Google doodles

[9A]

12 May 2021

Ruth de Souza's 100th birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates Brazilian actress Ruth de Souza, who is widely considered one of the first Black theatre actors in the history of Brazil. With performances in theatre, television, and film, Souza cleared the path for future Afro-Brazilian entertainers.

Born on this day in 1921 in Rio De Janeiro, Ruth de Souza aspired to be an actor from a young age. As a teenager, she joined Rio’s Black Experimental Theater, a project founded in 1944 to fight against racial discrimination and open doors for Afro-Brazilian talent in the performing arts.

Cast in 1945 as an Indigenous woman in the play “The Emperor Jones,” Souza became the first Black actor to grace the stage of Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theatre. She made her film debut in 1948, and not even a decade later, the Venice Film Festival nominated Souza for Best Actress for her 1953 performance in “Sinhá Moça” [“The Landowner’s Daughter”]—making her the first Brazilian actress to receive an international award nomination.

In addition to the over 30 films she appeared in both at home and abroad, Souza had a prolific career in television, performing in over 20 soap operas. In 2004, the Gramado Film Festival, one of the largest cinema festivals in Brazil, awarded Best Actress to Souza for her role in the film of the same year: “Filhas Do Vento” [“Daughters of Wind”].

Happy birthday, Ruth de Souza!

[9A]

27 Apr 2021

South Africa Freedom Day 2021





On this day in 1994, South Africa held its first post-apartheid elections, which granted citizens—regardless of their race—an equal opportunity to vote for their national leaders. Today’s Doodle honors this milestone anniversary, recognized annually as South Africa’s Freedom Day, with a depiction of the country’s national flower: the protea.

A symbol of South African identity and diversity, over 330 species of protea are found within national borders. The evolutionary origins of the protea trace back approximately 300 million years, making this ancient genus one of the oldest families of flowering plants found on Earth. Protea iconography is featured across South Africa, from passports to birth certificates, to the 5-rand coin and the name of the national cricket team: the Proteas.

Freedom Day honors all of the progress made since the historic 1994 elections, but today’s observances also remind South Africans of the ways they can continue to unify the great nation in the name of equality.

Happy Freedom Day, South Africa!

[9A]

27 April 2016

Freedom Day 2016





This important day marks the time that South Africa broke long-standing boundaries created by apartheid with its first ever democratic election. On this historic occasion, citizens of all races and backgrounds could finally vote. Freedom Day has become a symbol of peace, unity, and the hard-earned freedom now enjoyed throughout the country.

This year’s doodle is a tribute to the post-apartheid generation, the bright future of South Africa.

[9A]

27 April 2014

South Africa Freedom Day

[9A]

9 January 2012

Luis Coloma's 161st Birthday




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

[9A]

26 January 2017

Bessie Coleman’s 125th Birthday



Bessie Coleman didn’t just chase her dreams – she soared after them.

Born in Texas to a family of 13 children, Coleman walked four miles each day to her segregated, one-room school. She was a proficient reader and excelled in math, and managed to balance her studies while helping her parents harvest cotton. Even from an early age, she had her sights set on something big.

At age 23, Coleman moved to Chicago where she worked two jobs in an effort to save enough money to enroll in aviation school. After working for five years, she moved to Paris to study, as no school in America would admit her due to her race and gender. Just a year later, Coleman became the first female pilot of African-American and Native American descent, and the first to earn an international aviation license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

In order to earn a living, Coleman made a plan to become a stunt pilot and perform for paying audiences. However, she was again denied enrollment in a stunt training program in the US, and in 1922, traveled to Europe where she completed her training in France and Germany.

Returning to the US, Coleman excelled at exhibition flying, performing complex stunts in flight for packed audiences. It was during this time that she acquired the nickname “Queen Bessie.” She was an adept, daring, and beloved pilot, until her untimely death at the age of 34.

Although Coleman didn’t live to fulfill her ultimate dream of starting an aviation school to train people of color, she inspired a generation. As Lieutenant William J. Powell writes, "Because of Bessie Coleman, we have overcome that which was worse than racial barriers. We have overcome the barriers within ourselves and dared to dream.”

Today’s Doodle honors Coleman on what would be her 125th birthday.

