Google doodles

[9A]

1 February 2016

Celebrating Frederick Douglass




There is scarcely a finer example of the power of education than Frederick Douglass. To celebrate the 198th birthday of one of American history’s most important thinkers, we invited guest artist Richie Pope to illustrate today’s homepage. For historical perspective, we turned to the Gilder Lehman Institute’s curator and director, Sandra Trenholm, who offered this biographical sketch:

Born Frederick Bailey in Maryland in February 1818, Frederick Douglass was the son of an enslaved woman and an unknown white father. His early life was spent on a plantation. However, when Douglass was eight years old, he was sent to Baltimore to work for the family of Hugh and Sophia Auld. In the Auld household, he learned a very valuable and life-changing lesson: education was the key to his freedom.

Sophia Auld had not owned slaves before and treated Douglass with great kindness, taught him the alphabet, and awakened his love of learning. In his autobiographies, Douglass later wrote, “The frequent hearing of my mistress reading the Bible aloud… awakened my curiosity in respect to this mystery of reading, and roused in me the desire to learn.” When Hugh Auld learned of his wife’s activities, he warned that “if you teach him how to read, he’ll want to know how to write, and this accomplished, he’ll be running away with himself.” It was a statement that burned itself into Douglass’s mind. “From that moment, I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom.”

Although Sophia now refused to teach him, Douglass would not be thwarted in his quest for an education. His duties in the Auld household frequently had him running errands in the city. Away from the scrutiny of his masters, he obtained a copy of Noah Webster’s spelling book and made friends with a group of white boys who gave him spelling lessons. At the age of thirteen, he made a little extra money shining boots and bought a copy of the Columbian Orator for fifty cents [just over fourteen dollars now].

At the age of fifteen, Douglass’s legal owner died and he was forced to return to plantation life. He spent the next five years assigned to several harsh masters, and endured severe hunger and beatings. After two unsuccessful attempts, he escaped from slavery in 1838 at the age of twenty and changed his name to Frederick Douglass.

Despite being at great risk of capture as a runaway slave, Douglass spoke about his experiences frequently at anti-slavery meetings. A truly gifted, eloquent, and articulate speaker, Douglass quickly became a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. He published his first autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave, in 1845. His fame attracted slave catchers which prompted him to leave the United States. In 1847, a group of British supporters raised money to purchase his freedom, and Douglass was able to return to the United States a free man. Upon his return, Douglass continued to advocate the abolition of slavery. He also championed equal rights for all Americans, regardless of race or gender. He published two additional autobiographies, founded five newspapers, and served as the US Consul General to Haiti.

At a time when many argued that slaves did not possess the intellectual capacity to be educated, Douglass stood as stark evidence of enslaved people’s potential. Yet despite all he accomplished in his life, Douglass was haunted by the uncertainty of something most people take for granted--the date of his birth. On March 24, 1894, Douglass wrote to Hugh Auld’s son, Benjamin, hoping to find out how old he was:

The principal thing I desired in making the inquiries I have of you was to get some idea of my exact age. I have always been troubled by the thought of having no birth day. My Mistress Lucretia Auld, said that I was eight or nearly eight when I went to Baltimore in the summer of 1825, and this corresponds with what you have heard your kind mother say on the subject. so I now judge that I am now about 77-years old.

Frederick Douglass died a year later, on February 20, 1895, not knowing the date of his birth. It was not until after his death that historians discovered Aaron Anthony’s plantation ledger recording Douglass’s birth year as 1818. The exact date is still unknown.

[9A]

1 February 2019

Celebrating Sojourner Truth




“We have all been thrown down so low that nobody thought we'd ever get up again; but we have been long enough trodden now; we will come up again.”

—Sojourner Truth


Today’s Doodle by Philadelphia-based guest artist Loveis Wise kicks off Black History Month by celebrating Sojourner Truth, a powerful advocate for justice and equality in the United States of America during the 19th century who paved the way for future generations.

Born an enslaved person in Ulster County, New York around 1797, Isabella Baumfree endured the horrors of the American slave trade—as well as seeing her children sold into servitude. Despite the hardships she faced, she went on to win her freedom, changing her name to Sojourner Truth, and starting a new life as a traveling and prominent preacher, abolitionist, and suffragist.

During her advocacy journeys throughout the country, Truth met activists William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass, who encouraged her to speak out against the evils of slavery. She published a memoir in 1850, which earned her widespread acclaim as an author and speaker. She was even invited to meet with Abraham Lincoln in the White House. In her autobiography, Sojourner Truth recounted the day she escaped with her infant daughter, forced to leave her other children behind. With her daughter, she was taken in by Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen, who helped Sojourner Truth sue for the freedom of her five-year-old son Peter, who had been sold illegally by her former slavemaster. This historic lawsuit made her one of the first black women to successfully sue a white man in the U.S. The courthouse where the case was heard is referenced in today’s Doodle.

After her book’s publication, Truth began a lecture tour that included a women’s rights conference in Akron, Ohio, where she delivered the famous “Ain’t I Woman” speech. Although the exact wording of the speech is still debated, her message came through loud and clear: women of any race, color, or creed are as strong and capable as any man.

Truth’s memory and legacy continues to this day. Most recently, the US Treasury announced that she will be featured on the nation’s ten dollar bill along with other suffragists. The design for the new bill will be unveiled in 2020 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.

Here’s to Sojourner Truth, who devoted her life to the cause of speaking truth to power.

[9A]

1 February 2014

Celebrating Harriet Tubman




Harriet Tubman [born Araminta Ross, c. March 1822 – March 10, 1913] was an American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage.

