Google doodles

[9A]

Jun 1, 2014

Children's Day 2014



Happy Children’s Day around the world! First proclaimed in 1925 at the World Conference for the Well-being of Children, this holiday is celebrated around the world on various dates.

[9A]

Sep 7, 2017

Sir John Cornforth’s 100th Birthday



Today's Doodle celebrates chemist Sir John Warcup Cornforth, born in Sydney on this date in 1917. During childhood, Cornforth began to lose his hearing, and he was completely deaf by the age of 20. Unable to hear the lectures in his classes at the University of Sydney, he devoured chemistry textbooks on his own.

One fateful day at university, Cornforth met fellow chemist Rita Harradence. She had broken a flask in the lab and asked Cornforth — an accomplished glassblower — to repair it. Thus began a long professional and romantic partnership. In 1939, Cornforth and Harradence both won scholarships to study at Oxford, and they married two years later. Together they wrote more than 40 scientific papers. [Now that's chemistry!]

At Oxford, Conforth joined the team that made great strides in the study of penicillin. He then returned to his earlier research on the three-dimensional structure ["stereochemistry"] of various chemical reactions. In 1975, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for this work. Cornforth and co-laureate Vladimir Prelog studied the enzymes that activate changes in organic compounds. Their conclusions opened the door to many discoveries, including the development of cholesterol-lowering drugs.

When the Nobel Prize was announced, the press release admitted, "This subject is difficult to explain to the layman." But it was already clear that millions of people would benefit from Cornforth's lifelong curiosity about the workings and wonder of the natural world.

[9A]

September 7, 2015

Brazil's Independence Day 2015




Orchids! Palm trees! Passion flowers! There’s no landscape in the world quite as colorful as Brazil’s, whose independence we celebrate today. In 1822, from the banks of the grassy Ipiranga Brook in São Paulo, Dom Pedro I declared Brazil a free nation. Centuries later, visitors to the Terra do Brasil come to enjoy its awesome mix of natural offerings, captured in this doodle by Kevin Laughlin. Its main rainforest “is home to as many as 80,000 plant species,” according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. Brazil’s fauna is also impressive, with hundreds of unique mammals roaming its land, and thousands of fish species swimming through its waters. Happy independence day to beautiful, bountiful Brazil!

[9A]

September 19, 2021

Paulo Freire's 100th Birthday





Today's Doodle celebrates the centennial birthday of Brazilian philosopher, educator, and author Paulo Freire. He is widely appreciated as one of the most influential educational thinkers of the 20th century.

Paulo Reglu Neves Freire was born on this day in 1921 in Recife, Brazil, then a mostly impoverished region affected by the echoes of colonialism and slavery. Coming of age alongside poor rural families while his own family experienced hunger, grounded his understanding of the interconnected relationship between socioeconomic status and education. From then on, Freire made it his mission to improve the lives of marginalized people.

In 1947, Freire began a decade-long position providing social services to the Brazilian working class, which was foundational to the creation of his universal educational model一consciousness . This groundbreaking methodology calls for the cultural exchange between teacher and student through the lens of their socio-historical circumstances with the aim of creating a democratic society free of illiteracy.

In 1962, he applied awareness with radical success—teaching 300 farmworkers to read and write in only 45 days! However, these ideals proved too radical for the newly established Brazilian government in 1964 and he was forced into exile until 1979. During this period, Freire published his acclaimed 1968 book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” which brought his revolutionary teaching philosophy to a wide international audience.

He continued his educational journey abroad before returning to Brazil in 1980 to lead an adult literacy project. In 1988, Freire began working as São Paulo's Minister of Education, implementing innovative literary programs. Today, his work lives on at the Freire Institute, an international organization devoted to educational advancement and societal transformation through his teachings.

Happy Birthday, Paulo Freire!

[9A]

Sep 15, 2021

Celebrating Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde




In celebration of U.S. Hispanic Heritage Month, today’s Doodle—illustrated by Riverside, California-based guest artist Loris Lora—honors Panamanian-American nurse and educator Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde. As a foundational figure in the creation of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses [NAHN], Dr. Murillo-Rohde dedicated her life to enhancing the quality of healthcare for underrepresented communities while equipping other Hispanic nurses with the skills to do the same.

Ildaura Murillo was born on September 6, 1920, in Panama into a family of health professionals. In 1945, she immigrated to San Antonio, Texas, where she found that relatively few of the city’s nurses represented the linguistic and ethnic backgrounds of their largely Hispanic patients. Knowing that language barriers and cultural mannerisms often stood in the way of providing patients with the highest quality of care, Murillo-Rohde set out on a lifelong mission to cultivate a nursing workforce that could best serve America’s growing Hispanic community.

After earning her doctorate from New York University in 1971, Dr. Murillo-Rohde took various positions that allowed her to clearly identify the underrepresentation of marginalized groups in the medical community as a national issue. To combat this problem, she helped found the Spanish Speaking/Spanish Surnamed Nurses’ Caucus in 1975—now known as the National Association of Hispanic Nurses [[NAHN)—and served as its first president.

Alongside continued work with the NAHN, Dr. Murillo-Rohde promoted cultural awareness as a psychiatric nurse, faculty member, professor, and dean. The American Academy of Nursing honored her numerous achievements with its prestigious fellowship—one of the highest nursing honors in the nation.

Today, the NAHN provides support for Hispanic nurses through various programs, including the Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde Scholarship. It also honors members who have exhibited outstanding achievements in nursing education, research, and practice with the Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde Award for Education Excellence by a Hispanic Registered Nurse.

Thank you for uplifting the next generation of Hispanic healthcare professionals, Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde!

