Google doodles

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January 6, 2009

La Befana 2009




In Italian folklore, Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve [the night of January 5] in a similar way to St. Nicholas or Santa Claus.

A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany. Epifania is a Latin word with Greek origins meaning "manifestation [[of the divinity)." Some suggest that Befana is descended from the Sabine/Roman goddess named Strenia.

In popular folklore, Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. In many poorer parts of Italy and in particular rural Sicily, a stick in a stocking was placed instead of coal. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.


She is usually portrayed as a hag riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both.[citation needed]

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January 6, 2015

Gaspar Henaine [Capulina]’s 89th Birthday




Gaspar Henaine, more commonly known by his pseudonym Capulina, was a Mexican comedian, actor, singer, film producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for partnering with Marco Antonio Campos as the double act Viruta and Capulina and for his subsequent solo career. He was later given the nickname "El Rey del Humorismo Blanco" [The King of White Humor], due to his clean, innocent style of comedy.

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January 6, 2015

Victor Horta’s 154th Birthday






Victor Pierre Horta was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. His Hôtel Tassel in Brussels built in 1892–1893, is often considered the first Art Nouveau house, and, along with three of his other early houses, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The curving stylized vegetal forms that Horta used influenced many others, including architect Hector Guimard, who used it in the first house he designed in Paris and in the entrances he designed for the Paris Metro. He is also considered a precursor of modern architecture for his open floor plans and his innovative use of iron, steel and glass.

His later work moved away from Art Nouveau, and became more geometric and formal, with classical touches, such as columns. He made a highly original use of steel frames and skylights to bring light into the structures, open floor plans, and finely-designed decorative details. His later major works included the Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis in Brussels, [1895–1899]; the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels [1923–1929]; and Brussels Central Station [1913–1952].

In 1932, King Albert I of Belgium conferred on Horta the title of Baron for his services to the field of architecture. Four of the buildings he designed have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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January 14, 2017

Carrie Derick’s 155th Birthday



Until modern times, few women were recognized in the world of academia. Carrie Derick, a Canadian botanist and geneticist, upended that norm. Born 155 years ago today, Derick was a trailblazer who fought for women’s rights and helped pave the way for women in education.

In 1890, Derick graduated at the top of her class from Quebec’s McGill University where she would remain for her MA studies. She went on to attend the University of Bonn in Germany, where she completed enough research to earn a Ph.D in 1901. Unfortunately, she did not receive an official doctorate because the school did not award Ph.Ds to women at the time.

Derick persevered, continuing in her career as a botanist and geneticist and in 1912, became Canada’s first female professor at her alma mater, McGill University. She continued to teach there until her retirement in 1929, upon which she was made the first female professor emeritus in Canada.

Throughout her life, Derrick was an advocate for women’s rights and causes, serving as president of the Montréal Suffrage Association from 1913 to 1919.

Today’s Doodle honors Derick, a true pioneer and visionary.

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January 14, 2021

Justicia Espada Acuña's 128th Birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates Chilean engineer Justicia Espada Acuña, one of the first female engineers in Chile and South America. A symbol of women’s progress in Latin America, Acuña forged a path for generations of women to pursue careers in engineering.

Justicia Espada Acuña Mena was born in the Chilean capital of Santiago on this day in 1893. Her father was a civil builder who encouraged Acuña and her seven siblings to follow their dreams and challenge unjust societal norms. After high school, she studied mathematics, but she soon took an interest in engineering instead. In 1912, she became the first woman to join the Faculty of Physical Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Chile, and she made history when she graduated with a degree in civil engineering seven years later.

The next year, Acuña began her trailblazing career as a calculator for the State Railways’ Department of Roads and Works [Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado]. Excluding a break to raise her seven children, she worked for the company until her retirement in 1954.

To honor her legacy, the College of Engineers of Chile inducted Acuña into its Gallery of Illustrious Engineers in 1981, and around a decade later the Institute of Engineers created an award in her name for outstanding female engineers. In addition, in 2018 the Faculty of Physical Science and Mathematics of the University of Chile renamed its central tower after Acuña to memorialize the faculty’s first female student.

Happy birthday, Justicia Espada Acuña, and thank you for helping engineer a brighter future for women in science.

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February 1, 2018

Celebrating Carter G. Woodson
[December 19, 1875 – April 3, 1950]






Today’s Doodle by Virginia-based illustrator Shannon Wright and developed in collaboration with the Black Googlers Network [one of the largest employee resource groups at Google], marks the beginning of Black History Month by celebrating Carter G. Woodson - the man often called the “Father of Black History.” Woodson’s legacy inspired me to become an African American Studies major in college, and I am honored to kick off Google’s celebration this month by highlighting the life of this great American scholar.

Woodson was born in 1875 in New Canton, Virginia, to former slaves Anne Eliza and James Henry Woodson. His parents never had the opportunity to learn to read and write, but he had an appetite for education from the very beginning. As a young man, he helped support his family through farming and working as a miner, which meant that most of his education came via self-instruction. He eventually entered high school at the age of 20 and earned his diploma in less than two years!

Woodson went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, after which he became the second African-American ever to receive a doctorate from Harvard University. He was also one of the first scholars to focus on the study of African-American history, writing over a dozen books on the topic over the years.

In addition to studying it himself, Woodson was committed to bringing African-American history front and center and ensuring it was taught in schools and studied by other scholars. He devised a program to encourage this study, which began in February of 1926 as a weeklong event. Woodson chose February for this celebration to commemorate the birth months of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. This program eventually expanded to become what we now today as Black History Month.

