Google doodles

[9A]

Oct 1, 2011
Grete Waitz's 58th Birthday



Grete Waitz was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. She won nine New York City Marathons, women's division, between 1978 and 1988, more than any other runner in history. She won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and a gold medal at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki. Her other marathon victories included winning the London Marathon in 1983 and 1986. She was also a five-time winner of the World Cross Country Championships.

Waitz won 12 World Marathon Majors, the most for any runner.

[9A]

Sep 28, 2011
Narciso Monturiol's 192nd Birthday



Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol was a Spanish artist and engineer. He was the inventor of the first air-independent and combustion-engine-driven submarine.

[9A]

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





Tarsila de Aguiar do Amaral was a Brazilian painter, draftswoman, and translator. She is considered one of the leading Latin American modernist artists, and is regarded as the painter who best achieved Brazilian aspirations for nationalistic expression in a modern style.

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

[9A]

Aug 27, 2011
Faina Ranevskaya's 115th Birthday



Faina Georgievna Ranevskaya, is recognized as one of the greatest Soviet actresses in both tragedy and comedy. She was also famous for her aphorisms.

[9A]

Aug 17, 2011
Pierre de Fermat's 410th Birthday




Pierre de Fermat was not a particularly revolutionary mathematician. A lawyer full-time, he practiced math as a hobby and never devoted enough time to it to become widely celebrated in his day. His name lives on today, though, because his sly wit generated a mystery for the ages that perplexed mathematicians for 358 years.

Fermat wrote many little theorems, including the deceptively simple Last Theorem, which states that no three positive integers a, b, and c can satisfy the equation an + bn = cn when n is greater than two. Fermat first scrawled this supposition in the margins of the Arithmetica by Diophantus, followed by the note: "I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of this, which this margin is too narrow to contain." It remains hotly contested to this day whether Fermat actually did have a proof, or whether he was just using the convenient excuse of a small margin to avoid being held responsible for it. Either way, his theorem remained unproved until 1995, when British mathematician Andrew Wiles successfully developed a solution – a saga documented in the excellent BBC Horizon documentary, "Fermat's Last Theorem."

[9A]

January 20, 2011
50th Anniversary of JFK's Inauguration



Regardless of how you feel about JFK's politics, it's very difficult to argue that this wasn't one of the most iconic speeches ever made in US history. Visually speaking [[literally), I wanted to emphasize that statement by creating a word cloud style illustration made up entirely of words and phrases from John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural address [[including the portrait of Kennedy himself), with the most famous line bolded out across the logo.

[9A]

Jan 19, 2011
Cezanne's 172nd Birthday





Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavor to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century.

Cézanne is said to have formed the bridge between late 19th-century Impressionism and the early 20th century's new line of artistic enquiry, Cubism. Cézanne's often repetitive, exploratory brushstrokes are highly characteristic and clearly recognizable. He used planes of colour and small brushstrokes that build up to form complex fields. The paintings convey Cézanne's intense study of his subjects. Both Matisse and Picasso are said to have remarked that Cézanne "is the father of us all".

[9A]

Dec 20, 2010
Mehmet Akif Ersoy's Birthday




Mehmet Akif Ersoy[[20 December 1873 – 27 December 1936) was an Ottoman-born Turkish poet, writer, academic, politician, and the author of the Turkish National Anthem. Widely regarded as one of the premiere literary minds of his time, Ersoy is noted for his command of the Turkish language, as well as his patriotism and role in the Turkish War of Independence.

He currently has a university in his name in Burdur. Ersoy's portrait was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 100 lira banknotes of 1983–1989.

[9A]

Dec 1, 2010
55th Anniversary: Rosa Parks refuses to move




Famous for an act of civil disobedience, Rosa Parks made history when she refused to give up her seat and move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This simple act rendered her an icon for equal rights in America. We wanted to celebrate the spirit of equality.

[9A]

November 4, 2016
Walter Cronkite's 100th Birthday





Today would be the 100th birthday of the man known widely throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s as “the most trusted man in America.” Walter Cronkite, the legendary broadcast journalist reported, served, and comforted a nation during its most trying times, including World War II, Watergate, the Vietnam War, and the assassination of JFK, to name a few.

Walter perpetuated an objective reporting style rooted in justice and integrity: “Press freedom is essential to our democracy, but the press must not abuse this license. We must be careful with our power. The free press, after all, is the central nervous system of a democratic society.”

Affectionately kn own as “Uncle Walter” to the American public, he was a devout political advocate in the interest of free speech and media, an enthusiastic NASA supporter, and a sailing aficionado. As a fixture in our living rooms, Walter brought a calm dose of consistency during the most pressing times with his end-of-segment catchphrase: “and that’s the way it is.”

[9A]

Nov 1, 2016
Wadih El Safi’s 95th Birthday





One of Lebanon’s most prominent cultural icons, El Safi became known as the “Voice of Lebanon” after winning a national radio competition at the age of seventeen. He was a singer, songwriter, composer, and actor, well known for his mawawil [[improvised singing) of ‘ataba, mijana, and Abu el Zuluf. He went on to have a 75 year career in music, releasing more than 5,000 songs.

