Google doodles

[9A]

21 April 2015

81st anniversary of the Loch Ness Monster's most famous photograph




Colonel Robert Wilsons grainy photograph of Nessie made a big splash. The iconic image of a sea serpent rising out of the water paved the way for the myth of the Loch Ness Monster.

Sketching boats in dockyards was the inspiration for this illustration. Once I'd assemble working cogs as the Google logo, all that was left was to show a cut away and reveal of what REALLY took place under the surface.

[9A]

21 April 2014

Charlotte Brontë's 198th Birthday [born 1816]



Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature.
She enlisted in school at Roe Head in January 1831, aged 14 years. She left the year after to teach her sisters, Emily and Anne, at home, returning in 1835 as a governess. In 1839, she undertook the role of governess for the Sidgwick family, but left after a few months to return to Haworth, where the sisters opened a school, but failed to attract pupils. Instead, they turned to writing and they each first published in 1846 under the pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Although her first novel, The Professor, was rejected by publishers, her second novel, Jane Eyre, was published in 1847. The sisters admitted to their Bell pseudonyms in 1848, and by the following year were celebrated in London literary circles.

[9A]

3 Aug 2020

Celebrating Vicki Draves



Today’s Doodle celebrates Filipino American diver and coach Victoria “Vicki” Draves, the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic medal. On this day in 1948, Draves won the gold medal in the women’s 3-meter springboard event at the London Summer Olympics.

Victoria Draves was born Victoria Taylor Manalo in the South of Market district of San Francisco on December 31st, 1924. Growing up, she and her family often hopped on the trolley to the enormous Fleishhacker Pool to swim and watch the divers. When she was a teenager, a member of a local swim team asked if she wanted to learn to dive, and she eagerly accepted, springboarding her into the sport she went on to champion.

After thousands of dives to perfect her form and three consecutive U.S. National Diving Championship platform titles, Draves earned a spot at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She dominated the games one faithful leap at a time and made history as the first woman to take home the gold in both the platform and springboard events.

Thank you, Vicki Draves, for inspiring people everywhere to aim high and take the plunge!

[9A]

4 Aug 2020

Bahiga Hafez’s 112th Birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Cairo-based guest artist Mariam ElReweny, celebrates the 112th birthday of a pioneer in Egyptian cinema, the multi-hyphenate actor, producer, director, editor, costume designer, and composer Bahiga Hafez on her 112th birthday. Hafez was widely known as a prodigious talent on camera as well as behind the scenes and helped bring some of Egypt’s earliest feature films to the big screen.

Bahiga Hafez was born on this day in 1908 in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea. She earned a degree in music composition in Paris in 1930 and then returned to Egypt, where she had success crafting music for the record companies of the day. Her career soon took a turn when she was cast as the female lead in the film “Zeinab” [1930], for which she also composed the soundtrack.

Before long, Hafez was inspired to tell her own stories and opened Fanar Film Company with her husband Mahmoud Hamdi. In 1932, the company released its first film, “al-Dahaya” [“The Victims”], and Hafez shaped the entire film process as lead actor, producer, editor, costume designer, and composer.

Hafez went on to produce and direct numerous films over the following two decades and later established an influential cultural salon in Cairo to support the city’s artistic community. Her work helped pave the way for the start of what is widely considered Egyptian cinema’s golden age in the 1940s, and she is depicted in the Doodle artwork wearing a costume inspired by the many opulent wardrobes she designed from this era of film.

The original version of “al-Dahaya” was rediscovered in 1995 and shown at the National Film Festival in Cairo, introducing a new generation to Hafez’s work.

Shukran, Bahiga Hafez, your efforts set the scene for generations of filmmakers to come!

[9A]

6 Aug 2014

Anna Castelli Ferrieri's 94th Birthday




Our homepage in Italy today celebrates pioneering architect Anna Castelli Ferrieri, born this day in 1918. Ferrieri found success using alternative materials like metal and plastic in her designs.

[9A]

6 August 2002

Andy Warhol's 74th Birthday




Andy Warhol [ born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987] was an American artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture. Some of his best known works include the silkscreen paintings Campbell's Soup Cans [1962] and Marilyn Diptych [1962], the experimental films Empire [1964] and Chelsea Girls [1966], and the multimedia events known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable [1966–67].

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Warhol initially pursued a successful career as a commercial illustrator. After exhibiting his work in several galleries in the late 1950s, he began to receive recognition as an influential and controversial artist. His New York studio, The Factory, became a well-known gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons. He promoted a collection of personalities known as Warhol superstars, and is credited with inspiring the widely used expression "15 minutes of fame". In the late 1960s he managed and produced the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground and founded Interview magazine. He authored numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties. He lived openly as a gay man before the gay liberation movement. In June 1968, he was almost killed by radical feminist Valerie Solanas who shot him inside his studio. After gallbladder surgery, Warhol died of cardiac arrhythmia in February 1987 at the age of 58 in New York.

Warhol has been the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions, books, and feature and documentary films. The Andy Warhol Museum in his native city of Pittsburgh, which holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives, is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to a single artist. A 2009 article in The Economist described Warhol as the "bellwether of the art market". Many of his creations are very collectible and highly valuable. The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting is $105 million for a 1963 serigraph titled Silver Car Crash [Double Disaster]. His works include some of the most expensive paintings ever sold.