Born enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten and whipped by her various masters as a child. Early in life, she suffered a traumatic head wound when an irate overseer threw a heavy metal weight intending to hit another enslaved person, but hit her instead. The injury caused dizziness, pain, and spells of hypersomnia, which occurred throughout her life. After her injury, Tubman began experiencing strange visions and vivid dreams, which she ascribed to premonitions from God. These experiences, combined with her Methodist upbringing, led her to become devoutly religious.

In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman [[or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger".[3] After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into British North America [[Canada), and helped newly freed enslaved people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry.

When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people. After the war, she retired to the family home on property she had purchased in 1859 in Auburn, New York, where she cared for her aging parents. She was active in the women's suffrage movement until illness overtook her, and she had to be admitted to a home for elderly African Americans that she had helped to establish years earlier. She became an icon of courage and freedom.

[9A]

2 September 2018

Vietnam National Day 2018



Rising from beneath the water to open at dawn, the fragrant lotus seen in today’s Doodle is the national flower of Vietnam. A symbol of hope, the pink and white blossom is also associated with purity—which is woven into Vietnamese culture, medicine, architecture, and cuisine. The traditional Lotus Dance dates back to the 1600s, when it was performed in royal palaces celebrating the birth of Buddha. The archways over Ho Chi Minh City’s Nguyen Hue Boulevard are giant neon lotus flowers, and many Vietnamese dishes include lotus root slices.

In cities and towns all over Vietnam, friends and family get together in celebration of National Day. Parties and festivities occur all over the Southeast Asian country today, with large celebrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The warm summer weather provides an ideal setting for people to enjoy their country’s cultural and natural riches – from food to flowers.

Happy National Day, Vietnam!

[9A]

1 February 2022

Lunar New Year 2022 [South Korea]




Today's Doodle welcomes the Year of the Tiger on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Celebrations begin with family gatherings, traditional food, and an air of anticipation for what's to come. Known in South Korea as Seollal, Lunar New Year typically lasts three days [the day before and after the new year]. Centered around charye—paying respect to elders—the new year is a time to remember a shared heritage and look forward to the future.

Numerous traditional regional dishes are prepared to welcome the new year, such as tteokguk [a rice cake soup]. When consumed, tteokguk represents a person’s lunar calendar birthday. Children especially look forward to this dish, and some even have multiple bowls in hopes they will grow more than they would in a single year! As entertainment for Lunar New Year’s gatherings, many families play games like Yutnori [a board game] and Jegichagi [paper toss]; or Yeonnaligi [kite flying]. Popular games like Go-Stop can get noisy, as it's believed that yelling at cards brings good luck!

Although customs vary across South Korea, everyone can agree that the Seollal is about enjoying delicious food, having fun, honoring ancestors, and being with family in hopes of good fortune for the year to come.

[9A]

1 February 2022

Dr. Sabire Aydemir's 112th Birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the first woman to become a veterinary doctor in Turkey, Dr. Sabire Aydemir. Born on this day in 1910 in Kastamonu, Turkey, Aydemir followed her love for animals to pave her own path in the then-exclusive field of veterinary medicine.

During an era when women were not encouraged to pursue higher education, Aydemir attended the Erenköy Girls’ High School Istanbul in 1933 and set her sights on a career in medicine. She furthered her studies at Ankara University Veterinary Faculty. Despite social challenges, she graduated as Turkey’s first woman veterinarian in 1937.

In turn-of-the-century Turkey, conditions in the field of veterinary medicine were far from comfortable—most vets attended to cattle in the rugged countryside only accessible by horseback. Her career blossomed as a laboratory assistant in bacteriological research—a field in which she soon became an expert. Aydemir spent a lifetime promoting animal health and welfare, retiring as a specialist at the Samsun Atakum’s Veterinary Control Research Institute.

To honor her pioneering achievements, the Turkish government awarded Aydemir with the First Female Veterinarian of the Republic of Turkey plaque in 1984. And in 2016, she was given the Turkish Veterinary Medical Association Honor Award posthumously.

Thank you, Dr. Sabire Aydemir, for inspiring future generations of women!

[9A]

12 February 2021

Lunar New Year 2021 [multiple countries]



Today’s Doodle celebrates the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar—officially starting the Year of the Ox! Lunar New Year, also referred to as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, is a time to honor ancestors and look forward to prosperity in the year ahead.

This Lunar New Year marks the official transition out of the Year of the Rat–believed to be one of constant change–and into the Year of the Ox, which is traditionally associated with things moving at a more slow and steady pace. The ox is the second animal of the Chinese zodiac and symbolizes hard work, positivity, and fertile harvest.

Throughout most of Asia and around the world, the lunar new year is warmly welcomed with traditional foods such as yú [fish], nian gao [new year cake], and tang yuan [sweet rice ball]. Also, as depicted in today’s Doodle artwork, Lunar New Year is often celebrated with lively lion dances. The lion symbolizes power and wisdom, and the spirited dance is performed during numerous Chinese and other Asian cultural and religious festivals to bring good luck and fortune.

So take this year by the horns—here’s to this next lunar cycle being as strong as an ox!

[9A]

12 February 2021

Lunar New Year 2021 [Vietnam]



Today’s Doodle celebrates the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar—officially starting the Year of the Ox! Vietnamese New Year, Tết Nguyên Đán [Tết for short], marks a time to honor ancestors and look forward to prosperity in the year ahead.

This Lunar New Year marks the official transition out of the Year of the Rat–believed to be one of constant change–and into the Year of the Ox, which is traditionally associated with things moving at a more slow and steady pace. The ox is the second animal of the Vietnamese zodiac and symbolizes hard work, positivity, and fertile harvest.

Throughout Vietnam and around the world, the lunar new year is warmly welcomed with traditional foods such as bánh chưng, bánh tét, and mứt [candied fruits]. Alongside special meals, many Vietnamese decorate the outside of their homes as a way to welcome the new year, like buying a cây đào [cherry blossom tree], cây mai [apricot blossom tree], or cây quất [kumquat tree] to symbolize the hope of fertility and fruitfulness in the coming year.