Woodson’s commitment to achieve an education for himself and spread awareness and pride in Black history inspired me and continues to do so in so many ways. As a black woman from an underserved, underperforming public school in Richmond, California, many in my community didn’t expect me to achieve much beyond the four corners of my neighborhood. When I voiced my ambition to go to Harvard, I was told by teachers, guidance counselors, and even some family members that “people like me” didn’t go to schools like that. Fortunately, my parents believed in me and supported ambitions beyond their vision and experience. That support, along with the inspiration of great American leaders like Woodson, gave me the confidence to follow my dreams and achieve more than I’ve ever imagined.

This Black History Month, I encourage others to learn more about the incredible legacy, contribution, and journey of black people in the United States. I also hope they will be inspired by the example of Carter G. Woodson and challenge themselves to push beyond any perceived limitations to achieve a goal they may think is just out of reach.

-Sherice Torres, Director of Brand Marketing at Google & Black Googlers Network member

Carter G. Woodson

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Feb 3, 2018

Payom Sinawat’s 109th Birthday




Today we celebrate renowned textile artist Payom Sinawat, who carried the traditional patterns of Isaan, a region in northeast Thailand, into the present day. Born in 1909 in Thailand’s Sisaket Province, Sinawat worked in Isaan arts and crafts for over 60 years. As she handcrafted silk for the Queen, Sinawat played a crucial role in popularizing traditional textile arts.

One of the Isaan cloths that she handcrafted in traditional looms, and which partly inspired today’s Doodle, is named khit. Khit weaving tends to use certain colors, like red, purple, and dark green, to layer contrasting geometric patterns over a light background.

With an emphasis on quality, Sinawat mixed old and new materials to modernize and conserve traditional textile art. In 1987, she received the title of Thailand National Artist for her excellent craftsmanship, a title annually bestowed upon notable Thai artists. Through sharing her craft with society, she ensured that northeastern Thai weaving techniques and their resulting beautiful silks are conserved for generations to come.

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Nov 22, 2018

Thanksgiving 2018



For almost 400 years, Americans across the country have gathered with family and friends on the last Thursday in November for a harvest season feast. It’s a time of many traditions, including the preparation of Thanksgiving staples like turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, as well as a time of reflection and appreciation for all of life’s blessings.

Today’s Doodle aims to capture the spirit of the day and hopes to be a grate reminder that blessings can come in all shapes and sizes—even mouse-sized ones!

Happy Thanksgiving 2018!

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Nov 16, 2018

44th Anniversary of the Arecibo Message





Forty-four years ago today, a group of scientists gathered at the Arecibo Observatory amidst the tropical forests of Puerto Rico to attempt humankind’s first communication with intelligent life beyond our own planet. Their three-minute radio message—a series of exactly 1,679 binary digits [a multiple of two prime numbers] which could be arranged in a grid 73 rows by 23 columns—was aimed at a cluster of stars 25,000 light years away from earth.

This historic transmission was intended to demonstrate the capabilities of Arecibo’s recently upgraded radio telescope, whose 1000-foot-diameter dish made it the largest and most powerful in the world at the time. "It was strictly a symbolic event, to show that we could do it," said Donald Campbell, Cornell University professor of astronomy, who was a research associate at the Arecibo Observatory at the time. Nevertheless some of those present were moved to tears.

The message itself was devised by a team of researchers from Cornell University led by Dr. Frank Drake—the astronomer and astrophysicist responsible for the Drake Equation, a means of estimating the number of planets hosting extraterrestrial life within the Milky Way galaxy. ‘‘What could we do that would be spectacular?’’ Drake recalled thinking. “We could send a message!’’

Written with the assistance of Carl Sagan, the message itself could be arranged in a rectangular grid of 0s and 1s to form a pictograph representing some fundamental facts of mathematics, human DNA, planet earth’s place in the solar system, and a picture of a human-like figure as well as an image of the telescope itself.

Since the Arecibo Message will take roughly 25,000 years to reach its intended destination [a group of 300,000 stars in the constellation Hercules known as M13], humankind will have to wait a long time for an answer. How long? In the 44 years since it was first transmitted, the message has traveled only 259 trillion miles, only a tiny fraction of the 146,965,638,531,210,240 or so miles to its final destination. During that same time, our understanding of the cosmos has advanced by leaps and bounds, raising hopes that someone may be out there, listening.

The subject of today’s Doodle lends itself to so many possibilities. Earlier concepts experimented with depicting the recipients of the Arecibo Message and their reactions.

Doodler, Gerben Steenks.

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Nov 13, 2010

Robert Louis Stevenson's 160th Birthday




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

A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, though today his works are held in general acclaim. In 2018 he was ranked, just behind Charles Dickens, as the 26th-most-translated author in the world.

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Nov 8, 2010

Discovery of X-rays





The discovery of x-rays is a fascinating story. It’s a moment that had a sudden and profound impact, but it took place quietly, in secret and by accident, in the laboratory of one inquisitive scientist. It’s a story about a naturally curious person who was paying attention to the right things at the right time. And like any good story about curiosity, it begins with an experiment.

On November 8, 1895, physicist Wilhelm Röntgen was testing the effects of sending electrical currents through glass vacuum-filled bulbs called cathode ray tubes. During one of his tests, Röntgen noticed that a screen on the other side of his lab began to glow whenever he sent electricity through the tube, even when the tube was fully covered with an opaque piece of cardboard.

Röntgen’s theory was that the tube was emitting an unknown kind of ray. He tried blocking the ray with different materials, but it seemed to pass through solid matter untouched. Then, by accident, he moved his hand through its path, and the shadows of his own bones were projected onto the screen.