[9A]

25 Oct 2002

Pablo Picasso's 121st Birthday




Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. Regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon [1907], and Guernica [1937], a dramatic portrayal of the bombing of Guernica by German and Italian air forces during the Spanish Civil War.

Picasso demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent in his early years, painting in a naturalistic manner through his childhood and adolescence. During the first decade of the 20th century, his style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. After 1906, the Fauvist work of the slightly older artist Henri Matisse motivated Picasso to explore more radical styles, beginning a fruitful rivalry between the two artists, who subsequently were often paired by critics as the leaders of modern art.

Picasso's work is often categorized into periods. While the names of many of his later periods are debated, the most commonly accepted periods in his work are the Blue Period [1901–1904], the Rose Period [1904–1906], the African-influenced Period [1907–1909], Analytic Cubism [1909–1912], and Synthetic Cubism [1912–1919], also referred to as the Crystal period. Much of Picasso's work of the late 1910s and early 1920s is in a neoclassical style, and his work in the mid-1920s often has characteristics of Surrealism. His later work often combines elements of his earlier styles.

Exceptionally prolific throughout the course of his long life, Picasso achieved universal renown and immense fortune for his revolutionary artistic accomplishments, and became one of the best-known figures in 20th-century art.

[9A]

23 December 2016

Holidays 2016 [Day 1]




‘Tis the season for song! Wintertime brings with it a number of traditions, but few as old or joyful as caroling. Dating back thousands of years, the original carols were songs specific to certain regions, and shared by wandering minstrels on their travels between towns. It wasn’t until the early 1800’s that the practice of caroling as we know it, spread across England and western Europe. During this time, cities began hosting outdoor orchestras that played songs for people to sing along with as they walked by.

Today’s Doodle features a merry crew of carolers, with a certain triangle player waiting for his moment…..

Doodle by Gerben Steenks

[9A]

23 Dec 2016

Holidays 2016 [Day 1] Warm Climates




Warm up your singing voice and get ready to bring some summer cheer! Today's Doodle celebrates the season with our festive chorus of melody-makers. What better spot to set up than under a shady palm tree with your loved ones? From this family of letters to you, happy holidays!

Doodle by Gerben Steenks

[9A]

21 Dec 2016

Paco de Lucía’s 69th Birthday



Today’s Doodle pays tribute to the masterful strumming of Paco de Lucía, who would’ve been 69 today. Regarded as one of the world’s greatest guitarists, the musical virtuoso is credited with modernizing flamenco and bringing it to the international stage.

Born Francisco Sánchez Gómez into a family of musicians in southern Spain, he was fascinated with the guitar from an early age. Although he received his first lessons from his father, it was his mother, Lucía, who inspired his stage name. After winning his first international flamenco competition at the age of 14, de Lucía went on to collaborate with Camarón de la Isla, one of the genre’s most celebrated singers. In 1973, he released one of his career-defining songs, Entre Dos Aguas, which received international acclaim.

De Lucía spent many years touring the world, introducing new instruments to the genre, like the Peruvian cajón, and infusing it with jazz and other styles along the way. His revolutionary approach to flamenco left an indelible mark on music both in Spain and beyond.

Doodle by Sophie Diao

[9A]

14 December 2021

Celebrating som tum



Today’s Doodle celebrates signature Thai dish Som Tum, a sweet and spicy green papaya salad also popular in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. On this day in 2012, Thailand’s Department of Cultural Promotion registered Som Tum as a national intangible cultural heritage food.

Like many of the world’s most loved dishes, the origins of som tum are shrouded in mystery. Most food historians believe the savory salad originated in Laos due to its rich history in the historic Isaan region, which encompasses areas of northeastern Thailand and borders Laos. The classic Thai recipe calls for spicy Thai chilies balanced by palm sugar, garlic, shrimp, fish sauce, peanuts, limes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, and green papaya.

The term “som tum” is a combination of two Isaan words translating to “tart flavor” and “to pound,” reflecting the first step in the salad’s preparation in which a mortar and pestle is used to ground several of the ingredients into a tart salad dressing. The dressing is mixed with the remaining ingredients and topped with roasted peanuts for an added salty crunch. The final product is a salad that is simultaneously salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and bitter—a flavor combination that defines Thai cuisine.

How the meal is prepared varies depending on the region, but most pair this popular Thai staple with sticky rice. For those new to som tum, it's recommended that you pay attention to the number of chilis included in your salad as they are notoriously spicy!

[9A]

14 December 2018

Dolores Olmedo’s 110th Birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of Dolores Olmedo, a close friend of Diego Rivera and owner of the world’s most important private collection of the modernist master’s work—as well as several xoloitzcuintles, the Mexican hairless dogs she adored. Olmedo also acquired many paintings by Rivera’s wife, Frida Kahlo, and donated her collection to the people of Mexico, where it is displayed in her former home. “I lived with this art for most of my life,'' she said. “Who knows better than me how it should be displayed?”

