Google doodles

[9A]

November 24, 2019

Parveen Shakir’s 67th Birthday







“Give him a chance to come to grow a blossom in my heart, Let him come to wound my heart once more! Give scent a chance to alert in my unfilled entryways, Let him come to enrich my home. Around here, live many individuals he knows, Cannot he go under the affectation of meeting another person?”

–Parveen Shakir, “Let Him Come to Sprout a Flower in my Heart”


Today’s Doodle celebrates the pioneering Pakistani poet Parveen Shakir on her 67th birthday. The release of her first collection of poems titled Khushbu [Fragrance] won her the Adamjee Literary Award in 1976, and her distinguished contributions to Urdu poetry awarded her one of the highest civil prizes in Pakistan, the President’s Award for Pride of Performance in 1990.

An exceptionally accomplished student, Shakir was awarded a Master’s Degree in English Literature, Linguistics, Bank Management, a Ph.D. in Bank Administration, as well as a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard. Professionally, Shakir was a long-time university English teacher and later found herself working for the Civil Service, climbing the ranks to become the second secretary of the Federal Bureau of Revenue of Pakistan.

Throughout her decorated career, Shakir continued to publish notable books of her poetry, including Sad-barg [Marsh Marigold], Khud Kalami [Talking To Oneself], Inkaar [Denial], Kaf-e-Aina [The Mirror’s Edge], and Mah-e-Tamaam [Full Moon], as referenced to the Doodle art.

Writing from a young woman's perspective, Shakir broke the male-dominated mold of the time by being the first poet to use the Urdu word larki [girl] in her work, defying tradition by candidly expressing the female condition emotionally and realistically.

The Parveen Shakir Trust was organized in 1994. The trust holds the Parveen Shakir Urdu Literature Festival, which aims to foster the next generation of Urdu literary figures.

[9A]

Dec 14, 2008

Shinkansen 2008





The Shinkansen, colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond long-distance travel, some sections around the largest metropolitan areas are used as a commuter rail network. It is operated by five Japan Railways Group companies.

Over the Shinkansen's 50-plus-year history, carrying over 10 billion passengers, there has been not a single passenger fatality or injury on board due to derailments or collisions.

[9A]

December 14, 2012

Xul Solar's 125th Birthday



Xul Solar was the adopted name of Oscar Agustín Alejandro Schulz Solari, Argentine painter, sculptor, writer, and inventor of imaginary languages.

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October 12, 2018

Celebrating Roberto Clemente




“I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give.”

—Roberto Clemente

In the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month in the US, today’s Doodle by guest artist Roxie Vizcarra, commemorates the life and career of Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican Hall of Fame baseball star, Latinx trailblazer, and passionate humanitarian.

Born the son of a sugar cane worker in Carolina, Puerto Rico on August 18, 1934, Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker grew up in Barrio San Antón. His athletic gifts were obvious from an early age, joining the Puerto Rican amateur league at age 16. His professional career began in 1952, when the then 18-year-old signed with the Santurce Cangrejeros [Crabbers], a winter league team in the LBBPR [Puerto Rico’s Baseball League].

Soon after graduating high school, Clemente signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliate in Montreal. His first at bat resulted in a game-winning home run on July 25, 1954. He made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates the following season.

A testament to his unique athletic ability, the right fielder accumulated numerous accolades during his pro career including 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, 4 National League batting titles, 3,000 career hits, the 1966 National League MVP Award, 2 World Series rings, and the 1971 World Series MVP Award. In fact, it was on this day in 1971 that Clemente’s performance led the Pittsburgh Pirates to victory against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of the series, ultimately contributing to their Series title.

Aside from his talents on diamond, it was Clemente’s mission to help others that has solidified his legacy as one of the most humanitarian athletes to play the game. Whether it was delivering food and supplies to those in need, holding baseball clinics for kids, or making generous donations, he consistently sought to be an agent of positive impact and a role model for the youth of his community.

Unfortunately, it was during the pursuit of this mission that Clemente saw his final moments. When a massive earthquake struck Nicaragua on Dec 23, 1972, he decided to personally airlift relief supplies to the nation to ensure they reached those in need. The overloaded plane crashed shortly after takeoff and Clemente passed away at the age of 38.


A few months after his passing, on March 20, 1973, Clemente was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame, becoming the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be so honored. Major League Baseball has honored his legacy since then by presenting the Roberto Clemente Award each year to an outstanding player who shows a strong commitment to community work.

Other posthumous awards Clemente has received include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Roberto Clemente Walker Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Citizens Medal. Sixty years after Clemente’s pro debut, Puerto Rico’s professional baseball league was even renamed the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente—a testimony to the enduring impact he made on his community and beyond.




The Incredible Career of the Iconic Roberto Clemente

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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]

August 16, 2017

Tina Modotti’s 121st Birthday




In a fraction of a second, a camera shutter blinks, rendering the world, unchanging, in soft sepia tones. But the photographer herself was never still. Tina Modotti refused to be a silent observer behind her camera lens. After all, “I cannot solve the problem of life by losing myself in the problem of art,” she wrote.