For seven weeks, he worked in secret. He x-rayed his wife’s hand, wearing her wedding ring. When his wife saw the first-ever radiographic image, she said, “I have seen my death!”

In December of 1895, he published his findings. Röntgen gave his discovery the temporary name “X-ray,” for the mathematical term for an unknown quantity [[“x”). Within weeks, the first clinical x-rays were taking place all over the world. Röntgen never patented his discovery, believing it should be freely available. In 1901, Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics.

The x-ray gave us a new way of observing the world and ourselves. We could see right down to our bones, and even now, more than a century later, those eerie black and white images are still strange and powerful.

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Oct 31, 2010

Birthday of Katsushika Hokusai







Katsushika Hokusai, [October 1760 – 10 May 1849] known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. Hokusai is best known for the woodblock print series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji which includes the internationally iconic print The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Hokusai created the monumental Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji both as a response to a domestic travel boom in Japan and as part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. It was this series, specifically The Great Wave off Kanagawa and Fine Wind, Clear Morning, that secured his fame both in Japan and overseas. While Hokusai's work prior to this series is certainly important, it was not until this series that he gained broad recognition.

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November 11, 2021

Veterans Day 2021



Today’s Doodle, created by Phenix City, AL-based Army veteran and guest artist Steven Tette, celebrates Veterans Day in honor of the efforts and sacrifices made by members of the U.S. armed forces. The occasion first celebrated the end of the first World War, which concluded with a peace treaty that took effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The first “Armistice Day” was observed one year later before being declared an official federal holiday in 1938 and renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Veterans Day is an expression of gratitude to those who have served in the military, whether the Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, Army, or Space Force—each represented by veterans of their respective branch who have also transitioned to civilian life to serve the nation in other ways in today’s Doodle artwork. Many public buildings fly the American flag at half-mast, and some communities observe a moment of silence at 11 a.m. in remembrance of the moment when the Armistice first took effect in 1918.

Happy Veterans Day, and thank you for your service!

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November 11, 2009

Veterans Day 2009

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November 11, 2012

Veterans Day 2012

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Nov 11, 2012

Roberto Matta's 101st Birthday



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

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Nov 3, 2012

Samuil Marshak's 125th Birthday



Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak was a Russian and Soviet writer of Jewish origin, translator and poet who wrote for both children and adults. He translated the sonnets and some other of the works of William Shakespeare, English poetry [including poems for children], and poetry from other languages. Maxim Gorky proclaimed Marshak to be "the founder of Russia's [Soviet] children's literature."

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Nov 2, 2012

Odysseas Elitis' 101st Birthday


Odysseas Elytis [pen name of Odysseas Alepoudellis was a Greek poet, essayist and translator, regarded as a major exponent of romantic modernism in Greece and the world. He is one of the most praised poets of the second half of the twentieth century, with his Axion Esti "regarded as a monument of contemporary poetry". In 1979, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

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October 27, 2020

Dr. Stamen Grigorov’s 142nd Birthday





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

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

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

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

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

Честит Рожден ден, Dr. Grigorov!

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Oct 22, 2012

Abu Simbel





Abu Simbel is two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel, Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. They are situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230 km [140 mi] southwest of Aswan [about 300 km [190 mi] by road]. The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Nubian Monuments", which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae [near Aswan], and include Amada, Wadi es-Sebua, and other Nubian sites. The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th Dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. They serve as a lasting monument to the king Ramesses II. His wife Nefertari and children can be seen in smaller figures by his feet, considered to be of lesser importance and were not given the same position of scale. This commemorates his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. Their huge external rock relief figures have become iconic.

The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 under the supervision of a Polish archaeologist, Kazimierz Michałowski, from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir. The relocation of the temples was necessary or they would have been submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile. The project was carried out as part of the UNESCO Nubian Salvage Campaign.

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October 22, 2009

Mei Lanfang's Birthday


Mei Lan, better known by his stage name Mei Lanfang, was a notable Peking opera artist in modern Chinese theater. Mei was known as "Queen of Peking Opera". Mei was exclusively known for his female lead roles [dan] and particularly his "verdant-robed girls" [qingyi], young or middle-aged women of grace and refinement. He was considered one of the "Four Great Dan", along with Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu, and Xun Huisheng.

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October 22, 2021

Celebrating Theodor Wonja Michael


Today’s Doodle celebrates Afro-German author, journalist, actor, government official, and social activist Theodor Wonja Michael, who survived a German labor camp to become the nation’s first Black federal civil service officer. Dedicated throughout his wide-ranging career to the struggle against racism, he lived to become one of the oldest remaining representatives of a historic generation of Black German people. On this day in 2013, Michael published his emotive memoir “Black German: An Afro-German Life in the Twentieth Century.”

In 1925, Theodor Wonja Michael was born on January 15 in Berlin, Germany to a father of Cameroonian birth and a native German mother. After elementary school, he was denied occupational training due to Germany’s discriminatory Nuremberg Laws. He pursued acting instead, but at 18 he was sent to work in a forced labor camp.

After the end of World War II, Michael went on to earn a master’s degree in political science. He pursued a career in journalism and founded and edited the journal “Afrika-Bulletin.” In 1971, he agreed to contribute his expertise of African issues to West Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, where he worked as a secret agent and retired as a director in 1987. Initially hesitant to join, Michael used his government service to fight discrimination from within and open doors for other Black Germans. He eventually returned to acting and became one of Germany’s most renowned Shakespearean stage actors.

