Google doodles

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October 17, 2017

Celebrating Selena Quintanilla





Today we celebrate Selena Quintanilla: Mexican-American music & entertainment icon, fashion trendsetter, passionate entrepreneur, community philanthropist, and one of the people who taught me growing up that no matter who you are or where you come from, anything is possible.

Born in Lake Jackson, Texas on April 16, 1971, Selena’s talent shone from an early age. Strumming Nat King Cole’s “I’m in the Mood for Love” on guitar, Selena’s Father listened to his daughter sing along, and immediately knew the bright future before her.

With encouragement from their father, nine year old Selena and her older siblings A.B. [guitar] and Suzette [drums] formed the beginnings of the Tejano sensation Selena y Los Dinos. Born in Texas, Tejano music [or “Tex-Mex”] blends Mexican and American sub-genres like pop, polka, ranchera, and cumbia. Widely popular across the TX/Mexico border since the 1800s, Selena y Los Dinos’ infectious brand of Tejano music popularized the genre to audiences globally.

First playing at the family restaurant, quiceañeras, and fairs, the band’s humble beginnings - including sitting on equipment due to the lack of formal seating in their inaugural tour bus “Big Bertha - eventually led to high profile touring. But they also fought through hard times and adversity. In fact, Selena was frequently discriminated against in the male-dominated music genre, and some venues even refused to book the band for shows.

Despite all this, Selena’s talent, energy, and perseverance easily won the hearts of a rapidly growing fan base. In 1986 she was awarded the Tejano Music award for “Female Vocalist of the Year,” catapulting Selena y los Dinos to Tejano stardom. Other milestones followed, solidifying Selena’s legacy as “The Queen of Tejano.” She released her first studio album with Capitol EMI [self-titled “Selena”] on this day in 1989, consistently straddled the top of the billboard charts, and won a Grammy for best Mexican/American album of 1993 -- the first female and youngest Tejano artist to win the award.

Selena was also much more than a talented musician. A fashionista and trendsetter, she often designed and created entire outfits for her performance wardrobe. In her free time, she was also active in community service, including being a strong advocate for education.

Most importantly, Selena became a beacon of inspiration and hope for the Latinx, immigrant, and bicultural communities around the globe. Her story of embracing and celebrating all parts of her cultural heritage and persevering in the face of adversity forged an emotional connection with millions.

As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant single mom living in a small [primarily white] town in rural Texas, I was one of the people Selena and her legacy profoundly influenced. My love of music started with her. One of my dearest childhood memories is of my mom and I belting Bidi Bidi Bom Bom and Techno Cumbia in the family van during our annual road trips to Mexico. I even sang Selena classics in talent shows across northeast Texas [photo evidence below, courtesy of my Mom].

Aside from incredible dance moves and how to belt some serious notes, watching Selena taught me that being Latina was a powerful thing, and that with hard work and focus I could do whatever I set my mind to. Watching her showed me that this hybrid cultural identity of mine was a valuable gift I should embrace. Watching her made me proud of being Mexicana.

It’s incredible that Selena’s legacy grows even larger with time. She continues to show Latinx, immigrants, and bicultural communities around the world to be proud of who they are and to embrace their differences. Also, to work hard for your dreams because doing so makes your achievements that much more meaningful.

So the best thing I can say is thank you, Selena. Thank you for being a role model and a hero to a little Latina girl in Granbury, Texas. Thank you for teaching her that she could dream big and make it. And thank you for all the inspiration and joy your music and legacy continues to bring to the world.

Siempre Selena


-Perla Campos, Google Doodles Global Marketing Lead

Selena

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Sep 16, 2019

Respect For The Aged Day 2019



Today’s Doodle celebrates Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day, also known as Keiro no Hi. Starting in a small village in Hyōgo Prefecture, it was conceived as a time to be kind to seniors and ask for their wisdom and advice about ways to improve life in the village. By 1966, it had become a national holiday to pay respect to elders on the third week of September and is now celebrated all across Japan.

Starting in 2003, the holiday was moved to the third Monday in September. The resulting long weekend allows working people time to visit their parents and grandparents. Those who cannot return home in person often call or write. Some volunteers deliver food to homebound elders, and other communities organize special shows known as keirokai, where young people entertain an aged audience.

Japanese people tend to be very long-lived, with elderly residents making up over 26 percent of the total population. Many Japanese people wear red on their 60th birthday, because according to tradition, age 60 marks a new beginning to be a child once again.

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September 16, 2019

Mexico Independence Day 2019




Today’s animated Doodle, illustrated by Mexico-based guest artist Dia Pacheco, depicts indigenous Mexican crafts and textiles—particularly Oaxacan embroidery and the traditional children’s toys known as rehilete or pinwheels—in honor of Mexican Independence Day. Doodler artist Sophie Diao, inspired by Dia’s work, added to the festivities by animating the rehiletes. This national holiday commemorates Mexico becoming a free nation.

In the town of Dolores, on el dieciséis de Septiembre [September 16th] 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang a bell and delivered his famous cry of independence El Grito de la Independencia, motivating fellow Mexicans to rise up against Spanish rule. Although Hidalgo was captured the following year, the battle had begun. To this day, Mexico’s president pays respect to this historic moment at Mexico City’s National Palace.

Mexico’s national colors—red, white, and green—flood every public place at this time of year as horns, whistles, confetti, and shouts of "Viva Mexico" and "Viva la independencia” fill the streets. Woven as they are into the fabric of this rich culture, traditional Mexican crafts, clothing, and textiles, are very much a part of the festivities, along with food, music, dancing, and fireworks.

¡Viva Mexico!

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August 2, 2018

Celebrating Mount Olympus




According to ancient Greek mythology, Mount Olympus is the home of the gods. Should mere mortals dare to climb so high? On this day In 1913, three courageous climbers answered “yes,” scaling this 9,573-foot summit sculpted with deep ravines and abrupt upgrades. Swiss photographer Frédéric Boissonnas, his friend Daniel Baud-Bovy, and Christos Kakkalos, a Greek hunter who served as their guide, set off in treacherous weather.