Born in Mexico City on this day in 1913, Dolores Olmedo was 17 years old when she visited the Ministry of Education with her mother, who worked as a schoolteacher. On the elevator, they bumped into Rivera, who was painting murals in the building. He asked Olmedo’s mother if he could make some sketches of her. The artist completed 27 sketches of Olmedo and established a lifelong connection.

During the 1940s, Olmedo—also known as Doña Lola—went on to become a successful real estate developer, one of the first Mexican women to excel in the field. During Rivera’s final years in the 1950s, he moved into Olmedo’s estate in Xochimilco, a neighborhood in the southern part of Mexico City. The artist sold her dozens of his own paintings and drawings, as well as 25 paintings by Kahlo, in hopes that the work would remain in their homeland. OImedo also oversaw both artists’ estates.

The Museo Dolores Olmedo opened in September 1994, inside her sixteenth-century stone residence, formerly known as the Hacienda La Noria. The museum is also a centerpoint for Day of the Dead celebrations as Olmedo would often organize an ofrenda, or altar, in honor of Diego Rivera. The museum’s collection includes a wide range of Rivera’s works over the many decades of his career as well as the world’s largest collection of Kahlo paintings and illustrations by Angelina Beloff, who worked with Rivera in Europe during the early 20th century. The work is displayed in an intimate setting, amidst Olmedo’s personal furnishings and peacocks strolling through gardens. ''I will always defend his work energetically,'' she wrote about Rivera in her museum's catalog, and she has stood by her word.

Feliz cumpleaños, Doña Lola!


Doodle by Sophie Diao

[9A]

20 November 2021

Edmond Dédé's 194th birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Brooklyn, NY-based guest artist Lyne Lucien, celebrates Creole classical musician and composer Edmond Dédé. The melody to his 1851 composition “Mon Pauvre Cœur” [My Poor Heart] remains one of the oldest surviving pieces of sheet music by a Black Creole composer in New Orleans.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. on this day in 1827, Dédé picked up the clarinet from his father, a bandmaster in a local military band. He switched to the violin, which soon became Dédé’s instrument of choice as he developed into a musical prodigy. Apprenticing under prominent New Orleans musicians, Dédé left home for Mexico to escape the increasing racial prejudice in the American South.

He returned home in 1851 and published “Mon Pauvre Cœur.” He worked briefly to save money before leaving again to continue his classical studies in France. In the late 1850s, he landed a position at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, where his creativity thrived. He also worked at the Théâtre de l'Alcazar and the Folies Bordelaises. His ballets, operettas, overtures, and over 250 songs achieved massive success in France yet gained little traction in the U.S. In 1893, en route to his only musical appearance back in New Orleans, Dédé lost his favorite Cremona violin in a shipwreck but managed to find a replacement just in time for his performance!

Despite living in a time of severe racial discrimination, Dédé’s talent led him to become a world-class composer. Most of Dédé’s sheet music is preserved in the National Library of France and several American universities. His story continues to inspire contemporary classical musicians to take pride in their heritage and honor the contributions of musicians from historically overlooked communities.

[9A]

20 November 2015

Nadine Gordimer’s 92nd Birthday




Today's Doodle features Nobel Prize winning author Nadine Gordimer laboring in her study, where she typically worked from early morning into the late afternoon. A dear friend of Nelson Mandela’s and a powerful voice for change in South African politics, Gordimer moved untold thousands with the pathos of her sparse, penetrating narratives.

In a style befitting Gordimer’s prose, Doodler Lydia Nichols exercised restraint by using only three colors, which she has layered to create texture and subtle variation. Gordimer, who attended just one year of university, died in July of last year. She was once asked how she developed such a sophisticated command of the language in the absence of any formal training. “From reading,” she said. “And living, of course.” Today marks her 92nd birthday.

[9A]

20 November 2013

Children's Day 2013 [Multiple Countries]

[9A]

23 Nov 2013

Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary



The Doctor Who doodle started life as a request from a huge fan at Google. It seemed daunting- 11 Doctor's, 50 years of adventures, countless enemies and time travel!

But we loved the idea of science fiction, technology and fun coming together, so we set about creating a multiple level game. The game was always a simple premise- those dastardly Daleks have stolen the Google letters and we need Doctor Who to retrieve them.

Artists don't make games, programmers do. I provided the designs and various pieces of animation but without the engineers the game would only exist in another dimension! I was fortunate to work alongside people that genuinely cared:

Engineering Gurus - Rui Lopes, Corrie Scalisi, Mark Ivey
Additional support - Doug Simpkinson, Jonathan Shneier
All things D of 3 - Leon Hong
Deity of rain, lava & lightning - Kevin Laughlin
Additional game ideas - Gregory Capuano
Sounds - The BBC, Tom Tabanao, Manuel Clement and Cody!
Creative consultant - Chris Dibona
User testing - Jennifer Zamora

We thank the BBC for trusting us and also helping us whenever needed. So what are you waiting for?! Jump in your TARDIS [Time and relative "doodle" in space] and become the fastest time lord in the universe!

[9A]

24 Nov 2013

Teacher's Day 2013 [Turkey]

[9A]

30 November 2021

Celebrating Lotfi Zadeh




Today’s Doodle celebrates world-renowned Azerbaijani-American computer scientist, electrical engineer, and professor, Lotfi Zadeh. On this day in 1964, Zadeh submitted “Fuzzy Sets,” a groundbreaking paper that introduced the world to his innovative mathematical framework called “fuzzy logic.”