Tina’s early photos were mostly abstract — but telephone wires, staircases, and flowers were subjects that turned her lens away from the “problems of life” she couldn’t ignore. She found a match for her political and cultural views in Mexico, and fell in with a group of avant-garde artists including the painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and the poet Pablo Neruda. Her photography switched focus to represent the everyday laborers and extraordinary folk art of Mexico City, which included documenting much of the Mexican mural movement.

Tina gave up her camera in 1931, devoting herself fully to political activism. Her body of work is relatively small, but represents how she lived her life: bold, and with conviction.

Happy 121st birthday, Tina.

[9A]

August 16, 2014

Diana Wynne Jones' 80th Birthday





Diana Wynne Jones was an English novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote fantasy and speculative fiction novels for children and young adults. Although usually described as fantasy, some of her work also incorporates science fiction themes and elements of realism. Jones' work often explores themes of time travel and parallel or multiple universes. Some of her better-known works are the Chrestomanci series, the Dalemark series, the three Moving Castle novels, Dark Lord of Derkholm, and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland.

[9A]

August 16, 2018

Ebenezer Cobb Morley’s 187th Birthday





Before Ebenezer Cobb Morley set down the rules of football in 1863, the game was much more chaotic than the version we know today. His 13th rule gives some indication of how unruly football used to be: 'No player shall wear projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta percha on the soles or heels of his boots.'

Born the son of a minister, Morley grew up a sports enthusiast and went on to study law. After joining Barnes Football Club in London, he realized that the game would be benefit from more structure and regulation. He wrote to the sports newspaper Bell’s Life to make the case for a more organized game.

A meeting followed at Freeman’s Tavern where Morley was joined by members of football clubs across England, who all had input into the rulemaking before Morley drafted his list of 13 rules, which became the standard of play in England.

Morley’s laws helped reduce violence on the field — although he did think players should be able to “hack the front leg” — and formalized the crucial rule we now call offsides, which prevents players from permanently stationing themselves behind an opponent’s defensive line, waiting for a pass.

Morley later helped establish the Football Association, which is still the governing body for football in Great Britain. In 1863 he was elected the Honorary Secretary of the F.A., holding the post until 1866 and president of the F.A. from 1867 to 1874.

Other groups from various countries made crucial developments to football as well, but thanks to Morley “the beautiful game” became less brutal, the action more spread out across the field, and is played the way it is today.


Happy Birthday Mr. Morley!

[9A]

Aug 17, 2018

Indonesia Independence Day 2018





Few countries have more fun on Independence Day than Indonesia, the southeast Asian island nation whose Proclamation of Independence was first read in Jakarta on this day in 1945.

All throughout the country, from cities to villages, Independence Day starts early with gotong-royong, a collective effort to clean up and beautify neighborhoods. Red and white banners and buntings decorate houses, shops, and schools in preparation for a range of lively games, such as the Lomba Balap Karung seen in today’s Doodle. This classic sack race is just one of Indonesia’s traditional Independence Day pastimes. You can’t use your hands in the Kerupuk eating contest, where the fried starch and shrimp crackers hang from strings. First to finish their cracker wins. Panjat Pinang involves climbing up greased palm trees to claim prizes suspended at the top.

All this friendly competition is really just a fun way to spend time with friends and family, so remember to keep it light as you enjoy Indonesian Independence Day.

Dirgahayu Indonesia!

[9A]

August 17, 2010

Indonesia Independence Day - 2010

[9A]

October 17, 2018

Chiquinha Gonzaga’s 171st Birthday




Born on this day in Rio de Janeiro in, 1847, Francisca Edwiges Neves Gonzaga [famously known as Chiquinha Gonzaga] showed an affinity for music from childhood. Playing the piano by age 11, she studied music with the maestro Elias Álvares Lobo. When she was 16, her parents insisted she enter an arranged marriage, which ended after her husband insisted she devote herself either to him or to music. At a time when independent women faced major social pressure, Gonzaga sacrificed everything to follow her musical ambitions. She would go on to become the first female conductor in South America and one of the most important figures in Brazilian music history.

For a woman to make a living as a professional musician in nineteenth-century Brazil was unheard of, but Gonzaga persisted, composing 77 operettas and more than 2,000 songs. “Atraente,” published in 1881, may be her best-loved composition, ushering in a sound that would come to be known as “choro.” With her peerless piano skills and gift for improvisation, Gonzaga pioneered this upbeat blend of jazz, waltz, polka, and Afro-Brazilian beats.

On January 17, 1885, Gonzaga made her debut as a conductor with her piece, “Palhares Ribeiro, A Corte na Roça.” Despite the popularity of her music, Gonzaga faced resistance as a woman in a male-dominated business. Often performing with a group headed by her close friend, the flutist Joaquim Antônio da Silva Callado Jr., and including her son João Gualberto on clarinet, Gonzaga managed to thrive in the face of adversity, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps.

During the late 1880s Gonzaga threw her support behind the abolitionist movement, selling her sheet music to raise funds, she paid for the freedom of the enslaved musician Zé Flauta. Her 1899 Carnival march “O abre alas!” [Open Wings] was an homage to freedom. In 1917 she co-founded the artists’ rights society SBAT to ensure that songwriters received a fair share of income from their compositions.