[9A]

1 February 2017

Celebrating Edmonia Lewis




Edmonia Lewis wasn’t afraid to reshape convention. As the first woman of African American and Native American heritage to achieve international fame as a sculptor, Lewis is known for incorporating African American and Native American cultural themes into her Neoclassical style sculpture.

Born in New York in 1844 to a father of Afro-Haitian descent and a mother of Mississauga Ojibwe and African American descent, Lewis was adopted by her maternal aunts after her parents’ death when she was nine years old. At age 15, Lewis enrolled in Oberlin College, which is where she became passionate about art. Unfortunately however, her time at Oberlin was fraught with discrimination by many of her peers and the surrounding community. It was due to this that she was prevented from enrolling in her final term, and therefore was unable to receive her degree.

After her time at Oberlin, Lewis moved to Boston in 1864 to pursue a career as a sculptor. She was consistently denied apprenticeship until she met Edward A. Brackett, a sculptor whose clients included some of the most well-known abolitionists of the time. Lewis worked under Brackett until 1864, when she launched her first solo exhibition. Her work paid homage to the abolitionists and Civil War heroes of her day, including John Brown and Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Her work was very well received and with her success, she traveled to Rome, Italy.

In Rome, Lewis joined a circle of expat artists and established her own studio. During this time, Lewis began sculpting in marble, focusing on naturalism and themes relating to African American and Native American people. Her work commanded large sums of money, and she continued to receive international acclaim until her death in 1911.

Today’s Doodle art depicts Lewis sculpting one of her most famous works, The Death of Cleopatra, which is on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Her realistic portrayal of Cleopatra’s death received acclaim from critics, who called it “the most remarkable piece of sculpture in the American section" of the show. The vibrant colors of the Google letters also pay tribute to Lewis’s Native American roots - her Native American name was Wildfire.

Decades later, Lewis’s legacy continues to thrive through her art and the path she helped forge for women and artists of color. Today, we celebrate her and what she stands for – self-expression through art, even in the face of adversity.

Doodle by Sophie Diao

[9A]

1 February 2018

Celebrating Kamala Das




“I speak three languages, write in two, dream in one.”

Today we celebrate poet and author Kamala Das on the the publication date of her autobiography, “My Story,” released in 1976. Das’ life and work had a boldness and shapeshifting quality, whether it was the many genres she wrote in or the various languages in which she expressed herself. She was determined to live life on her own terms, resisting labels such as “feminist” and choosing different names for herself over the course of her life. When she began publishing, she used the pseudonym Madhavikutty; Ami was her pet name; and Suraiyya, the name she gave herself upon her conversion to Islam.

Das originally wrote her autobiography in English, but translated it to Malayalam along the way. The story captures her life from childhood to marriage and beyond, describing the rich inner world of a creative soul. While some found the book to be controversial, including relatives who tried to block it from being published, many readers were enchanted by the lyricism and honesty of her writing.

Through all her transitions and personal reinventions, Das continued to write poetry and prose that was unflinching and passionate. Today’s Doodle by artist Manjit Thapp celebrates the work she left behind, which provides a window into the world of an engrossing woman.

[9A]

1 February 2020

Lelia Gonzalez's 85th birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates Brazilian anthropologist and activist Lélia Gonzalez, widely known as one of the most influential figures of the 20th-century black civil rights and feminist movements of Brazil.

Born in Belo Horizonte on this day in 1935, at a young age Gonzalez moved to Rio de Janeiro and entered a high school that forced her to deny her black-indigenous heritage to be accepted by teachers and white classmates. Experiences such as this inspired Gonzalez to preserve her Afro-Brazilian culture and become the first in her family to pursue higher education. She continued on to earn her PhD in Social Anthropology and started her acclaimed career as a cultural studies professor.

Gonzalez utilized her academic work to advocate against racial and gender discrimination and outside of universities, she was a dedicated activist. In 1978, she co-founded the Unified Black Movement which is considered to be among the most impactful black civil rights organizations in Brazil. Gonzalez began to travel around the world as a representative of the group and spread its message of social justice. She recognized the power of these movements to propagate change and co-founded Brazil’s first women’s rights group, the Nzinga Collective of Women, in 1983.