In honor of his role as a representative of the Black German community, Michael became the first recipient of the nation’s Black History Month Award in 2009.

Thank you, Theodor Wonja Michael! Your story continues to inspire new generations to stand firm in the fight against racial prejudice.

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Oct 18, 2021

Azerbaijan Independence Day 2021





Today’s Doodle celebrates Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, also known as State Sovereignty Day or as Istiqlaliyyət günü in local Azerbaijani. On this day 30 years ago, the constitutional act titled, “On the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan” was approved by the local government. This legislation paved the way for the official affirmation of independence later that year, when a nationwide referendum officially established the Republic of Azerbaijan with the support of 95 percent of the voting population!

Turkey became the first nation to recognize Azerbaijani independence, with both nations sharing ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. Just months later, the newly sovereign country on the shore of the Caspian sea became a member of the United Nations and adopted its national anthem, coat of arms, and the blue, red, and green striped national flag, which is depicted in the Doodle artwork. Today’s observation begins with the raising of the Azerbaijani flag as citizens reflect on their nation’s path to freedom.

Another historical note, from 1918 to 1920, Azerbaijan first became an independent country as the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic [ADR]—the first, successful democratic republic in the Turkic and Muslim worlds.

Happy Independence Day, Azerbaijan!

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October 18, 2013

Azerbaijan Independence Day 2013

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April 10, 2019

First Image of a Black Hole




A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing — no particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as light — can escape from it.

Black holes of stellar mass form when very massive stars collapse at the end of their life cycle. After a black hole has formed, it can continue to grow by absorbing mass from its surroundings. By absorbing other stars and merging with other black holes, supermassive black holes of millions of solar masses may form. There is consensus that supermassive black holes exist in the centers of most galaxies

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April 10, 2017

Bella Akhmadulina’s 80th Birthday




“O magic theater of a poem,” Bella Akhmadulina wrote in one of her verses. These characteristic words perfectly capture the Russian poet’s approach to her craft. Marked by dramatic imagery and an emotional delivery, her distinctive work earned her a spot among Russia’s most acclaimed literary voices of the 20th century.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Akhmadulina’s writings focused on everyday life and relationships, rather than politics. Because of this, she faced criticism early in her career. But she persisted and was eventually admitted to the Soviet Writers’ Union, publishing her first volume of poetry, Struna [“The String”], in 1962. She went on to publish many other collections throughout her lifetime and was awarded the State Prize of the Soviet Union in 1989, as well as the State Prize of the Russian Federation in 2004.

Along with showcasing her talents in print, Akhmadulina was also famous for her theatrical readings, which drew thousands to venues across Russia. Today’s Doodle brings an animated version of this to the Google homepage, honoring the late poet on what would’ve been her 80th birthday.

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January 26, 2017

Australia Day 2017




Today’s Doodle celebrates Australia's most awe-inspiring feature: its big, blue backyard and treasured natural World Heritage Site: the Great Barrier Reef.

This vast underwater world is home to a whole host of protected and majestic creatures, including the green turtle, pipefish, barramundi cod, potato cod, maori wrasse, giant clam, and staghorn coral, to name a few. Made up of over 2,900 individual reefs, the earth’s largest coral reef system can be seen from space, and is our planet’s single largest structure made up of living organisms.

The reef is tightly woven into the culture and spirituality of island locals who cherished it long before it became a popular tourist destination. A large part of the reef is now under protection in an effort to preserve the shrinking ecosystem impacted by heavy tourism.

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January 26, 2019

Australia Day 2019






Today’s Doodle celebrates the natural beauty of the Fitzgerald River National Park, located on Western Australia’s rugged south coast. The land around the coastal hills known as “the Barrens” is teeming with life. Stretching across the Shires of Ravensthorpe and the Jerramungup, the park protects one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.

More than 1,800 species of plants live in the park—75 of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The park is also home to 184 bird species, 41 reptile species, 12 frog species, and 22 mammal species, including the adorable honey possum featured in today’s Doodle. These mouse-sized marsupials, also known as “Noolbenger,” have prehensile tails longer than their bodies, pointed snouts, and long tongues covered with bristles to help them drink nectar from native flowers like the Banksia. Tiny but thirsty, one honey possum can drink up to 7 milliliters of nectar per day—roughly equivalent to a human drinking 50 liters of soda! They also help the plants reproduce by spreading pollen as they feast. ​

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January 26, 2015

Australia Day 2015

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October 14, 2019

Joseph Plateau’s 218th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau, whose research on visual perception inspired him to invent a device he called the phénakistiscope, which led to the birth of cinema by creating the illusion of a moving image. Inspired by the mesmerizing animated discs, the animated Doodle art was made to reflect Plateau’s style, with different imagery and themes in them on different device platforms.

Born in Brussels on this day in 1801, Plateau was the son of an accomplished artist who specialized in painting flowers. After studying law, young Plateau became one of the best-known Belgian scientists of the nineteenth century, remembered for his study of physiological optics, particularly the effect of light and color on the human retina.

Plateau’s doctoral dissertation detailed how images form on the retina, noting their exact duration, color, and intensity. Based on these conclusions, he was able to create a stroboscopic device in 1832, fitted with two discs that rotated in opposite directions. One disc was filled with small windows, evenly spaced in a circle, while the other had a series of pictures of a dancer. When both discs turned at exactly the right speed, the images seemed to merge, creating the illusion of a dancer in motion.

Though Plateau lost his vision later in life, he continued to have a productive career in science even after becoming blind, working as a professor of experimental physics at Ghent University with the help of colleagues that included his son Felix Plateau and his son-in-law Gustaaf Van der Mensbrugghe.