Kakkalos knew the mountain so well that he scaled its sharp inclines barefoot. The Swiss had some experience in mountaineering, but Boissonnas had to lug heavy photographic equipment up the mountain. He and his friend, Baud-Bovy, were tied together with a rope, standard procedure for such expeditions.

During their climb, the summit where Greek gods were said to reside was wreathed with storm clouds, and the climbers mistook a lesser peak for the home of the gods. Thinking their ascent was done, the elated adventurers wrote cards describing their feat and put the notes in a bottle that they buried on a crest they christened Victory Top. When the mist cleared, they spied another, more impressive peak, called Mytikas.

With Kakkalos in the lead, the men continued upward, scrambling across the slippery gorge. Boissonnas later wrote that he was compelled by the fire of Prometheus, who stole fire from Athena and Hephaestus’ workshop on Mount Olympus, gifting it to humans to help them in their labors.

Today’s Doodle celebrates their accomplishment and the fire that inspired them.

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August 2, 2012

Table Tennis 2012





Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: players must allow a ball played toward them to bounce once on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side at least once. A point is scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage.

Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation [ITTF], founded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 226 member associations. The table tennis official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook. Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988, with several event categories. From 1988 until 2004, these were men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles. Since 2008, a team event has been played instead of the doubles.

The sport originated in Victorian England, where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game. It has been suggested that makeshift versions of the game were developed by British military officers in India around the 1860s or 1870s, who brought it back with them. A row of books stood up along the center of the table as a net, two more books served as rackets and were used to continuously hit a golf-ball.

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August 1, 2012

Field Hockey 2012




Field hockey is a team sport of the hockey family. Each team plays with ten field players and a goalkeeper, and must carry a round, hard, plastic hockey ball with a hockey stick to the rival goal.

The game is played globally, particularly in parts of Western Europe, South Asia, Southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and parts of the United States, primarily New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

Known simply as "hockey" in most territories, the term "field hockey" is used primarily in Canada and the United States where "hockey" more often refers to ice hockey. In Sweden, the term landhockey is used, and to some degree in Norway, where the game is governed by the Norges Bandyforbund.

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August 1, 2018

Switzerland National Day 2018


Get out the cowbells! Today is Swiss National Day. Throughout Switzerland’s 26 cantons, the Swiss flag is displayed on everything from window boxes to loaves of bread. Children light paper lanterns and ring bells in commemoration of the oath of Swiss Confederation that was sworn in 1291. Bonfires in the hills remind one and all how word was spread of that ancient pledge of mutual support. The day is also filled with solemn speeches, fireworks, concerts, and parades of flower-bedecked cows, as shown in today’s Doodle.

In Basel, the celebrations begin in earnest the night of July 31 with food stands, music, and revelry on both sides of the Rhine until the early hours of the morning. Spectacular fireworks also light up the sky near the Rhine Falls.

For many Swiss, preparations for the holiday begin at least a week earlier, with citizens collecting wood for enormous bonfires. Friendly competitions urge neighbors to outbuild each others’ woodpiles. As it grows dark, the sounds of a traditional accordion or Schwiizerörgeli can be heard. And when the bonfire flames get just right, Swiss sausages known as Cervelats will go on the flames, growing plump and succulent till just right to eat.

Happy Swiss National Day!

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August 1, 2014

Swiss National Day 2014




For this year's August 1 celebration, everyone is invited to a festival in the woods by guest artist Jürg Lindenberger. Many of your favorite Swiss friends will be there—Cervelat and mustard, the August 1 roll, and a happy St. Bernard. It should be a great party.

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August 1, 2006

Swiss National Day 2006

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November 23, 2018

Mestre Bimba’s 119th Birthday




A blend of martial arts, acrobatics, dance, and music, Capoeira has been practiced in Brazil for hundreds of years. Today’s Doodle celebrates Manuel dos Reis Machado, or Mestre Bimba, the master who legitimized capoeira and founded the world’s first school to promote this Afro-Brazilian martial arts style.

Mestre Bimba was born in Salvador, the capital of Bahia, on this day in 1899 as the youngest of 25 children and son of a batuque champion, another Brazilian fighting game. His parents named him Manuel dos Reis Machado, but everyone called him Bimba. He worked various odd jobs – longshoreman, carpenter, and coal miner – before dedicating his life to his real passion of capoeira.

Developed by former slaves, Capoeira was outlawed by the Brazilian government for many years. “In those days, when capoeira was spoken of, it was in whispers,” Bimba recalled. “Those who learned capoeira only thought about becoming criminals.”

As studying martial arts was forbidden by law, music was added to disguise the powerful fighting techniques as dance moves. Developing his own style, known as capoeira regional, Mestre Bimba instituted a strict set of rules and a dress code. In 1928 he was invited to demonstrate his style of capoeira for Getulio Vargas, then president of Brazil. The President was so impressed that he gave Mestre Bimba the go-ahead to open the first capoeira school in his hometown of Salvador, giving this unique martial art a new sense of legitimacy. In 2014 capoeira was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, which hailed it as one of the most expressive popular manifestations of the Brazilian culture.

Happy Birthday, Mestre Bimba!

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November 23, 2010

134th Birthday of Manuel de Falla



Manuel de Falla y Matheu was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century. He has a claim to being Spain's greatest composer of the 20th century, although the number of pieces he composed was relatively modest.

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Nov 25, 2010

Nikolay Pirogov's 200th Birthday



Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov was a Russian scientist, medical doctor, pedagogue, public figure, and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences [1847], one of the most widely recognized Russian physicians. Considered to be the founder of field surgery, he was the first surgeon to use anaesthesia in a field operation and one of the first surgeons in Europe to use ether as an anaesthetic. He is credited with invention of various kinds of surgical operations and developing his own technique of using plaster casts to treat fractured bones.

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Jan 9, 2013

150th Anniversary of the Tube






The London Underground [also known simply as the Underground, or by its nickname the Tube] is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.