Gonzalez’s passion to free the world of racism and sexism will be remembered by many generations to come. In honor of her landmark achievements, The United Nations of Brazil named a new building after Lélia Gonzalez in 2015.

[9A]

26 January 2022

26 January 2022




Today’s Doodle recognizes January 26 with a depiction of the Eastern Spinebill, a species of honeyeater recognizable by its long, down-curved bill and energetic flight patterns. From Cooktown in northern Queensland to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, the Eastern Spinebill can be found hastily collecting nectar from flowering trees across forested areas and suburban gardens.

Australia is home to one of the most diverse collections of avian life on the planet. Songbirds, pigeons, and parrots all evolved in the country’s rich ecosystem. Today, there are over 830 native species of birds inhabiting the island continent. From the iconic emu to the elusive night parrot—and of course, the tiny Eastern Spinebill—Australia’s unique avian population makes it a paradise for bird lovers.

So if you spot an Eastern Spinebill darting between trees or hear its signature piping whistle, take a moment and appreciate the bird song!

[9A]

27 January 2014

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's 200th Birthday





Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. His major restoration projects included Notre-Dame de Paris, the Basilica of Saint Denis, Mont Saint-Michel, Sainte-Chapelle, and the medieval walls of the city of Carcassonne, and he planned much of the physical construction of the Statue of Liberty [Liberty Enlightening the World]. His later writings on the relationship between form and function in architecture had a notable influence on a new generation of architects, including Victor Horta, Hector Guimard, Antoni Gaudí, Hendrik Petrus Berlage, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.

[9A]

26 November 2020

Frank Bailey's 95th birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by West Yorkshire-based guest artist Nicole Miles, celebrates Guyanese-British firefighter and social worker Frank Bailey, who is widely considered the first Black firefighter of post-war London. Among his pioneering accomplishments in the name of diversity and inclusion, Bailey is also credited as one of the first Black social workers specializing in mental health in London’s Kensington and Chelsea borough.

Frank Arthur Bailey was born on this day in 1925 in British Guiana [now Guyana], South America. He attended local schools and then took a job on a German trade ship, which brought him to New York. There he found work in a hospital where he staged a walkout in protest of the institution’s separate dining rooms for different types of employees. The subsequent integration of the dining facilities proved just one of Bailey’s many successful challenges to an unequal status quo.

Bailey moved to London in 1953 and caught wind that Black people were not being hired by the city’s fire service. Not one to stand idly by in the face of injustice, Bailey applied to join the West Ham Fire Brigade and made history when he was accepted into service. A lifelong advocate for workers’ rights, Bailey became a union branch representative before the repeated denial of promotions pushed him to leave his post in 1965.

Bailey then transitioned into social work and became the first Black legal advisor for Black youths at Marylebone Magistrates Court.

Happy Birthday, Frank Bailey. Your actions continue to encourage others to never give up in the fight for equality for all.

[9A]

9 February 2022

Celebrating Toni Stone




In honor of U.S. Black History Month, today’s Doodle illustrated by San Francisco, CA-based guest artist Monique Wray celebrates athlete Marcenia “Toni” Stone, who overcame both gender and racial discrimination to become the first woman in history to play professional baseball as a regular in a men’s major baseball league. On this day in 2021, Stone was inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.

Marcenia Lyle Stone was born in 1921 in Bluefield, West Virginia during an era of pronounced racial segregation in American sports. In 1931, Stone moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she developed her remarkable athleticism in the city’s public playgrounds and baseball fields. By just 15, the all-male semi-pro Twin Cities Colored Giants broke gender convention by bringing Stone onto its roster. In 1946, Stone went to bat with the San Francisco Sea Lions, marking the start of her illustrious professional career.

Her exceptional batting average of .280 earned her a spot on the bench with the Negro League All-Star team while she continued to travel across the United States playing second base for the minor league New Orleans Creoles. In 1953, Stone filled the spot of future Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron as the second baseman for the Indianapolis Clowns, one of the League’s most prestigious teams. Undeterred by taunts during her debut season with the Clowns, Stone hit a single off of Satchel Paige, who is widely considered the greatest pitcher in Negro League history.