So take this year by the horns—here’s to this next lunar cycle being as strong as an ox!

[9A]

12 Feb 2021

Lunar New Year 2021 [South Korea]





Today’s Doodle celebrates the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar—officially starting the Year of the Ox! Korean New Year, Seollal, marks a time to honor ancestors and look forward to prosperity in the year ahead.

This Lunar New Year marks the official transition out of the Year of the Rat–believed to be one of constant change–and into the Year of the Ox, which is traditionally associated with things moving at a more slow and steady pace. In Korean culture, the ox—symbolizing hard work, positivity, and fertile harvest—holds special significance as one of the animals that appears most frequently throughout the nation’s traditional proverbs.

The lunar new year is warmly welcomed with traditional foods such as tteokguk [[rice cake soup), yakbap [sweet rice], japchae [glass noodle stir fry], and jeon [savory pancake]. Lunar New Year is also sometimes celebrated with talchum [[Korea traditional mask dances), as depicted in today's Doodle artwork. The Eunyul Talchum and Bukcheong Saja Noreums, both recognized as National Intangible Cultural Properties of Korea, are rooted in a folk belief that lions have the power to turn away evil spirits and bring peace.

So take this year by the horns—here’s to this next lunar cycle being as strong as an ox!

[9A]

4 February 2013

Last day of the Canadian Penny




In Canada, a penny is a coin worth one cent, or 1⁄100 of a dollar. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term for the coin is the "one-cent piece", but in practice the terms penny and cent predominate. Penny was likely readily adopted because the previous coinage in Canada [up to 1858] was the British monetary system, where Canada used British pounds, shillings, and pence as coinage alongside U.S. decimal coins and Spanish milled dollars.

Production of the penny ceased in May 2012, and the Royal Canadian Mint ceased distribution of them as of February 4, 2013. However, the coin remains legal tender. Nevertheless, once distribution of the coin ceased, vendors were no longer expected to return pennies as change for cash purchases, and were encouraged to round purchases to the nearest five cents. Non-cash transactions are still denominated to the cent.

[9A]

3 February 2010

Norman Rockwell's 106th Birthday - © 1926 SEPS by Curtis Publishing





Norman Percevel Rockwell [February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978] was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine over nearly five decades. Among the best-known of Rockwell's works are the Willie Gillis series, Rosie the Riveter, The Problem We All Live With, Saying Grace, and the Four Freedoms series. He is also noted for his 64-year relationship with the Boy Scouts of America [BSA], during which he produced covers for their publication Boys' Life, calendars, and other illustrations. These works include popular images that reflect the Scout Oath and Scout Law such as The Scoutmaster, A Scout is Reverent and A Guiding Hand, among many others.

[9A]

3 February 2015

Setsubun 2015





Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan. The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, known as Setsubun; though previously referring to a wider range of possible dates, Setsubun is now typically held on February 3 with the day after – the first day of spring in the old calendar – known as Risshun. Both Setsubun and Risshun are celebrated yearly as part of the Spring Festival in Japan. In its association with the Lunar New Year, Setsubun, though not the official New Year, was thought of as similar in its ritual and cultural associations of 'cleansing' the previous year as the beginning of the new season of spring. Setsubun was accompanied by a number of rituals and traditions held at various levels to drive away the previous year's bad fortunes and evil spirits for the year to come.

The main ritual associated with the observance of Setsubun is mamemaki [ "bean scattering"]; this ritual sees roasted soybeans [known as fukumame [福豆, "fortune beans"]] either thrown out of the front door, or at a member of the family wearing an oni [demon or ogre] mask while shouting "Devils out! Fortune in!", before slamming the door. The beans are thought to symbolically purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them. Then, as part of bringing luck in, it is customary to eat roasted soybeans, one for each year of one's life [kazoedoshi], plus one more for bringing good luck for the year.

[9A]

5 Feb 2015

Gabriel Vargas’ 100th Birthday





Gabriel Bernal Vargas was a Mexican cartoonist, whose comic strip La Familia Burrón was created in 1937. This cartoon has been described as one of the most important in Mexican popular culture. Vargas won Mexico's "Premio Nacional de Periodismo" [National Journalism Prize] in 1983 and the "Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes en el área de Tradiciones Populares" [National Sciences and Arts Prize] in 2003.

[9A]

5 February 2013

64th anniversary of Alberto Larraguibel's record setting Puissance jump






Colonel Alberto Larraguibel Morales was a Chilean Army officer born in Angol, Chile. He remains as the record holder for highest jump, one of the longest-running unbroken sport records in history – 73 years as of 2022.

Then-Captain Larraguibel broke the equestrian high jump record at 2.47 metres [8.1 ft], riding Huaso, formerly called "Faithful", at the Official International Event in Viña del Mar, Chile on February 5, 1949. The Committee of Records[who?] ratified this record on May 28, 1949, and stated that a height of at least 2.49 metres [8.2 ft] must be cleared to beat it.

[9A]

4 Feb 2013

Manuel Alvarez Bravo's 111st Birthday





Manuel Álvarez Bravo was a Mexican artistic photographer and one of the most important figures in 20th century Latin American photography. He was born and raised in Mexico City. While he took art classes at the Academy of San Carlos, his photography is self-taught. His career spanned from the late 1920s to the 1990s with its artistic peak between the 1920s and 1950s. His hallmark as a photographer was to capture images of the ordinary but in ironic or Surrealistic ways. His early work was based on European influences, but he was soon influenced by the Mexican muralism movement and the general cultural and political push at the time to redefine Mexican identity. He rejected the picturesque, employing elements to avoid stereotyping. He had numerous exhibitions of his work, worked in the Mexican cinema and established Fondo Editorial de la Plástica Mexicana publishing house. He won numerous awards for his work, mostly after 1970. His work was recognized by the UNESCO Memory of the World registry in 2017.