Gonzaga’s legacy lives on as one of Brazil’s most celebrated musical legends. She broke down barriers and directly impacted the development of music in her homeland. Fittingly, Gonzaga’s birthday is now the official National Day of Brazilian Popular Music [Dia da Música Popular Brasileira].

Feliz aniversário Chiquinha Gonzaga!


This Doodle's Reach

[9A]

Oct 18, 2018

Laura Esther Rodríguez Dulanto’s 146th Birthday




Born in the Supe District of Lima on this day in 1872, Laura Esther Rodríguez-Dulanto was a physician who broke many barriers for women in Peru. Though she excelled in school from a very young age, her parents were frustrated that educational options were limited for women—no matter how gifted or motivated they might be.

There were no secondary schools for girls, much less universities or postgraduate programs. Nevertheless, Rodríguez-Dulanto’s parents persisted, appealing to local authorities until a special jury was appointed by the Ministry of Education to allow the gifted young student to advance her studies. With help from her older brother Abraham, who would teach her everything he learned after returning home from school, Rodríguez-Dulanto passed her high school exams. With a combination of intelligence, motivation, and a very supportive family, Laura Esther Rodríguez-Dulanto became the first Peruvian woman to attend college as well as the first female physician in the nation’s history.

Though it was a great achievement to begin her studies at the National University of San Marcos, 19-year-old Rodríguez-Dulanto still faced numerous obstacles. While the male students worked with human cadavers in anatomy class, she would have to sit behind a screen to conceal her presence. During her third year of medical school, she was allowed to perform dissections in a special room, accompanied by her brother who was also studying medicine. In September 1900, her hard work paid off when she earned her Bachelor of Medicine, taking her Hippocratic Oath a month later.

Rodríguez-Dulanto specialized in gynecology, publishing papers on ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids. She went on to co-found Peru’s first nursing school, teaching anatomy, physiology and hygiene, and paving the way for other women to pursue careers in medicine. Her legacy is honored with a bust in a public park in Lima, Peru, as well as a hospital in her home town of Supe, which is named after her.

Happy Birthday Dr. Laura Esther Rodríguez-Dulanto!

[9A]

Oct 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]

Nov 5, 2020

Martín Chambi's 129th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates Peruvian photographer Martín Chambi, widely credited as one of Latin America’s first Indigenous photographers and one of the greatest Peruvian photographers of the 20th century. Considered a pioneer of portrait photography, Chambi showcased the intangible essence of Peru’s Andean people, the dramatic landscape they inhabit, and their inimitable culture and heritage.

Martín Jerónimo Chambi Jiménez was born into an Indigenous Quechua family on this day in 1891 in the town of Coaza in the southern Peruvian Andes. He fell in love with photography as a teenager and soon moved to the city of Arequipa to pursue the craft. In 1917, he photographed the newly-discovered citadel of Machu Picchu, and his panoramas helped to ignite the site’s worldwide reputation.

In 1920, Chambi relocated with his family to Cusco [the ancient capital of the Inca empire] and there established a studio where he worked for more than 40 years. From images of cultural festivals in the surrounding mountains to impeccable portraits of Cusco residents from all walks of life, Chambi’s iconic black-and-white photos provided a stunning window into the unique universe of the Peruvian highlands. A true innovator, Chambi is also credited as the first person to publish a photographic postcard in Peru.

Chambi’s photography experienced a surge in international exposure in the late ‘70s, leading to a posthumous solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1979.

Happy birthday, Martín Chambi!

[9A]

Nov 11, 2020

Veterans Day 2020



Go behind-the-scenes of today’s Doodle below!

Today’s Doodle, created by Texas-based, Air Force veteran and guest artist Jenn Hassin, celebrates Veterans Day in the United States. One of the country’s 10 federal holidays, this day specifically honors members of the nation’s armed forces.

[9A]

November 11, 2009

Veterans Day 2009

[9A]

Nov 13, 2014

Seok Joo-myung's 106th Birthday





In Korea, our doodle features a butterfly in honor of entomologist Seok Joo-myung's 106th birthday. Seok dedicated his life to the study of butterflies and made important contributions to the species’ taxonomy.

[9A]

Nov 13, 2014

Mokhtar Dahari's 61st Birthday




Dato' Mohd Mokhtar bin Dahari was a Malaysian football player from Setapak, Selangor, he played for F.A. Selangor for most of his life. He is considered a legendary footballer in Malaysian football history, especially with F.A. Selangor. A prolific forward, he was nicknamed Supermokh due to his playing skills and strength.

He scored 89 goals in 142 full international matches for Malaysia, and helped the team reach its highest ever Elo ranking of 61 in 1977. Mokhtar is the all-time top scorer for the Malaysian national team.

On 29th June 2021, FIFA acknowledged him as the third top scorer of all time at international level, with a total of 89 goals, behind only to Ali Daei and Cristiano Ronaldo.