Today’s Doodle celebrates his rich legacy, which helped etch an authentic Lebanese musical identity, drawn from the folklore and heritage of his country and region.

[9A]

Oct 19, 2016
Kamma Rahbek’s 241st birthday





In Kamma Rahbek's famous salons, the great minds of the Danish Golden Age gathered to discuss and share poetry. Some of Denmark's most celebrated Romantic poets frequented these salons, including Bernhard Severin Ingemann, Adam Oehlenschläger, and Hans Christian Andersen. Here, they encouraged each other in developing works around the history of Denmark and its relationship to nature and the human experience. Rahbek also carried on a rich written correspondence with the great writers and philosophers of the time, including the historian and author Christian Molbech as well as the bishop Jacob Peter Mynster.

Though Rahbek grew up when few women had access to education, she studied a multitude of subjects, from botany to astronomy to languages. This cultivated a deep intellectual curiosity that led her to host the salons and later, cemented her position at the center of Copenhagen's literary circle.

Today's Doodle celebrates Rahbek's 241st birthday and her famous salons, by portraying her in her most beloved setting: at a desk in her parlor, surrounded by good company, and stimulating conversation.

[9A]

Oct 11, 2016
Edgar Negret’s 96th birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates Edgar Negret, a Colombian sculptor known for depicting abstract nature scenes out of intricate metalwork. The second "o" in “Google” features some of his signature sculptures.

In 1957 Negret created one of his most famous sculpture series, “Aparatos mágicos,” or Magical Apparatuses. The magical realism of these sculptures showcase Negret’s style, which would become a major part of Colombia’s fine arts scene.

Many of Negret’s sculptures can now be found in his hometown of Popayán, Colombia, in the house where he lived, which now serves as the Negret House Museum. On the 96th anniversary of Negret’s birth, we remember his dedication to art, nature, and Colombia.

[9A]

June 9, 2016
Phoebe Snetsinger’s 85th birthday




Sometimes it takes dire circumstances to compel us toward action. Phoebe Snetsinger, who would have been 85 years old today, became the world’s most prolific bird-watcher — a feat she achieved by surmounting tremendous odds.

It wasn’t until 1981 — when she was diagnosed with cancer — that Phoebe truly came into her own as a birder. In subsequent years, she scoured the globe for obscure or unknown bird species, ultimately raising her bird count to 8,393, the highest in the world at the time. Some of the notable birds she sighted include the Blackburnian Warbler and the Red-Shouldered Vanga, depicted among many other interesting birds by animator Juliana Chen.

[9A]

Jun 5, 2016
Denmark National Day 2016



Happy Grundlovsdag, Denmark!

Today's Doodle features Copenhagen's iconic statue The Little Mermaid, or Den Lille Havfrue, by Edvard Eriksen. Modeled after a famous Danish ballerina [[and Eriksen's less-shy wife), she looks to the coast in the nation's capital. Commissioned in 1909, and based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, she is a symbol of the city. She splashed onto her now-unmistakable perch in 1913, and attracts tourists from around the world.

[9A]

Jun 10, 2016
UEFA Euro 2016





It’s time for UEFA Euro 2016! France plays host to the world’s second-largest football championships from June 10 – July 10. Nearly 2 million fans are expected to travel to France to cheer teams from 24 countries in stadiums across the nation, while over 300 million are expected to tune in from afar. Whether you’re hoping Spain will defend their title or are counting on an upset, here’s to an exciting tournament!

[9A]

Jun 13, 2016
Theodosia Okoh’s 94th birthday





Happy Birthday Theodosia Salome Okoh! Affectionately known as “Dosia, Mama Maa” or simply “Maa,” she was a very influential Ghanaian, best known for designing the country’s national flag.
For today's blog post, the Google team collaborated with Okoh's family who shared Okoh’s vision for the flag. From her family: “She always said that the ends of the Black Star must touch the bottom line of the red band and the top line of the green band in the flag.”

Fifty nine years after Okoh first designed the flag, the vibrant stripes of red, yellow, and green behind a black star, remain a strong symbol of national pride and identity for the Ghanaian people.
Okoh, who would have been 94 years old today, was not only an artist but an athlete who led the Ghanaian hockey team to their first ever World Cup appearance. The team also won the Fair Play Award, Ghana's first ever international hockey award, during her tenure. She went on to become the first female chairman of the Ghana Hockey Association and later, served as President of the Ghana Hockey Federation for 20 years. To honor her contributions, the hockey stadium in the center of Accra is named after her.

When the Mayor of Accra sought to change the name, she defended it with the same zeal she showed during games. According to Okoh's family, "Many people in Ghana will remember the infamous cartoon of her pulling the mayor of Accra’s beard in one hand with an oversize pair of scissors in the other, threatening to cut off his beard for having the gall to try and change the name of the hockey stadium."

We hope today’s Doodle by Alyssa Winans inspires people everywhere to pursue their passions, and Ghanaians to celebrate their magnificent flag and the powerful woman behind it.