Stone played alongside legendary players such as Jackie Robinson throughout her career before retiring from professional baseball in 1954 as a legend. In 1990, March 6 was declared “Toni Stone Day” in her adopted hometown of St. Paul, where future generations of baseball players practice under the lights of Toni Stone Field. She has been honored by several exhibitions in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1993, was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Here’s to you, Toni Stone—thanks for showing the world what determination and unstoppable love for the game can achieve!

[9A]

30 November 2021

Janaína Dutra's 61st birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates Brazilian social activist and lawyer Janaína Dutra, a leader of the Brazilian LGBTQIA+ movement who is widely considered the nation’s first transgender person to practice law.

Janaína Dutra was born on this day in 1960 in the Canindé district of Brazil’s northern Ceará state. By age 14, she began facing homophobic discrimination, but the support of her large family never faltered. She followed her sister to Fortaleza, where Dutra took her first steps toward a life devoted to advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community. In 1986, Dutra earned her law degree from the University of Fortaleza, making history as the first transgender graduate accepted as a member of the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil [Brazilian National Bar Association].

Throughout the 1980s, Dutra furthered her career by developing Brazil’s first HIV prevention campaign that focused on the transgender community in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Dutra also contributed to the foundation of the Grupo de Resistência Asa Branca [White Wing Resistance Group] and served as the first president of the Associação de Travestis do Ceará [ATRAC - Ceará Transvestites’ Association]—a landmark non-profit organization focused on developing social and legal support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Known to always carry a copy of an anti-homophobia law passed by her hometown, Dutra spent a lifetime attending conferences, seminars, and round tables to advocate for equality. In 2011, the Janaína Dutra LGBT Reference Center was founded in Fortaleza, which carries on Dutra’s mission by protecting human rights for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to this day.

[9A]

30 November 2016

Jagadish Chandra Bose’s 158th Birthday




Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose was a master of scientific achievement with numerous accomplishments in various fields. Born in Bangladesh in 1858, Bose was to become known not only for his work in biophysics, but also his innovation in the world of radio and microwave sciences, ultimately inventing an early version of wireless telecommunication. As a testament to his numerous contributions to the field, a moon crater was named in his honor.

Bose’s investigations into nature included the invention of the crescograph – an instrument that measures movement and growth in plant life by magnifying it 10,000 times. He went on to demonstrate the similarities between animals and plants, particularly when it came to reactions to different environmental, electrical, and chemical influences.

Today’s Doodle features Bose and his invention in action on what would be his 158th birthday.

[9A]

1 Dec 2016

30th Anniversary of Film “Kin-Dza-Dza!”





Kin-Dza-Dza! is a 1986 Soviet sci-fi cult dystopian comedy, created by Mosfilm, the oldest film studio in Europe. A construction worker and a student push the wrong button on an unidentifiable device and end up on an obscure and advanced telepathic planet called Pluke where a series of strange and hilarious events unfold. The lives, philosophies and social structures of those who inhabit this distant planet are explored and paralleled to life here on earth in an unusually entertaining and thought-provoking manner.

Because the Plukanians are inherently telepathic, they only speak a few actual words—ky [pronounced “koo”] and kyu, which is a swear word. One of the fun plot details that permeate the film is that the material used in making the heads of regular matches serves as currency on the planet.

For the 30th anniversary of Kin-Dza-Dza, today’s Doodle depicts the most famous scene from the film where the main characters, Bi and Uef, are squatting and chanting a resounding “ku!”

[9A]

7 Dec 2016

340th Anniversary of the Determination of the Speed of Light





While working in the Royal Observatory in Paris in 1667, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer discovered that the speed at which light travels could be measured. His theory built on earlier ideas by Galileo, and the observance of how the timings between Jupiter’s moon eclipses changed depending on its distance from the Earth. His theories gained support from other great scientific minds of the time, including Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley.

Rømer also made significant contributions to Copenhagen, where he spent his later years, having introduced oil lamp street lighting and proper sewers to the city. Another achievement includes the invention of the mercury thermometer in 1709, which was said to have inspired Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit to invent the temperature scale still in use today.

Today’s Doodle shows Rømer hard at work in his observatory 340 years ago.

