled throughout the region and learned English, Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit, in addition to the local languages of Bengali and Hindi. His multicultural education taught him to draw from different religions and philosophies to adapt his own ideologies. Roy was very much a free thinker and often championed rights for India’s lower classes. In his fight for a more contemporary society, Roy called for an end to India's Caste system.

Also, Roy consistently advocated for women's rights at a time when they had very few. In fact, he is often remembered for his role in abolishing Sati, a ceremonial funeral practice, and his promotion of a more advanced and just society. It is because of Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s transformative and progressive thinking that many consider him to be the Father of modern India.

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April 18, 2017

Esther Afua Ocloo’s 98th Birthday




As both an entrepreneur and an advocate for microlending, “Auntie Ocloo” worked tirelessly to help others like her succeed. Esther Afua Ocloo had only six shillings to her name — less than a dollar — when she made and then sold her first jar of marmalade as a teenager in the 1930s.

Esther was determined to expand her livelihood of making marmalade and orange juice, but she needed a loan to increase production, and credit was hard to come by for women with little economic resources. It took persistence and a supply contract to secure the money to start her company, Nkulenu Industries.

After traveling to England to learn the latest techniques in food processing, Esther returned home and shared those skills with other Ghanaian women. Perhaps more importantly, she taught them everything she knew about starting and running a business, which put more money in their pockets. She made such an impact that in 1975 she was invited to the first U.N. World Conference on Women.

Esther and other advisors knew that lending money to women could have a ripple effect, improving the prosperity and health of the women as well as their communities. But because they lacked collateral, low-income women were often ignored by banks. So in 1979, Esther helped found and became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Women’s World Banking, which provides millions of low-income women with the small loans needed to reach their financial goals.

On what would have been her 98th birthday, today’s Doodle shows Esther empowering the women of Ghana with the tools to improve their lives and communities.

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April 18, 2011

129th Birthday of Monteiro Lobato








José Bento Renato Monteiro Lobato [April 18, 1882 – July 4, 1948] was one of Brazil's most influential writers, mostly for his children's books set in the fictional Sítio do Picapau Amarelo [Yellow Woodpecker Farm] but he had been previously a prolific writer of fiction, a translator and an art critic. He also founded one of Brazil's first publishing houses [Companhia Editora Nacional] and was a supporter of nationalism.

Lobato was born in Taubaté, São Paulo. He is best known for a set of educational but entertaining children's books, which comprise about half of his production. The other half, consisting of a number of novels and short tales for adult readers, was less popular but marked a watershed in Brazilian literature.

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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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September 18, 2017

Chile National Day 2017




On this date in 1810, the first Junta de Gobierno [[Government Junta) was formed, and the Chilean people embarked on an eight-year-long struggle for independence from Spain.

Many Chileans take advantage of the holidays and the good weather to travel and gather with friends and family. Kites fill the skies, and revelers dance the traditional cueca. Children and grown-ups alike might indulge in a sack race, fight to the top of a palo ensebado [greased pole], or even try a game of pillar el chancho, aiming to catch a very greasy pig!

Today’s Doodle, by Chilean artist Paloma Valdivia, celebrates the country’s pride in its diverse people and its bountiful natural resources. Each element of the Doodle carries a special meaning:

The Mapuche [indigenous people] and the huaso [Chilean cowboys] represent Chile's diverse people.

The mountain represents the Andes Mountain range, which stretches along Chile’s eastern borders and is home to some of the world’s tallest peaks.

The little red boat signifies the special relationship Chileans share with the sea and its resources.

The cactus represents the north of Chile, home to the driest desert in the world, the Atacama.

The penguin represents Chile’s Antarctic territory, base to several Chilean and international research stations. Remote Easter Island is home to the moai, gigantic monoliths carved by the Rapa Nui people centuries ago.

The majestic condor [among the world’s heaviest flying birds] and the bright red copihue [Chile’s national flower] symbolize the country’s rich biodiversity.
With so much to celebrate, we hope you'll join us in shouting a loud and happy ¡Feliz Dieciocho!