The Underground has its origins in the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground passenger railway. Opened in January 1863, it is now part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. The first line to operate underground electric traction trains, the City & South London Railway in 1890, is now part of the Northern line. The network has expanded to 11 lines, and in 2020/21 was used for 296 million passenger journeys, making it the world's 12th busiest metro system. The 11 lines collectively handle up to 5 million passenger journeys a day and serve 272 stations.

The system's first tunnels were built just below the ground, using the cut-and-cover method; later, smaller, roughly circular tunnels—which gave rise to its nickname, the Tube—were dug through at a deeper level. The system has 272 stations and 250 miles [400 km] of track. Despite its name, only 45% of the system is under the ground: much of the network in the outer environs of London is on the surface. In addition, the Underground does not cover most southern parts of Greater London, and there are only 31 stations south of the River Thames.

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January 9, 2012

Luis Coloma's 161st Birthday



Luis Coloma Roldán [1851 – 1915] was a Spanish author most known for creating the character Ratoncito Pérez. Coloma was also a prolific writer of short stories and his complete works, which includes his novels, biographies, and other works, have since been collected in a multi-volume set. He studied at the University of Seville, where he graduated with a Master's degree in law, although he never got to practice law. In 1908 Coloma became a member of the Real Academia.

Several of Coloma's works have been adapted into film and for television. Boy has been adapted into a feature film twice, once in 1926 and again in 1940. Pequeñeces was adapted into a 1971 television series as well as a 1950 film. Jeromín was adapted into a 1953 film. El Ratoncito Pérez was adapted into a 2006 film and its sequel in 2008.

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January 9, 2014

Haim Nachman Bialik's 141st Birthday [born 1873]




Hayim Nahman Bialik, also Chaim or Haim, was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew but also in Yiddish. Bialik was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. He was part of the vanguard of Jewish thinkers who gave voice to the breath of new life in Jewish life. Being a noted essayist and story-teller, Bialik also translated major works from European languages. Although he died before Israel became a state, Bialik ultimately came to be recognized as Israel's national poet.

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February 23, 2020

Ca Trù's Founder Commemoration Day 2020





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Ho Chi Minh City-based guest artist Xuan Le, celebrates Ca Trù’s Founders Commemoration Day, a time to honor the genre widely considered to be Vietnam’s most revered traditional form of music.

A style that fits somewhere in between the geisha ceremonies of Japan and the dramatic performances of opera, Ca trù’s unique sound has roots that stretch back to the 11th century. First gaining popularity as entertainment for the aristocracy of Vietnam’s royal palaces, it later made its way into the inns and communal spaces of what is now modern-day Hanoi.

The ensemble is composed of at least three performers, including one female singing intricate poetry while tapping a phach [a small bamboo box], two musicians playing traditional instruments, and occasionally dancers. Ca trù is now found in cities across Vietnam.

Performed in designated Ca trù clubs and at annual festivals, the genre has seen a recent revival due to a concentrated effort from state-run organizations and international agencies. Preservation of Ca trù is elusive due in part to it being a strictly oral tradition that is passed down only through one elite practitioner to the next generation after years of committed study.

Taking into account the precious nature of an invaluable historical relic and the difficulty of its safeguarding, UNESCO is dedicated to protecting the practice and inscribed Ca trù on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.

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September 1, 2019

Bùi Xuân Phái's 99th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the Vietnamese artist Bui Xuan Phai, renowned for his evocative paintings of Hanoi’s historic old quarter, as referenced in the Doodle art. Born on this day in 1920 in the village of Kim Hoang, Phai went on to help shape the evolution of modern art in Vietnam, becoming widely considered one of the most celebrated South East Asian painters of the twentieth century.

Raised during Vietnam’s French colonial era, Phai took an early interest in art, drawing illustrations for Hanoi newspapers to pay for classes at the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine. Although his father preferred that he pursue a career in medicine, the young man persisted, selling his first picture by the age of 20.

Phai’s interest in modern European painters like Matisse did not sit well with his teachers at the traditional academy, which closed after North Vietnam’s political upheaval in August 1945. Ho Chi Min’s new government insisted that artists focus their talents on supporting the new regime, but over time, Phai grew restless.

During the 1950s, he and his wife moved into his parents’ home at 87 Thuoc Bac Street in Hanoi, converting it into a small studio. Living simply, he devoted himself to the practice of art for its own sake. He enjoyed teaching at the Hanoi Fine Arts College but was asked to resign because he insisted on creative freedom. Phai went on to paint the streets and alleys of Hanoi’s old quarter, capturing the mood of a bygone era in his loose brushwork, and sometimes trading his art for supplies needed to support his family.

In years to come, his work earned numerous local and international honors. He won a prize for his book cover design at the International Graphic Exhibition in Leipzig, Germany. In recognition of his contributions to Vietnamese culture, he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal. His humble home studio has since become a museum, honoring one man’s commitment to his art.

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September 1, 2016

37th Anniversary of The Neverending Story's First Publishing




Every once in a blue moon a book captures the imagination, providing a portal into magical places unknown. So it was with The Neverending Story, a children’s fantasy novel by Michael Ende, which topped best-seller lists in the author’s native Germany following its release on September 1st, 1979. Illustrator Roswitha Quadflieg captured the story’s mythical feel by emblazoning each chapter with a decorative initial inspired by medieval scripts. And today’s Doodle adds a 3D dimension, with an artwork-packed slideshow that uses parallax scrolling—a Doodle first!

At the heart of this book-within-a-book is Bastian Balthazar Bux, a lonely boy who steals a copy of The Neverending Story from an antiques store—and leaps into its pages. Bastian is tapped by a hunter named Atreyu to help save the enchanted but ill-omened world of Fantastica by doing something only a human can do: giving Fantastica’s ruler, the Childlike Empress, a new name. Their companion, Falkor, a luckdragon, remains ever-optimistic that they’ll prevail over wicked creatures and destructive forces to reach the Childlike Empress’s Ivory Tower. In time, Bastian’s journey becomes one of self discovery, in which the words “Do what thou wilt!” inscribed on Atreyu’s talisman, take on personal meaning.

Today’s Doodle takes us along on Bastian’s odyssey in honor of the 37th anniversary of the book’s publication.