[9A]

Jun 20, 2016
45th Anniversary of The First Broadcast of El Chavo del Ocho




El Chavo made his TV debut 45 years ago today, marking the beginning of a beloved TV institution in Mexico, parts of the United States, and in many other countries in Latin America. At the height of its popularity, El Chavo del Ocho was the most-watched show on Mexican television. The show’s courageous orphan and his friends got themselves into and out of trouble, all the while endearing themselves to generations of fans. Tens of millions of viewers still watch the animated version of the show, El Chavo Animado, every day.

Today’s Doodle pays tribute to the creation by Roberto Gómez Bolaños. Thank you, Chesperito, for forty-five years of laughs. ​

[9A]

Jun 24, 2016
Juan Manuel Fangio’s 105th birthday





As a child, he was El Chueco – ”the bandy-legged one” – due to his gravity-bending soccer skills. But a lifetime of racing victories made him El Maestro – The Master. Such was the transformation of legend Juan Manuel Fangio, who would be 105 today.

A native son of Balcarce, near Buenos Aires, Fangio’s command of the wheel emerged while driving for the military. Post-service, he kept at it, dedicating himself to punishing routines to make up for lost time and compete with his younger opponents. The result: winning the World Championship of Drivers not once, but a record-breaking five times in the 1950s.

Today’s vintage, poster-inspired Doodle commemorates his dedication and commitment to Balcarce, Argentina, and the timeless art of racing.

[9A]

Jun 27, 2016
R. D. Burman’s 77th birthday





When R.D. Burman was growing up, it was assumed he would follow in his father's footsteps and compose music for Bollywood. But no one quite predicted that his disciplined practice and extensive music training would lead him to become one of the most popular Bollywood composers of his time!

Early on, he was given the nickname Pancham, from the Bengali word for 5. In fact, at the age of 9, R.D. Burman was already composing music for hit films, since his father S.D. Burman included his son's Sar jo tera chakraaye in the film Pyaasa. As his career developed, he was known for making music out of anything from laughter to blowing over the tops of glass bottles. Bringing in influences from all over the world, from disco, to funk, to cabaret, R.D. Burman revolutionized Bollywood and brought films like Caravan to life with the iconic Piya Tu Ab To Aaja.

Today's doodle celebrates R.D. Burman's 77th birthday and honors his lifelong commitment to composing top-notch music for Bollywood.

[9A]

May 1, 2019
Celebrating the New Era





Today’s Doodle celebrates the dawning of a new era in Japan as the Reiwa period begins! The name of the nation’s 248th era consists of two Japanese kanji characters that can be translated into English as “beautiful harmony.”

Historically, each gengō — as the names of eras are known – has been inspired by classical Confucian texts and debated by high-ranking officials of the imperial court in a time-honored process known as nanchin. The gengō aims to express a vision for the future and speak to the hopes and dreams of the Japanese people.

The previous Heisei era [[which means “achieving peace”) began when Emperor Akihito succeeded his father, Emperor Hirohito, on January 8, 1989. Emperor Akihito announced plans to step down in 2016, a departure from the tradition that emperors reign throughout their life.

The name Reiwa was taken from the Man'yōshū [[“Collection of 10,000 Leaves”), which is the oldest surviving collection of Japanese poetry. The specific passage reads “It is now the choice month of early spring, the weather is fine, the wind is soft. The plum blossom opens...”

[9A]

May 13, 2019
60th Anniversary of Torres del Paine National Park




Described by an early visitor as "one of the most ... spectacular sights that human imagination can conceive," Torres del Paine became a national park on this day in 1959. Initially named Lago Grey, the park was expanded and renamed in 1970. Today’s Doodle celebrates the splendor of this natural treasure situated near the Andes mountains at the southernmost tip of Chile.

First settled by the ancient Aonikenk people, Parque Nacional Torres del Paine takes its name from the Paine Massif mountain range and three granite torres or towers that rise some 2000 meters above the Patagonian steppe.

The rugged beauty of the land—forests, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and an enormous blue glacier—attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to enjoy camping, hiking, cycling, kayaking, and boating. Since the 15th century, the area has also been home to the nomadic Kaweskar people who coexist with wild pumas, condors, and llama-like creatures known as guanacos.

The national park was added to UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserve system in 1978 and even received 5 million votes to be elected the “Eighth Wonder of the World” in 2013.

[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 over fishing 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.”

[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.

[9A]

September 19, 2017
Amalia Hernandez’s 100th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernandez. She founded the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico and used it to share Mexican culture with the world.

Born in 1917, Hernandez developed a passion for performing and dance early in life. She became a choreographer at the Fine Arts National Institute, where she taught modern dance. She then turned her focus to traditional Mexican folk dances. She combined these dances with more choreographed movements from her formal training, helping to create an entirely new style of dance known as baile folklorico.

In 1952, Hernandez founded the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. Beginning with just eight dancers, the troupe grew to over three hundred in the years to follow. The company performed on television for the first time in 1954, after which they were featured in a weekly broadcast. This success allowed Amalia’s group to tour North America and even represent Mexico in the Pan American Games in 1959.