Happy Birthday, Joseph Plateau!

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October 14, 2014

Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin's 135th Birthday




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

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Oct 24, 2014

1 Month Anniversary of Mangalyaan Entering Mars' Orbit




The Mars Orbiter Mission [MOM], also called Mangalyaan ["Mars-craft", from mangala, "Mars" and yāna, "craft, vehicle"], is a space probe orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation [ISRO]. It is India's first interplanetary mission and it made it the fourth space agency to achieve Mars orbit, after Roscosmos, NASA, and the European Space Agency. It made India the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit and the first nation in the world to do so on its maiden attempt.

The mission is a "technology demonstrator" project to develop the technologies for designing, planning, management, and operations of an interplanetary mission. It carries five scientific instruments. The spacecraft is currently being monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network [ISTRAC] in Bengaluru with support from the Indian Deep Space Network [IDSN] antennae at Bengaluru, Karnataka.

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October 24, 2015

R. K. Laxman's 94th Birthday



A humorist and illustrator with an uncommon talent, R.K. Laxman was one of India’s most celebrated cartoonists. His daily political cartoon, You Said It, ran on the front page of The Times of India for more than 50 years. Laxman was best known for his Common Man character, who he drew into his cartoons as a witness to the kinds of hypocrisies and societal inequalities Laxman wanted to silently expose.

Today’s Doodle honors R.K. Laxman for his deft artistic hand and sharp, incisive wit. Doodler Olivia When in collaboration with Local Googlers wanted to salute the legendary cartoonist by creating a Doodle that payed homage to both Laxman [making sure to capture his wild shock of hair and distinctive grin] and his most popular character, who watches in his trademark checked shirt as the beloved illustrator sketches him one more time.

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October 24, 2016

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek’s 384th Birthday




Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, born today in 1632, saw a whole world in a drop of water. Considered the first microbiologist, van Leeuwenhoek designed single-lens microscopes to unlock the mysteries of everything from bits of cheese to complex insect eyes. In a letter to the Royal Society of London, van Leeuwenhoek marveled at what he had seen in a sample of water from a nearby lake: "little animals" that we know now as bacteria and other microbes.

In his rooms on the Market Square in Delft, Netherlands, van Leeuwenhoek was a DIY-er supreme. Like Galileo, he ground and polished his own lenses. Some of his lenses attained a magnification of more than 200 times, allowing him to examine capillaries, muscle fibers, and other wonders of the microscopic universe.

Doodler Gerben Steenks noted, "I chose to make it an animated Doodle to show the 'before and after' experience that Antoni van Leeuwenhoek had — looking through a microscope and seeing a surprising new world." Here's to celebrating a true visionary!

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October 24, 2010

Menino Maluquinho's Birthday



O Menino Maluquinho [The Nutty Boy] is a comic book and comic strip series created by Brazilian writer and cartoonist Ziraldo. It was based on the eponymous children's book published in 1980 which for many years was regarded as a classic of children's literature in Brazil, getting spun off into movies, plays and TV series. The comic books were published by Abril and Globo from 1989 until 2007. It was Ziraldo's second series of comic books, after "Turma do Pererê".

The main character, "Maluquinho" is a cheerful and optimistic 10-year-old boy who wears a pan on his head like a hat. [his trademark] Most of the stories revolve around the misadventures of Maluquinho and his friends with a light humour.

[9A]

May 25, 2019

Sudirman Arshad’s 65th Birthday




Today’s Doodle honors Sudirman Haji Arshad, the Malaysian singer, songwriter, author, visual artist, and actor known as “Sudirman” to his legions of fans. Born the youngest of seven children in Temerloh, Pahang, on this day in 1954, Sudirman worked as a journalist and an attorney before becoming one of the most popular performers in Asia, remembered for his piercing tenor voice and for staging one of the largest free concerts in Malaysian history.

Sudirman’s singing career surged after winning a contest on Bintang Radio Television Malaysia, and he went on to top the charts in Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia. On April 15, 1986 he performed for a crowd of over 100,000 on Kuala Lumpur’s Chow Kit Road. Lifted above the audience by crane, Sudirman delivered a performance that delighted a crowd that included Malay, Chinese, and Indian fans.

At London’s Royal Albert Hall, Sudirman won acclaim at the Asian Popular Music Awards in 1989, singing his signature hit “A Thousand Million Smiles” as well as a rendition of “Send In The Clowns” with choreography that paid tribute to Charlie Chaplin. The performance helped to raise Sudirman’s international profile. He would go on to travel the world from Hawaii and Asia through the Middle East and Europe.

As he toured, signing autographs – even if he felt was a chore – was a responsibility he undertook willingly. “He would sign every autograph, never refuse anyone who wanted to take a picture with him, always have a warm welcoming smile and was always humble,” said his former manager, Daniel Dharanee Kannan.

Appointed a "Singing Ambassador" by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Sudi expanded his audience by singing in Malay as well as English, Tamil, Tagalog, Korean, and a number of Chinese dialects. He was also known for his weekly television show, during which he would sometimes serenade a member of the audience while sketching their portrait.

He also appeared in the film Kami, about orphans living in Kuala Lumpur, and wrote the children’s book Taming Si Budak Pintar. With 14 albums to his credit, Sudirman received the Malaysian music industry’s Anugerah Industri Muzik award. A street was named after him in his hometown and the Sudirman Scholarship Fund was established to support performing artists.

Selamat Hari lahir, Sudirman Haji Arshad!