Doodle by Sophie Diao

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September 1, 2016

34th Anniversary of Similan Islands National Park





Today’s Doodle takes you under the stunning waters of Thailand’s Similan Islands. Located northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea, the archipelago of 11 islands is famous for its breathtaking dives. Sea turtles, zebra sharks, and blue-spotted stingrays are just a few of the species an underwater adventurer might encounter.

Equally as inviting as the coral reefs are the park’s white sandy beaches. From there, long-tail boats can be spotted navigating the waters against a backdrop of ironwood and gum trees. Also fluttering above sea level, a number of feathered species call the islands home — everything from white-bellied eagles to yellow-browed warblers.

Rich in both wildlife and natural beauty, the Similan Islands were named a national park 34 years ago today. Now it’s time to dive in and celebrate!

[9A]

February 28, 2020

Marcel Pagnol's 125th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the 125th birthday of French filmmaker, playwright, and novelist Marcel Pagnol, often revered as one of the greatest figures in the history of French cinema. With his evocative, realist style, Pagnol painted a heartfelt and comical portrait of everyday French life, influencing generations of filmmakers in the process.

Marcel Paul Pagnol was born on this day in 1895 in the town of Aubagne, just outside of Marseilles in Southern France. He followed in the footsteps of his father, a local school superintendent, and pursued a career in education. In between lessons, Pagnol worked on his own plays, novels, and poetry, and when his comedic drama “Topaze” [1928] became a major hit on the Paris stage, he retired from teaching for good.

Establishing himself as an eminent playwright during cinema’s transformation from silent films to the sound era, Pagnol recognized a new world of opportunity in adapting his stories to the silver screen. By 1931, he had produced his first film, “Marius,” the leading installment of his famous “Marseilles” trilogy, which centered around life in the port town of his birth.

Credited as a pioneer of the neo-realist movement, Pagnol went on to direct and produce a collection of award-winning films, helping to shape French cinema’s golden decade of the 1930s and ‘40s.

In recognition of his contributions, in 1946, Pagnol became the first filmmaker ever elected as a member of the distinguished Acádemie française [“French Academy”], France’s official authority on the French language.

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April 27, 2017

King's Day 2017



King’s Day [formerly “Queen’s Day”] is the annual Dutch national holiday in honor of King Willem-Alexander, who turns 50 today. This day is celebrated all over the Netherlands, but Amsterdam is the centerpiece of the festivities, with over 750,000 people traveling here to partake in the fun. The day starts bright and early and calls for partiers to put on their best orange outfits [the national color] and take to the streets in the morning.

On this day, street-selling regulations are lifted, so the entire city becomes an enormous open air flea market for shopping second-hand treasures. Kids sell their toys, artists sell their handicrafts, homemakers sell delicious baked goods...and it’s all found at discounted “friends and family” style rates. This element of the cultural tradition poignantly illustrates the entrepreneurial and community-driven spirit of the country.

Rotterdam's official King's Day celebrations happen at various locations across the city. You can relax on a terrace at Rotown, dance on Stadhuisplein or visit one of the many flea markets that are located from the Coolsingel to the market on the Binnenrotte.

Today’s Doodle by Dutch Doodle artist Gerben Steenks salutes the King on his 50th birthday year. Happy King’s [Koningsdag] Day to all!

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April 27, 2016

King's Day 2016




For King’s Day, or Koningsdag, the Dutch come together to celebrate the birth of their current king, Willem-Alexander. Celebrants wear orange in honor of the royal family’s house color, making King’s Day one of the most vivid of the year.

On this day, the streets are flooded with decorations and orange-clad locals on their way to outdoor concerts and festivities. This is also the one day in which street sales are allowed without a permit, bringing sellers and shoppers out in droves for the flea markets that pop up everywhere.

This year’s doodle highlights the tompouce, a local cream-rich pastry commonly frosted in orange for the occasion. Ga Oranje!

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April 27, 2015

Netherlands King's Day 2015

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April 27, 2012

Tato Bores' 85th Birthday



Mauricio Borensztein, known by the stage name Tato Bores, was an Argentine film, theatre and television comedian, who specialized in political humor. His ironic TV monologues, delivered at a fast pace, became a reference point for generations of Argentines.

Before the broadcast of one of the programmes, federal judge María Servini de Cubría was warned that the show contained an ironic comment about a ridiculously low fine she had received for mishandling a case. Servini ordered the offending segment to be cut out, and forbade Borensztein to mention her name. This violated free speech, since the programme had not been broadcast and she had not verified it was criminally offensive. Borensztein received overwhelming support from the artistic community of Argentina, but respected the judicial order, from then on referring to the judge as "the unnameable" or as Jueza Barubudubudía [intended as a nonsensical yet transparent rhyme of "Servini de Cubría"] until the censorship was lifted.

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April 27, 2016

Pencho Slaveykov’s 150th birthday



Walk through Slaveykov Square in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and you'll come across two figures seated on a bench. They are the statues of the poet and critic Pencho Slaveykov, and his father Petko, also a poet.

Slaveykov's poetry is best known for its pensive, brooding nature, as reflected in Kevin Laughlin’s Doodle. Inspired by Western European writers like Henrik Ibsen, Heinrich Heine, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, Slaveykov introduced the figure of the individual artist into a folkloric tradition more associated with morals and the masses. A central figure of the Misal ["Thought"] circle of writers, Slaveykov created a new and modern vision for Bulgarian literature.

Happy birthday, Pencho Slaveykov, who was born 150 years ago today.

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Feb 14, 2020

Valentine's Day 2020



No matter where you are in the universe today, love is in the air!

Whether your loved ones are light-years away, or nearby, we hope no amount of space gets in the way of letting them know you're over the moon for them.

Wishing all a stellar Valentine’s Day!

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Feb 22, 2020

Carnaval de Barranquilla




In honor of Colombia’s Carnaval de Barranquilla, today’s Doodle features some of the colorful costumes and masks on display during this annual celebration of cultural heritage stemming from indigenous, African, and European traditions. Across four days, over a million people will visit Barranquilla on the Caribbean coast to watch floats, dance in the streets, and maybe take part by wearing a “Marimonda” mask as seen in the Doodle artwork.