[9A]

11 Dec 2014

Annie Jump Cannon's 151st Birthday






American astronomer Annie Jump Cannon spent her life studying the night sky. Today our homepage in the U.S. is gazing at the stars Cannon loved so much for her 151st birthday. A pioneer in astronomy, Cannon developed the Harvard Classification Scheme with Edward C. Pickering, which organized and categorized stars based on their temperatures.

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11 December 2010

Carlos Gardel's Birthday




Carlos Gardel [born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935] was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential interpreters of world popular music in the first half of the 20th century. Gardel is the most famous popular tango singer of all time and is recognized throughout the world. He was notable for his baritone voice and the dramatic phrasing of his lyrics. Together with lyricist and long-time collaborator Alfredo Le Pera, Gardel wrote several classic tangos.

Gardel died in an airplane crash at the height of his career, becoming an archetypal tragic hero mourned throughout Latin America. For many, Gardel embodies the soul of the tango style. He is commonly referred to as "Carlitos", "El Zorzal" ["The Song thrush"], "The King of Tango", "El Mago" [The Wizard], "El Morocho del Abasto" [The Brunette boy from Abasto], and ironically "El Mudo" [The Mute].

[9A]

11 December 2009

Naguib Mahfouz's Birthday




Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. Mahfouz is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature, along with Taha Hussein, to explore themes of existentialis. He is the only Egyptian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. He published 35 novels, over 350 short stories, 26 movie scripts, hundreds of op-ed columns for Egyptian newspapers, and seven plays over a 70-year career, from the 1930s until 2004. All of his novels take place in Egypt, and always mentions the lane, which equals the world. His most famous works include The Trilogy and Children of Gebelawi. Many of Mahfouz's works have been made into Egyptian and foreign films; no Arab writer exceeds Mahfouz in number of works that have been adapted for cinema and television. While Mahfouz's literature is classified as realist literature, existential themes appear in it.

[9A]

22 September 2004

Ray Charles' 74th Birthday





Ray Charles Robinson Sr. [September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004] was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers ever, and he was often referred to as “The Genius”. Among friends and fellow musicians he preferred being called "Brother Ray". Charles was blinded during childhood, possibly due to glaucoma.

Charles pioneered the soul music genre during the 1950s by combining blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles into the music he recorded for Atlantic. He contributed to the integration of country music, rhythm and blues, and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, notably with his two Modern Sounds albums. While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.

Charles's 1960 hit "Georgia On My Mind" was the first of his three career No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. His 1962 album Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music became his first album to top the Billboard 200. Charles had multiple singles reach the Top 40 on various Billboard charts: 44 on the US R&B singles chart, 11 on the Hot 100 singles chart, 2 on the Hot Country singles charts.

Charles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by Louis Jordan and Charles Brown. He had a lifelong friendship and occasional partnership with Quincy Jones. Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles "the only true genius in show business," although Charles downplayed this notion. Billy Joel said, "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley".

For his musical contributions, Charles received the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, and the Polar Music Prize. He was one of the inaugural inductees at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. He has won 18 Grammy Awards [5 posthumously], the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, and 10 of his recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked Charles No. 10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and No. 2 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2022, he will be inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Ray Charles
Charles in the 1960s

[9A]

12 February 2019

Celebrating Jacques Plante





Born in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Jacques Plante, aka “Jake the Snake,” was a record-setting French-Canadian hockey player who fell in love with the game early. Called up from the minor leagues to the Montreal Canadiens on this day in 1954, Plante soon became the starting goalie, helping the Canadiens achieve one of the most dominant runs in the history of the sport.

A pioneer of modern goaltending, Plante introduced a free-roaming style, often skating behind the net to help his defense control the puck. But it was an unfortunate incident that inspired perhaps his most important contribution to the sport.

In November 1959, he was hit in the face three minutes into a game against the New York Rangers. After being stitched up, Plante returned wearing a fiberglass mask that he used in practice.

“When I first put on the mask, the boys all told me I would scare the women,” Plante once joked. “If I went on the way I was going, pretty soon my face would look worse than the mask.”

Ignoring his coach’s objections, Plante continued wearing his mask for the rest of his NHL career - becoming the first goalie to regularly wear a protective mask during games. Other goalies soon followed suit.