[9A]

September 15, 2014

Guatemala Independence Day 2014




We’re having a feast of Latino dishes to mark Independence Day in three different countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. All three celebrate the holiday on September 15. Viva Centroamérica!

Most traditional foods in Guatemalan cuisine are based on Maya cuisine, with Spanish influence, and prominently feature corn, chilies and beans as key ingredients. Guatemala is famously home to the Hass avocado and the birthplace of chocolate, as first created by the Maya.

There are also foods that are commonly eaten on certain days of the week. For example, it is a popular custom to eat paches [a kind of tamale made from potatoes] on Thursday. Certain dishes are also associated with special occasions, such as fiambre for All Saints Day on November 1 and tamales, which are common around Christmas.

[9A]

April 6, 2020

Thank You: Public health workers and to researchers in the scientific community

[9A]

May 11, 2020

Celebrating Tomris Uyar




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Istanbul-based guest artist Merve Atılgan, celebrates the prolific Turkish short story writer and translator Tomris Uyar. A leading figure in 1970s Turkish literature, Uyar was known for her realist style that often focused on the authentic depiction of female characters and family dynamics. On this day in 1980 and 1987, Uyar was honored with one of Turkish literature's most esteemed awards for short stories, the Sait Faik Story Award.

Born in Istanbul on March 15, 1941, Uyar grew up attending American schools, and her access to English-language short fiction and Turkey’s contemporary literature served as a strong inspiration for the future writer.

Beginning her career as a translator, Uyar continued in the craft for the rest of her life, tackling avant-garde English fiction, and in the process developing a rare mastery of the intricacies of the Turkish language.

As a writer, she devoted herself to short fiction with a bit of support from her cats. Whenever one entered the room, she credited the felines for stimulating her writing process. These “inspiration cats,” referenced in the Doodle artwork, helped her to publish over 900 pages across 11 volumes of her stories throughout her career.

Amongst her greatest influences was Turkish writer Sait Faik, known for narrating evocative human stories unconstrained by form or plot. Drawing from influences like Faik, Uyar’s work pushed the boundaries of the form, employing postmodern techniques in the exploration of the lives of ordinary people, particularly from a female perspective. Over the years, her writing progressed to a caliber that positioned her to receive the aforementioned Sait Faik Story Award twice, a prize created in honor of the writer that had such a profound impact on Uyar and her narratives.

In current times, Uyar’s writing has been published in over 60 languages and is enjoyed by readers around the world to this day.

[9A]

September 16, 2017

Mexico National Day 2017




Happy National Day, Mexico!

Not far from the modern metropolis of Mexico City lies another important city—one that’s at least 1,300 years old. Today’s Doodle by guest artist Luis Pinto pays tribute to the ancient city Teotihuacan, constructed between the 1st and 7th centuries. Who actually built the ancient city remains a mystery.
Visitors to Teotihuacan stand in the shadows of the towering Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, and the detailed Temple of Quetzalcoatl. At night, a spectacular light and sound show brings the pyramid carvings to life in brilliant colors. You can also view the city from above in a hot air balloon; just keep an eye out for Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered serpent” responsible for the wind.

Many Mexicans today are descendants of its indigenous people, and the country is a rich mosaic of old and new. On September 16th, people of all ancestries come together to remember the famous Grito de Dolores, or “Cry of Dolores,” that set Mexico on the path to a united country for all.

¡Viva México!

[9A]

September 16, 2019

B.B. King’s 94th Birthday









Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Little Rock-based guest artist Steve Spencer and animated by Brooklyn-based guest animator Nayeli Lavanderos, celebrates B.B. King—the iconic “King of the Blues” who brought blues music from cotton fields and street corners to grand halls and arenas across the world.

Born on this day in 1925 on a Mississippi Delta plantation near Berclair, Mississippi, Riley B. King was a sharecropper’s son whose soulful, piercing guitar solos became recognizable with a single note. Often imitated but never duplicated, B.B. King became a blueprint for many of the world’s biggest rock stars who followed. “I wish I could just do like B. B. King,” said John Lennon of The Beatles. “If you would put me with B. B. King, I would feel real silly.”

Raised singing gospel music in church, King performed on street corners before hitchhiking to Memphis and landing a job on the air at radio station WDIA. There, locals began calling him “Beale Street Blues Boy,” later shortened to “Bee Bee” and finally “B.B.”

He began recording in 1949 and never looked back after his first hit, “Three O’Clock Blues.” Records like “The Thrill is Gone” and “Every Day I Have the Blues” have become classics of the genre.

King opened for the Rolling Stones on tour and became the first internationally acclaimed blues artist, winning 15 Grammys, being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, receiving honorary doctorates from assorted universities, and performing at the White House. Embodying the traveling bluesman, King was also known for averaging more than 300 shows a year throughout various points in his career.

In 1949, King ran inside a burning nightclub to save a guitar, risking his own life for his beloved instrument. The fire had been caused by two men fighting over a woman named Lucille, and from that day forward, King referred to all his guitars by that name.

“When I sing, I play in my mind,” he once said. “The minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.”

[9A]

July 12, 2021

UEFA Euro 2020 Winner [Italy]




Congratulations to the 2020 Euro Cup champions: Italy!

Over the past month, athletes from the national teams of 24 countries competed for top rank across eleven host cities in Europe. Today’s Doodle celebrates the winners of this emotional tournament, Italy, who will return home as Euro Cup champions.

Cheers to all of Europe’s talented players. See you next time!

[sansradio]

Thanks for spotlighting my dad's doppelgänger, B.B. King!

[9A]

Thanks for spotlighting my dad's doppelgänger, B.B. King!

Really? He's wonderful!!!