The modern Carnaval de Barranquilla is over 100 years old and reflects the legacy of blended cultures that have shaped the city since its establishment nearly 400 years ago. At its core, festivities derive from folk traditions that demonstrate what many consider to be the definition of what it means to be Colombian.

Some of the most significant events during the four days are the Batalla de Flores [Battle of Flowers], the Gran parada de Tradición y Folclore [Great Parade of Tradition and Folklore], and the Gran parada de Comparsas [Great Parade of Groups]. In recognition of the festival’s traditions, UNESCO honored the Carnaval de Barranquilla by naming it a World Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2013.

Enjoy the colorful sights and local music like Cumbia coming from the many loudspeakers and floats!

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Mar 1, 2020

St. David's Day 2020



Today’s Doodle pays homage to the annual commemoration of cultural heritage in Wales, St. David’s Day. Every year the country comes together in honour of their patron saint to celebrate Welsh history, culture, and identity.

Recognised since the 18th century, St. David’s Day is a time for the Welsh to show their national pride. Many may wear pins of leeks, daffodils, or both as historical emblems of Wales, which have come to be associated with the day. The leek is said to have been worn by medieval Welsh warriors to differentiate themselves from their enemies, and the daffodil coincides with the holiday’s arrival as winter gives way to spring.

From Wales’ largest city, Cardiff, to its smallest, St. Davids, locals hold parades and concerts. Schools host Eisteddfodau, a traditional festival of poetry and music, and children often dress up in 18th and 19th century-inspired clothing or even dress as the Welsh flag’s red dragon.

To get into the Welsh spirit, you can enjoy a speciality like the Welsh Rarebit. Or, simply take in this year’s first daffodils to welcome the spring season!


Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! [Happy St. David’s Day!]

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Mar 4, 2013

Miriam Makeba's 81st Birthday




South African singer and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba was born in 1932 in Johannesburg. Unfortunately, her early life was marred by tragedy and hardship; when she was just 18 days old, her mother was sent to prison and Makeba went with her. Makeba later lived with her grandmother in Pretoria and joined her church and school choirs. In the 1950s, she moved to Sophiatown, where music filled the streets — big band, African jazz, and anything else that moved people to sing. Thanks to her musical talent, by the end of the decade, she had made a name for herself throughout the country.

Makeba performed with a few different bands and embarked on an acting career. In 1959, she appeared in a documentary that angered the South African authorities; as a result, her passport was revoked. The advent of apartheid led her to leave South Africa. She found success in the United States however, winning a Grammy Award in 1965 and joining Paul Simon on his Graceland tour in the 1980s. She used her newfound fame to draw attention to the suffering and oppression of South Africa under apartheid.

Makeba continued making music and fought for humanitarian causes throughout the rest of her life. Upon her passing, Nelson Mandela said, "Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and dislocation which she felt for 31 long years. At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us."

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Mar 11, 2013

Douglas Adams' 61st Birthday






Douglas Adams – one of the most celebrated and beloved humorists of the 20th century – had an imagination that defied gravity and soared past Earth's atmosphere. As a young man, he famously got the first inkling of an idea for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy while hitchhiking across Europe, pausing to contemplate the starry night sky.

In the late seventies, this simple yet powerful premise blossomed into a comedy radio broadcast on BBC Radio 4. From there, it took on a life of its own – the series has included books, a TV show, a film, computer games, comic books, and most recently a stage show: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show, Live! – a performance which captures the magic of the original radio broadcast. In fact, many of the iconic sound effects used in our doodle were kindly provided by the creative folks behind this show.

The world [to be fair, the universe] of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is complex, chaotic, and often contradictory, with multiple timelines and probability axes colliding in assuredly comic ways. The various exotic planets, alien races, and intergalactic sociopolitical situations are usually filtered through the lens of the series' most useful piece of futuristic technology – the Guide itself, published out of Ursa Minor Beta. The Guide's task of organizing the galaxy's information struck a chord with us, which is why we gave it special attention in our doodle. Through it, you can get a small peek into the unrelentingly hilarious universe created by Douglas Adams.


But The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in all its many and varied manifestations, is not the limit of Douglas Adams' wit, creativity, and compassion. True fans know and love the episodes he wrote for the British sci-fi show Dr. Who, starring Tom Baker as the fourth doctor. He also created Dirk Gently, protagonist of several genre-defying detective novels. And he co-created, with zoologist Mark Carwardine, the radio documentary and nonfiction book series Last Chance to See, documenting many expeditions to examine near-extinct animals across the globe.

Douglas Adams has entertained and inspired so many generations of people around the world with his warm humor and courageously curious intellect. Happy birthday, you hoopy frood!

I was honored to work on this doodle with my collaborators – Corrie Scalisi, Kevin Laughlin, Manuel Clément, and Leon Hong.

Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino, Doodler

[9A]

July 6, 2021

Shusaku Arakawa's 85th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the 85th birthday of Japanese-American author, conceptual artist, and trans-humanist architect Shusaku Arakawa. Together with his wife, Arakawa chased a philosophical quest for immortality through experimental paintings, literature, and, at the grandest scale, architectural oddities—a concept coined Reversible Destiny.

Shusaku Arakawa was born on this day in 1936 in Nagoya, Japan. His early life was defined by mathematics and medicine studies before he pursued surrealist painting at Tokyo’s Musashino Art University. As an early adopter of the international conceptual art movement, he joined similarly minded artists after his 1961 move to New York City. Soon after, Shusako met a poet who became his lifelong artistic collaborator and spouse: Madeline Gins.

In 1963, the couple began the ambitious “The Mechanism of Meaning” series—an assemblage of 83 large panel paintings crafted with the aim of investigating the mysteries of human consciousness that required over a decade to bring to fruition. Global exhibitions of the masterwork funded the couple’s next lofty endeavor: extending life expectancy by fostering a novel relationship with the built world called “procedural architecture.” They hypothesized that engaging residents with challenging interior designs, such as steep and uneven floor plans, would boost immunity and fight aging by promoting an active and thoughtful relationship with one’s surroundings. Their first residential works of procedural architecture can be found at Reversible Destiny Lofts, a complex in Tokyo and the inspiration for today’s Doodle artwork.