[9A]

November 12, 2021

Celebrating Johannes Vermeer



Today’s Doodle celebrates Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, a seminal Baroque artist who is widely regarded among the greatest Dutch painters of all time. On this day in 1995, an eponymous exhibition opened at Washington D.C.’s National Gallery of Art, featuring 21 of his 35 existing works.

Johannes Vermeer was born in Delft, the Netherlands, at the height of the Dutch Golden Age in 1632. Although little is known about Vermeer’s early life, historians estimate from his early mythological paintings that he first aspired to be a historical painter.

By the 1650s, Vermeer began to paint subtly lit interiors with intricate symbology—a style distinguished by traditional Dutch motifs that became his hallmark. He captured the commonplace in radiant and exquisite detail, creating masterworks including “The Girl with the Pearl Earring '' [1665] which is currently on display at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. The artistic techniques Vermeer employed are still up for debate. Some art historians suggest he traced images projected from a camera obscura [a predecessor to the photographic camera], but with no physical evidence to back up such claims, some Vermeer specialists remain unconvinced.

On the left, the Doodle artwork references “The Allegory of Painting” [1666-1668] and in the middle, “Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid” [1670-1671]. In 1979, an X-ray revealed a hidden Cupid in Vermeer’s “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window” [1657-1659], referenced on the right of the Doodle. Researchers continued to analyze the canvas in 2017, determining that the Cupid was covered by another painter. In 2021, a German initiative completely restored the painting. These efforts are just a few of the many attempts to demystify Vermeer and some of the world’s most treasured pieces of fine art he left behind.

Here’s to a true artistic luminary—Johannes Vermeer!

[9A]

Nov 12, 2021

Lyudmila Gurchenko's 86th Birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Tatyana Ukleiko, celebrates the 86th birthday of multi-hyphenate Russian entertainer Lyudmila Gurchenko. From playing piano in vaudeville numbers to pulling heartstrings in war dramas, Gurchenko captivated millions as a versatile pop music sensation whose extensive acting career is widely considered among the greatest in 20th-century Russia.

Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, USSR [now Ukraine] on this day in 1935 to musician parents who fostered her talent from a young age. With a button accordion and dreams of acting in film, Gurchenko moved to Moscow to study at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. Her meteoric rise to fame came not even one year after graduation, with her debut in the Russian flim musical “Carnival Night” in 1956.

In the wake of the movie’s success, Gurchenko began performing popular numbers from the film on a national tour. However, her career was stunted for over a decade by detractors in the government who criticized her for accepting compensation above state wages. Yet Russian filmmakers couldn’t ignore her prodigious talent. In 1973, she returned to the big screen with a leading role in the Soviet drama “Old Walls.”

She rode the momentum of her comeback as a star of Soviet entertainment into her 70s, appearing in over 130 acting roles and recording over 10 albums. To this day, it is tradition for many Russian television networks to ring in the New Year with an airing of “Carnival Night.”

Happy birthday, Lyudmila Gurchenko!

[9A]

Nov 13, 2021

Celebrating Fairy Bread




Today’s Doodle celebrates Fairy bread, a nostalgic childhood treat popular in Australia and New Zealand, on the birthday of Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, whom linguistic scholars believe first coined the term in his 1885 poem “Fairy Bread” in “A Child’s Garden of Verses.” Traditional Fairy bread unifies three simple ingredients—triangularly sliced white bread slathered in butter and topped with rainbow sprinkles [known colloquially as “hundreds and thousands”]. But its origin story isn’t as simple as its recipe.

Although some believe the tasty treat might have been inspired by hagelslag—Dutch toast covered in chocolate sprinkles—both Australia and New Zealand claim to have originally invented Fairy bread all on their own. New Zealanders have brightened confections with rainbow sprinkles for over a century, but a 1929 article published in a Tasmanian newspaper claims to be the first to reference Fairy bread with the ingredients it's known for today.

While the country of origin [and who can make it the best] remains a friendly point of contention between the neighboring nations, Aussies and Kiwis alike can agree that this treat is a staple of children’s birthday celebrations that satisfies not just the sweet tooth but also the mature nostalgic palate. If you decide to whip up some Fairy bread of your own, keep in mind that to many, removing the crust means you’ve removed the dish's authenticity.

Here’s to Fairy bread—a tasty treat that’s as easy as one, two, three!

[9A]

Nov 11, 2021

Débora Arango's 114th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates pioneering Colombian artist Débora Arango. Her self-described expressionist paintings blended a personal figurative style with techniques borrowed from early 20th-century Mexican muralism to challenge social injustice. Although it first met great controversy, Arango’s work revolutionized the perception of Colombian women’s roles in society and represents a key milestone in the nation’s art history.

Débora Arango was born on this day in 1904 in Medellín, Colombia. Arango was encouraged by her mother to become a painter. She first exhibited her work at a 1939 competition for professional artists in Medellín—the first-ever selection by a woman to include nude paintings. Her work was awarded first place, sparking widespread outrage due to her exhibition’s scandalous nature that rebelled against the status quo.

The broad, defined brushstrokes Arango employed in her paintings were as bold as her subject matter. Her work presented an unfiltered depiction of Medellín from the 1940s to the 1960s, illustrating an era rife with political turmoil, gender discrimination, and social injustice. Overcoming decades of censorship both at home and abroad, Arango was finally able to exhibit 100 paintings in Medellín in 1975.

Arango’s boundary-breaking career was recognized with several distinguished awards later in her life, including the Order of Bocaya—Colombia’s highest civilian honor. Today, Colombians exchange 2,000 peso bills emblazoned with her portrait, and the Medellín Museum of Modern Art displays a permanent collection of Arango’s paintings, which serve as a potent time capsule of Colombian history.