[9A]

December 4, 2020

Celebrating Noken Papua



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Depok-based guest artist Danu Fitra, celebrates Noken, the craft of traditional handmade bags that holds great cultural and socio-economic significance throughout Indonesia’s Papua and West Papua Provinces. In recent years the longevity of this staple of Papuan heritage has come under threat, but following its addition to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in Need of Urgent Safeguarding on this day in 2012, great strides have been taken to secure Noken’s sustainability for future generations.

Noken bags are typically made from materials like tree fibers, bark, or leaves, which are processed into strong threads and then knotted or woven together. This complex handcraft has been passed down through the generations and demands refined tactile skill, dedicated care, and no shortage of artistic vision. The end product is a durable and versatile bag commonly used to transport and store things like food or firewood, and even to carry small children or animals!

Outside of its everyday use, Noken has traditionally fulfilled many social and economic purposes as well. For example, Noken serves as a symbol of cultural unification among more than 250 ethnic groups in the region; due to its value, it can be used as a type of savings; and it often plays a symbolic role in the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Here’s to a timeless craft that’s inextricably woven into the fabric of Indonesian culture!

[9A]

December 21, 2020

Celebrating Winter 2020 and The Great Conjunction! [Northern Hemisphere]


As Earth’s Northern Hemisphere hunkers down for winter and its longest night of the year, it seems Jupiter and Saturn have decided to put on quite an unusual show for the world to see!

The two largest planets in our solar system will nearly overlap to form a “double planet,” an event that hasn’t been easily visible since the Middle Ages—almost 800 years ago. Today’s animated Doodle celebrates the Northern Hemisphere’s first day of winter as well as this rare double planet sighting–or “Great Conjunction”–which can be viewed from anywhere around the globe!

So what exactly is creating this celestial phenomenon? Based on their orbits, from our vantage point on Earth, Jupiter and Saturn will cross within .1 degrees of each other [a fraction of the width of the full moon], a once-in-a-lifetime rendezvous recreated in the Doodle artwork. But looks can be deceiving, as the two gas giants will actually remain a vast distance of approximately 450 million miles apart!

Make sure you look out low above the horizon tonight and take in this momentous meet-and-greet between Jupiter and Saturn–it’s sure to be out of this world!

[9A]

Dec 25, 2013

Salah Jahin's 83rd Birthday






Muhammad Salah Eldin Bahgat Ahmad Helmy, known as "Salah Jaheen" or "Salah Jahin," was a leading Egyptian poet, lyricist, playwright and cartoonist

[9A]

Dec 27, 2013

Johannes Kepler's 442nd Birthday






Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer of music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books Astronomia nova, Harmonice Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. These works also provided one of the foundations for Newton's theory of universal gravitation.

Though Kepler is best known for defining laws regarding planetary motion, he made several other notable contributions to science. He was the first to determine that refraction drives vision in the eye, and that using two eyes enables depth perception.

[9A]

December 27, 2017

Marlene Dietrich’s 116th Birthday





Born Maria Magdalene Dietrich in Berlin on this day in 1901, Marlene Dietrich lit up the silver screen during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Dietrich rocketed to international fame from the moment she appeared in her breakout role as cabaret singer Lola-Lola in Germany’s first talking picture, Der Blaue Engel [1930] and its English version, The Blue Angel. The actress crossed the Atlantic soon after its premiere, continuing to work with Blue Angel director Josef von Sternberg in a string of memorable Hollywood films, including Morocco, Shanghai Express, and The Devil Is a Woman.

But Dietrich was more than a femme fatale with an unforgettable voice. Ever the risk-taker, she turned pat notions about femininity upside down, donning a tuxedo and top hat in her part as a sultry nightclub dancer in Morocco, and wearing men’s silk suits offscreen. A U.S. citizen as of 1939, she captivated World War II troops as a USO entertainer and was awarded the U.S. Medal of Freedom and French Légion d'Honneur for her wartime work.

Dietrich’s Doodle was illustrated by artist Sasha Steinberg who captured her mid-performance, suited up in her gender-bending tux and top hat. Steinberg, who is also a drag performer under the name Sasha Velour and winner of RuPaul's Drag Race [Season 9], counts Dietrich as a major influence in creating their drag alter ego.

“She was a wild original!” says Velour. “Despite the pressures of the time, she followed her own course, especially in terms of politics and gender. As a drag queen, that's particularly inspiring to me. Plus, she just had this power to her...in every role she's mysterious and strong, brilliant. That's what I aspire to be when I step on the stage.”

Happy 116th birthday, Marlene!

[9A]

Jan 15, 2014

The 255th anniversary of the British Museum




The British Museum is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London, England. Its permanent collection of some eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence, having been widely collected during the era of the British Empire. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. It was the first public national museum in the world. The Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the Anglo-Irish physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. It first opened to the public in 1759, in Montagu House, on the site of the current building. Its expansion over the following 250 years was largely a result of expanding British colonisation and has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions, the first being the Natural History Museum in 1881.

In 1973, the British Library Act 1972 detached the library department from the British Museum, but it continued to host the now separated British Library in the same Reading Room and building as the museum until 1997. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and as with all national museums in the UK it charges no admission fee, except for loan exhibitions.

Its ownership of some of its most famous objects originating in other countries is disputed and remains the subject of international controversy through repatriation claims, most notably in the case of the Elgin Marbles of Greece, and the Rosetta Stone of Egypt.

[9A]

Mar 13, 2006

Percival Lowell's 151st Birthday






Percival Lawrence Lowell was an American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars. He founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death.

[9A]

March 13, 2011

National Thai Elephant Day 2011




The Thai government has declared the 13th of March to annually be the Thai National Elephant Day or Chang Thai Day. The observance was suggested by the Asian Elephant Foundation of Thailand and submitted to the Coordinating Subcommittee for the Conservation of Thai Elephants.