Arakawa and Gins devoted their lives to designing an architectural fountain of youth and founded multiple institutions to advance this project, including the Reversible Destiny Foundation. Today, several installations of their eccentric architecture remain open to the public, such as the Reversible Destiny Lofts. This renown project comprises a brightly colored residential complex in Tokyo that served as the couple’s first work of procedural architecture, which they dedicated to Helen Keller.

Happy birthday, Shusaku Arakawa!

[9A]

Jul 9, 2021

Argentina Independence Day 2021



Today’s Doodle celebrates Argentina’s Independence Day. On this day in 1816, a group of regional leaders assembled in the city of Tucumán to proclaim the South American nation’s freedom.

If you plan on celebrating Independence Day in true Argentinian fashion, get ready for a day full of huge portions of traditional food and drink. Authentic feasting for today’s festivities isn’t complete without “locro,” a robust stew consisting of beans, corn, squash, potato, and varieties of meat. Traditionally served piping hot, locro is a perfect meal for keeping celebrants warm, as Independence Day falls in the midst of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter.

The go-to Argentinian beverage is “mate,” a caffeine-rich tea depicted brewing in the Doodle artwork. Approximately 98% of the nation’s citizens keep this caffeine-rich tea stocked at home, and it's estimated that most Argentines consume close to 14 pounds annually!

Happy Independence Day, Argentina!

[9A]

January 23, 2020

Luis Alberto Spinetta's 70th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 70th birthday of Argentine singer, composer, guitarist, and poet Luis Alberto Spinetta. Also known as El Flaco [“Skinny”], he is often regarded as the father of Spanish-language rock and roll and a Latin American music icon. The Doodle artwork features the color green as an homage to Spinetta’s iconic and irregularly-shaped album cover of Artaud, as well as his famous red and white guitar.

Born on this day in Buenos Aires in 1950, Spinetta learned how to play guitar and sing at a young age. He continued to develop his musical skills, and at age 17 Spinetta formed one of the most influential rock bands in Argentine history, named Almendra, with two of his former high school classmates. Almendra’s self-titled debut studio album revolutionized the genre as the first band to combine Spanish-language lyrics with progressive rock.

During the 1970s and 80s, Spinetta formed and led several impactful bands that inspired the international “Rock en Español” movement, including Pescado Rabioso, Invisible, and Spinetta Jade. In addition to these group projects, he released over twenty albums as a solo artist. In 2016, his latest record Los Amigo won one of the highest honors in Argentinian music, the Gold Gardel Album of the Year award.

His music struck a major chord throughout the world and continues to impact listeners to this day. For instance, in April 2019 it inspired University of Buenos Aires informatics engineer Alex Ingberg to create an artificial intelligence program to generate song lyrics in Spinetta’s style. And in 2014, in honor of Spinetta’s birthday, Argentina moved Día Nacional del Músico [National Musician’s Day] from November to January 23rd.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Flaco!

[9A]

January 23, 2013

Andrija Mohorovičić's 156th Birthday




Andrija Mohorovičić was a Croatian geophysicist. He is best known for the eponymous Mohorovičić discontinuity and is considered one of the founders of modern seismology.

As early as 1909 Mohorovičić started giving lectures that both architects and building contractors should follow, ahead of his time setting some of the basic principles of earthquake-resistant design. Mohorovičić's theories were visionary and were only truly understood many years later from detailed observations of the effects of earthquakes on buildings, deep focus earthquakes, locating earthquake epicenters, Earth models, seismographs, harnessing the energy of the wind, hail defence and other related elements of the geological body of knowledge known as geoscience.

Crater Mohorovičić [on the Moon's far side] is named in his honour. A gymnasium in Rijeka, Croatia and a school ship in the Croatian Navy are named after him, as was [in 1996] asteroid 8422 Mohorovičić.

[9A]

June 25, 2020

Dragon Boat Festival 2020





Each year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, revelers flock to the banks of rivers and canals to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwujie. Dating back more than 2,000 years, the holiday is honored with unique customs in countries all across Asia. Among the most popular traditions in many countries are the dragon boat races, which draw teams from around the world to compete in colorfully painted boats, like those depicted in today’s Doodle artwork.

Percussion rings out across the water as a drummer on each boat keeps the rowers in sync. As the teams approach the finish, the most nimble racers can often be seen stretching far off the fronts of their boats; the first to snatch a flag from a buoy or cross the finish line earns their team the victory.

Meanwhile, spectators are known to enjoy one of the holiday’s most popular treats called zongzi. These triangular dumplings of sticky rice can be topped with meat or egg yolk and are typically tied up in leaves. And it’s believed that if you can balance an egg upright at noon, you’ll have good luck for a year.

[9A]

June 25, 2013

Antoni Gaudí's 161st Birthday



Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Catalan architect from Spain, known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works have a highly individualized, sui generis style. Most are located in Barcelona, including his main work, the church of the Sagrada Família.

Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion. He considered every detail of his creations and integrated into his architecture such crafts as ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He also introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís which used waste ceramic pieces.

Under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Modernista movement which was reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work transcended mainstream Modernisme, culminating in an organic style inspired by natural forms. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and moulding the details as he conceived them.

Gaudí's work enjoys global popularity and continuing admiration and study by architects. His masterpiece, the still-incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most-visited monument in Spain. Between 1984 and 2005, seven of his works were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Gaudí's Roman Catholic faith intensified during his life and religious images appear in many of his works. This earned him the nickname "God's Architect" and led to calls for his beatification.

[9A]

Jul 1, 2013

Canada Day 2013




The House of Commons of Canada [French: Chambre des communes du Canada] is the lower chamber of the bicameral Parliament of Canada, which also comprises the sovereign [represented by the governor general as ex officio viceroy] and the Senate of Canada.

[9A]

November 14, 2021

Fanny Hensel's 216th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 216th birthday of virtuosic German pianist and composer Fanny Hensel, who is widely considered one of the most important woman composers of the 19th century.