[9A]

Nov 19, 2014
Ofra Haza's 57th Birthday




Our homepage in Israel features a portrait of singer Ofra Haza for her 57th birthday. Popular in both her homeland and countries across the Middle East, Haza gained wider international recognition after she won second place in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest.

[9A]

November 19, 2013

Helena Zmatlíková's 90th Birthday







Helena Zmatlíková [19 November 1923, Prague – 4 April 2005, Prague] was a Czech illustrator, especially of children's books. For her works she received numerous awards. She also participated in the 1958 World Exhibition.

[9A]

November 19, 2011

Mikhail Lomonosov's 300th Birthday





Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov was a Russian polymath, scientist and writer, who made important contributions to literature, education, and science. Among his discoveries were the atmosphere of Venus and the law of conservation of mass in chemical reactions. His spheres of science were natural science, chemistry, physics, mineralogy, history, art, philology, optical devices and others. Founder of modern geology, Lomonosov was also a poet and influenced the formation of the modern Russian literary language.

[9A]

Nov 23, 2011

60th Anniversary of Stanislaw Lem's First Publication








See the interactive version here!



Stanisław Lem was one of the biggest and most influential science-fiction writers in history; his books were translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Even if you haven't read Lem, you might have watched Solaris, a film based on one of his books.

This year would be Lem's 90th birthday, and today is the 60th anniversary of the publication of his first book, The Astronauts. We decided to prepare a really special Google doodle for this occasion.

Today's doodle was inspired by The Cyberiad, a series of stories about two brilliant “constructors,” Trurl and Klapaucjusz. “Lem’s stories can be somber, but The Cyberiad is comparatively lighthearted and upbeat, though it still addresses the philosophical themes found in the rest of his writing,” says Sophia Foster-Dimino, the doodle’s illustrator. “The distinctive visual style is inspired by the work of famous Polish illustrator, Daniel Mróz, whose drawings accompanied many of the editions of the book.”

Sophia: This pensive from the 1972 edition of The Cyberiad becomes a lot more evocative when you remember that Daniel Mróz, the illustrator, styled Trurl after Lem himself. This is also the only image of Trurl's bird friend; we initially thought it would be nice to include him as a little easter egg, but then expanded his role. [Illustration © Łucja Mróz-Raynoch.]

This is also a doodle you can actually play. “All of Lem’s universes are rich and believable. We spent a lot of time figuring out how to pay homage to it, and quickly decided to build a small game. But the game is never quite the same each time you play it – as we felt befitted the imperfect, arbitrarily futuristic world of The Cyberiad,” says Marcin Wichary, who originally proposed the doodle and was in charge of bringing it to life. “One of the many easter eggs is that we included one item drawn by Lem himself.

This doodle is also special in terms of creative ideas and technology used in its conception. “We were looking at Mróz’s illustrations, and how they appeared on the page. We came up with the idea to give the doodle the same proportions – there’s more room to show the universe, and hopefully more of an impact.” says Sophia. Marcin agrees: “We wanted our tribute to feel unique, big, and alive. We used some elements of HTML5 – for example <canvas> for faster graphics, Web Storage to remember whether you played the game, or touch support – but also decided not to use some others. For example, CSS3 transformations gave us poor visual fidelity that we didn’t feel respected Sophia’s intricate drawings – so we are rotating some images the old-fashioned way.”

Today’s doodle was done in collaboration with Lem’s estate and Łucja Mróz-Raynoch, the daughter of Daniel Mróz. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do, that it will bring back some great memories to Stanisław Lem readers, and inspire the rest of you to check out The Cyberiad and other books!

[9A]

December 2, 2018

United Arab Emirates National Day 2018





Today’s Doodle celebrates the United Arab Emirates National Day on a very special anniversary for the country. This year, UAE’s first president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan - who founded the country and began his 33-year reign over the unified nation - would have turned 100 years old.

On this day in 1971, the six emirates of Abu Dhabi [[the nation’s capital), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain, joined forces at the Union House in Dubai. One remaining emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, would join in February of the following year thus creating the United Arab Emirates — a rich amalgamation of 7 unique cultures and traditions of centuries past.

To mark the occasion, a spectacular display of fireworks will illuminate the skylines of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah in honor of the national day.


Happy National Day, United Arab Emirates!

[9A]

December 2, 2017

Ratiba El-Hefny’s 86th Birthday




In the year 1961, for an admission price of six piaster, Cairo’s Khedivial Opera House opened its doors to the general public for a very special performance — Franz Lehár’s ‘The Merry Widow,’ translated into Arabic and performed by famed Arab soprano, Ratiba El-Hefny. It was the first time that the world of opera opened up to every Egyptian. The performance also propelled Ratiba El-Hefny to a career that spanned more than 500 operatic performances, winning her fame and recognition at home and abroad.

El-Hefny learned to play piano at a very young age, achieving professional proficiency. She was also adept at traditional instruments such as the qanun and the oud. Her fluency in classical and Arabic music led to operatic performances in Egypt and across Europe. German lieds were another speciality.