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Sep 22, 2010

Moon Festival / Mid-Autumn Festival 2010





The Mid-Autumn Festival [simplified Chinese: 中秋节; traditional Chinese: 中秋節] also known as Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated by many East and Southeast Asian people. It is the second-most important holiday after Chinese New Year with a history dating back 3,000 years, when China's emperors worshipped the moon for bountiful harvests.

The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid-September to early October of the Gregorian calendar. On this day, the Chinese believe that the moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn.

Lanterns of all size and shapes, are carried and displayed – symbolic beacons that light people's path to prosperity and good fortune. Mooncakes, a rich pastry typically filled with sweet-bean, yolk , meat or lotus-seed paste, are traditionally eaten during this festival.

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December 24, 2017

Mohammed Rafi’s 93th Birthday





In the early 1930’s, a little boy named Pheeko would wait for a traveling fakir to stop by his home village of Kotla Sultan Singh and follow him on his rounds, imitating his chants as they went along. Later, living in the cultural and film hub of Lahore, Pheeko hummed songs during work at a relative’s barber shop. Customers noticed his talent – as did his brother, who arranged for Pheeko to train under Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan in the face of immense opposition from their father.

Pheeko grew up to be Mohammed Rafi, the king of playback singing in India. Pheeko has nearly five thousand songs to his credit across a range of genres [[including romantic ballads, rock and roll, and classical music) and languages [[including Hindi, English, Arabic, Persian, Sinhalese, Creole, and Dutch).

The dreamy romance of ‘Chaudhvi ka Chand’ won Rafi his first Filmfare award in 1960, to be followed by five more. In 1977 he was awarded the National Award for ‘Kya Hua Tera Wada.’ He was feted by the Indian government with the Padma Shri in 1967.

Today’s Doodle by Mumbai-based illustrator Sajid Shaikh depicts Rafi as the king of playback singing in Bollywood. It shows the journeys of famous Rafi songs as they progressed from the studio, onto the silver screen and into the hearts of fans forever.

[9A]

March 20, 2019

Gamila El Alaily’s 112th Birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of Egyptian poet and essayist Gamila El Alaily. Born in Mansoura, Dakahlia on this day in 1907, El Alaily was one of the leading women of Egypt’s modern art renaissance. A passionate writer, she became the sole female member of the Apollo Society, an influential group of poets, writers, and artists who came to represent the first wave of modernism in Arab literature.

Encouraged by the work of pioneering poet May Ziadah, El Alaily moved to Cairo and began contributing poetry to the Egyptian literary journal Apollo, which was launched in 1932 by Dr. Ahmed Zaki Abu Shadi. The publication was named after the Greek god of poetry, as well as truth, prophecy, healing, light, and the sun—a fitting symbol of the society’s universal vision as well as El Alaily’s Apollonian verse. After consistently contributing to the highly regarded journal, she published The Echo of my Dreams, the first of her three diwans, or volumes of poetry, in 1936. Drawing inspiration from nature, her poetry addressed the themes of love and longing as well as contemplation.

In addition to volumes of verse, El Alaily went on to write a regular column for over a quarter century in her monthly newsletter, addressing ethics, values, and ideals, including her views on the role of women in society. In this respect, as well as her prolific poetic output, she broke new ground for women in the Arab world, inspiring generations of writers to come.

Happy 112th Birthday, Gamila El Alaily!

[9A]

May 29, 2017

Nepal Republic Day 2017





The Republic of Nepal is a nation of immense diversity and cultural richness. It’s also the only country in the world whose flag is not rectangular! The flag’s crimson red represents the bravery of Nepal’s people. Its blue borders symbolize peace and harmony for this nation of more than 120 ethnic groups, speaking as many native languages, that were united by the Republic’s formation in 2008.

The biggest ceremonial parades take place in Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu, but Nepalese people around the world celebrate.

Happy Republic Day, Nepal!

[9A]

October 16, 2017


Olaudah Equiano’s 272nd Birthday






Born in Nigeria, African writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano was sold into slavery as a boy. He braved the harsh conditions of the Middle Passage to the Caribbean and lived to tell his story.

Equiano was a seafarer, often working for captains and merchants. When given the chance to read and write, he learned swiftly. Equiano moved up the ranks, gaining rare promotions to seaman, then merchant. He carefully saved his earnings from side trades over the course of 3 years, eventually earning enough to buy his freedom.