[9A]

4 February 2016

Weiberfastnacht 2016



Weiberfastnacht – marks the transition from the meeting to the street carnival on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday . It is also known as Altweiberfasching , Altweiberfastnacht as well as in the Alemannic Fastnacht called Schmotziger Dunschtig .

Common to all the customs of Women's Carnival is that women are granted power for one day. This idea that one day during Shrovetide the women are given the reins has been around since the Middle Ages . At a time when women were subordinate to men in everything and men exercised gender tutelage over women, it was considered a "wrong world" when women were given power. In many places, this women's carnival also developed from the women's booze , where the women were invited to wine by the rulers.

However, a lot of evidence indicates that in the Middle Ages in many places today's Ash Wednesday was the day on which women celebrated their Shrovetide. With the removal of Sundays from Lent and the postponement of Fastnacht to today's date, the Thursday before Ash Wednesday established itself as the day of Women's Fastnacht in the Rhineland all the way under.

Traditionally, the women dressed up and masked themselves as old and ugly women, left the household and children to the men and celebrated among themselves. Out of this tradition, the Möhnenvereine were founded, in which the women no longer make themselves old and ugly, but rather walk in the dress of the middle class woman in the 19th century. The Greesen in Saarland are also dressed in a similar way .

[9A]

3 Feb 2016

Doodle 4 Google 2015 - New Zealand Winner



The 2015 Doodle 4 Google winner for New Zealand is Oliver Lonsdale of Rolleston School, Christchurch. The theme for the competition was, "If I could travel back in time..."

Oliver's Doodle was titled "Amelia the Great." He had this to say about his artwork:

"If I could travel back in time I would go back and see Amelia Earhart. She was the first women to fly the Atlantic Ocean. She vanished in 1937 somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. She set the fastest transcontinental flight in 1933."

Congratulations, Oliver!

[9A]

1 February 2020

60th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-in




In honor of Black History Month, today’s diorama Doodle, created by Compton-based guest artist Karen Collins of the African American Miniature Museum, remembers the Greensboro sit-in on its 60th anniversary. Organized by four Black college freshmen who became known as the “Greensboro Four,” this protest against segregation was a key part of the Civil Rights Movement, sparking a series of similar demonstrations throughout the nation.

Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s nonviolent protests for racial equality, North Carolina A&T State University freshmen Ezell Blair Jr. [a.k.a. Jibreel Khazan], David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil, met at the local Woolworth’s department store in Greensboro, North Carolina on this day in 1960. The group requested service at the “whites-only” lunch counter—a common discriminatory and segregation practice by US businesses and institutions allowed by Jim Crow era laws. Denied service, the four continued to peacefully occupy their seats and refused to leave until the store closed at night.

In the days and weeks that followed, the “Greensboro Four'' were joined by hundreds of other protesters. As the movement grew however, so too did the opposition, who routinely verbally harassed protesters with racial slurs—even resorting to spitting and throwing food at the nonviolent demonstrators. Undaunted, protestors were willing to repeat the sit-ins for as long as necessary, in hopes that the establishment would feel pressured to desegregate.

As a result of the movement’s passion and resilience, Woolworth's fully integrated their dining area on July 25th, 1960. Catalyzing a much larger nonviolent sit-in movement across the country, the protests played a definitive role in the fight for civil rights. In its wake, segregation of public places became illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In recognition of this historic demonstration, the Woolworth’s Department Store in Greensboro is now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, and part of the counter is housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

134 S. Elm Street Greensboro, North Carolina The building in 2008, before opening as the ICRCM A section of the lunch counter now appears in the display of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History.

[9A]

1 February 2014

Celebrating Harriet Tubman




Harriet Tubman [born Araminta Ross, c. March 1822 – March 10, 1913] was an American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage.

Born enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten and whipped by her various masters as a child. Early in life, she suffered a traumatic head wound when an irate overseer threw a heavy metal weight intending to hit another enslaved person, but hit her instead. The injury caused dizziness, pain, and spells of hypersomnia, which occurred throughout her life. After her injury, Tubman began experiencing strange visions and vivid dreams, which she ascribed to premonitions from God. These experiences, combined with her Methodist upbringing, led her to become devoutly religious.

In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman [[or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger". After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into British North America [Canada], and helped newly freed enslaved people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry.

When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people. After the war, she retired to the family home on property she had purchased in 1859 in Auburn, New York, where she cared for her aging parents. She was active in the women's suffrage movement until illness overtook her, and she had to be admitted to a home for elderly African Americans that she had helped to establish years earlier. She became an icon of courage and freedom.

In December 2014, authorization for a national historical park designation was incorporated in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. Despite opposition from some legislators, the bill passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Obama on December 19, 2014. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, authorized by the act, was established on January 10, 2017. In March 2017 the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center was inaugurated in Maryland within Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. The act also created the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland within the authorized boundary of the national monument, while permitting later additional acquisitions. The Harriet Tubman Museum opened in Cape May, New Jersey in 2020.



A statue of Harriet Tubman created by artist Jane DeDecker honors the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The bronze statue depicts Tubman walking and holding the hand of a young boy.

There are several installations of identical copies of the statue, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in Little Rock, Arkansas, in Gainesville, Georgia, and in Mesa, Arizona.

Statue of Harriet Tubman
Artist	Jane DeDecker
Year	2006
Type	bronze
Location	Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
	42°14′26″N 83°36′56″W

Last edited by 9A; Today at 07:37 AM.