The Ballet Folklorico de Mexico still performs to this day. Since its inception, the group has danced for more than 22 million people. Hernandez remained involved with the company until her death in 2000, working alongside her daughters and grandson.

[9A]

Oct 3, 2017
German Reunification Day 2017







It began with the Peaceful Revolution. The movement started with prayers at churches around the country and spilled out into the streets. Following months of this, the Berlin Wall fell in November of 1989. Less than a year later in October of 1990, Germany became a unified nation again, after four decades of separation. Families were reunited, travel was reinstated, and the border that separated a people was dissolved.

German Reunification Day is still a relatively young holiday! Today’s Doodle, by guest artist Andreas Preis, symbolizes the joyous reunion between East and West, as the characteristic cars continue down the road side by side.

[9A]

March 18, 2019
Celebrating Seiichi Miyake






Today’s animated Doodle celebrates Japanese inventor Seiichi Miyake, whose desire to help a close friend turned into an innovation that drastically improved the way those who are visually impaired navigate public spaces around the globe.

In 1965, Miyake spent his own money to invent tactile blocks [[or Tenji blocks as they were originally known) to help a friend whose vision was becoming impaired. The blocks come in two predominant types: one with dots, and the other with bars. The dotted blocks alert the visually impaired when they are approaching danger, and can often be found at the edges of crosswalks and railway platforms. The barred blocks provide directional cues, letting users know that they are following a safe path.

[9A]

Mar 21, 2019
Holi 2019





From Bollywood films to music videos, the visual excitement of Holi has become a familiar sight: joyful revellers frolicking in the streets of India throwing handfuls of colorful powder on one another. There is a rich history behind this tradition, which is celebrated in today’s Doodle by Chennai-based artist Chaaya Prabhat.

Taking place each year, Holi is an Indian national holiday that marks the start of Spring. A time for renewal, and a reversal of the social hierarchies among ages, classes, and castes, Holi’s also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love” because it marks a time for coming together and releasing old grudges. During Holi, everyone lets loose, while children are encouraged to make mischief with water balloons and squirt guns.

Festivities begin on the night before the full moon during Holika Dahan or Choti Holi, with the building of sacred bonfires. Celebrants sing and dance around the fire—some even walk across hot coals while others smear the ashes on their skin as an act of purification. Symbolizing the victory of good over evil, the fires recall the story of the demon Holika, who tried to destroy her nephew Prahlad in a fire but was burned herself.

The practice of throwing colored powder was inspired by the Hindu Lord Krishna, who loved to play pranks on the beloved gopis. After a full day of chaotic, colorful fun, everyone cleans themselves up, dresses in pure white, and pay respects to family elders and teachers, symbolically restoring order until the next Holi celebration.

[9A]

January 31, 2019
Celebrating Nasi Lemak




http://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-nasi-lemak [[animated)

Today’s Doodle celebrates the rich, fragrant, and spicy dish, known as Nasi Lemak. The dish — considered the national dish of Malaysia and widely eaten year-round — is what many Malaysians start their day with. Also popular in Singapore and Thailand, the humble delicacy is believed to have originated as a hearty farmer’s breakfast on the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula.

Although the name translates from Malay as “rich rice” [[a reference to the coconut milk included in the recipe) there is another origin story for the name. According to legend, the daughter of a widow named Mak Kuntum accidentally spilled coconut milk into the rice pot. “What did you cook?” Mak asked and her daughter answered. "Nasi le, Mak!" [[Rice, mother!)

There are many variations of the dish across the multiethnic melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and other indigenous and imported cultures, but the fundamental recipe — featured in today’s video Doodle — is rice cooked with santan or coconut milk and flavored with pandan leaf and galangal root, served with ikan bilis [[fried anchovies), crispy peanuts [[skin on), sliced cucumber, hard-boiled egg, and sambal [[hot sauce) or a splash of tamarind juice, with an optional piece of fried chicken or beef rendang on the side. Sold at roadside stalls wrapped in a “bungkus” of banana leaf or brown paper, Nasi Lemak is so popular it’s also eaten for lunch and dinner, too!

[9A]

Feb 6, 2019
Waitangi Day 2019





Waitangi Day is the national day of New Zealand, commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In honour of Waitangi Day, today’s Doodle celebrates the unique native flora of the island nation.

Geographically isolated in the South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand has evolved a diverse variety of plant life. Some 80 percent of the islands’ fern, flower, and tree species are native to the country and, most can be found nowhere else in the world.

The silver fern has long been a symbol of New Zealand’s identity, appearing on the uniforms of national sports teams as well as military troops. To Māori, it has been a symbol of strength and resilience.. Known to grow up to 10 meters in height, the underside of the silver fern’s leaves reflects moonlight, making it helpful when following forest trails at night.

New Zealand’s unofficial national flower, the bright yellow blossoms of the Kōwhai tree, appear near the end of winter. The tree’s bark is renowned for its medicinal properties, useful for treating everything from dandruff to seal bites.