Once a free man, Equiano published his memoir, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, which became one of the earliest bestsellers by an African author. The book detailed his life, travels, and the slave trade, helping to sway public opinion against slavery. He also founded Sons of Africa, an anti-slavery organization consisting of leaders in London’s black community, and gave lectures to the public and politicians.

Change due to Equiano’s efforts would come a decade after his death with the passing of Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807.

As the UK celebrates Black History Month, we wish a Happy 272nd Birthday to Olaudah Equiano!

[9A]

November 26, 2020

Celebrating Saloma






Today’s Doodle celebrates the beloved Singaporean-Malaysian actor, singer, and fashion icon best known as Saloma. A trend-setter of Malaysian entertainment from the late ‘50s through the early ‘80s, Saloma recorded over 500 songs, and through her charismatic film work she paved the way for future generations of female actors in her country. On this day in 1978, she made history when she was awarded Malaysia’s first Biduanita Negara [National Songbird] by the Malaysian government of the time.

Saloma was born Salmah Ismail in Singapore on January 22, 1932, and first started to explore her skills as a vocalist at just seven years old. By her teenage years, she began to sing professionally, starting her music career through performances at nightclubs and weddings.

Once Saloma transitioned to acting by the mid ‘50s, she quickly became a celebrity figure. In 1961, she married fellow multi-hyphenate entertainment icon P. Ramlee, and over the years that followed, the legendary power couple forever altered Malaysian entertainment through music and film. Sporting her signature coiffed hairdo and inimitable clothing [[much of which she sewed herself), Saloma starred in movies throughout the ‘60s and released albums for the rest of her life.

Thank you, Saloma, for using your artistic gifts to inspire women in Malaysia and beyond to be themselves.

[9A]

January 11, 2019

Celebrating Earl Scruggs







“Here’s old Earl Scruggs with his fancy five-string banjo,” the introduction for the bluegrass banjo master’s Grand Ole Opry show stated. Today's Doodle celebrates Earl Scruggs, the man who developed the “Scruggs style” [his own three-finger method of picking] on the anniversary of the opening of the Earl Scruggs Center in 2014. His innovation changed the sound of American roots music, but fancy was not a word Scruggs would use to describe his beloved banjo. “It’s just an old hand-me-down,” he said of the Gibson Granada he’d played since the 1940s.

Born in North Carolina on January 6, 1924, Scruggs grew up working on the family farm and playing the banjo. He was 21 years old when he joined Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys band, whose sound coined the term “bluegrass music.” In that band, Scruggs met guitarist Lester Flatt with whom he would launch the Foggy Mountain Boys in the late 1940s. Their televised Flatt & Scruggs Grand Ole Opry show premiered in 1955 and gained a new wave of popularity during the folk music revival, running through 1969.

After Flatt & Scruggs split up in 1969, Earl found new fans when he bridged generations and musical genres by forming the “Earl Scruggs Revue” with sons Gary and Randy. From 1969 to 1980, the Revue was a pioneering band in merging country and bluegrass sounds with elements from rock music. In his latter years, Earl’s musical journey continued with his “Family & Friends” band.

Earl’s wife Louise Scruggs became one of the first female managers in the music industry when she began managing Flatt & Scruggs. The duo’s music appeared in the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies and their “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” was included on the soundtrack to the 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde.

Scruggs was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, and the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. He received several other awards and honors, including the prestigious National Medal of the Arts and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

All because, as Flatt used to put it: “He kind of likes to show off anyway, pickin’ the hot stuff.”

Pictured: Earl Scruggs during the Flatt & Scruggs era, circa 1952;

[9A]

June 30, 2017

Assia Djebar’s 81st Birthday





Many women achieve greatness, but few become “Immortal.” Assia Djebar was the first woman from the Maghreb to be given the "Immortal" title, as a member of the Académie Française.

Born Fatima-Zohra Imalayene on this date in 1936, the Algerian novelist, translator, and filmmaker used the pen name Assia Djebar. She was the first Algerian woman to be admitted to the country’s top literary university, the Ecole Normale Superieure. Djebar published her first book at 21; by the time she was 30, she had written 4 novels in French. She quickly became one of North Africa's most influential writers.