[9A]

4 February 2022

Winter Games 2022 begin! [4 Feb]






The competitive critters featured in today’s Doodle have gathered from all over the world under the winter sky to keep their cool and put their opponents on ice. Who will be pouncing on victory and scurrying home an international legend?

Find out over the next two weeks as the Games have officially begun!

[9A]

4 February 2011

Almeida Garrett's Birthday





João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, 1st Viscount of Almeida Garrett was a Portuguese poet, orator, playwright, novelist, journalist, politician, and a peer of the realm. A major promoter of theater in Portugal he is considered the greatest figure of Portuguese Romanticism and a true revolutionary and humanist. He proposed the construction of the D. Maria II National Theatre and the creation of the Conservatory of Dramatic Art.

[9A]

4 Feb 2011

Family Day 2010 [Israel]



In the 1990s, the last day of Shevat was declared Family Day [Hebrew: יום המשפחה] in Israel.

[9A]

4 February 2013

Manuel Alvarez Bravo's 111st Birthday



Manuel Álvarez Bravo was a Mexican artistic photographer and one of the most important figures in 20th century Latin American photography. He was born and raised in Mexico City. While he took art classes at the Academy of San Carlos, his photography is self-taught. His career spanned from the late 1920s to the 1990s with its artistic peak between the 1920s and 1950s. His hallmark as a photographer was to capture images of the ordinary but in ironic or Surrealistic ways. His early work was based on European influences, but he was soon influenced by the Mexican muralism movement and the general cultural and political push at the time to redefine Mexican identity. He rejected the picturesque, employing elements to avoid stereotyping. He had numerous exhibitions of his work, worked in the Mexican cinema and established Fondo Editorial de la Plástica Mexicana publishing house. He won numerous awards for his work, mostly after 1970. His work was recognized by the UNESCO Memory of the World registry in 2017.

[9A]

31 Jan 2013

Jackie Robinson's 94th Birthday




Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball [MLB] in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, it heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored.Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Series championship.

In 1997, MLB retired his uniform number 42 across all major league teams; he was the first professional athlete in any sport to be so honored. MLB also adopted a new annual tradition, "Jackie Robinson Day", for the first time on April 15, 2004, on which every player on every team wears No. 42.

[9A]

31 January 2012

Discovery of the Iguazu Falls




Iguazú Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River rises near the heart of the city of Curitiba. For most of its course, the river flows through Brazil; however, most of the falls are on the Argentine side. Below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the border between Argentina and Brazil.

[9A]

31 January 2014

Lunar New Year 2014 – Korea

[9A]

31 January 2012

Atahualpa Yupanqui's 104th Birthday




Atahualpa Yupanqui was an Argentine singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered the most important Argentine folk musician of the 20th century.

[9A]

31 January 2014

Lunar New Year 2014 – Vietnam

[9A]

9 Feb 2010

Natsume Soseki's Birthday






Natsume Sōseki, was a Japanese novelist. He is best known around the world for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat, Kusamakura and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and writer of haiku, kanshi, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1,000 yen note.

[9A]

8 November 2021

Professor Okoth Okombo's 71st birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Kenya-based guest artist Joe Impressions, celebrates the 71st birthday of acclaimed Kenyan professor and author Okoth Okombo, an eminent researcher of Nilotic linguistics [from the Nile River region] who is widely considered the founder of African sign language studies.

Duncan Okoth Okombo was born on November 8, 1950 in Kaswanga, a village on the remote Kenyan island of Rusinga. As a member of the Suba tribe raised during a time of colonial rule, Okombo witnessed firsthand how the elevation of the English language eroded his ethnic identity by pushing his mother tongue of Omusuba to near extinction. These experiences inspired Okombo’s lifelong mission to preserve indigenous African heritage through academia with a major focus on educating children in their native languages.

While pursuing his linguistics doctorate in 1983, Okombo published Masira ki Ndaki [“Misfortune is Inevitable”] in Dholuo, which is considered one of the first novels published in a Kenyan language. He continued to pass down his expertise as a professor of linguistics and literature at his alma mater of the University of Nairobi, where Okombo founded the Kenyan Sign Language [KSL] Research Project in 1991. This project led to the widespread adoption of KSL across Kenya, allowing the nation’s deaf community to secure new opportunities in society.

For his achievements, the World Federation of the Deaf elected Okombo as its international president from 1992 to 1995. Today, Okombo’s students remember him as a great listener, storyteller, and even a great dancer as his legacy lives on in the ongoing advocacy work of the Kenyan Sign Language Research Project.

Happy birthday, Professor Okombo!

[9A]

8 November 2013

Hermann Rorschach's 129th Birthday






Today we celebrate the 129th birthday of Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach who created the iconic inkblot test. Subjects are presented a pattern and asked to give their interpretation. Interpretations can aid in the examination of a person's personality and emotions.

I took the test; here are my responses:

I see a travel pillow.


I see a space invader. A sad space invader, he wants to move back to Los Angeles because everyone he loves is there.



I see an angry large bear clenching his teeth. He ate too many berries and is having a bad day.



I see a shape dynamically generated with Perlin Noise, mirrored, and overlaid on an inkblot texture using additive blending.

Thanks to Corrie Scalisi for engineering support.

posted by Leon Hong, Doodler

[9A]

8 November 2012

Bram Stoker's 165th Birthday





Bram Stoker created a legendary villain when he penned his 19th century story Dracula. Few other characters have haunted popular culture for generations as much as the eponymous Count Dracula, whose fanged face has long been a staple of haunted houses and Halloween costumes. He's also featured in at least 200 feature films since the dawn of cinema, played by such acclaimed actors as Bela Lugosi in 1931 and Gary Oldman in 1992.

An epistolary novel, Dracula is innovative in that it is a story told through diary entries, transcribed phonograph recordings, dictated essays, scholarly articles, records, reciepts, and news stories. In this way, Stoker paints a vivid picture not only of the horror of Dracula's evil power, but of the fascinating Victorian England which he terrorized.