The Pōhutukawa’s crimson flowers bloom around the holiday season, leading to the name “New Zealand Christmas Tree.” The plant also figures prominently in Māori legends as a bridge between the living and the spirit world. Aside from decorating homes and churches, the Pōhutukawa’s nectar can be used to make delicious honey and treat sore throats.

[9A]

March 3, 2018
Girls' Day 2018





Today, two Japanese hina dolls—an Emperor and Empress—preside over the Google colors in celebration of Hinamatsuri, an annual Japanese festival during which families wish for the health and happiness of their young girls. Also known as Girls’ Day, Hinamatsuri is believed to be rooted in the Heian-period custom nagashi-bina, where straw-and-paper dolls were placed in boats and floated down rivers to spirit away misfortune.

Though nagashi-bina ceremonies are still part of Hinamatsuri festivities in some regions, the day is more widely celebrated with elaborate displays of dolls [[hina-ningyo) symbolically arranged on five- to seven-step platforms draped in red carpet. Each step depicts a different scene, always beginning with the Emperor and Empress, who are dressed in colorful kimonos that represent ancient court costumes.

These splendid arrangements decorate restaurants, shops, and family homes in the month leading up to Hinamatsuri. On festival day, people partake in traditional food and drink, such as chirashi-zushi [[scattered sushi), shirozake [[sweet white sake), and hishimochi [[red, white, and green rice cakes shaped like diamonds).

Today’s Doodle honors Hinamatsuri with two hina-ningyo handcrafted from paper. In a special homage, the Emperor and Empress’ robes are fashioned from chiyogami, Japanese origami paper. Cherry blossoms—another symbol of this festive day—bloom above them, imparting good luck.

[9A]

Mar 14, 2019
Carolina Maria de Jesus’ 105th Birthday






Nobody expected Carolina Maria de Jesus to become a world-famous author, but her first book, Quarto de Despejo: Diário de uma Favelada [[published in English as Child of the Dark: The Diary Of Carolina Maria De Jesus) became an international bestseller. Born in Brazil on this day in 1914 to a single mother descended from slaves and sharecroppers, Carolina had a limited education. Still, her powerful prose highlighted the struggles of people living in São Paulo’s favelas, sprawling shanty towns in one of the world’s biggest cities.

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

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

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

[9A]

Feb 28, 2019
Weiberfastnacht 2019






Today, all throughout Germany’s Rhineland region, you can find locals celebrating Weiberfastnacht, or Women’s Carnival Day. During these celebrations of the Carnival, women in cities like Mainz, Cologne, and Düsseldorf enjoy the unofficial holiday by partaking in customs ranging from snipping off men’s ties to storming town halls.

The Weiberfastnacht tradition dates back to a 19th-century uprising in the small town of Beuel where a group of washerwomen grew tired of working 16 hour days, while the men got to go out and celebrate Carnival. In 1824 they founded the Beuel Ladies’ Committee and stormed city hall, an early expression of women’s rights in Germany. Their legacy lives on with celebrations all along the Rhine River.

The festivities begin precisely at 11:11 am when parades move through the streets to a soundtrack of light-hearted Schlager music as everyone enjoys food, drinks, and fun. Women also dress in vibrant and eclectic costumes, as depicted in today’s Doodle by Hamburg-based guest artist Christina Gransow.

[9A]

Jun 18, 2019
Celebrating Michaelina Wautier






Today’s Doodle celebrates the Belgian artist Michaelina Wautier, born 415 years ago. Although many of Michaelina’s paintings were once misattributed to other artists, including her own brother, she’s now known as “Baroque’s leading lady.”

On this day last year, the definitive monograph on Wautier’s work was published by two institutions in Antwerp—Rubenshuis and Museum aan de Stroom—who also collaborated to showcase the first-ever Wautier retrospective, an exhibition of some 30 works that shed new light on “mysterious Michaelina.”

Contemporaries of Flemish masters like Rubens and Van Dyck, Michaelina and her younger brother Charles Wautier grew up in a well-to-do family, moving around 1640 from their birthplace of Mons to Brussels, where they lived in a stately townhouse near the Kappellekerk. Neither sibling married, devoting themselves to painting.

While researching her brother, art historian Pierre-Yves Kairis discovered Michaelina’s work, struck by her mastery of portraiture, historical paintings, and genre pieces during a time when female painters were, as he put it, “at best tolerated for painting flowers.” During her lifetime, she impressed prominent patrons like Archduke Leopold-Willem, who collected four of her paintings.

Her large-scale work The Triumph of Bacchus, widely considered her masterpiece, offers a glimpse of the artist’s personality. Michaelina painted herself into the scene, disguised as a half-naked bacchante, staring boldly at the viewer without apology.

[9A]

Jun 28, 2019
185th Anniversary of the Publication of Pan Tadeusz Poem





On this day in 1834, the Polish Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz published his masterpiece, Pan Tadeusz, often considered one of the last great epic poems in European literature. Written in Paris, the 12-part saga captures the spirit of Poland at a time when much of its territory was partitioned between Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

Set during the years 1811 and 1812 in a Lithuanian village, the narrative focuses on a feud between two prominent families, complicated by the love between Tadeusz and a daughter of the rival family named Zosia. A revolt against the local Russian garrison brings the families together, inspired by a shared passion to restore Poland to its former glory: “When talk was to raise Poland again from this rubble.”