Lotfi Asker Zadeh was born on February 4, 1921 in Baku, Azerbaijan [then a Soviet Socialist republic], and at 10 years old moved with his family to his father’s homeland of Iran. His exceptional academic achievements brought him to the U.S. to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his graduate studies. He went on to earn his doctorate in electrical engineering in 1949, and later taught systems theory at Columbia University in New York. In 1959 he became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley–which remained his academic home throughout his career and where he made his most famous and fuzzy breakthrough.

In 1965, he published “Fuzzy Sets,” which has since been cited by scholars nearly 100,000 times. The theory he presented offered an alternative to the rigid “black and white” parameters of traditional logic and instead allowed for more ambiguous or “fuzzy” boundaries that more closely mimic the way humans see the world. This concept has since been applied to a huge range of technological applications—from a Japanese subway system to the anti-skid algorithms that keep cars safe on the road.

Known as a gracious yet brilliant thinker, Zadeh received countless accolades throughout his career, including an honorary professorship from the government of Azerbaijan in 1993.

So here’s to you, Lotfi Zadeh! There’s nothing fuzzy about your huge impact on the scientific world.

[9A]

30 November 2011

Mark Twain's 176th Birthday



A great writer and humorist, Mark Twain once said, "Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand." His characters are as sincere as they are funny and playful; his work is iconic and a part of literary history. As an author that readers around the world have adored for a century, Mark Twain is a perfect fit for a doodle!

Since Google never likes to take itself too seriously, I wanted to pick a scene from Twain's work that is both recognizable and funny. The fence-painting sequence from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer seemed a perfect fit. Not only does it incorporate a little bit of mischievous humor [painting fences is certainly thrilling!] it also plays cleverly with the white space of the homepage. Alluding to a comic-book format, I drew Tom and Ben working on the fence and, therefore, spreading our famous white space across the doodle.

posted by Jennifer Hom

[9A]

1 Dec 2011

Romanian National Day



Great Union Day [Romanian: Ziua Marii Uniri, also called Unification Day or National Day] is a national holiday in Romania, celebrated on 1 December, marking the unification of Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina with the Romanian Kingdom in 1918, something that is known as the Great Union.

[9A]

4 May 2021

Geta Brătescu’s 95th birthday




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Bucharest-based guest artist Irina Selaru, celebrates multidisciplinary Romanian artist Geta Brătescu on her 95th birthday. Credited as one of the first conceptual artists in Romania, Brătescu rose to international prominence with a series of exhibitions celebrating her prolific career in the 80s.

Georgeta Ann Comanescu was born on this day in 1926, north of the capital city of Bucharest in Ploiești, Romania. She worked as a children’s book illustrator in the 1950s, and later in the decade joined the Union of Fine Artists, a state organization through which she travelled the country to sketch Romanians in their everyday lives. A testament to her talent in design, in the early ‘60s she was named the artistic director of the prestigious literary magazine Secolul 20.

But it was in the studio that Brătescu created much of her best-known work across a variety of mediums, including drawing, photography, film, and collages of commonplace materials. She was known for tackling themes like the relationship between art and life with a characteristic dry humor, though she frequently resisted categorization of her work. In 1978, Brătescu opened up her space and process to the world in one of her most famous works, the meta black-and-white film, “Atelierul” [“The Studio”].

In 2017, at the twilight of her seven-decade-long career, Brătescu was given the honor to represent Romania at the prestigious Venice Biennale, and in the same year she was awarded the Ordinul Naţional “Steaua României” [National Order of the “Star of Romania”], the country’s highest civilian honor.

Here’s to an artist who refused to color within the lines–happy birthday, Geta Brătescu!

[9A]

27 September 2020

Google’s 22nd birthday


The partnership between Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin traces its roots to the sunny campus of Stanford University. As graduate students, the pair set out to improve the way people interacted with the wealth of information on the World Wide Web. In 1998, Google was born, and the rest is history.

The now world-famous moniker is a play on a mathematical term that arose out of an unassuming stroll around the year 1920. While walking in the woods of New Jersey, American mathematician Edward Kasner asked his young nephew Milton Sirotta to help him choose a name for a mind-boggling number: a 1 followed by 100 zeros. Milton’s reply? A googol! The term gained widespread visibility twenty years later with its inclusion in a 1940 book Kasner co-authored called “Mathematics and the Imagination.”

In 2006, the word “Google” was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary as a verb.

Cheers to 22 years!

[9A]

27 September 2016

Google's 18th Birthday




Doodler Gerben Steenks designed today’s Doodle in celebration of Google’s 18th birthday.

[9A]

23 May 2021

Celebrating the Obelisk of Buenos Aires



The Obelisk of Buenos Aires towers over Argentina as a symbol of national pride. Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Buenos Aires-based guest artists Carolina Silvero and Juan Elizalde of Estudio Guardabosques, celebrates this historic monument, which was inaugurated on this day in 1936 in honor of four centuries since Buenos Aires’ foundation.