When I set out to create this doodle, I immersed myself in the source material by reading the thoroughly well-documented annotated edition by Leslie S. Klinger. Klinger's notes served to further contextualize the story, which capitalizes on the strict Victorian moral code to spin a tale that is all the more terrifiying for how thoroughly it deviated from contemporary mores.

I wanted to give a nod to each of the major characters in the story, as it is their collective observations which shape the saga. I invite our users to see if they can identify 7 protagonists, 4 antagonists, and 1 who falls somewhere in-between. For the visual style, I was very much influenced by the works of Edward Gorey and Aubrey Beardsley, whose artwork embodied the debauched Gothic horror that Stoker so skillfully conveyed in his work.

Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino, Doodler

[9A]

6 October 2021

Margaret Fulton's 97th birthday





In 1970s Australian kitchens, no other cookbooks were more common than those authored by beloved Scottish-born Australian food writer and journalist Margaret Fulton. Today’s Doodle celebrates Fulton’s 97th birthday and her legacy of spicing up the Australian palate with international cuisine.

Born on this day in 1924 in Nairn, Scotland, Margaret Fulton emigrated to New South Wales at three years old. At 18, Fulton moved to Sydney in the hope of becoming a dress designer, but after hearing a prediction that the food industry would boom in post-war Australia, she instead pursued a career in cookery. In 1947, Fulton took a position as a cooking teacher for a utility company, where she found her passion for developing easy-to-follow recipes while teaching a class for visually impaired home cooks.

Fulton refined her recipes in the decades that followed while working as a pressure cooker salesperson, advertising executive, and food journalist. In 1968, she published the first of 25 cookbooks titled “The Margaret Fulton Cookbook” which has sold over 1.5 million copies.

Although international fare was already the standard in countless kitchens around the continent, the bulk of the Anglo-Australian populace had retained a relatively simple culinary tradition for decades. Thanks to innovators such as Fulton who were inspired by these cooking traditions, many Australian households broke convention to embrace new ways to feed their families—a powerful cultural phenomenon that contributed to the country’s modern status as a culinary melting pot.

Happy birthday, Margaret Fulton—here’s to your gastronomical impact on the world of food!

Margaret Fulton at the cutting boardPhoto courtesy of Margaret Fulton’s Family


From left: Kate Gibbs; Margaret Fulton, Louise KeatsPhoto courtesy of Margaret Fulton’s Family


Kate Gibbs, Margaret Fulton’s granddaughter with MargaretPhoto courtesy of Margaret Fulton’s Family

[9A]

6 October 2012

Francisco Gabilondo Soler's 105th Birthday



Francisco Gabilondo Soler was a Mexican composer and performer of children's songs. He recorded and performed those songs under the name of Cri-Cri: El Grillito Cantor ["Cri-Cri: The Little Singing Cricket"].

[9A]

6 October 2018

2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games




Let the games begin! Today’s Doodle celebrates the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games, held this year in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Over 200 countries will take part this year, sending thousands of athletes age 15-18 to the summer games.

Described by the International Olympic Committee as “an elite sporting event for young people from all over the world,” the Youth Olympic Games [YOG] are much like the Olympic Games [OG] in many respect. They have a mascot—this year it’s Pandi the teen jaguar, who loves sports and is native to Argentina. The games occur every four years in a different city and country with summer and winter editions. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded for first, second, and third place — this year designed by 18-year-old Farid Husen from Indonesia.

This year kiteboarding and BMX freestyle park will make their debuts, as well as a new version of handball that’s played on the beach. Football [aka soccer] is out, in favor of futsal — an indoor game played on a smaller hard court. This year will also feature mixed gender events as well as mixed National Olympic Committee events, bringing athletes from different countries together on the same team. Athletes are not the only young people who can get involved in YOG. There are also opportunities for Young Reporters, Ambassadors and Athlete Role Models. Besides showing off their athletic skills, participants take part in workshops and other activities designed to expose young people to different cultures and instill the Olympic Values: Friendship, Respect and Excellence as well as Determination, Inspiration, Courage and Equality.

Good luck to all the athletes at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games!

Doodle by Cynthia Yuan Cheng and Vrinda Zaveri

[9A]

6 October 2014

Thor Heyerdahl's 100th Birthday





What would it take to get you to cross the Pacific Ocean in a handmade wooden raft? It didn’t take a lot of persuading for Norwegian explorer and scientist Thor Heyerdahl to do it—in fact, he did it to prove a point. In 1947, Heyerdahl set off on his Kon-Tiki expedition from Peru to French Polynesia to demonstrate that ancient South Americans could have done the same. The jury is still out on Heyerdahl’s conclusion, but we’re grateful for the remarkable story he left behind. Our doodle around the world marks his 100th bir

[9A]

26 June 2020

Olive Morris' 68th birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates British activist Olive Morris on her 68th birthday. Morris is widely recognised as a prominent voice of leadership in the fight against discrimination in Great Britain during the 1970s.

Olive Elaine Morris was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica on this day in 1952 and moved to London before she turned 10. A catalysing moment in Morris’ life of activism occurred when she was just 17, when she witnessed the arrest and beating of a Nigerian diplomat whom police had stopped on the basis of the “sus” laws of the time, similar to today’s “stop-and-search” policies. In response to this injustice, Morris intervened to try to protect the diplomat and prevent the arrest. As a result, she was arrested, held, and physically assaulted. This incident ignited Morris’ determination to take action, and she soon joined the Black Panthers’ Youth Collective to oppose systemic racism within Britain.