[9A]

Apr 4, 2011

100th Birthday of Vaclav Ctvrtek





Václav Cafourek [4 April 1911, in Prague, Austria-Hungary – 6 November 1976, in Prague, Czechoslovakia], commonly known under his pen name of Václav Čtvrtek was a Czech poet and author. His most famous works include Křemílek and Vochomůrka, Rumcajs, Manka and Cipísek, and Víla Amálka. He primarily wrote fairy tales for children, and some of his works have been adapted on the Czech children's television program Večerníček.

[9A]

Apr 8, 2017

Mary Pickford’s 125th Birthday




Lights, camera, action! Today’s doodle honors the “Queen of the Movies,” Mary Pickford. An actress, a film director, and a producer, Mary Pickford proved that actors weren’t relegated to careers in front of the camera. She co-founded the film studio United Artists and was one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Before she became one of the most powerful women who has ever worked in Hollywood, she was “the girl with the curls,” and one of the most beloved stars of the silent film era. She appeared in as many as 50 films per year, and eventually negotiated wages that were equal to half of each of her films’ profits. She went on to demand full creative and financial control of her films, a feat still unheard of to this day.

She used her stardom to bring awareness to causes close to her heart. She sold Liberty Bonds during World War I, created the Motion Picture Relief Fund, and revolutionized the film industry by giving independent film producers a way to distribute their films outside the studio system. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress, for her role in Coquette [1929], and an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 1976.

Today, we pay tribute to Mary Pickford’s enterprising leadership on what would be her 125th birthday.


Mary Pickford, 1916




Mary Pickford

[9A]

Apr 11, 2014
Percy Julian's 115th Birthday


If you are intrigued by today's doodle on the U.S. Google homepage, celebrating organic chemist, Dr. Percy Julian, I can provide no better recommendation than to watch the PBS documentary, Forgotten Genius, illustrating both his personal life and life's work.

It's no scientific revelation that it's the experiences from our everyday lives that inform our work, and in Dr. Julian's case, he used these experiences, overcoming tremendous challenges and racial barriers [and even a couple happy accidents] to become one of the most renowned and highly respected chemists in history.

I became fascinated with his process in the specific field of organic chemistry, and how he discovered ways to take rare and exotic components and synthesize them or discover alternate organic substances in place of more cost-prohibitive resources. Yep, that's a mouthful! So here are two key examples: His most well known triumph was the synthesis of the alkaloid, physostigmine, found in the african calabar bean, which led to a more readily available treatment of ailments such as glaucoma and Alzheimer's Disease. He also pioneered many uses from the soybean and soybean oil, developing a better process for obtaining cortisone to treat arthritis or to aid the body in the receiving of organ transplants.

Happy 115th birthday to the NOT Forgotten Genius, Dr. Percy Lavon Julian!

posted by Mike Dutton, Doodler

[9A]

April 14, 2015

Bangladesh New Year 2015




Pahela Baishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar which is also the official calendar of Bangladesh. This festival is celebrated on 14 April in Bangladesh and 15 April in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam by Bengalis regardless of religious faith.

Pahela Baishakh traces its roots back to Mughal rule in this region and also the proclamation of tax collection reforms of Akbar.

The festival is celebrated with processions, fairs and family time. The traditional greeting for Bengalis in the new year is শুভ নববর্ষ "Shubho Noboborsho" which is literally "Happy New Year". The festive Mangal Shobhajatra is organized in Bangladesh. In 2016, the UNESCO declared this festivity organized by the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka as a cultural heritage of humanity.

[9A]

April 14, 2017

56th Anniversary of Xingu Indigenous Park



Officially dedicated in 1961, Xingu Indigenous Park celebrates its 56th anniversary today. The park is located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and spans 6,528,530 acres of savannah and forest. Xingu’s primary goal was to protect the social diversity of Brazil’s indigenous people, and was created after a long campaign by activist brothers, Orlando and Leonardo Villas-Bôas. Some of the tribes that call Xingu home are the Kamayurá, Kaiabi, Yudjá, Aweti, Mehinako, Wauja, Yawalapiti, Ikpeng, Kalapalo, Kuikuro, Matipu, Nahukwá, Suyá, and Trumai. In all, several thousand indigenous people live within the park’s boundaries.

[9A]

July 1, 2018

Canada Day 2018




Canada was formed on this day in 1867, uniting the British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Canada, whose name derives from the Huron-Iroquois word for village, “kanata.”

On the first Canada Day, 151 years ago, oxen were roasted in Toronto and meat was distributed to the poor. Brass bands played in many cities and towns. Today, Canadians get together with friends and family to watch fireworks and enjoy different regions’ famous foods.

A typical Canada Day menu includes poutine, the Quebecois dish of gravy and cheese curds over French fries, Montreal smoked meat, Alberta beef, or seafood—Atlantic lobster rolls; west coast oysters and shellfish. Wash it all down with Canada’s national cocktail, the Caesar, a Bloody Mary mixed with clam juice.

Canada’s red maple leaf flag was first flown in 1965, replacing the British Union Jack. The single maple leaf represents not only the ten species of maple trees native to Canada [which provide 71% of the world’s maple syrup], but “all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion,” as Honourable Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, remarked when the design was officially approved.

Today’s Doodle reflects this idea of Canada as a mosaic of cultures. Often referred to as “a nation of newcomers,” Canada boasts the highest percentage of immigrants among all G8 nations. The Canadian Multicultural Act invests in diversity by providing federal funds to help ethnic groups preserve their cultures. On the streets of Montreal or Toronto you can hear many more languages being spoken besides English and French.

Happy Canada Day!