El-Hefny held several senior influential positions, including the Dean of the Higher Institute of Arabic Music for almost a decade. Her special passion was opening up the world of music to children, and to this end she encouraged the Cairo Opera Children’s Choir and Oum Koulthum Ensemble for Arabic Music.

On what would have been El-Hefny’s 86th birthday, today’s Doodle showcases her love for the piano, her encouragement of young musical talent, and her excellence in Arabic and classical music.

[9A]

December 2, 2015

Park Kyung-ni’s 89th Birthday





Pak Kyongni 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 [Calculations]. 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]

April 30, 2018

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauß’s 241st Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the birthday of Johann Carl Friedrich Gauß, one of history's most influential mathematicians — and it was the scholar, himself, who worked out the date. While his mother couldn’t read or write, she knew her son was born eight days before the Feast of the Ascension [39 days after Easter]. At the age of 22, Gauß set about using math to solve the mystery, devising a formula to compute the date on which Easter fell in any given year, and his exact birthday — April 30th.




It was far from the first time Gauß exhibited mathematical gifts; at the age of three, he found an error in his father’s business payroll accounts, and by the age of five, he was made responsible for overseeing them. At age seven, he shocked his teachers by almost instantly summing integers from 1 to 100, using a formula he created himself.


Gauß made substantial contributions to the fields of Algebra, Astronomy, and non-Euclidean geometries. He developed the Theorema Egregium, a method of calculating the curvature of a surface using angles and distances, as well as Gaußian statistics [the bell curve] and the Gauß Divergence Theorem. At the age of 24, he wrote “Disquisitiones Arithmeticae” which laid the foundation for modern number theory and is widely regarded as one of the most influential mathematics texts of all time.

In fact, his contributions to the world of mathematics remain so vital that one of the highest honors in mathematics, the Gauß Prize, bears his name.

Today’s Doodle was created by guest artist Bene Rohlmann and highlights several of the things for which Gauß is widely known. The star, found on the Gauß statue in his hometown, represents the heptadecagon he constructed. He invented the sextant/heliotrope for geodetic surveying, and the ellipse represents his work in astronomy. The curve shows a triple version of the normal distribution, which he popularized, and E represents Sigma, the mathematical symbol for a sum.

In honor of his wide-ranging achievements, happy birthday to Johann Carl Friedrich Gauß!

[9A]

Apr 30, 2018

Levi Celerio’s 108th Birthday





Today's Doodle celebrates prolific Filipino musical phenom, Levi Celerio. The composer and lyricist wrote over 4,000 songs, many still popular today. With his unique talent of playing music with a leaf, Celerio received international attention as the “only leaf player in the world” by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Levi Celerio was born in Manila in 1910. With a scholarship to the Academy of Music in Manila, he became the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

His folk, Christmas, and love songs embodied Filipino life and traditions. Any Filipino born in 1947 and beyond was probably lulled to sleep to the beloved lullaby Sa Ugoy ng Duyan [English: “In the cradle's rocking”]. Fifty years later, Celerio was named National Artist for Music and Literature, the highest national honor recognizing significant contributions to Philippine arts and cultural identity. Many of his songs written for local movies, some becoming the films’ titles, earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines.

In later years, Celerio became a cultural icon after appearing on The Merv Griffin Show and That’s Incredible! television shows. He continued to play public concerts at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and at a local Quezon City bar. On his 100th birthday, the Philippines honored him with a stamp.

Happy 108th birthday, Levi Celerio!

[9A]

April 30, 2016

Claude Shannon’s 100th birthday








It’s impossible to overstate the legacy of Claude Shannon. The paper he wrote for his master’s thesis is the foundation of electronic digital computing. As a cryptographer for the U.S. Government during WWII, he developed the first unbreakable cipher. For fun, he tinkered with electronic switches, and one of his inventions--an electromechanic mouse he called Theseus--could teach itself to navigate a maze. If you’re thinking, “that sounds a lot like artificial intelligence,” you’re right. He regularly brushed shoulders with Einstein and Alan Turing, and his work in electronic communications and signal processing--the stuff that earned him the moniker “the father of information theory”--led to revolutionary changes in the storage and transmission of data.

Notwithstanding this staggering list of achievements in mathematics and engineering, Shannon managed to avoid one of the trappings of genius: taking oneself too seriously. A world-class prankster and juggler, he was often spotted in the halls of Bell Labs on a unicycle, and invented such devices as the rocket-powered frisbee and flame-throwing trumpet.

Animated by artist Nate Swinehart, today’s homepage celebrates the brilliance and lightheartedness of the father of modern digital communication on what would have been his 100th birthday.

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May 1, 2016

Labour Day 2016






Labour Day is a public holiday honoring the many achievements of labor unions since the 1800s — in particular, the 8 hour working day. Reasonable wages, breaks, and paid vacation are all important to a fair and healthy economy. In some places, people spend the day protesting current labor conditions, attending public demonstrations, and events. Others attend festivals, concerts, or get together with family and friends. Some just spend the day not working.

The day originated in the United States during the Labour Movement that started in the state of Illinois. Now, it's observed in over 90 countries worldwide.

Happy Labour Day, however you celebrate it.