Built in just 31 days from blocks of white Córdoba stone, the monument juts into the skyline where the Argentinian flag was first hoisted above Buenos Aires in 1536. Designed by illustrious Argentine architect Alberto Prebisch, each of the four shafts of the Obelisk signifies critical moments of Buenos Aires history: the city’s foundation in 1536 and again in 1580, the first celebration of the Argentinian flag in 1812, and the induction of Buenos Aires as the nation’s capital in 1880.

But the strategic location of the monument carries much more than just historical significance. The Obelisk also stands at the intersection of two of the capital’s iconic streets: Avenida Corrientes and Avenida 9 de Julio. Underneath the landmark, three of the city’s underground metro lines converge, making it a magnetic meet-up spot for the sprawling Argentine megalopolis.

While today’s Doodle artwork scales down the monument, you can enjoy a view of the over 200-foot tall Obelisk from many parts of the Argentine capital.

[9A]

1 June 2014

Children's Day 2014

[9A]

1 July 2017

Amy Johnson’s 114th Birthday



Today we celebrate pioneering British aviator Amy Johnson. The first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, Johnson became a symbol of perseverance and a feminist inspiration around the world.

Breaking into the male-dominated field of aviation proved difficult but not impossible for Johnson. Though she was not a naturally gifted pilot, Amy possessed an unshakable resilience that inspired future generations. In fact, before setting her first world flying record in 1930, Amy’s strong determination and drive qualified her to be the first British-trained woman ground engineer — for a brief time, she was the only woman in the world to hold that job title.

That sort of resume does not go unnoticed. To honor the homecoming of her record-breaking solo flight from England to Australia, Amy was welcomed back with the tune “Amy, Wonderful Amy” — a hit song recorded by Jack Hylton and His Orchestra.

Johnson quickly joined the ranks of other top female aviators, such as Amelia Earhart and Florence “Pancho” Barnes, by breaking several more world records — including her husband’s record for the fastest solo flight from London to Cape Town. Throughout her career, she made headlines as the “British Girl Lindbergh”and “The Long Girl Flyer.” She later shifted her solo flying adventures into a stint as First Officer in the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War.

To celebrate the spirit of this fearless flyer, today’s Doodle reminds us that there is no challenge too high or too far. Happy 114th birthday, "wonderful Amy"!

[9A]

1 July 2021

Celebrating Mitsuko Mori




Today’s Doodle celebrates prolific Japanese singer and actor Mitsuko Mori, who became the first entertainer in Japanese history to perform 2,000 times in “Horoki” ["A Wanderer's Notebook"], a theater play based on the autobiographical novel of author Fumiko Hayashi. In recognition of this unparalleled lifetime achievement, on this day in 2009, she became the first actress to ever receive Japan’s prestigious People’s Honor Award.

Born Mitsu Murakami in Kyoto, Japan on May 9, 1920, she made her cinematic debut at 14 in a historical drama film. Also a gifted vocalist, Mitsuko moved to Tokyo in 1941, where she sharpened her skills as a jazz singer, a talent she showcased throughout the decade on tours in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.

In 1952, Mitsuko continued to prove her dynamic range when she made her comedic debut in a stage play featured on radio broadcasts across Japan—widespread exposure that cast her into the national spotlight. An established name in Japanese entertainment, Mitsuko premiered in “Horoki” in 1961 as the lead character Fumiko Hayashi, a role she played well into her 80s for a record 2,017 performances.

Before one of these productions in 2007, over 45 years since it first showed, Mitsuko told reporters that she was retiring her character’s signature reflex to good news—a forward somersault—to avoid injury in her old age. She gave her final “Horoki” performance in 2009, bowing out as a superstar of contemporary Japanese theater.

Here’s to all the memories, Mitsuko Mori!

[9A]

1 July 2011

Doodle 4 Google 2011 - Poland by Martyna Króliszewska

[9A]

12 October 2021

Helena Modrzejewska's 181st birthday





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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

21 Dec 2013

First Day of Winter 2013 [Northern Hemisphere]



Art & animation by Christoph Niemann.

[9A]

21 December 2021

Winter 2021 [Northern Hemisphere]

[9A]

21 December 2014

Winter Solstice 2014 [Northern Hemisphere]

[9A]

21 December 2016

Winter Solstice 2016 [Northern Hemisphere]




Across the northern hemisphere, people everywhere celebrate the winter solstice with seasonal holidays, celebrations, and festivals to remind us of the lengthening days ahead. The solstice is named for the brief time when the sun appears to pause its movement across the sky. At that moment, the tilt and rotation of the earth shifts our view of the sun’s direction from southward to northward, causing it to hang momentarily suspended. Doodler Nate Swinehart created a family of anthropomorphized rocks to commemorate the winter equinox. After tonight’s long darkness, we’ll look forward to the sun hanging out a little longer each day.

[9A]

21 December 2020

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

Celebrating Summer 2020 and The Great Conjunction! [Southern 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]

21 December 2017

Winter Solstice 2017 [Northern Hemisphere]

[9A]

21 December 2018

Summer Solstice 2018 Observed [Southern Hemisphere]





Today we celebrate the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, also known as the Summer Solstice. As our earth circles the sun, the South Pole angles closest to the sun on December 21.