Required reading in Polish schools, Pan Tadeusz has been translated into many languages and adapted into TV and film versions, most recently in 1999 by Polish director Andrzej Wajda. Mickiewicz writes with great feeling, expressing his love and longing for all aspects of Polish life from the landscape [[“These fields, painted with various grain, gilded with wheat, silvered with rye”), to the food [[“mere words cannot tell of its wondrous taste, colour and marvellous smell”), to even the wildlife [[“No frogs croak as divinely as Polish ones do”).

[9A]

Jul 8, 2019
Celebrating Women's World Cup 2019 Runner Up: Netherlands




Congratulations to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup runners up: the Netherlands!

Over the past month, players from the women's national teams of 24 countries competed for top rank across nine cities in France. Today, the games culminated at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu, a suburb of Lyon, France, where the United States Women’s National Team won, making the Netherlands women’s team the 2019 Women’s World Cup runners up!

This year's Doodle series celebrated the rich cultures and talent of all 24 participating countries by featuring guest artists hailing from each nation. We hope you've enjoyed all 24 Doodles throughout the games, each capturing the local excitement of the World Cup competition as well as what soccer means to the guest artist personally.

Today's Doodle celebrating the valiant effort of the Netherlands women’s team is unique creation by our Dutch guest artist Zeloot.

[9A]

Jul 16, 2019
Celebrating Hội An



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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

Jul 21, 2019
Buchi Emecheta’s 75th Birthday





“I work toward the liberation of women. My books are about survival, just like my own life,” said the Nigerian novelist Buchi Emecheta, whose life and work are celebrated in today’s Doodle.

Born to Ibo parents in the Lagos suburb of Yaba on this day in 1944, Florence Onyebuchi Emecheta grew up listening to her grandmother’s tales and went on to become a prolific author. Although she resisted labeling herself a “feminist” author, much of Emecheta’s writing addressed issues of gender and race.

Married at age 16, Emecheta moved to London with her husband in 1962. She supported her five children by working at a library, pursued her sociology degree, all while writing tirelessly on novels—usually at the kitchen table as her children played.

Emecheta published 16 novels, including In The Ditch, Second-Class Citizen, and Slave Girl, as well as her 1986 autobiography, Head Above Water. She also wrote several plays for stage, TV, and radio.
During the 1970s and ’80s, Emecheta worked as a lecturer and founded the Ogwugwu Afor Publishing Company with her son. She was named an Officer of the British Empire in 2005, a remarkable accomplishment for someone who faced such adversity.

[9A]

Jul 26, 2019
Pan American Games 2019

​


For the next 17 days, approximately 6,700 of the best athletes across North and South America will come together in Lima, Peru to compete in 61 disciplines, including 22 qualifying contests for the Olympics. Today’s Doodle celebrates one of the world’s biggest sporting events—the Pan American Games.

Devised by the International Olympic Committee as a way of encouraging American nations to become more involved in worldwide competition, the Pan Am Games were planned to launch in Buenos Aires in 1942, but were postponed to 1951 because of World War II. Starting that year with 2,513 athletes from 21 participating countries, the Pan Am Games have grown considerably over the past half-century.

This year marks the games’ 18th staging and will feature new events such as surfing, which will make its Olympic debut at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The games will highlight the indigenous culture of Peru, with a torch run starting in the ancient mountain citadel of Machu Picchu. Immediately following the Pan American Games, physically challenged athletes from all over the Americas will compete in 17 different sports for the Parapan Games.

Spotted throughout the games will be the official mascot of the Lima 2019 Pan-Am and Parapan Games, “Milco.” A ceramic sculpture character whose winning design was submitted by 24-year-old Andrea Norka Medrano Moy and garnered 19,895 votes, Milco was inspired by indigenous Peruvian pottery known as cuchimilco or huaco, which dates back to the ancient Incan empire.

“I made this design because I like what the cuchimilcos represent in the history of our country. With its outstretched arms, Milco is welcoming everyone,” said Medrano.

[9A]

Jul 30, 2019
Muthulakshmi Reddi’s 133rd Birthday






Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Bangalore-based guest artist Archana Sreenivasan, celebrates the Indian educator, lawmaker, surgeon, and reformer Muthulakshmi Reddi. Constantly breaking down barriers throughout her life, Reddi was a trailblazer who devoted herself to public health and the battle against gender inequality, transforming the lives of countless people—especially young girls.

Born on this day in 1883 in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Reddi became the first female student admitted to prestigious Indian institutions, the first woman to work as a surgeon in a government hospital, and the first female legislator in the history of British India.

As a young girl, Reddi resisted her parents’ plan for an early arranged marriage, convincing them she deserved an education. After passing her exams, she attended Maharaja College, formerly an all-boys school. Despite threats of students pulling out from the school, she won a scholarship, graduated with honors, and went on to be the first female student at Madras Medical College.