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May 1, 2019

Labour Day 2019

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October 12, 2021

Helena Modrzejewska's 181st Birthday






Widely regarded as one of the best actors in Polish history and one of the late-19th century’s greatest Shakespearean stage performers in America, Helena Modrzejewska [known professionally as Helena Modjeska] portrayed nearly 300 different roles in over 6,000 plays—both in Polish and English. Her theatrical career took center stage in over 300 cities worldwide spanning 46 years and has yet to be eclipsed by any other Polish artist. Today’s Doodle celebrates Modrzejewska’s prolific life and legacy on her 181st birthday.

Helena Modrzejewska was born as Jadwiga Benda on this day in 1840 in Krakow, Poland and was soon renamed Helena Opid. She made her theatrical debut in 1861 in a one-act comedy “The White Camellia,” performing under the stage name Modrzejewska.

Modrzejewska’s performances in Poland’s major cities were well received by critics, but she felt her talent surpassed the scope of the nation’s small venues. In 1877, she debuted in America—the new stage for her ambitious career. Renowned for Shakespearean roles, she livened up theater productions across America, sometimes touring for up to 30 weeks while performing 8 to 9 productions each week. If this grueling schedule wasn’t challenging enough, she toured not just as a lead actor but also as a director, producer, costume designer, and publicist!

Modrzejewska’s longest-lasting role was Lady Macbeth which she played a staggering 520 times. Plus, she still found time to pursue her love of nature as a botany enthusiast and gardener.

Happy birthday, Helena Modrzejewska—here’s to one tough act to follow!

[9A]

October 12, 2011
Art Clokey's 90th Birthday








A preliminary sketch for Art Clokey's doodle.


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

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

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

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

Another original frame of animation

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


We hope this doodle put a smile on your face!


Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino

[9A]

October 12, 2007

Luciano Pavarotti's 72nd Birthday




Luciano Pavarotti Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed and loved tenors of all time. He made numerous recordings of complete operas and individual arias, gaining worldwide fame for the quality of his tone, and eventually established himself as one of the finest tenors of the 20th century, achieving the honorific title "King of the High Cs".

As one of the Three Tenors, who performed their first concert during the 1990 FIFA World Cup before a global audience, Pavarotti became well known for his televised concerts and media appearances. From the beginning of his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy to his final performance of "Nessun dorma" at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Pavarotti was at his best in bel canto operas, pre-Aida Verdi roles, and Puccini works such as La bohème, Tosca, Turandot and Madama Butterfly. He sold over 100 million records, and the first Three Tenors recording became the best-selling classical album of all time. Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others. He died from pancreatic cancer on 6 September 2007.

[9A]

Nov 13, 2015

Dorothea Christiane Erxleben's 300th Birthday




Throughout her life, Dorothea Christiane Erxleben advocated for women's rights and maintained the unwavering conviction that women should be allowed to—and ought to—pursue an education. After receiving a dispensation from Frederick the Great, Erxleben earned her M.D. from University of Halle in 1754, the first woman in Germany’s history to do so!
Happy 300th birthday, Dr. Erxleben!

[9A]

May 14, 2018

Celebrating Chantal Akerman




Today we celebrate the life of Chantal Akerman, a legend among feminist and avant garde filmmakers through history. Born in Brussels, Belgium in 1950, Akerman was especially close to her mother, a Holocaust survivor from Poland, who encouraged her to pursue a career.

This relationship between mother and daughter, as well as the daily, intimate lives of women, greatly influenced her filmmaking. Her most well-known film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles , debuted on May 14, 1975 and is now considered one of the most influential pieces in feminist film. Her works brought viewers into the most intimate moments of womens’ lives, highlighting the beauty and tension women experience in the most routine chores of life.

Akerman’s works have been recognized in exhibits around the world, including the Museum for Contemporary Art in Antwerp, Belgium; MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Centre George Pompidou, in Paris. Through her movies and the conversations they began, her influence on cinema and feminism live on.

[9A]

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.

[9A]

October 16, 2008
Queen Elizabeth II Visits Google London

[9A]

Oct 13, 2008

Canadian Thanksgiving 2008


Thanksgiving is an annual Canadian holiday, held on the second Monday in October, which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Outside of Canada it is sometimes called Canadian Thanksgiving to distinguish it from Thanksgiving in the United States, held in late November.

Thanksgiving has been officially celebrated as an annual holiday in Canada since November 6, 1879. While the date varied by year and was not fixed, it was commonly the second Monday in October.

^{Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in most of Canada, and an optional holiday in the Atlantic provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Companies that are regulated by the federal government, such as those in the telecommunications and banking sectors, recognize the holiday everywhere.}

[9A]

Oct 31, 2011

Halloween 2011




Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog.

When I was a little kid, Halloween seemed like the most grown-up holiday of all. For one thrilling night of the year, I got to stay up late trick-or-treating, watch scary movies with my friends, and wield sharp and pointy objects [safety first, of course!] while carving a macabre face into a pumpkin.