The word “solstice” derives from the Latin sol for “sun” and sistere meaning “to come to a stop or make stand.” On this day in the Southern Hemisphere, the sun ascends directly above the Tropic of Capricorn. While most of the world is experiencing winter, the sun shines 24 hours a day north of the Arctic—a natural wonder known as the Midnight Sun.

Everywhere from Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires to Johannesburg and Jakarta, folks are enjoying this extra-long day by taking a break to bask in the late-night rays.

Happy Summer Solstice, Southern Hemisphere!

[9A]

21 December 2016

Summer Solstice 2016 [Southern Hemisphere]




Today marks the first day of summer and the longest day of the year for the southern hemisphere. The summer solstice is named for the brief time when the sun appears to pause its movement across the sky. At that moment, the tilt and rotation of the earth shifts our view of the sun’s direction from northward to southward, causing it to hang momentarily suspended. Doodler Nate Swinehart created a family of anthropomorphized rocks to commemorate the change of season. Enjoy the peak of summer in the southern hemisphere with today’s Doodle!

[9A]

22 December 2015

Winter Solstice 2015 [Northern Hemisphere]




Guest artist Kirsten Lepore.

[9A]

22 December 2012

Srinivasa Ramanujan's 125th Birthday




Srinivasa Ramanujan as an Indian mathematician who lived during the British Rule in India. Though he had almost no formal training in pure mathematics, he made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions, including solutions to mathematical problems then considered unsolvable. Ramanujan initially developed his own mathematical research in isolation: according to Hans Eysenck: "He tried to interest the leading professional mathematicians in his work, but failed for the most part. What he had to show them was too novel, too unfamiliar, and additionally presented in unusual ways; they could not be bothered". Seeking mathematicians who could better understand his work, in 1913 he began a postal correspondence with the English mathematician G. H. Hardy at the University of Cambridge, England. Recognising Ramanujan's work as extraordinary, Hardy arranged for him to travel to Cambridge. In his notes, Hardy commented that Ramanujan had produced groundbreaking new theorems, including some that "defeated me completely; I had never seen anything in the least like them before", and some recently proven but highly advanced results.

[9A]

17 December 2021

Celebrating Carrie Best



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based guest artist Alexis Eke, celebrates Canadian activist, author, journalist, publisher, and broadcaster Carrie Best and her record of influential accomplishments, including co-founding The Clarion—one of the first Nova Scotian newspapers owned and operated by Black Canadians. For her humanitarian efforts, Best was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1974, and subsequently became an Officer of the Order of Canada on this day in 1979.

Carrie Mae Prevoe was born on March 4, 1903, in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia during a time of pronounced racial discrimination. Encouraged by her parents to take pride in her heritage, she decided from a young age to refuse racial stereotypes and immerse herself in historical and literary works written by Black Canadians and African-Americans. In 1925, she married Albert T. Best

In 1943, Best was arrested for sitting in the “white only” section of New Glasgow’s Roseland Theatre—an act of protest against the forcible removal of several Black teens who attempted to sit there only days before. She then sued the theatre based on racial discrimination but lost the case. Her drive for equal rights was only strengthened by this event.

Best founded The Clarion in 1946 to publish news by and for the nation’s Black community. In 1952, Best established her own radio show titled “The Quiet Corner,” where she broadcast music and read poetry often relating to human rights for the next 12 years. Best was also a strong advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples.


Best’s efforts were recognized with honorary law doctorates in 1975 and 1992. The University of King’s College in Halifax, one of the institutions that awarded Best, continues to carry on her legacy by offering outstanding Black and Indigenous Canadian students a scholarship named in her honor.


Thank you for fighting for the future of marginalized people in Canada and beyond, Carrie Best!

[9A]

12 December 2018

'Baya' Fatima Haddad’s 87th Birthday




Born in Bordj El Kiffan, a suburb of Algiers, on this day in 1931, Fatima Haddad was an Algerian artist known simply as Baya. Her vivacious watercolors, gouaches, and ceramics depict powerful images of women and nature in an expressive and personal style that defies easy categorization.

Orphaned as a young girl, Baya was adopted in 1942 by the French art collector Marguerite Camina Benoura, who employed Baya’s grandmother as a housekeeper. Showing talent from an early age, Baya made “fascinating small animals and strange female figures” in the sand of her beachside hometown. She was exposed to Benoura’s collection of modern art, including works by Matisse, and by age nine she was painting as well.

The art dealer Aimé Maeght, known for representing Miró, Calder, Léger, Braque, Giacometti, and Chagall, exhibited Baya’s first solo show of paintings at his Paris gallery when she was only 16 years old. “I speak not as others have, to deplore an ending, but rather to promote a beginning,” wrote the influential poet and critic André Breton in her exhibition catalog. “And at this beginning, Baya is queen.”

Picasso invited her to work with him in 1948, and traces of her influence can be seen in his Women of Algeria series. She married the musician El Hadj Mahfoud Mahieddine and raised a family during a time of revolution in Algeria, but declined an offer to move to France, in affirmation of her Algerian identity. Baya became so beloved in her homeland that a portrait of the artist and one of her paintings appeared on Algerian postage stamps in 2008.

Breaking conventional rules of composition and perspective, Baya’s bold, colorful paintings explode with energy, evoking a world of ecstatic women with their eyes wide open.