Reddi later gave up her medical practice to join the Madras Legislative Council, where she worked to raise the legal age of marriage and combatted exploitation of girls.

In 1914, she married a doctor named Sundara Reddi on the understanding that he treat her as an equal. Working for the upliftment of women and battling gender inequality, she supported Gandhi’s efforts for Indian independence.

After losing a sister to cancer, she launched the Adayar Cancer Institute in 1954. One of the most respected oncology centers in the world, it treats some 80,000 patients each year. In recognition of her service to her country, in 1956, Reddi was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

[9A]

Apr 13, 2015
Songkran Festival 2015 [[Thailand, Myanmar)




Songkran is the Thai New Year's national holiday. Songkran is on the 13 April every year, but the holiday period extends from 14 to 15 April. In 2018 the Thai cabinet extended the festival nationwide to five days, 12–16 April, to enable citizens to travel home for the holiday. In 2019, the holiday was observed 12–16 April as 13 April fell on a Saturday.The word "Songkran" comes from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti, literally "astrological passage", meaning transformation or change. It coincides with the rising of Aries on the astrological chart and with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia, in keeping with the Buddhist calendar. The New Year takes place at virtually the same time as the new year celebrations of many countries in South Asia like China [[Dai People of Yunnan Province), Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.

In Thailand, New Year is now officially celebrated on 1 January. Songkran was the official New Year until 1888, when it was switched to a fixed date of 1 April. Then in 1940, this date was shifted to 1 January. The traditional Thai New Year Songkran was transformed into a national holiday.^[5]

[9A]

Apr 15, 2015
Start of Asparagus Season 2015






Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name Asparagus officinalis, is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus Asparagus. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable.

Asparagus has been used as a vegetable owing to its distinct flavor, and in medicine due to its diuretic properties and its purported function as an aphrodisiac. It is pictured as an offering on an Egyptian frieze dating to 3000 BC. In ancient times, it was also known in Syria and in Spain. Greeks and Romans ate it fresh when in season, and dried the vegetable for use in winter. Roman Epicureans froze its sprouts high in the Alps for the Feast of Epicurus. Emperor Augustus created the "Asparagus Fleet" for hauling the vegetable, and coined the expression "faster than cooking asparagus" for quick action.

Green asparagus is eaten worldwide, though the availability of imports throughout the year has made it less of a delicacy than it once was.In Europe, however, the "asparagus season is a highlight of the foodie calendar"; in the UK this traditionally begins on 23 April and ends on Midsummer Day.As in continental Europe, due to the short growing season and demand for local produce, asparagus commands a premium price.

[9A]

November 5, 2019
René Maran’s 132nd Birthday




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Marseille-based guest artist Irene Tardif, celebrates French author René Maran, born on a boat en route from Guyana to Martinique on this day in 1887 [[although some sources cite November 8th, which was the day when his birth was officially declared following the boat’s arrival). His 1921 book Batouala: A True Black Novel spoke of life in a Central African village as seen through the eyes of a tribal chief. Praised by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, the powerful work of fiction made Maran the first black author to win the prestigious Prix Goncourt, one of France’s highest literary honors.

[9A]

Nov 14, 2019
321st Anniversary of the First Lighting of Eddystone Lighthouse





Situated near the mouth of the English channel, the Eddystone reef is among the world’s most hazardous stretches of water, infamously known for causing numerous shipwrecks over the years. Today’s Doodle celebrates the first lighting of Eddystone Lighthouse, the first lighthouse built on those infamous rocks on this day in 1698.

It was English merchant Henry Winstanley, who’d invested in ships that sunk at Eddystone, who accepted the daunting challenge of building a much-needed lighthouse essentially in the wide open sea, 14 miles from the coast of Plymouth.

Work began in 1696 but was delayed when a French vessel arrived and took Winstanley prisoner. Although England and France were at war, the French king Louis XIV released Winstanley, saying that “France was at war with England, not with humanity." It was clear that the importance of the lighthouse transcended international conflicts.

Rising some 80 feet above the rock, the Eddystone Lighthouse was surmounted by a weather vane and domed cupola containing 60 candles and a “great hanging lamp” to warn navigators to steer clear of danger. Requiring extensive repairs after withstanding its first punishing North Atlantic winter, the lighthouse was substantially redesigned before its official completion in 1699.

Although Winstanley believed that the lighthouse could withstand "the greatest storm that ever was," it was destroyed during the historic Great Storm of 1703. Nevertheless, Winstanley had proved it was not just necessary but also possible and vitally important to build a lighthouse on this treacherous site, despite the extreme difficulties and dangers. A series of lighthouses have been erected in the same place since then, all of them safeguarding the lives of maritime travelers for more than three centuries.

[9A]

Nov 19, 2019
200th Anniversary of Museo del Prado






Today’s Doodle celebrates the 200th anniversary of Madrid’s Museo del Prado. Opened on this day in 1819, the museum is home to thousands of Spanish paintings from the 12th century to the 20th century, including masterpieces by El Greco, Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez, amongst other European masters.