Morris took a leadership role in the push toward justice across many areas of society, including fighting for racial equality, gender equality, and squatters’ rights. After heading protests and demonstrations, she helped to found the Brixton Black Women’s Group in 1973, one of Britain’s first networks for Black women.

Despite leaving secondary school with no qualifications, Morris enrolled in 1975 at Manchester University, where she earned a degree in social sciences and fought tirelessly for issues like international students’ rights. She also traveled extensively around the world, from China to Algeria, which greatly informed her approach to activism back home. In 1978, she co-founded the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent, considered instrumental in rallying movements for change.

In honor of Morris’ lifetime of activism, she was selected in 2015 to appear on the Brixton Pound, a currency designed to foster local business within the South London neighborhood she served during her lifetime. Today’s Doodle features Morris’ portrait on a wall in South London, surrounded by the local community the Brixton Pound that featured her was intended to support. Her commitment to fighting for equality and justice continues to inspire today.

[9A]

29 Jun 2020

Celebrating Subak




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Indonesia-based guest artist Hana Augustine, commemorates the culturally significant Indonesian irrigation system called subak, which was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites on this day in 2012. This network of canals, tunnels, and dams has allowed the people of the island of Bali to sustain lush rice paddy fields and live in symbiosis with nature for over a thousand years.

The word subak refers not just to the irrigation infrastructure, but also to the cooperative social tradition that surrounds it. Through this system, a limited water supply is managed peacefully through some 1,200 collectives of individual farmers. Subak is considered to be a reflection of the ancient Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, which loosely translates to “three causes of well-being” and describes the ideal of spiritual, interpersonal, and natural harmony.

Firmly rooted in this ideology passed down through the generations, the traditional subak system has been upheld with unwavering dedication since its formation as early as the 9th century. In turn, Indonesian agriculturists have achieved an egalitarian rule of order that successfully sustains a harmonious balance between the land and the community of farmers that reap its benefits.

The practice of subak has created a majestic and abundant landscape of tiered rice paddy fields that waterfall for hectares, and is an irreplicable phenomenon that fills both the hearts and bellies of the Balinese people.

[9A]

29 June 2016

Edward Koiki Mabo’s 80th birthday




Born on the Australian island of Mer in 1936, Edward Koiki Mabo was an energetic campaigner for the rights of Indigenous people and their claim to the lands declared terra nullius, or belonging to no one, despite the history of its earlier inhabitants. He also set up a health service and a school in Townsville, Queensland where he lived with his wife and their ten children.

The “Mabo Case” triumphed in the courts in 1992 - overturning terra nullius and returning ownership of the islands to the Indigenous people. Although he died shortly before the verdict, his activism changed the lives of so many.

Today’s Doodle is a tribute to Edward Koiki Mabo’s legacy on what would have been his 80th birthday.

[9A]

29 June 2012

José Pablo Moncayo's 100th Birthday





José Pablo Moncayo García was a Mexican pianist, percussionist, music teacher, composer and conductor. "As composer, José Pablo Moncayo represents one of the most important legacies of the Mexican nationalism in art music, after Silvestre Revueltas and Carlos Chávez." He produced some of the masterworks that best symbolize the essence of the national aspirations and contradictions of Mexico in the 20th century.

Moncayo's best-known work continues to be his colorful orchestral fantasy Huapango [1941], but his production also includes many other pieces of a high quality, notwithstanding their lesser fame. Among these are works like Amatzinac for flute and string quartet [1935]; his Symphony [1944]; Sinfonietta [1945]; Homenaje a Cervantes for two oboes and string orchestra [1947]; his opera La Mulata de Córdoba [1948]; Tierra de Temporal [1949]; Muros Verdes for piano solo [1951]; Bosques [1954]; and the ballet Tierra [1956].

[9A]

8 November 2011

Edmond Halley's 355th Birthday





Edmond [or Edmund] Halley was an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist. He was the second Astronomer Royal in Britain, succeeding John Flamsteed in 1720.

From an observatory he constructed on Saint Helena in 1676–77, Halley catalogued the southern celestial hemisphere and recorded a transit of Mercury across the Sun. He realised that a similar transit of Venus could be used to determine the distances between Earth, Venus, and the Sun. Upon his return to England, he was made a fellow of the Royal Society, and with the help of King Charles II, was granted a master's degree from Oxford.

Halley encouraged and helped fund the publication of Isaac Newton's influential Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica [168]. From observations Halley made in September 1682, he used Newton's laws of motion to compute the periodicity of Halley's Comet in his 1705 Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets. It was named after him upon its predicted return in 1758, which he did not live to see.

Beginning in 1698, Halley made sailing expeditions and made observations on the conditions of terrestrial magnetism. In 1718, he discovered the proper motion of the "fixed" stars.

There are three pronunciations of the surname Halley. The most common, both in Great Britain and in the United States, is /ˈhæli/ [rhymes with "valley"]. This is the personal pronunciation used by most Halleys living in London today. The alternative /ˈheɪli/ is often preferred for the man and the comet by those who grew up with rock and roll singer Bill Haley, who called his backing band his "Comets" after the common pronunciation of Halley's Comet in the United States at the time. Colin Ronan, one of Halley's biographers, preferred /ˈhɔːli/. Contemporary accounts spell his name Hailey, Hayley, Haley, Haly, Halley, Hawley and Hawly, and presumably pronunciations varied similarly.

[9A]

8 November 2010

Discovery of X-Rays




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

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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

8 November 2020

Purushottam Laxman Deshpande’s 101st birthday







Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Mumbai-based guest artist Sameer Kulavoor, celebrates the 101st birthday of legendary Indian writer, playwright, musician, composer, actor, director, and philanthropist Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, widely known by his Marathi initials “Pu La.” Renowned for his signature style of joyful humor and satire, Deshpande brought smiles to the faces of countless readers and audiences with his multifaceted contributions to Marathi literature and the performing arts.

Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was born on this day in 1919 in Bombay [now Mumbai], India. He earned a master’s degree and served as a college lecturer before he began to pursue a career in music. A master of the harmonium [also known as the reed organ], he played as an accompanist for acclaimed vocal artists of the day and released his own hit recordings as well. But music was far from Deshpande’s only creative talent, and in the late 1940s, his writing premiered in Bombay magazine.

Throughout a long and varied career, Deshpande produced a prolific collection of writing which included novels, essays, comedy books, travelogues, children’s plays, and one-man stage shows—much of which saw massive popularity, particularly in his home state of Maharashtra. In addition, Deshpande acted in dozens of films, many of which he directed himself.

In the 1990s, Deshpande and his wife established a philanthropic foundation in his name which in the years since has carried on his positive legacy through the promotion of a variety of social and cultural causes.

Happy birthday, P. L. Deshpande, and thank you for sharing your humor and harmony with the people of Maharashtra and beyond.

[9A]

17 May 2018

Alfonso Reyes’ 129th Birthday




Today we wish happy birthday to Alfonso Reyes, one of Mexico’s most distinguished authors.

Born in Monterrey and educated in Mexico City, Reyes studied the works of intellectuals and philosophers before deciding to pursue law. In law school, he wrote La Cena [The Supper], one of the first and most influential pieces of Mexican surrealism. Today’s Doodle puts mirror-like imagery to this tale; La Cena follows a circular narrative, where the action begins and ends at the same time.

After finishing his education, Reyes went on to become a foreign diplomat in France, Spain, Argentina and Brazil. Afterwards, he settled in Spain to dedicate himself to writing and teaching, publishing essays and poetry. He specialized in Greek classic literature and introduced many of these works to Mexico upon his return

Reyes continued to write until the end of his life. His work earned him five nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Feliz cumpleaños, Alfonso Reyes!

Doodle illustrated by Juan Palomino.

[9A]

17 May 2010

Martin Kukucin's 150th Birthday



Martin Kukučín was a Slovak prose writer, dramatist and publicist. He was the most notable representative of Slovak literary realism, and is considered one of the founders of modern Slovak prose.

[9A]

17 May 2015

Norway National Day 2015





Ushered in by marching bands and children’s parades, May 17th celebrates the 1814 signing of Norway’s constitution [2nd oldest in the world!], which announced its singular identity and independence from the Kingdom of Sweden. On this day Norwegians hit the streets dressed in national costumes or their Sunday best.

[9A]

17 May 2017

Norway National Day 2017





Hurray for the red, white and blue! On Norway’s National Day, celebrated today, local children carry tri-color flags and stride with marching bands in school parades, some even passing by Oslo’s royal palace. Buildings are also cloaked in Norwegian flags, while parade-goers wear red, white and blue ribbons or bunad [traditional folk garments]. Music fills the air, with repertoires including songs such as “Norway in Red, White and Blue” and “Seventeenth of May I’m So Glad.” And of course there’s food, glorious food, especially favorite junk food treats like hot dogs and ice cream.


National Day was first established in 1814 to recognize the signing of the Constitution of Norway in Eidsvoll, which made Norway an independent kingdom under Swedish rule. By the 1860s, the day had transformed from a patriotic tribute to a celebration for children, with the first barnetog [[children’s parade) held in Christiania [[Oslo) in 1870. This historic day belongs to Norway’s children.


Colored in the hues of the national flag, our upbeat Doodle cheers on the young Norwegians who make this day such a joyous celebration.

[9A]

28 June 2021

Celebrating Mary Two-Axe Earley





Today’s Doodle, created by Kanien’kehá:ka [Mohawk] guest artist Star Horn, celebrates Mary Two-Axe Earley, a Kanien’kehá:ka [Mohawk] woman from Kahnawà:ke, Mohawk Territory, situated on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from Montreal. Two-Axe Earley fought for over two decades against sex discrimination in the Indian Act, which stripped First Nations women of their Indian status if they married non-Indian men. On this day in 1985—nearly two decades after Mary began her fight against sex discrimination in the Indian Act—the Parliament of Canada passed Bill C-31, an amendment to restore Indian status to women who had lost it through marriage.

Mary Two-Axe Earley was born on October 4, 1911 on the Kahnawà:ke Reserve. At 18, she moved to New York, where she married an Irish-American engineer. Under the provisions of Canada’s Indian Act, her marriage to a non-Indigenous man meant the loss of her Indian status.The Indian Act of 1876 defines who is an “Indian” and who can belong to an “Indian band” [now referred to as First Nations]. The federal government targeted First Nations women, stripping them of their Indian status [their recognition as an Indian] if they married a non-Indian man. These laws banned First Nations women and their children who lost their status from living in their communities, denying them access to critical social programs and voting rights in their community, and severing their ties to identity and culture. Thousands of First Nations women affected by this legislation are still waiting to be recognized by Canada.

In 1967, Two-Axe Earley founded the Equal Rights for Indian Women organization. For decades, she fought for First Nations women’s rights through associations, impassioned speeches, and letter campaigns. Her perseverance, along with other First Nations women, paved the way for the 1985 repeal of Indian Act provisions, which restored Indian status to thousands of First Nations women. One week later, Two-Axe Earley became the first woman to have her Indian status reinstated. The Bill was effective April 17, 1985, but the movement for sex equality continues today.

In addition to an honorary doctorate and a position among the first members of the Order of Quebec, Two-Axe Earley received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 1996 for her lifetime devotion to human rights.

Thank you, Mary Two-Axe Earley, for your unyielding dedication to the rights of First Nations women and their children!

[9A]

28 June 2014

World Cup 2014 #38

[9A]

2 August 2018

Celebrating Mount Olympus




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

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

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

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

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