[9A]

October 12, 2020

Laudelina de Campos Melo's 116th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 116th birthday of Afro-Brazilian union activist, business owner, and domestic worker Laudelina de Campos Melo, who in 1936 founded Brazil’s first association of domestic workers. An eminent pioneer in the struggle for Brazilian workers’ rights, Melo dedicated her life to the fight against racial, class, and gender discrimination.

Laudelina de Campos Melo was born on this day in 1904 in Poços de Caldas, in Brazil’s southeastern state of Minas Gerais. Her mother served as a domestic worker and Melo became one as a teenager as well. In the process, she witnessed firsthand the racism, poor working conditions, and exploitation faced by so many workers, including her own mother— an experience that inspired her fight for change.

Melo relocated to the coastal city of Santos in 1924 and became involved in local organizations with a focus on improving the lives of Black Brazilians. This set a course of activism that she followed throughout her life. In 1936 she founded the historic Association of Domestic Workers, and she later formed a similar association in Campinas, which went on to officially earn recognition as a union in 1988.

In 2015, Melo’s movement for justice achieved another victory: when the Brazilian government passed legislation to extend labor rights to domestic workers.

Happy birthday, Laudelina de Campos Melo!

[9A]

October 12, 2021

Eugenio Montale's 125th Birthday




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Aosta, Italy-based guest artist Andrea Serio, celebrates the 125th birthday of Italian poet, critic, and translator Eugenio Montale. Renowned for his masterful ability to capture human emotion, he is widely considered one of the greatest poets of contemporary history.

Born on this day in 1896 in the Italian port city of Genoa, Eugenio Montale first pursued a career as a baritone opera singer before finding his true voice as a poet. In a poem from “Ossi di Seppia” [“Cuttlefish Bones,” 1925], his first published collection, Montale used the rocky Italian coast as a symbol to provide both his readers and himself an escape from the anxiety of postwar Italy. This critically acclaimed collection differed from the extravagant language in poems of the time, and represented a turn in the tide for 20th-century literary symbolists.

Although he rejected the label, Montale is considered among the founders of the modernist poetic movement of Hermeticism—a “hermetic” [hidden or sealed] literary style often achieved through purposefully hard-to-interpret analogies and emotional vocabulary. Montale garnered worldwide fame for five volumes of symbolist poetry published during his 50-year writing career. In addition, he worked as an internationally renowned essayist, music and literary critic, and translator of English classics ranging from Shakespeare to Mark Twain.

In 1975, Montale’s uncompromising verse was recognized at the highest level when he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Often alluded to in the work of modern poets—Montale’s famously difficult poetry continues to have a profound effect on the literary world today.

Happy birthday, Eugenio Montale!

[9A]

March 17, 2020

St. Patrick’s Day 2020


Today’s Doodle pays tribute to the annual commemoration of cultural heritage for Irish people around the world, St. Patrick’s Day. Every year, the Irish come together to celebrate the nation’s history and identity.

Depicted in today’s Doodle artwork is one of the most unmistakable Irish landscapes, the Cliffs of Moher. Situated on Ireland’s west coast, these dramatic limestone cliffs were declared a protected Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2015. From atop the highest point of the area, O’Brien’s Tower, visitors can enjoy some of the best views of the cliffs.

Depending on the day’s mist, the natural beauty that can be seen has inspired numbers of age-old Irish legends: from accounts of mythical cities lost underneath its shores, to a sea witch’s love story that inspired the name of its southernmost point, Hag’s Head.

Whether you’re in awe of the breathtaking scenery of the Cliffs of Moher, or simply wearing a bit of green to show your pride, happy St. Patrick’s Day!

[9A]

March 17, 2021

St. Patrick's Day 2021



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Dublin-based guest artist Arron Croasdell, honors a beloved Irish holiday celebrated worldwide: St. Patrick’s Day.

Today’s Doodle artwork features symbols that represent Ireland's diverse geography, architecture, and history. The first icon signifies the country’s verdant mountains, forests, and coastal lighthouses, many of which stand near popular walking and swimming sites. The imagery in the first "o" is a nod to the hands and heart of the legendary Claddagh ring, a symbol of love, loyalty, and friendship. The second "o" incorporates a vase holding Irish wildflowers—spring squill and crocuses—as well as a three-leafed clover, an iconic state emblem of Ireland that represents faith, hope, and love.

A depiction of the numerous rivers that run through many Irish towns and cities replaces the “g” as the “l” stands for Ireland’s natural woodlands, much of which are being restored thanks to new state reforestation initiatives. Finally, the "e" is replaced by a Celtic knot, a symbol of Irish hope in the infinite interconnectedness of humanity.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

[9A]

Mar 19, 2012

80th Birthday The Sydney Harbour Bridge




The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a heritage-listed steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district [CBD] to the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is widely regarded as an iconic image of Sydney, and of Australia itself. Nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design, the bridge carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Under the direction of John Bradfield of the New South Wales Department of Public Works, the bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long of Middlesbrough [who based the design on their 1928 Tyne Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne] and opened in 1932. The bridge's general design, which Bradfield tasked the NSW Department of Public Works with producing, was a rough copy of the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. This general design document, however, did not form any part of the request for tender, which remained sufficiently broad as to allow cantilever [Bradfield's original preference] and even suspension bridge proposals. The design chosen from the tender responses was original work created by Dorman Long, who leveraged some of the design from their own Tyne Bridge which, though superficially similar, does not share the graceful flares at the ends of each arch which make the harbour bridge so distinctive. It is the eighth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m [440 ft] from top to water level. It was also the world's widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m [160 ft] wide, until construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was completed in 2012.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge went on to be added to the Australian National Heritage List on 19 March 2007 and to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 25 June 1999.