Fanny Hensel was born Fanny Zippora Mendelssohn on this day in 1805 in Hamburg, Germany into an upper-class family. Her mother, herself taught by a student of Johann Sebastian Bach, first taught her piano. At 13, Hensel astonished a private audience in Berlin with a memorized performance of 24 preludes from Bach’s masterpiece “The Well-Tempered Clavier” [1722-1742]. Despite her prodigious talent, her ability to foster a musical career was hindered by restrictive societal conventions.

Hensel remained musically engaged, and around 1820, she began working as an integral part of Mendelssohn family Sunday Concerts, a semi-public exhibition where she shined for decades as a hostess, organizer, conductor, and pianist free to explore the depths of her creativity. Although her public image was overshadowed by her brother Felix’s career, she devoted herself to developing the Mendelssohnian style in over 450 compositions, which reflected her veneration of Bach and Beethoven and an innovative musical approach.

At age 41, she published Opus 1, the first original work published in her name and among the first published compositions by a woman, paving the way for women to pursue a classical tradition historically dominated by men. In 2010, musicologists uncovered the Easter Sonata, a masterful, solo piano piece written by Hensel when she was 22 years old that had been mistakenly attributed to her brother. The piece was performed under her name for the first time in 2017, nearly 190 years after its composition.

Happy birthday, Fanny Hensel!

[9A]

November 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]

November 14, 2010

Birthday of Taha Hussein




Taha Hussein was one of the most influential 20th-century Egyptian writers and intellectuals, and a figurehead for the Egyptian Renaissance and the modernist movement in the Middle East and North Africa. His sobriquet was "The Dean of Arabic Literature". He was nominated for a Nobel prize in literature fourteen times.

[9A]

September 16, 2020

Celebrating Mascha Kaléko





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Hamburg-based guest artist Ramona Ring, celebrates the German-Jewish poet Mascha Kaléko, whose incisive poems and chansons earned her notable acclaim among the literary avant-garde in 1930s Berlin. On this day in 1974, Kaléko held her final reading in Berlin’s America Memorial Library.

Mascha Kaléko was born Golda Malka Aufen in 1907 in Schidlow, Galicia, in what is today southern Poland. With the outbreak of World War I, she and her family fled the country for Germany and eventually made a new home in Berlin in 1918.

As a teenager, she began to write poetry, and within several years, she achieved a level of celebrity as newspapers began publishing her work throughout the capital. In Kaléko’s poem “Das Bißchen Ruhm” [“A Little Bit of Glory,” 2003] she metaphorically wrote of her fame as plants that must be maintained with daily care, a concept reflected in the illustration of today's Doodle.

By the early 1930s, Kaléko was an established figure among Berlin’s literary avant-garde. She could often be found deep in conversation at the Romanische Café, the iconic bohemian hub frequented by notable contemporaries like Else Lasker-Schüler and Erich Kästner.

In 1933, she published her first book, “Das Lyrische Stenogrammheft” [“The Lyrical Shorthand Pad”, followed two years later by “Kleine Lesebuch für Große” [“The Little Reader for Grown-Ups”]. Kaléko’s work wittily captured the essence of daily urban life during the twilight of the Weimar Republic and through satirical verses explored weighty themes like social injustice and exile.

After nearly two decades spent in the United States, Kaléko settled in Israel and continued to write poetry for the rest of her life.

[9A]

Sep 16, 2020

Mexico Independence Day 2020





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Xalapa, Mexico-based guest artist Ina Hristova, celebrates Mexico’s Independence Day. On this day in 1810, Mexico’s decade-long struggle for independence from Spanish rule began, and the country’s sovereignty was officially recognized by Spain on August 24, 1821.

Depicted in today’s Doodle is a colorful and eclectic collection of images that represent traditional Independence Day festivities. These illustrations pay homage to an iconic Mexican folk embroidery style developed in the 1960s by the Indigenous Otomí people of Tenango de Doria in central Mexico. The shape of the Doodle artwork is inspired by the central Mexican folk sculptures called “Árboles de la Vida” [“Trees of Life”].

iFeliz Día de la Independencia, México!

[9A]

Sep 18, 2020

Chile National Day 2020





Today’s Doodle celebrates Chile’s National Day, known locally as El Dieciocho, which translates to “The Eighteenth.” On this day in 1810, Chile celebrated the First National Government Board Assembly, which started the process of independence from Spanish colonial rule and began an eight-year struggle for sovereignty.

Illustrated in the Doodle artwork is the bell-shaped, six-petalled bloom of the copihue, Chile’s national flower. This evergreen climbing vine thrives in a moist and cool environment, so the species is right at home in the misty cloud forests of Chile’s central and south-central regions.

Following its introduction to various countries around the world, the plant revealed an intriguing quality: its vine twines clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, opposite to the counterclockwise twine exhibited in its native Southern Hemisphere. Although it has traveled far over the years, the copihue remains an unwavering symbol of Chilean identity.


iFeliz Dieciocho, Chile!

[9A]

September 18, 2013

203rd anniversary of the First Government Assembly in Chile




Government Assembly of the Kingdom of Chile [September 18, 1810 – July 4, 1811], also known as the First Government Gathering, was the organization established to rule post-colonial Chile following the deposition and imprisonment of King Ferdinand VII of Spain by Napoleon Bonaparte. It was the earliest step in the Chilean struggle for independence, and the anniversary of its establishment is celebrated as the national day of Chile.

[9A]

Sep 28, 2009

Confucius' Birthday - Multiple Countries


Confucius [ 551–479 BCE] was a Chinese philosopher, poet and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who was traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Confucius's teachings and philosophy formed the basis of East Asian culture and society, and continues to remain influential across China and East Asia as of today.

His philosophical teachings, called Confucianism, emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, and sincerity. Confucianism was part of the Chinese social fabric and way of life; to Confucians, everyday life was the arena of religion. His followers competed successfully with many other schools during the Hundred Schools of Thought era, only to be suppressed in favor of the Legalists during the Qin dynasty. Following the victory of Han over Chu after the collapse of Qin, Confucius's thoughts received official sanction in the new government. During the Tang and Song dynasties, Confucianism developed into a system known in the West as Neo-Confucianism, and later as New Confucianism.