The only NHL goalie to ever win five Stanley Cups in a row, Plante won the NHL's Vezina Trophy — awarded to the NHL’s best goalkeeper — seven times during his career. He also won the Hart Trophy for being the league’s most valuable player. In 1978, three years after his retirement, Plante was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

His legacy lives on through his book, On Goaltending, which broke down his innovations in detail, leaving a lasting impact on the game he loved.

[9A]

8 February 2019

65th Anniversary of the Quebec Winter Carnival





What better way to liven up Canada’s coldest season than to host a big celebration amidst the snowfall and subzero temperatures? The tradition of winter festivals dates back to the 17th-century colonies known as New France, but the first organized carnivals in modern times occurred 125 years ago in Québec City, setting the blueprint for more than a century of frosty fun.

The Québec Winter Carnival, which became an annual tradition starting in 1954, is also the oldest of the festivals held across Canada to relieve the routine of short days and chilly nights. Frank Carrel, proprietor and managing editor of the Quebec Daily Telegraph, devised the Carnival as a way to raise spirits during the winter season. Erecting an ice palace in front of the Parliament building, the Carnaval de Québec also featured a parade, concerts, sporting competitions, and a number of other activities across the city.

Now attended by more than half a million people each year, the carnival has its own official representative named Bonhomme, a large snowman who always wears a red cap, black buttons, and a ceinture fléchée, or “arrowed sash.” He lords over his own ice palace and leads a night parade along Grande Allée, which is decorated with lights and ice sculptures.

Over the years the carnival soundtrack has evolved from polkas and waltzes to rock and dance music. Today, the 65th anniversary of the Québec Winter Carnival kicks off and children throughout the city can be seen enjoying the snowy celebrations while paying homage to their favourite snowman —a scene depicted in today’s Doodle by Canadian-born, New-York-based guest artist Randeep Katari. Other festivities include the annual ice canoe race on the St. Lawrence River, axe throwing, and—for the truly intrepid—the Snow Bath, a rare convergence of snowdrifts and swimming trunks.

Joyeux Carnaval!

[9A]

8 February 2016

Lunar New Year 2016




Happy Lunar New Year!

Lunar New Year is celebrated in many countries such as China, Korea, Mongolia, and Vietnam. Though not officially used in the United States, the lunar calendar plays an important role in global timekeeping.

The calendar is marked by the Shēngxiào or Chinese Zodiac, which is used to predict health, wealth, and compatibility. You've probably heard of the animal designations prescribed to various years: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, pig or dog. Each year is also associated with one of five fixed elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, or water.

2016 is the year of the Fire Monkey, which is the 9th in the 12 year cycle of the zodiac. The monkey sign represents quick-wittedness and smarts, and people born under it are thought to be adaptable and flexible in their thinking.

For today, Doodler Alyssa Winans illustrated a family of monkeys in the traditional fiery red which matches the lucky envelopes families give and receive on Lunar New Year — and the explosions of the firecrackers.

[9A]

8 February 2016

Lunar New Year 2016 [Vietnam]





The celebration of Lunar New Year in Vietnam, known as Tết, often spans several days. Following the new moon, the streets are thick with the crackle of firecrackers and cry of various percussion instruments to chase away nefarious spirits and welcome happiness and opportunity. This time is also reserved for visiting with family, friends, and teachers, and spreading the joy and hope of a fresh new year.

[9A]

8 February 2005

Lunar New Year 2005 - China





Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Chinese and other East and Southeast Asian cultures, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival as the spring season in the lunisolar calendar traditionally starts with lichun, the first of the twenty-four solar terms which the festival celebrates around the time of the Chinese New Year. Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season, observances traditionally take place from New Year’s Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February.

Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, and has strongly influenced Lunar New Year celebrations of its 56 ethnic groups, such as the Losar of Tibet, and of China's neighbours, including the Korean New Year, and the Tết of Vietnam, as well as in Okinawa. It is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries that houses significant Overseas Chinese or Sinophone populations, especially in Southeast Asia. These include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is also prominent beyond Asia, especially in Australia, Canada, Mauritius, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as various European countries.

The Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the New Year vary widely, and the evening preceding the New Year's Day is frequently regarded as an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows and doors with red paper-cuts and couplets. Popular themes among these paper-cuts and couplets include good fortune or happiness, wealth, and longevity. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes.