[9A]

March 19, 2021

Dona Militana's 96th Birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Bel Andrade Lima, celebrates the 96th birthday of Brazilian singer and storyteller Dona Militana, whose vast memory of medieval ballads provided a unique record of generational Iberian and Brazilian tales.

Militana Salustino do Nascimento, also known as Dona Militana, was born in São Gonçalo do Amarante, Rio Grande do Norte on this day in 1925. As a child, Militana worked the fields; planting crops and weaving baskets with her father, who sang as they toiled. Many of his songs told stories from a bygone era of medieval kings, queens, warriors, and lovers—stories Militana never forgot.

Militana’s traditional talent remained largely unknown for decades, until she was discovered by folklorist Deífilo Gurgel in the 1990s. It was then that she shared with the world her prodigious chronicle of songs and stories—some of which were over 700 years old.

In 2000, Militana recorded “Cantares,” a collection of 54 songs that were novel-like in scope, with lyrics and melodies that accurately reflected the times from which they originated. Upon the project’s release, audiences throughout Brazil learned of Dona Militana—the guardian of a Brazilian history nearly lost to time.

In recognition of her impact on Brazilian culture, Dona Militana was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in 2005.




Feliz Aniversário, Dona Militana!

[9A]

Mar 21, 2013

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro's 167th Birthday




Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro was a Portuguese artist known for his illustration, caricatures, sculpture, and ceramics designs. Bordalo Pinheiro created the popular cartoon character Zé Povinho [1875] and is considered the first Portuguese comics creator.

[9A]

March 21, 2019

Celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach


https://www.google.com/doodles/celeb...sebastian-bach








Today we celebrate world renowned German composer and musician Johann Sebastian Bach with our first ever AI-powered Doodle! Made in partnership with the Google Magenta and Google PAIR teams, the Doodle is an interactive experience encouraging players to compose a two measure melody of their choice. With the press of a button, the Doodle then uses machine learning to harmonize the custom melody into Bach’s signature music style [or a Bach 80's rock style hybrid if you happen to find a very special easter egg in the Doodle...].

The first step in developing the Doodle? Creating a machine learning model to power it. Machine learning is the process of teaching a computer to come up with its own answers by showing it a lot of examples, instead of giving it a set of rules to follow as is done in traditional computer programming. The model used in today's Doodle was developed by Magenta Team AI Resident Anna Huang, who developed Coconet: a versatile model that can be used in a wide range of musical tasks—such as harmonizing melodies or composing from scratch [check out more of these technical details in today’s Magenta blog post].

Specifically, Coconet was trained on 306 of Bach’s chorale harmonizations. His chorales always have four voices, each carrying their own melodic line, while creating a rich harmonic progression when played together. This concise structure made them good training data for a machine learning model.
Next came our partners at PAIR who used TensorFlow.js to allow machine learning to happen entirely within the web browser [versus it running utilizing tons of servers, as machine learning traditionally does]. For cases where someone’s computer or device might not be fast enough to run the Doodle using TensorFlow.js, the Doodle is also served with Google’s new Tensor Processing Units [TPUs], a way of quickly handling machine learning tasks in data centers— yet another Doodle first!

These components, combined with art and engineering from the Doodle team, helped create what you see today.

—

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in the small German town of Eisenach on this day in 1685 [under the old Julian calendar]. He grew up in a large musical family: his father played multiple instruments and also worked as director of the town’s musicians. His eldest brother, also a musician, raised young Bach from the age of 10 after his father’s passing. Primarily known as an exceptional organist during his lifetime, Bach also understood how to build and repair the complex inner mechanisms of pipe organs [which are depicted in today’s interactive Doodle].

Composing music at a prolific pace [sometimes at the rate of one cantata per week!], Bach was a humble man who attributed his success to divine inspiration and a strict work ethic. He lived to see only a handful of his works published, but more than 1,000 that survived in manuscript form are now published and performed all over the world.

Bach’s reputation soared following the 19th century “Bach revival,” as the music world gained new appreciation for his innovative use of four-part harmony, modulations of key, and mastery of counterpoint and fugue. Perhaps the best measure of his legacy is his impact on other artists, ranging from classical to contemporary over the centuries.

Musicians weren’t the only ones affected by Bach’s music, however. After the Voyager 2 deep space probe launched, scientist and author Lewis Thomas suggested that the human race broadcast his music to the outermost reaches of the solar system. “I would vote for Bach, all of Bach,” he wrote. “We would be bragging, of course.”

Here’s to Bach!

#BachDoodle Team

[9A]

Mar 21, 2019

Holi 2019




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

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

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

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

Happy Holi 2019!

[9A]

March 13, 2017

Holi Festival 2017 [Nepal]





Today, the Google letters are taking on a fresh set of colors in honor of the Holi festival. Coinciding with the arrival of spring, the vibrant celebration looks a lot like the Doodle: people run around happily covering each other in a rainbow of powdery hues.

Amid the cloud of red, blue, yellow, green, and everything in between, festival-goers can often be found laughing, singing, and dancing in the streets. The joyous event, which takes place in India, Nepal, and other countries around the world, traditionally marks the triumph of good over evil. It also gives family and friends a chance to simply come together, enjoying a spirited “Festival of Colors” that undoubtedly lives up to its name.

[9A]

April 7, 2016

Pandit Ravi Shankar’s 96th birthday





Today we celebrate Pandit Ravi Shankar, who was born 96 years ago today. Shankar evangelized the use of Indian instruments in Western music, introducing the atmospheric hum of the sitar to audiences worldwide. He performed frequently with the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and composed a concerto with sitar for the London Symphony Orchestra. Shankar also taught George Harrison of the Beatles how to play the sitar, and widely influenced popular music in the 1960s and 70s.