Happy birthday, Débora Arango!

[9A]

November 13, 2009

Discovery of Water on the Moon




One question that us doodlers answer pretty often is "how long does it take to draw a doodle?" Well, sometimes it takes a few weeks [since we talk to local experts on the relevance and appropriateness of our work], other times we have a year to think about a doodle [Halloween, for example, happens every year], and then there are occasions like this doodle. The discovery of water on the moon was a fun project because I had about four hours to work on this from start to finish. I was sitting at my desk at 9 am, Pacific time, when I stumbled on an article about this current event. I quickly sent the article to my team and, by the time I was about to take a bite out of my lunch, I received a call to have this doodle sketched, drafted, finished, and live on all our homepages in four hours. It was an exciting day for a doodler and the world of science!

posted by Jennifer Hom

[9A]

November 13, 2017

Humayun Ahmed’s 69th Birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the life of prolific Bangla writer, Humayun Ahmed, who would have turned 69 today. Although formally trained as a chemist, Ahmed found his true calling as a writer. He authored over 200 books, many of which were best sellers and eight of which were made into films.

Ahmed is often credited with revitalising Bengali literature. His unique storytelling style captures the oral tradition and rhythm at the root of Bangla, bringing to life the stories and aspirations of traditional middle class and rural families.

A nature lover, Ahmed found refuge in his estate of Nuhash Polli, a wonderland he designed himself and where he collected statues, flora, and fauna from all over the world. Today’s Doodle imagines Ahmed at his estate, meeting with Himu, a much-loved character from his novels who preferred the life of a vagabond and walked everywhere!

Happy Birthday, Humayun!

[9A]

April 14, 2017

First Day of Bengali Calendar Pohela Boishakh




Today's doodle marks Pohela Boishakh, the first day of the Bengali Calendar. While Pohela Boishakh is a lively festival today, its origins are less fanciful. The Bengali calendar year was developed over 400 years ago by the Emperor Akbar as a way to collect taxes on a specific date every year. When the new year begins, accountants can close their books on the previous year and start fresh.

On this day in Bangladesh, the country comes alive with colorful celebrations and parades. Cities and towns gather together to sing traditional songs like "Esho, he Boishakh". They eat Bengali food such as Panta bhaat [a dish of rice soaked in water], and Illish Maas [fried hilsa fish]. The main attraction in the capital city of Dhaka is the large Mangal Shobhajatra procession. The streets fill up with a parade of huge masks and creatures, each with its own symbolism, but many meant to drive away evil spirits or inspire courage and peace. The masks are often vibrant and imaginative representations of animals native to Bangladesh, like the owl and tiger you see in today's doodle.


Shubho Noboborsho! [Happy New Year!]

[9A]

April 3, 2019

Sofia Mogilevskaya’s 116th Birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and work of Sofia Mogilevskaya, a prolific Russian author of stories for children and young readers.

Born in Moscow on this day in 1903, Mogilevskaya was raised in a musical household. Her father was an accomplished cellist and music teacher who taught her to play piano. Childhood memories of him performing for Leo Tolstoy made a deep impression on her, especially when the young musician changed her focus to journalism and eventually literature.

After ending her studies at the Moscow Conservatory, Mogilevskaya began contributing articles and essays to magazines, translating fairy tales, and writing fiction. Once she settled on becoming a writer, her writing habits remained a daily practice for more than 40 years. In 1941, her first children’s book Mark of the Country Gondelupy was published. Later, her experience working in an orphanage during World War II inspired her 1949 book House in Tsybiknur.

Whether she was writing a fairy tale, a historical work like her books on important figures from Russian music and theater, or educational works like Girls, This Book is for You!, Mogilevskaya’s writing always showed a deep respect for children. Queen Toothbrush was the first of her works to be adapted to the screen as an animated film. Her Tale of the Loud Drum, about a boy during the Russian Revolution, was initially rejected by publishers but later became a bestseller that was also later adapted into a feature film.

“To tell the truth, I am surprised at myself,” the author once wrote, “what a dashing courage I had!”

Happy 116th Birthday, Sofia Mogilevskaya!

[9A]

Apr 12, 2019

100th Anniversary of Bauhaus





Both a school for the arts and a school of thought, the Bauhaus was founded by architect Walter Gropius exactly 100 years ago in Weimar, Germany, gathering many of Europe’s most brilliant artists and designers with the aim of training a new generation of creatives to reinvent the world. Today’s animated Doodle celebrates the legacy of this institution and the worldwide movement it began, which transformed the arts by applying the principle “form follows function.”

Gropius envisioned the Bauhaus—whose name means “house of building”—as a merger of craftsmanship, the “fine” arts, and modern technology. His iconic Bauhaus Building in Dessau was a forerunner of the influential “International Style,” but the impact of the Bauhaus’s ideas and practices reached far beyond architecture. Students of the Bauhaus received interdisciplinary instruction in carpentry, metal, pottery, stained glass, wall painting, weaving, graphics, and typography, learning to infuse even the simplest functional objects [like the ones seen in today's Doodle] with the highest artistic aspirations.

Steering away from luxury and toward industrial mass production, the Bauhaus attracted a stellar faculty including painters Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee, photographer and sculptor László Moholy-Nagy, graphic designer Herbert Bayer, industrial designer Marianne Brandt, and Marcel Breuer, whose Model B3 tubular chair changed furniture design forever.