Designed in 1785 by architect Juan de Villanueva, the building was repurposed by King Ferdinand VII and Queen Maria Isabel de Braganza from a center for the natural sciences to a public gallery in 1819. Originally called the Royal Museum, it was later named Museo Nacional del Prado. With a collection of over 5,000 pieces, the museum pursued an expansion project that increased public access and reduced crowding in the main building.

The nearby Jerónimos Cloister was restored and incorporated to create the Museo del Prado Campus, allowing the museum to showcase the masterpieces of a new era. The Bicentenary exhibit, “A Place of Memory,” pays homage to the museum’s history through some of its darkest periods and offers a glimpse into how the museum has transformed into the institution it is today.

[9A]

Jul 16, 2018
Celebrating World Cup 2018 Champions: France!






Over the past month, players from the men's national teams of 32 countries competed for top rank across 12 venues in 11 cities across Russia. With a total of 64 matches [[and plenty of GOOOALS!), the games have culminated at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, where the French national team has won to become the 2018 World Cup champions.

This year's Doodle series celebrated the rich cultures and talent of all 32 participating countries by featuring guest artists hailing from each nation. We hope you've enjoyed all 32 Doodles throughout the games, each illustrating the artist's interpretation of, "What ⚽ looks like in my country."

[9A]

Jul 18, 2018
Gino Bartali’s 104th Birthday





For most cyclists, winning a major race like the Tour de France or the Giro d’Italia would represent the crowning achievement of an athletic career. For champion road cyclist Gino Bartali, winning both of these competitions—thrice and twice, respectively—was just part of his legacy as both an athlete and humanitarian.

Born in Florence on this day in 1914, Bartali was not only a talented athlete, but used his celebrity and skill as a cyclist to help people under threat of deportation, or worse. Having started competitive cycling at age 13, he won more than 180 races, making him a local hero throughout the 1930s and 1940s. During World War II, his status enabled him to ride through the Tuscan and Umbrian countryside undisturbed by wartime officials, making it possible for him to conceal documents in his bike’s handlebars for Jews who needed forged identity cards to save their lives. He continued this work even after being questioned and threatened by Mussolini’s government agents.

It wasn’t until 2003 that stories began to emerge about Bartali’s quiet heroism during the war, which included hiding a Jewish family in his basement. Risking his own freedom and safety to protect others, Bartali turned his sport into a race to save lives.

[9A]

Jun 7, 2018
Dr. Virginia Apgar’s 109th Birthday




Dr. Virginia Apgar came into this world on June 7, 1909. 109 years later, her presence can still be felt in delivery rooms across the globe. That’s because she invented the Apgar score, the first standardized method for assessing a newborn’s health. It looks at 5 factors, which doctors remember by spelling out her last name: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. Apgar first came up with this scoring system in 1952, and it has been used in nearly every hospital birth since.

Before Apgar’s life-saving invention, she already had a number of impressive accolades under her belt. She was the first woman to become a full professor at her alma mater, the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was the director of the school’s department of anesthesiology. After Apgar left Columbia in the late 1950s, she devoted the rest of her years to the prevention of birth defects as a director at the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis [[now the March of Dimes).

Today, on what would’ve been her 109th birthday, we celebrate a woman whose incredible life’s work continues to touch – and sometimes save – brand new lives every day.

[9A]

June 6, 2018
Sweden National Day 2018






The National Day of Sweden, June 6, commemorates two notable anniversaries: first, the coronation of King Gustav Vasa in 1523, which marked Sweden’s independence from Denmark. And second, the adoption of a new constitution in 1809 which established a separation of powers between the government’s executive branch [[the King) and legislative branch, also known as Riksdag of the Estates.

While Sweden is celebrated around the world as the home of the Nobel Prize and ABBA, Swedes are even more fond of their national animal [[the moose) or traditional symbols like the elderflower, whose small white blooms can be found on beautiful green bushes all over the country in June.

The mighty moose embodies the Swedish spirit of labor and service. The robust creature was once considered for military deployment as part of King Charles XI’s cavalry in the 17th century. The Swedes still exhibit pride as strong as a moose—much like the one munching ​flowers in today’s Doodle.

Stockholm’s Skansen open-air museum is the place to be for Sweden National Day celebrations, thanks to the museum’s founder Artur Hazelius. Proud Swedes gather there on June 6 for flag raising, folk dancing, historical re-enactments, and a visit from the King and Queen.

Folkets Park in Malmö is a great place to picnic and watch flag parades, readings and musical performances. The elderflowers are in bloom this time of year, so enjoy a glass of fläderblomssaft, elderflower syrup, often homemade, mixed with soda or champagne.

[9A]

May 29, 2018
Nepal Republic Day 2018






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

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

The Himalayas range has many of Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest, at the border between Nepal and China. The Himalayas include over fifty mountains exceeding 7,200 m [[23,600 ft) in elevation, including ten of the fourteen 8,000-metre peaks. By contrast, the highest peak outside Asia [[Aconcagua, in the Andes) is 6,961 m [[22,838 ft) tall.