A feminist, Djebar wrote about women's independence and encouraged Algerian women to forge their own paths and find their unique voices. She believed that education was the key to giving women a voice in society, and in 1962 began teaching history at the University of Algiers. Her work inspired many women to express themselves freely.

Today’s Doodle reflects a scene from the first chapter of Djebar’s novel Fantasia, in which she explores the history of Algeria through her experiences as a young girl.

[9A]

June 30, 2020

Celebrating Tebas [Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira]


Today’s Doodle celebrates the legacy of 18th-century Brazilian architect and engineer Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira, also known as Tebas. Historians believe that during this month in 1778, Tebas broke free from the shackles of slavery and ingrained his artistic vision into the streets of São Paulo upon the completed renovation of one of his most iconic designs: the first tower of the original São Paulo Cathedral.

Tebas was born in 1721 in the port city of Santos, Brazil, and was a black slave of the well-known Portuguese architect and builder Bento de Oliveira Lima. They relocated to São Paulo during a period of expansive civil construction in the capital city. Tebas had a rare expertise in working with stone, a skill which placed his services in very high demand there.

By the 1750s, Tebas had risen to become a highly accomplished architect in São Paulo, and over the following decades, he shaped the city with constructions including the pediment of the São Bento Monastery and the facade of the Church of the Third Order of Carmo. He continued working for years after he gained his freedom and lived until the age of 90. Over the course of his long life, he cemented himself as one of the greatest Brazilian architects of his time.

In honor of Tebas’ contributions to the city, in 2019 his name was inscribed at the former site of what is widely considered one of his best-known works, the Chafariz da Misericordia [Fountain of Mercy], Sao Paulo’s first public water fountain which he designed and constructed in 1792.

Thank you, Tebas, for overcoming all obstacles to lay the blueprint for a brighter future!

[9A]

June 30, 2011

Czeslaw Milosz's 100th Birthday





Czesław Miłosz was a Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. Regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century, he won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. In its citation, the Swedish Academy called Miłosz a writer who "voices man's exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts".

Miłosz survived the German occupation of Warsaw during World War II and became a cultural attaché for the Polish government during the postwar period. When communist authorities threatened his safety, he defected to France and ultimately chose exile in the United States, where he became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His poetry—particularly about his wartime experience—and his appraisal of Stalinism in a prose book, The Captive Mind, brought him renown as a leading émigré artist and intellectual.

Throughout his life and work, Miłosz tackled questions of morality, politics, history, and faith. As a translator, he introduced Western works to a Polish audience, and as a scholar and editor, he championed a greater awareness of Slavic literature in the West. Faith played a role in his work as he explored his Catholicism and personal experience.

[9A]

Jul 1, 2011

Cabotage and Turkish Maritime Festival




Cabotage Day [Turkish: Kabotaj Bayramı] also called Maritime and Cabotage Day is an annual celebration related to merchant marine rights of Turkey held on 1 July in Turkey.

During the Ottoman Empire, the precursor of Turkey, coastwise shipping was mostly carried off by foreign companies as permitted by the Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire. However, by the Treaty of Lausanne signed on 24 July 1923, the capitulations were abolished. The length of Turkish coast [Anatolian and Thracen peninsulas] is 8,333 kilometres [5,178 mi] and by the Cabotage act no 815 enacted on 19 April 1926 Turkey declared that only Turkish vessels were permitted to serve along this coastline.

[1] The law took effect on 1 July, the same year and this date is now known as the "cabotage day".

[2] Beginning by 2007 the name of the day was changed to "Maritime and Cabotage Day".

[9A]

July 1, 2021


Celebrating Mitsuko Mori





Today’s Doodle celebrates prolific Japanese singer and actor Mitsuko Mori, who became the first entertainer in Japanese history to perform 2,000 times in “Horoki” ["A Wanderer's Notebook"], a theater play based on the autobiographical novel of author Fumiko Hayashi. In recognition of this unparalleled lifetime achievement, on this day in 2009, she became the first actress to ever receive Japan’s prestigious People’s Honor Award.