Shankar's music popularized the fundamentals of Indian music, including raga, a melodic form. Raga, as Shankar explained, has "its own peculiar ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven-note octave, or a series of six or five notes in a rising or falling structure." The distinctive character of Shankar's compositions attracted the attention of composer Philip Glass, with whom Shankar wrote the 1990 album Passages.

The centerpiece of today's Doodle, by artist Kevin Laughlin, is a sitar. It has two bridges, one for the "drone" strings and the other for the melody strings. Laughlin's design shows the style of sitar Shankar played, which includes a second gourd-shape resonator at the top of the instrument's neck.

Happy birthday, Pandit Ravi Shankar!

[9A]

March 17, 2014

Holi Festival 2014






Holi is a popular ancient Indian festival, also known as the "Festival of Love", the "Festival of Colours" and the "Festival of Spring". The festival celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha Krishna.It also signifies the triumph of good over the evil, as it celebrates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha Narayana over Hiranyakashipu. It originated and is predominantly celebrated in India and Nepal but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the diaspora from the Indian subcontinent.

[9A]

Mar 23, 2012

Juan Gris' 125th Birthday




It may be difficult to imagine, but Picasso had artists that he admired. Perhaps most notable among them was Juan Gris, a close friend, though – according to an account in Gertrude Stein's book, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, he was also "... the only person whom Picasso wished away." Well, the doodle team is very happy that Picasso did not get his wish!

For Gris' doodle, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to play more with abstract shapes, and reinterpreting familiar objects in the cubist language. This is not something I've had a lot of experience doing, as my formal art training involved learning to draw more representationally. To say the least, it was quite a liberating experience to try something new!

In these first couple drawings, I'm sort of just feeling my way through his work, mostly compositing his paintings. The first version plays with his likeness somewhat, and the second takes his most commonly painted subject, the guitar, and repeats itself throughout the logo.

In the final drawing, I've tightened up the second concept, making each letter read a little more clearly using light vs dark relationships [or values].

Next, I begin painting over the drawing using traditional media. The process is perhaps not as free-flowing and spontaneous as Gris might have worked [hey, I'm a budding cubist after all]! At any rate, I had a wonderful time learning from this extraordinary painter, and hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at making the doodle.

Happy birthday, Juan Gris!

posted by Mike Dutton

[9A]

Apr 9, 2012

Eadweard J. Muybridge's 182nd Birthday



Google honors the english photographer Eadweard J. Muybridge. It is an animation doodle: It shows a "Galloping horse" set to motion using single photos. 21 horses, some are colored like the google logo. Eadweard Muybridge is known for his pioneering work on animal locomotion which used multiple cameras to capture motion. The Doodle based an an original sequence by Eadweard J. Muybridge. Looks in my eyes like an amazing piece of old fashiened pop art :-)

Happy birthday Eadweard James Muybridge.
Thumbs up if you like the animation :-)


Music: "Fig Leaf Rag" by Kevin MacLeod
An early ragtime musical composition for piano composed by Scott Joplin.

[9A]

Apr 9, 2012

Elias Lönnrot's 210th Birthday




Elias Lönnrot was a Finnish physician, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for creating the Finnish national epic, Kalevala, [1835, enlarged 1849], from short ballads and lyric poems gathered from the Finnish oral tradition during several expeditions in Finland, Russian Karelia, the Kola Peninsula and Baltic countries.

Impact

[Main article: Kalevala § Literature]

The Finnish graphic artist Erik Bruun used Lönnrot as a motif for the 500 markka banknote in his banknote series.

Don Rosa's story "The Quest for Kalevala" featuring Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck has a cameo by Lönnrot.


Based on Elias Lönnrot's fame as a researcher, the Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges used the name Lönnrot for the diligent detective in his story, Death and the Compass [La muerte y la brújula], which was also made into a film by Alex Cox.

The Kalevala, the Finnish national epic that Lönnrot compiled, was among the inspirations for J. R. R. Tolkien's the Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings.

Elias Lönnrot has been the main motif for a recent commemorative coin, the Finnish Elias Lönnrot and folklore commemorative coin, minted in 2002. On the reverse, a feather [as a symbol of an author] and Elias Lönnrot's signature can be seen.

The main belt asteroid 2243 Lönnrot was named after Lönnrot.

Ellen Kushner's short fantasy story 'The Threefold World' features Elias Lönnrot as the protagonist.

[9A]

April 9, 2010

Vlasta Burian's Birthday



Josef Vlastimil Burian, better known as Vlasta Burian, was a Czech stage and film actor, singer, comedian, footballer and film director. In the Czech Republic, he is known as Král komiků [King of Comedians].

[9A]

April 9, 2021

Amácio Mazzaropi's 109th Birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Brazilian guest artist Arthur Vergani, celebrates Brazilian actor, screenwriter, producer, and director Amácio Mazzaropi on his 109th birthday. Through his signature role as the beloved character “Jeca Tatu,” Mazzaropi used humor to address serious topics and became a fixture of Brazilian cinema.

Born on this day in São Paulo in 1912, Mazzaropi spent time as a child visiting his grandfather’s country home, which influenced the on-screen persona he later developed. As a teenager, the future icon of Brazilian comedy left home to work for Circo La Paz, a traveling circus. There he came up with the idea to perform as a hillbilly, embodied in Marazzaropi’s future performance as Monteiro Lobato’s character Jeca Tatu.

Mazzaropi produced content for radio and television for many years before appearing in his first film, “Sai da Frente” [“Get Out of the Way,” 1952]. With his film career off the ground, and after several other roles, Mazzaropi bought Fazenda Santa, a farm turned studio that also served as the location for many of his films. It was here that Mazzaropi opened his own production company in 1958. Mazzaropi wove social commentary into simple language and covered important subjects to great effect, which caused audiences to flock to his productions for over 20 years.