Happy Birthday, Baya!

[9A]

12 December 2014

100th anniversary of Platero y yo






Platero and I, also translated as Platero and Me [Spanish: Platero y yo], is a 1914 Spanish prose poem written by Juan Ramón Jiménez. The book is one of the most popular works by Jiménez, and unfolds around a writer and his eponymous donkey, Platero ["silvery"]. Platero is described as a "small donkey, a soft, hairy donkey: so soft to the touch that he might be said to be made of cotton, with no bones. Only the jet mirrors of his eyes are hard like two black crystal scarabs."

Platero remains a symbol of tenderness, purity and naiveté, and is used by the author as a means of reflection about the simple joys of life, memories, and various characters and their ways of life.

[9A]

20 March 2019

Gamila El Alaily’s 112th Birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of Egyptian poet and essayist Gamila El Alaily. Born in Mansoura, Dakahlia on this day in 1907, El Alaily was one of the leading women of Egypt’s modern art renaissance. A passionate writer, she became the sole female member of the Apollo Society, an influential group of poets, writers, and artists who came to represent the first wave of modernism in Arab literature.

Encouraged by the work of pioneering poet May Ziadah, El Alaily moved to Cairo and began contributing poetry to the Egyptian literary journal Apollo, which was launched in 1932 by Dr. Ahmed Zaki Abu Shadi. The publication was named after the Greek god of poetry, as well as truth, prophecy, healing, light, and the sun—a fitting symbol of the society’s universal vision as well as El Alaily’s Apollonian verse. After consistently contributing to the highly regarded journal, she published The Echo of my Dreams, the first of her three diwans, or volumes of poetry, in 1936. Drawing inspiration from nature, her poetry addressed the themes of love and longing as well as contemplation.

In addition to volumes of verse, El Alaily went on to write a regular column for over a quarter century in her monthly newsletter, addressing ethics, values, and ideals, including her views on the role of women in society. In this respect, as well as her prolific poetic output, she broke new ground for women in the Arab world, inspiring generations of writers to come.

Happy 112th Birthday, Gamila El Alaily!

[9A]

20 March 2006

Persian New Year 2006



Nowruz [Persian: نوروز‎, pronounced [nowˈɾuːz]; lit. 'new day'] is the Iranian New Year, also known as the Persian New Year, which begins on the spring equinox, marking the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar calendar. It is celebrated worldwide by various ethnolinguistic groups and falls on or around March 21 of the Gregorian calendar. In 2021, Nowruz fell on March 20.

Nowruz has Iranian and Zoroastrian origins; however, it has been celebrated by diverse communities for over 3,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia. It is a secular holiday for most celebrants that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths, but it remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baháʼís, and some Muslim communities.

As the spring equinox, Nowruz marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year, and families gather together to observe the rituals.

While Nowruz has been celebrated since the reform of the Iranian calendar in the 11th century CE to mark the new year, the United Nations officially recognized the "International Day of Nowruz" with the adoption of UN resolution 64/253 in 2010.

[9A]

17 Mar 2020

Olga Orozco’s 100th birthday

["My story is on my hands and on the hands of others who etched it upon me.
The rituals and magic from my stay remain,
times worn away by the breath of a ruthless love,
the distant smoke from the house we never entered,
and some vague gestures among the gestures of others who never knew me."]

—Olga Orozco, “Yo, Olga Orozco”

Today’s Doodle celebrates Argentine poet Olga Orozco, a master of the surreal, on her 100th birthday. With 18 published volumes, she is widely considered a pivotal figure in 1940s Argentine and Latin American poetry.

Olga Nilda Gugliotta Orozco was born on this day in 1920 in Toay, a small town in central Argentina. The mystery she felt in the region’s endless flat plains had a strong creative influence on her throughout her life.

Orozco took an early interest in poetry and went on to study literature at the University of Buenos Aires. She successfully published her early work in the literary magazine, Canto, and found creative company among a like-minded group of writers that came to be referred to as “The Generation of ‘40.”
In 1946, she published her first book of poetry, “Desde lejos” [“From Far Away”], sparking a prolific creative period that lasted decades and solidified her status among Argentina's great poets. Her work was marked by a sense of magic and spirituality, exploring possible dimensions beyond the everyday physical world.

In honor of her work, Orozco received many notable awards, including the 1998 FIL Literary Award in Romance Languages—one of the most prestigious honors in Latin American and Caribbean literature.
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Olga Orozco!

[9A]

14 Mar 2020

Josephine Lang's 205th birthday






Today’s animated Doodle celebrates German composer and singer Josephine Lang on her 205th birthday. With over 100 songs published and around 300 composed throughout her lifetime, Lang established herself as one of the most prolific female composers of the Romantic period.

Lang was born on this day in 1815 into a talented musical family in Munich, her father, an orchestra violinist, and her mother, a professional opera singer. She played her first notes of the piano as a toddler on her mother’s lap, and by the age of just five, began to compose her own music.

Her public debut at a museum concert at age 11 only bolstered her reputation as a child prodigy, and in 1830, the famed composer Felix Mendelssohn was so impressed with Lang’s talent that he personally volunteered to give her lessons.