Though the Bauhaus officially disbanded on August 10, 1933, its students returned to 29 countries, founding the New Bauhaus in Chicago, Black Mountain College in North Carolina, and White City in Tel Aviv. Bauhaus affiliates also took leadership positions at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Harvard School of Architecture, and the Museum of Modern Art. Through all of these institutions, and the work created in their spirit, the ideas of the Bauhaus live on.

Happy 100th anniversary, Bauhaus!

[9A]

June 30, 2018

José Emilio Pacheco’s 79th Birthday




Today, we celebrate José Emilio Pacheco, the Mexican poet, essayist, novelist, narrator, and translator considered among Mexico’s most important writers of the 20th century.

Born in Mexico City in 1939, Pacheco rose to prominence amidst a group of socially dedicated writers in the 1960s. His works frequently challenged Mexico’s political and literary elite, brought to light social issues, and explored the meaning of time, life, and death. Pacheco was known for his simple, direct words, which contrasted the figurative language used by many great poets of his time.

Though he received no shortage of awards, including the esteemed Miguel de Cervantes Literature Prize in 2009, Pacheco notably downplayed his talents. On what would’ve been his 79th birthday, we honor him for his innumerable contributions to Mexican literature.

In today’s Doodle by guest artist Loris Lora, the turtle shell comprising the second Google “g” references the cover of Pacheco’s first short story collection, El viento distante [The Distant Wind], published in 1963. The woman in the frame reimagines Las batallas en el desierto [Battles in the Desert]. This 1981 novella was so popular it inspired a film, a comic, and even a classic rock song. In the right corner, a ship alludes to the cover of El principio del placer [The Pleasure Principle], while the cricket represents a poem that shares its name.

Feliz cumpleaños, José Emilio Pacheco!

[9A]

June 30, 2016

165th Anniversary of First Firefighter's Corp in Chile



Since 1851, Chile’s bomberos have risked life and limb to keep citizens safe from fire. There are 307 individual fire departments across Chile bonded together by Chile’s National Board of Fire Departments. What makes the bomberos especially unique is that they all serve on a volunteer basis.

It all started on this day in the bustling seaport of Valparaiso, where the city’s most influential citizens came together to form the First Firefighter’s Corp. More fire departments followed, each created by and for the community it represented.

Today’s Doodle was inspired by those who’ve served the people of Chile through their dedication and selflessness. Though they operate independently, the country’s bomberos share a common goal of working hard to protect local neighborhoods and communities.

[9A]

July 3, 2021

Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann's 122nd Birthday




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Baltimore-based guest artist Ashanti Fortson, celebrates the 122nd birthday of Jewish, German-born British neurologist Professor Sir Ludwig “Poppa” Guttmann, founder of the Paralympic movement.

Guttmann was born in Tost, Germany [now Toszek, Poland] on this day in 1899 and went on to receive his M.D. in 1924. He subsequently began research on spinal cord injuries and performed several neurosurgical procedures, rising to prominence as one of Germany’s top neurosurgeons by his early thirties. However, with the rise of the Nazi party and the passing of the Nuremberg Laws in 1933, Guttmann was prevented from practising medicine professionally. Following Kristallnacht in 1938 and the increasing persecution of Jews in Germany, Guttmann was forced to leave Germany with his family and was able to escape to England in 1939.

In England, Guttmann advanced his research in paraplegia. In 1944, he put his innovative approach into practice as the director of the National Spinal Injuries Center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. In 1948, he organized a 16-person archery contest, one of the first official competitive sporting events for wheelchair users. Later called the “Stoke Mandeville Games” or the “Olympics for the Disabled,” the competition demonstrated the power of elite sport to break down barriers for disability and garnered the attention of global medical and sporting communities.

In 1960, Guttmann facilitated the International Stoke Mandeville Games, following the 1960 Summer Olympics, the first of many Paralympic Games. His passion for patient care never faltered—he also founded the International Medical Society of Paraplegia [the International Spinal Cord Society] and the British Sports Association for the Disabled [Activity Alliance] in 1961. He received numerous accolades for his contributions, the highest among which was being knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 1966.

Today, Paralympic athletes are rightfully recognized for their skills and achievements. The Paralympic Games continue to be a driving force for promoting the rights and independence of people with disabilities, with a lasting impact on equal treatment and opportunity.

Happy birthday, Prof. Sir Ludwig Guttmann!

[9A]

Jul 11, 2013

Anibal Troilo's 99th Birthday




Aníbal Carmelo Troilo was an Argentine tango musician.

Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango [1940–1955], but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s.

Troilo's orchestra is best known for its instrumentals, though he also recorded with many well-known vocalists such as Roberto Goyeneche, Edmundo Rivero and Francisco Fiorentino. His rhythmic instrumentals and the recordings he made with vocalist Francisco Fiorentino from 1941 to 1943, known as milongas, were some of the favourites in tango salons. The renowned bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla played in and arranged for Troilo's orquesta típica during the period of 1939–1944.

Bandoneón Day is celebrated on 11 July each year in Argentina. This date was chosen to mark the birth of the man who is considered the "Supreme Bandoneón of Buenos Aires", the musician Aníbal Troilo.



Aníbal Troilo in 1971



Bandoneon

[9A]

Jul 14, 2013

Ingmar Bergman's 95th Birthday






Ernst Ingmar Bergman [14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007] was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer and playwright. Universally ranked among the most accomplished and influential filmmakers of all time, Bergman's most prominent works include The Seventh Seal [1957], Wild Strawberries [1957], Persona [1966], Scenes from a Marriage [1973], and Fanny and Alexander [1982]. AllMovie described his films as "profoundly personal meditations into the myriad struggles facing the psyche and the soul."