Confucius is traditionally credited with having authored or edited many of the Chinese classic texts, including all of the Five Classics, but modern scholars are cautious of attributing specific assertions to Confucius himself. Aphorisms concerning his teachings were compiled in the Analects, but only many years after his death.

Confucius's principles have commonality with Chinese tradition and belief. With filial piety, he championed strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, and respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives, recommending family as a basis for ideal government. He espoused the well-known principle "Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself", the Golden Rule.

[9A]

September 28, 2012

David Unaipon's 140th Birthday




David Ngunaitponi was an Aboriginal Australian man of the Ngarrindjeri people, a preacher, inventor and author. Unaipon's contribution to Australian society helped to break many Aboriginal Australian stereotypes, and he is featured on the Australian $50 note in commemoration of his work.

Unaipon spent five years trying to create a perpetual motion machine. In the course of his work he developed a number of devices. He was still attempting to design such a device in his seventy-ninth year.

Unaipon took out provisional patents for 19 inventions but was unable to afford to get any of his inventions fully patented, according to some sources.
Inventions included a centrifugal motor, a multi-radial wheel and a mechanical propulsion device. He was also known as the Australian Leonardo da Vinci for his mechanical ideas, which included pre World War I drawings for a helicopter design based on the principle of the boomerang and his research into the polarisation of light and also spent much of his life attempting to achieve perpetual motion.

[9A]

September 30, 2019

Harry Jerome’s 79th Birthday



“Never give up” was a fitting motto for Harry Jerome, the Canadian athlete who broke barriers as he broke records. Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Toronto-based guest artist Moya Garrison-Msingwana, depicts the statue of Jerome that stands in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. That city also hosts the annual Harry Jerome International Track Classic, a meet named in honor of the champion sprinter.

Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on this day in 1940, Harry Winston Jerome broke a Canadian record for the 220-yard sprint at age 18, soon earning an athletic scholarship to the University of Oregon. His grandfather John “Army” Howard had been the first black athlete to represent Canada in the Olympics. Jerome and his younger sister Valerie both carried on the family legacy, traveling to Rome to compete in the 1960 Olympic Games.

Although a pulled muscle prevented him from running in the finals, Jerome went on to represent Canada at two more Olympic Games, winning the bronze medal in 1964. He also won gold medals in the Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games. Starting in 1960, Jerome would equal or break four world sprinting records over the course of his career.

In 1969 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invited Jerome to help set up Canada’s Ministry of Sport. He was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada in 1971 and later named British Columbia’s Athlete of the Century. Inspiring young athletes of color to pursue their dreams and achieve their fullest potential, Jerome traveled across Canada holding sports clinics for high school students.

His life inspired the documentary film Mighty Jerome and his legacy is celebrated each year with the Harry Jerome Awards, which recognize excellence in Canada’s black community.

Here's to a champion who never gave up.

[9A]

September 30, 2010

Flintstones' 50th Anniversary




As a young kid, I drew a lot of dinosaurs. My dad would bring home reams of dot matrix printer paper from work, which I'd take, fold into stapled booklets, and then fill with dinosaurs doing what dinosaurs did best — eating, leaping about, facing off in epic combat on top of spewing volcanoes. What I didn't know was that dinosaurs were also quite handy. A brontosaurus tail made an excellent water slide, you could walk up a row of plates on a stegosaurus' back like a flight of stairs, and the triceratops' horns were actually cutting-edge can openers. For these paleontological insights into Stone Aged innovation, I have the Flintstones to thank.

The Flintstones may have lived in the prehistoric town of Bedrock, but their technology was on par with much of what we use today. Everyone drove human-powered vehicles [zero emissions!], composted scraps in a dinosaur under the kitchen sink, and even wore solar powered watches—that is, if you count sundials. In short, Bedrock was the modern city of the past... and I wanted to live in it! Unfortunately, that didn’t quite pan out, but to be able to pay tribute to one of my favorite childhood TV shows in the form of a Google doodle is easily the next best thing.

On the 50th anniversary of its first airing, we gladly salute “The Flintstones” for inspiring our imaginations and encouraging us to think outside of the box, even if it means taking a look back now and then. I hope you’ll join the rest of us here at Google in a little nostalgia to mark this fun occasion!

Oh, and if you know any saber-toothed tigers looking for an internship as a hole puncher, give me a buzz.

posted by Mike Dutton

[9A]

October 1, 2020

Chuseok 2020


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

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

Happy Chuseok!

[9A]

October 1, 2019

Julio Jaramillo’s 84th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and music of Ecuadorian singer Julio Jaramillo, also known as El Ruiseñor de América, or “The Nightingale of the Americas.” Born to a working-class family in the bustling port city of Guayaquil on this day in 1935, Jaramillo grew up to become an international star who toured Latin America singing boleros, tangos, rancheras, and pasillos––the sentimental love songs that are often considered Ecuador’s national musical genre.

Jaramillo fell in love with music early, learning to play guitar as a youngster. After dropping out of school, he supported himself as a shoemaker, but longed to become a singer, sometimes serenading passersby in the city streets. Traveling to Colombia in hopes of gaining exposure, he once barged into a live radio broadcast, determined to make his voice heard and managed to impress listeners with his vocals. Back home in Ecuador, he recorded “Nuestro Juramanto” [“Our Oath”], a song about undying love that brought him international acclaim and remains to this day one of the most popular of his thousands of recordings.

Jaramillo lived a colorful life, traveling the world, romancing many women, and appearing in the 1966 film Fiebre de Juventud [Youth Fever]. One of Latin America’s most acclaimed singers, he became a sort of unofficial ambassador for Ecuador in pop culture.

Since 1993, October 1st has been celebrated as Día del Pasillo Ecuatoriano, a national holiday honoring the musical form Jaramillo helped to popularize around the world. The singer’s legacy lives on at the Museo Municipal de la Música Popular Julio Jaramillo, welcoming visitors to his hometown all year long.

Happy Birthday, Julio Jaramillo!