The 1830s marked a period of great creative success for Lang, establishing her amongst Europe’s most influential artistic circles. Her original compositions continued to garner the admiration of some of Germany’s most famous musical figures, including Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Ferdinand Hiller, the latter two of whom provided support in publishing her later work,

In addition to releasing over 40 collections of songs and piano music, Lang sang professionally at the Munich court and was a prized music teacher, counting among her students notable members of German royalty.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Josephine Lang! [“Happy birthday, Josephine Lang!”]

[9A]

3 Mar 2020

Girl's Day 2020





Today’s Doodle celebrates Japan’s Girls’ Day, also known as Doll’s Day or Hinamatsuri, an annual celebration of girls in Japan. On the third day of the third month every year, this centuries-old tradition is a time to get dolled up and honor the happiness and health of girls in Japan.

As the peach trees begin to blossom, many families set out ornate dolls dedicated to their young daughters. These dolls are believed to ward off evil spirits while bringing good fortune and prosperity. Some parents and children dress these figurines in the customary kimonos of the Heian Period [794-1185] and display them on tiered platforms with ceremonial red carpet.

The roots of this tradition began with elaborate arrays that are meant to represent a wedding procession of the Heian imperial court. Traditionally, dolls representing an Emperor and Empress—similar to those depicted in the Doodle artwork—sit at the top of these displays and are representative of their roles in Japanese history and culture. Below the Emperor and Empress dolls, also known as the obina [male doll] and mebina [female doll], are other decorative dolls that represent members of the Heian-era court.

In current times, the styles of the dolls displayed have evolved outside of solely representing the Heian time-period. But what has not changed over the years is their meaning. Regardless of the dolls’ new styles, they remain a representation of parents’ wishing for their children’s health and good luck.

The coastal city of Katsuura hosts one of the most dazzling Hinamatsuri celebrations, where residents decorate the town with over 30,000 dolls, the country’s largest Dolls’ Day display.

Happy Girls’ Day, Japan!

[9A]

20 December 2020

Remembering Sudan, the last male northern white rhino






Today’s Doodle remembers the last surviving male northern white rhinoceros, Sudan, who was known as an affectionate “gentle giant.” On this day in 2009, Sudan and three other northern white rhinos arrived at their new home in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. Sudan, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 45 [the equivalent of 90 in human years], serves as a cherished symbol of ongoing rhino conservation efforts and a stark reminder of the danger of extinction that so many species face today.

Sudan was born in Shambe, in what is today, South Sudan in 1973 and is believed to be the last northern white rhino born in the wild. In 1976, he was taken to Dvůr Králové Zoo in then Czechoslovakia, where he grew to be 6 feet tall and a whopping 5,000 lbs [roughly the weight of a midsize car] and fathered two daughters.

In 2009, after the northern white rhino was declared extinct in the wild, four rhinos including Sudan, his daughter Najin, and his granddaughter Fatu were transferred back to their native African habitat. Conservationists hoped that the natural Kenyan environment of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy would encourage breeding among the rhinos, but within several years, veterinarians came to the conclusion that natural reproduction would most likely not be possible.

Yet there is still hope, as scientists work to develop in vitro fertilization techniques to save the subspecies from the brink of extinction. For now, Sudan’s legacy rests with Najin and Fatu, the world’s final two northern white rhinoceros.

[9A]

5 July 2020

Hwang Hye-seong's 100th birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the 100th birthday of Korean professor and culinary researcher Hwang Hye-seong. Hwang is widely credited with the preservation and popularization of the traditions of Korean royal cuisine that evolved for hundreds of years under the Joseon Dynasty.

Born on this day in 1920, Hwang Hye-seong attended high school in Fukuoka, Japan before returning to Korea to pursue a career in education. She went on to become a professor of gastronomy and took an interest in the little-studied field of Korean royal court cuisine.

Hwang’s studies brought her to the Nakseonjae complex in Seoul, the home of the last living queen of the Joseon Dynasty. There, she met Han Hui-sun, the only remaining court lady who had worked in the royal kitchen.

Dedicated to the protection of the Joseon traditions against the sands of time, Hwang spent decades learning from Han. She scrupulously documented nearly everything there was to know about the royal culinary practices under the dynasty, from the arrangement of table-setting—a process depicted in today's Doodle—to the terminology used by the royal family. Thanks to Hwang’s efforts, in 1970, the South Korean government named the royal cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty an Important Intangible Cultural Property, and in 1973 Hwang was honored as its official skill holder.

Today, Hwang’s passion has been carried on by her four children, all of whom followed her footsteps into culinary careers.

[9A]

5 July 2016

Carmen Costa’s 96th Birthday




Throughout the years, the voice of Afro-Brazilian singer Carmen Costa has reverberated from radios, record players, boomboxes and more, with songs such as "Está Chegando A Hora," living on as a festival anthem. Beginning her music career in her late teens in the early 1940s, Costa went on to share the stage with some of the most respected samba and bossa nova artists and musicians of the 20th century. She also spent time touring and living in the U.S. where she appeared in film and produced a long list of hit records.

Born in Rio de Janeiro on July 5th 1920, today’s Doodle celebrates what would have been Costa’s 96th birthday.