Born Mitsu Murakami in Kyoto, Japan on May 9, 1920, she made her cinematic debut at 14 in a historical drama film. Also a gifted vocalist, Mitsuko moved to Tokyo in 1941, where she sharpened her skills as a jazz singer, a talent she showcased throughout the decade on tours in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.


In 1952, Mitsuko continued to prove her dynamic range when she made her comedic debut in a stage play featured on radio broadcasts across Japan—widespread exposure that cast her into the national spotlight. An established name in Japanese entertainment, Mitsuko premiered in “Horoki” in 1961 as the lead character Fumiko Hayashi, a role she played well into her 80s for a record 2,017 performances.
Before one of these productions in 2007, over 45 years since it first showed, Mitsuko told reporters that she was retiring her character’s signature reflex to good news—a forward somersault—to avoid injury in her old age. She gave her final “Horoki” performance in 2009, bowing out as a superstar of contemporary Japanese theater.


Here’s to all the memories, Mitsuko Mori!

[9A]

July 1, 2014

Canada Day 2014






One of the things Canadians are most proud of is that their country is a cultural mosaic, where people from different cultures live together but retain their strong ethnic identities. In the spirit of uniting countries for the World Cup games, we wanted to celebrate the cultural melting pot that is Canada. The doodle itself resembles a mosaic or patchwork quilt, with various walks of life represented through dress and textile patterns.

The people are shown as block shapes, whether as individuals or as family units – all building blocks of society – with their hands raised during Canadian citizenship ceremonies. We also wanted to draw on familiar elements, such as ice hockey, a Canadian Mountie, or the mountainous landscapes and large lakes that make up the natural beauty of the country. Look closely enough and there's even a soccer ball in there. Canada may not be in the World Cup this time around, but that hasn't stopped Canadian citizens, old or new, from enjoying the game.


Happy Canada Day!

[9A]

July 1, 2021

Canada Day 2021




Today’s Doodle celebrates Canada Day, previously known as “Dominion Day.” On this day in 1867, the British North American act joined the three individual territories of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick to form the unified Dominion of Canada. With the Canada Act of 1982, the country gained complete independence from Britain, and the observance was officially renamed Canada Day [Fête du Canada].

Across the 13 provinces and territories that comprise Canada today, annual celebrations include parades, fireworks displays, and the prominent display of the national colors of red and white. These colors adorn national symbols including the coat of arms and national flag. In today’s Doodle artwork, the latter of these can be seen clutched by another well-known Canadian ambassador: the beaver.

As the emblematic species first appeared on a Nova Scotian coat of arms in 1621, this semi-aquatic animal has been a representative of the North American nation longer than the maple leaf! Today, the beaver is protected by the 1975 National Symbol of Canada act and extensive conservation efforts, allowing the population of millions to thrive “A Mari usque ad Mare”—Canada’s official Latin motto, which translates to “from to sea to sea.”


Happy Canada Day!

[9A]

June 27, 2018

Efua Theodora Sutherland's 94th Birthday







Many great literary works owe their legacies to dedicated teachers who explore their meaning with their students. Prominent writer and teacher Efua Theodora Sutherland played a crucial role in both the creation and exploration of prominent plays across Ghana.

Sutherland [or Aunty Efua, as she was affectionately known], was one of Africa’s earliest female writers recognized locally and internationally for numerous theater works, including Foriwa [1962], Edufa [1967], and The Marriage of Anansewa [1975]. She is credited with bringing literary and theatrical movements in Ghana between the 1950s and 1990s through her own works and helped develop the country’s educational curriculum for children.

At a time when women played a limited role in governance, Sutherland is also remembered for her extensive work on the U.N. Convention on the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

Because of Sutherland’s dedication to children’s rights and cultural activism, thousands of students in Ghana [and beyond] have access to quality education and theater performance.

Happy 94th birthday to a pioneering dramatist, playwright, and activist.

[9A]

June 27, 2021

Tamio "Tommy" Kono's 91st Birthday






Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Los Angeles-based guest artist Shanti Rittgers, celebrates Japanese-American coach, Olympic gold-medalist athlete, and world-champion bodybuilder Tommy Kono, who is regarded as one of the greatest weightlifters in United States history.