Now that I'm older, my perspective on Halloween has shifted a bit. It’s now the holiday that most celebrates a childlike sense of wonder and amazement. Ordinary people and places are temporarily transformed into creepy and whimsical versions of their former selves: a zombie rises with the aid of corn syrup and some red food coloring, your everyday home becomes a haunted house with eerie lights and a spooky soundtrack, and a pumpkin—an otherwise plain-looking squash—is a grinning ghoul, with the help of only a candle, a knife and some elbow grease.

To celebrate Halloween this year, the doodle team wanted to capture that fascinating transformation that takes place when carving a pumpkin. Instead of picking up a few pumpkins from the grocery store, however, we decided to work on six giant pumpkins, specially delivered from nearby Half Moon Bay [some weighing well over 1000 pounds]. What you see is a timelapse video of the ~8 hours we spent carving in the middle of our Mountain View, Calif. campus.

Googlers got into the Halloween spirit as well—you can see their costumed cameos if you have a quick eye. Many thanks to Slavic Soul Party! and composer Matt Moran for providing a fitting soundtrack for our Halloween hijinks.

For an inside look at how we set up the shoot, watch our behind-the-scenes video:








From all of us on the doodle team, please take care, be safe and have fun this Halloween!


posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino

[9A]

October 31, 2014

Halloween 2014








This year we invited some favorite monsters artists to create a series of spooktastic animated gifs. Refresh to see all six!


Markus Magnusson:

Olivia Huynh:

Taylor Price:

[9A]

Oct 29, 2014

Shin Saimdang's 510th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates author, poet, and activist May Ayim. It was on this date in 2010 that "May Ayim Ufer" or "May Ayim Street" was named in her honor in Berlin.

Born in 1960 to a Ghanaian father and a German mother, Ayim drew inspiration from a difficult childhood to become a prominent figure in the Black German movement.

Ayim’s pioneering work helped lay the groundwork for the field of Black German history. Her 1986 thesis, “Afro-Germans: Their Cultural and Social History on the Background of Social Change,” was the first scholarly work on Afro-German history from the Middle Ages to the present. This thesis also provided the foundation of her renowned book, “Farbe Bekennen.” In addition to her scholarly publications, Ayim’s poetry collections brought the Black German struggle for equality to an international stage.

Ayim’s journey as an author and poet also intersected with her work as an activist. For example, she partnered with other activists to form the Initiative Schwarze Deutsche [ISD], which served as a network of Blacks in Germany striving for self-empowerment.

Ayim’s 1992 speech, “My Pen Is My Sword: Racism and Resistance in Germany,” stressed the importance of writing as a vehicle for social transformation. Today's Doodle by Berlin-based illustrator Laura Breiling celebrates Ayim’s scholarly

[9A]

October 29, 2009

Asterix Comic's 50th Anniversary © 2009 Goscinny - Uderzo




Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a French comic book series about Gaulish warriors, who have adventures and fight the Roman Republic during the era of Julius Caesar in an ahistorical telling of the time after the Gallic Wars. The series first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comic magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo until Goscinny's death in 1977. Uderzo then took over the writing until 2009, when he sold the rights to publishing company Hachette; he died in 2020. In 2013, a new team consisting of Jean-Yves Ferri [script] and Didier Conrad [artwork] took over. As of 2019, 38 volumes have been released, with the most recent released in October 2019.

[9A]

October 15, 2011

Italo Calvino's 88th Birthday






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

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

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

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

Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino

[9A]

October 20, 2014

Christopher Wren's 382nd Birthday






It took 33 years to build St. Paul’s Cathedral in London but today, on our homepage in the U.K, it happens in a matter of seconds. Completed in 1720, the cathedral is considered to be English architect Christopher Wren’s magnum opus. But, with a portfolio featuring British landmarks like the Royal Observatory of Greenwich and Kensington Palace, Wren’s legacy stands tall throughout England. Happy 382nd birthday to Christopher Wren!

[9A]

May 17, 2019

Anita Conti’s 120th Birthday




“As soon as I put my foot on board, I'm flying,” wrote Anita Conti, who spent much of her life sailing the world as France’s first female oceanographer. Born on this day in 1899, the young adventurer developed a love for the sea while traveling with her parents. Living in Paris after World War I, she became a photographer and an accomplished writer focusing on nature and the sea.

In 1935, the French Fisheries Authorities hired Conti to conduct scientific research assessing fish resources. In 1941, she was the only female to board a trawler bound for Western Africa, spending the next ten years between Senegal and the Ivory Coast, documenting traditional fishing practices, meeting with local elders, and developing detailed fishing maps. Conti’s goal was to nourish French troops and save the local population from hunger, but over time she became increasingly concerned about the danger of overfishing and was one of the first to issue a warning that “seas are under threat.”

In subsequent voyages through the North Atlantic and Canada, she survived rough seas, shot thousands of photos, and wrote about her experiences with poetic flair in books like Géants des mers chaudes [Giants of the Warm Seas]. In 1952 she spent six months in the Arctic Ocean aboard the French trawler Bois-Rosé, capturing the difficulty of life on a fishing boat in her bestselling book, Racleurs d'océans [Scrapers of oceans].