Interestingly, while Mazzaropi became one of Brazil’s most acclaimed comedic actors, he was also a major supplier of milk to Leites Paulista. Today, Fazenda Santa is Hotel Fazenda Mazzaropi, home to the Mazzaropi Museum, which has a collection of over 20,000 items.

Happy birthday, Amácio Mazzaropi!

[9A]

March 11, 2021

Astor Piazzolla's 100th Birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Buenos Aires-based guest artist José Saccone, celebrates Argentine composer and virtuosic bandoneón player Astor Piazzolla, who revolutionized traditional tango to create a hybrid genre known as “nuevo tango.”

Astor Piazzolla was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1921 and moved with his family to New York City at a young age. When his father bought him a bandoneón, an Argentine accordion-like instrument that is essential to the tango sound, he quickly became known as a child prodigy and wrote his first tango at 11.

In 1937, he returned to Argentina where traditional tango still reigned supreme. Once home, Piazzolla actually gave up tango to study classical music and become a modernist classical composer. He traveled to Paris on a scholarship to apprentice under eminent French composer Nadia Boulanger, who prepared him for his next return home in 1955. Back in Argentina, he applied years of classical study to the tango sound and formed his band “Octeto Buenos Aires.” Coined as the “nuevo tango,” Piazolla's fresh take incorporated elements of jazz and classical music with new instruments, changing the tempo, the sound, and the tradition of dance.

Throughout his life, it’s estimated that Piazzolla wrote approximately 3,000 original compositions and recorded another 500. In honor of his 100th birthday, the Astor Piazzolla Foundation recently announced the Piazzolla Music competition for soloists and ensembles alike.

Happy birthday, Astor Piazzolla!

[9A]

March 11, 2016

Ratchanee Sripaiwan's 86th Birthday




Happy 86th Birthday Ratchanee Sripaiwan!

If you grew up in Thailand or learned Thai in primary school, chances are you've heard of Manee and her friends. In Sripaiwan's beautifully illustrated book "Manee, Mana, Piti, and Chujai," readers learned the อักษรไทย while exploring Manee's village and following her adventures.

Sripaiwan's exquisite mastery of the Thai language and passion for education guided students across the globe. Not only did readers learn basic Thai language, grammar, and sentence structure, they lived and loved Sripaiwan's tales. The textbooks were first approved for educational use in 1956 and were used for grades 1-6 from 1978 to 1994. When Sripaiwan passed away in 2014, these books were reprinted to honor her life's work — educating and delighting another generation.

Today's Doodle by Alyssa Winans reflects the signature style of illustrators and close collaborators Triam Chachumporn, Ohm Rajjavej, and Pathom Puapimon. The image of Mana and Manee captures the effortless charm and elegance of Ratchanee Sripaiwan's books.

[9A]

March 2, 2021

Wangdee Nima [Wang Tae]'s 96th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of Thai musician Wangdee Nima, a performer affectionately known by his stage name Wang Tae.

Born on this day in central Thailand in 1925, Wang Tae inherited a love for music from his parents, both of whom were performers of traditional Thai folk genres. As a child, he became a specialist in Lam Tad, a style of music that originated in his home region. This popular folk genre brings groups of men and women together to alternate singing improvised humorous lyrics to elicit laughs from the audience, all set against the background of instruments like the Klong Ramana, a traditional Thai hand drum.

Wang Tae soon established his own troupe, eponymously named “Lam Tad Wang Te,” which earned him national recognition and widespread appeal. Renowned for his clever lyrics with his cunning use of double entendres, Wang Tae was a true master of the Thai language whose witty performances brought smiles to the faces of audiences across Thailand for close to forty years.

In 1988, Wang Tae was named a National Artist of Thailand, an annual prize awarded by the National Culture Commission of Thailand to the country’s most prestigious performing artists.

Happy birthday, Wangdee Nima!

[9A]

September 22, 2021

Bunpheng Faiphiuchai’s 89th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of Thai musician Wangdee Nima, a performer affectionately known by his stage name Wang Tae.

Born on this day in central Thailand in 1925, Wang Tae inherited a love for music from his parents, both of whom were performers of traditional Thai folk genres. As a child, he became a specialist in Lam Tad, a style of music that originated in his home region. This popular folk genre brings groups of men and women together to alternate singing improvised humorous lyrics to elicit laughs from the audience, all set against the background of instruments like the Klong Ramana, a traditional Thai hand drum.

Wang Tae soon established his own troupe, eponymously named “Lam Tad Wang Te,” which earned him national recognition and widespread appeal. Renowned for his clever lyrics with his cunning use of double entendres, Wang Tae was a true master of the Thai language whose witty performances brought smiles to the faces of audiences across Thailand for close to forty years.

In 1988, Wang Tae was named a National Artist of Thailand, an annual prize awarded by the National Culture Commission of Thailand to the country’s most prestigious performing artists.

Happy birthday, Wangdee Nima!

[9A]

March 2, 2012

János Arany's 195th birthday



János Arany was a Hungarian poet, writer, translator and journalist. He is often said to be the "Shakespeare of ballads" – he wrote more than 102 ballads that have been translated into over 50 languages, as well as the Toldi trilogy.

[9A]

March 3, 2008

Alexander Graham Bell's 161st Birthday




Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company [AT&T] in 1885.

Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech and both his mother and wife were deaf; profoundly influencing Bell's life's work. His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone, on March 7, 1876. Bell considered his invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.

Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils, and aeronautics. Although Bell was not one of the 33 founders of the National Geographic Society, he had a strong influence on the magazine while serving as the second president from January 7, 1898, until 1903.

Beyond his work in engineering, Bell had a deep interest in the emerging science of heredity.