Tamio “Tommy” Kono was born in Sacramento, California, on this day in 1930. During the onset of World War II, Kono and his family, all of Japanese descent, were among the over 120,000 Japanese-Americans forced by the U.S. government to be detained in prison camps [aka Japanese internment camps]. It was in one of these camps that Kono was introduced to weightlifting—which he practiced relentlessly in an effort to become healthier after experiencing severe asthma throughout his childhood.

When the fog of war lifted, Kono returned home to Sacramento, where he entered his first weightlifting competitions. By 1952, he was an invaluable member of the U.S. national weightlifting team, in part due to his rare ability to move between weight classes without losing his strength. Kono won his first Olympic gold medal in the lightweight division that same year at the Helsinki Summer Games. This began a winning streak that crescendoed at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games when he won the light-heavyweight competition—his final Olympic gold medal.

After his 1964 retirement from a career gilded by 26 world records, along with dozens of championship titles in weightlifting and several in bodybuilding, Kono shared his seasoned expertise throughout the 70s as an Olympic coach. In 1993, Kono was inducted into the Weightlifting Hall of Fame, and to this day, Kono remains the only weightlifter in history to hold world records in four different weight classes.

Happy birthday, Tommy Kono, and thank you for using your strength to lift not just weights, but those around you.

[9A]

March 16, 2017

Maria Carlota Costallat de Macedo Soares' 107th Birthday





Maria Carlota Costallat de Macedo Soares, known as Lotta, was born on this date in Paris in 1910. A talented designer, Soares had a gift for creating structures and landscapes that reflect and reimagine their surroundings. Samambaia, the house Soares shared with poet Elizabeth Bishop in Petrópolis, Brazil, looked as if it had the wings of a butterfly and might take flight at any moment. The writer's studio Soares built for Bishop featured a breathtaking view of the mountains that often distracted the poet from her writing.

Soares's most famous project was Flamengo Park in Rio de Janeiro, depicted in today's Doodle. She conceived and built this magnificent city park that has been incorporated into marathons and cycling races, including several 2016 Olympic events. Flamengo Park continues to be a prime destination for tourists and locals alike, and is a shining example of Soares's vision and passion.

[9A]

March 16, 2018

Celebrating George Peabody




Today we celebrate George Peabody, a man widely considered “the father of modern philanthropy.”
Born in 1795 to a poor family in Massachusetts, Peabody had only a few years’ worth of education before opening a local general store. His experience in the dry goods business expanded and led to international trade in London, where he would eventually work as a banker and settle in 1837. In that role, Peabody accumulated great wealth and his involvement in both the American and English business and social scenes provided him widespread recognition.

During his life, Peabody immersed himself in public causes, with a particular focus on educational initiatives. In fact, it was on this day in 1867 that he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal after donating $2,000,000 [upwards of $30,000,000 today!] for the advancement of education, an act of generosity made all the more impressive by the fact that he left school at the age of 11. It’s believed that Peabody gifted over $8,000,000 in the course of his lifetime, about half of his $16,000,000 fortune.

Fun fact: Today's Doodle art is the result of a Doodle team volunteer mural project at George Peabody Elementary School in San Francisco, California! The mural currently resides in the student cafeteria. Check out a timelapse of the process below!

The final mural






Unveiling the Doodle at George Peabody Elementary School!

[9A]

March 16, 2012

Cesar Vallejo's 120th Birthday





César Abraham Vallejo Mendoza [March 16, 1892 – April 15, 1938[ was a Peruvian poet, writer, playwright, and journalist. Although he published only two books of poetry during his lifetime, he is considered one of the great poetic innovators of the 20th century in any language. He was always a step ahead of literary currents, and each of his books was distinct from the others, and, in its own sense, revolutionary. Thomas Merton called him "the greatest universal poet since Dante". The late British poet, critic and biographer Martin Seymour-Smith, a leading authority on world literature, called Vallejo "the greatest twentieth-century poet in any language." He was a member of the intellectual community called North Group formed in the Peruvian north coastal city of Trujillo.

Clayton Eshleman and José Rubia Barcia's translation of The Complete Posthumous Poetry of César Vallejo won the National Book Award for translation in 1979.