A pioneer of maritime ecology, Conti spent nearly half of her 98 years on the high seas, earning the name La Dame de la Mer or the “Sea Lady.”

Bon anniversaire, Anita Conti!

[9A]

May 18, 2019

Omar Khayyam’s 971st Birthday





Although he was renowned as a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, Omar Khayyam may be best known today for his poetry. Born in Nishapur, Persia [located in modern-day Iran] on this day in 1048, Khayyam is believed to have been the son of a tent-maker, which is the literal meaning of his name, al-Khayyam.

Endowed with a multifaceted mind, he wrote books on music, arithmetic, and algebra before the age of 25. During the Seljuk dynasty, Khayyam was invited to the city of Isfahan to build a new observatory under the sponsorship of sultan Malik-Shah. For 18 years he led a team of scientists that built a star map and measured the length of the solar year so precisely that it loses only one day every 5,000 years—more accurate than the Gregorian calendar, which loses a day every 3,330 years. Using these calculations he helped to develop the Jalali calendar, a forerunner of Iran’s modern calendar.

Many of Khayyám’s insights and ideas were not proven until centuries later. His Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra [1070] remains an essential text to this day, introducing the concept of binomial expansion and offering methods for solving cubic and quadratic equations that merged algebra and geometry by use of conic sections. Khayyam also posited the idea that a cubic equation can have more than one solution.

Though his mathematical breakthroughs are less well known, Khayyam is famous for The Rubáiyát, a collection of hundreds of short poems known as quatrains, which was first translated from Farsi into English in 1859 by Edward Fitzgerald. Versions of some of these verses can be found elsewhere in Persian literature, but many were originated by Khayyam.

Happy 971st birthday, Omar Khayyam!

[9A]

May 18, 2012

Omar Khayyam's 964th Birthday

[9A]

Mar 18, 2018

Erich Ohser's 115th Birthday




Cartoonist Erich Ohser’s mighty pen was not only his sword, but his shield. Born on this day in Vogtland, Germany, in 1903, Ohser was raised in the industrial town of Plauen. He attended art school at Leipzig’s esteemed Academy of Graphic Arts and Book Trade [Akademie für graphische Künste und Buchgewerbe] before finding his voice as a cartoonist and book illustrator in Weimar Republic–era Berlin.

The artist’s work blossomed through his bond with writer Erich Kästner and journalist Erich Knauf, who shared his political ideology and modern sense of aesthetics. Ohser’s impassioned cartoons and caricatures, which appeared in Knauf’s articles and other popular publications, became his vehicle for expressing his antipathy towards the National Socialists. As making such declarations became increasingly dangerous, Ohser found refuge in drawing the lighthearted, and highly successful, comic strip Vater und Sohn [Father and Son].

From 1934 through 1937, Vater und Sohn captivated readers of the weekly news magazine Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung with its irreverent wit, scratchy pen strokes, and playful antics. Plucking a page from his past, Ohser signed it with a pseudonym that stuck: E.O. Plauen.

Today’s Doodle, rendered by German cartoonist Nadine Redlich, captures the spirit of Ohser’s beloved strip, featuring a pot-bellied father and his playful son, with the artist’s hand within the frame.

Some early drafts of the Doodle below:

Memorial sculpture for Erich Ohser 1903-1944 who committed suicide in prison awaiting trial. He was a cartoonist and artist famous for his Vater und Sohn characters and his critical political cartoons. He worked under the name of e.o.plauen. The sculpture is outside the museum dedicated to his work at Nobelstraße 7, Plauen in Saxony.

[9A]

March 18, 2016

Xiaolüren’s 17th birthday







Today's Doodle celebrates the modern pedestrian's best friend: Xiaolüren, or "little green man." Back before this now-ubiquitous walking cue arrived on the scene, pedestrians couldn't know how much time they had to cross a busy intersection.

Enter Xiaolüren. The little green guy was first created in 1961 in East Berlin, Germany as a static traffic light design. Initially, a red figure facing forward meant "wait," and a green profile of a walking figure meant "go."

In 1998, the Taipei City Government made Xiaolüren even more effective by adding a numeric countdown to signal how much time was left. Then, they designed Xiaolüren to move at a different pace based on the time left to cross. When the counter ticks under 10, Xiaolüren picks up the pace. We hope today's animation by Doodler Olivia When reflects the hustle of the all the groups who created Xiaolüren to keep pedestrians safer, the world over.

[9A]

March 20, 2009

First Day of Autumn 2009 - Design by Eric Carle
[Southern Hemisphere]

or


First Day of Spring 2009
[Northern Hemisphere]



Eric Carle [June 25, 1929 – May 23, 202] was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books. His picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sold more than 50 million copies. His career as an illustrator and children's book author took off after he collaborated on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. He illustrated more than 70 books, most of which he also wrote, and more than 145 million copies of his books have been sold around the world.

In 2003, the American Library Association awarded Carle the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal [now called the Children's Literature Legacy Award], a prize for writers or illustrators of children's books published in the U.S. who have made lasting contributions to the field. Carle was also a U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2010.






[I own one of the 50 million copies of this book, purchased in the Seventies. Nina]