[9A]

October 10, 2017

Fridtjof Nansen’s 156th Birthday







Today we celebrate legendary adventurer Fridtjof Nansen, who explored the world’s unknown terrain and broke new ground as an international humanitarian.

Born in Oslo, Norway in 1861, Nansen was gripped by a sense of adventure from a young age. He learned to cross-country ski as many as 50 miles in one day with minimal supplies — and sometimes with just his dog! His love of the outdoors led him to study zoology at the Royal Frederick University. In 1888, he became the first person to lead an expedition across the snow-capped interior of Greenland. One icy adventure was not enough: just a few years later, Nansen attempted to become the first person to reach the North Pole. Although the expedition was unsuccessful, he did go farther north in latitude than any other explorer at that time.

As World War I took hold in 1914, Nansen was forced to halt his explorations and focus on research at home. However, by 1920, his interests shifted from understanding the landscape of the world to influencing the international political climate. Nansen worked to free hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war and repatriate refugees. He created the Nansen Passport, a travel document that allowed stateless refugees to emigrate and resettle. Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for helping those without a voice find a home.

Fridtjof Nansen began his career by shattering the boundaries of human exploration, and he brought the same courage and tenacity to his fight to support refugees.

Happy 156th Birthday, Fridtjof!

[9A]

March 14, 2020

Josephine Lang's 205th Birthday





Today’s animated Doodle celebrates German composer and singer Josephine Lang on her 205th birthday. With over 100 songs published and around 300 composed throughout her lifetime, Lang established herself as one of the most prolific female composers of the Romantic period.

Lang was born on this day in 1815 into a talented musical family in Munich, her father, an orchestra violinist, and her mother, a professional opera singer. She played her first notes of the piano as a toddler on her mother’s lap, and by the age of just five, began to compose her own music.

Her public debut at a museum concert at age 11 only bolstered her reputation as a child prodigy, and in 1830, the famed composer Felix Mendelssohn was so impressed with Lang’s talent that he personally volunteered to give her lessons.

The 1830s marked a period of great creative success for Lang, establishing her amongst Europe’s most influential artistic circles. Her original compositions continued to garner the admiration of some of Germany’s most famous musical figures, including Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Ferdinand Hiller, the latter two of whom provided support in publishing her later work,

In addition to releasing over 40 collections of songs and piano music, Lang sang professionally at the Munich court and was a prized music teacher, counting among her students notable members of German royalty.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Josephine Lang! [“Happy birthday, Josephine Lang!”]

[9A]

March 14, 2011

Alam Ara's 80th Anniversary







Alam Ara [transl. Ornament of the World] is a 1931 Indian Hindustani-language historical fantasy film directed and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It revolves on a king and his two wives, Navbahaar and Dilbahaar, who are childless; soon, a fakir [Muhammad Wazir Khan] tells the king that the former wife will give birth to a boy, later named Qamar [Master Vithal], but the child will die following his 18th birthday if Navbahaar cannot find the necklace he asks for. Meanwhile, the king finds out that Dilbahaar falls for the senapati Adil [Prithviraj Kapoor], leading the king to arrest him and evicts his pregnant wife, who later gives birth to Alam Ara [Zubeida].

Irani was inspired to make Alam Ara, after watching the 1929 American part-talkie Show Boat. The story was adapted from the Bombay-based dramatist Joseph David's play of the same name. Made on a budget of ₹40,000 [equivalent to ₹9.7 million or US$140,000 in 2019], principal photography was handled by Adi M. Irani within four months in Bombay [present-day Mumbai]. Because the studio was located near a railway track, it was filmed mostly during the nighttime to avoid noise from the active trains. Following filming, Ardeshir Irani finished the sound recording using the single-system recording. Firozshah Mistry and B. Irani served as the music director.

Alam Ara was released on 14 March 1931 and performed well at the box office. Critics were appreciative, with the performance and songs got the most attention though some of whom criticised the sound recording. In addition to the successes, the film was also widely considered a major breakthrough for the Indian film industry and Ardeshir Irani's career with its status as the country's first sound film. Although no print or gramophone record of the film is known to survive, thereby making it a lost film, surviving artefacts includes its stills and posters. In 2017, the British Film Institute declared it as the most important of any lost films produced in India.