[9A]

14 February 2010

Lunar New Year 2010 - Multiple Countries

[9A]

13 Feb 2010

2010 Vancouver Olympic Games - Snowboarding





Snowboarding is a sport at the Winter Olympic Games. It was first included in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Snowboarding was one of five new sports or disciplines added to the Winter Olympic program between 1992 and 2002, and was the only one not to have been a previous medal or demonstration event.

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13 February 2006

2006 Torino Olympic Games - Snowboarding

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15 February 2002

Winter Olympics 2002 - Freestyle Skiing




The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002, was an international winter multi-sport event that was held from February 8 to 24, 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

[9A]

15 February 2007

Fat Thursday 2007




Fat Thursday is a traditional Christian feast marking the last Thursday before Lent and is associated with the celebration of Carnival. Because Lent is a time of fasting, the days leading up to Ash Wednesday provide the last opportunity for feasting [including simply eating forbidden items] until Easter. Traditionally it is a day dedicated to eating, when people meet in their homes or cafés with their friends and relatives and eat large quantities of sweets, cakes and other meals usually not eaten during Lent. Among the most popular all-national dishes served on that day are pączki in Poland or berliner, fist-sized donuts filled with rose hip jam, and angel wings [faworki], French dough fingers served with powdered sugar.

[9A]

15 February 2011

Ernest Shackleton's Birthday



Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton CVO OBE FRGS FRSGS [15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922] was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Born in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland, Shackleton and his Anglo-Irish family moved to Sydenham in suburban south London when he was ten. Shackleton's first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition of 1901–1904, from which he was sent home early on health grounds, after he and his companions Scott and Edward Adrian Wilson set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82°S. During the Nimrod expedition of 1907–1909, he and three companions established a new record Farthest South latitude at 88°S, only 97 geographical miles [112 statute miles or 180 kilometres] from the South Pole, the largest advance to the pole in exploration history. Also, members of his team climbed Mount Erebus, the most active Antarctic volcano. For these achievements, Shackleton was knighted by King Edward VII on his return home.

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23 Feb 2011

Oslo 2011 Holmenkollen



Holmenkollen is a mountain and a neighbourhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It goes up to 500 metres [1,600 ft] above sea level and is well-known for its international skiing competitions.

In addition to being a residential area, the area has been a ski recreation area since the late 19th century, with its famous ski jumping hill, the Holmenkollbakken, hosting competitions since 1892. To the north, the area borders to the woodlands area Marka.

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23 February 2010

2010 Vancouver Olympic Games - Freestyle Skiing

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27 Feb 2010

2010 Vancouver Olympic Games - Speed Skating

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27 February 2016

Dominican Republic National Day 2016




Happy Dominican Republic Independence Day! Today's Doodle shows the Bayahibe Rose, the national flower of the Dominican Republic. The scientific name is Pereskia quisqueya, in honor of Quisqueya: a reference to the beautiful region where the rose originates. By any name, this rose is pretty sweet: it's one of the only species of cacti with leaves. It was discovered in 1977 and declared a new species three years later. The rose's brilliant color and originality match today's Independence Day celebrations in the Dominican Republic.

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27 February 2012

Dominican Republic Independence Day 2012

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27 February 2017

Dominican Republic National Day 2017



Today's Doodle marks the 173rd anniversary of the Dominican Republic's independence with a depiction of one of its most majestic natural features, Los Haitises National Park. The park is a unique piece of Dominican heritage; the convergence of San Lorenzo Bay, forests of mangroves, and birds like pelicans and parrots.

Every year, the Dominican Republic celebrates Carnival for the entire month of February — but none compare to the independence day celebrations at the end of the month. On this day, people don white, red, and blue to honor the colors of the national flag. They parade down the streets, celebrate the richness of Dominican culture, and eat traditional dishes like bacalao, or flaked codfish, and mangú, a mashed plantain dish.

Happy Independence Day, Dominican Republic!

[9A]

15 October 2012

107th Anniversary of Little Nemo in Slumberland



A true pioneer and master draftsman, Winsor McCay is an artist and visionary. As a storyteller, his imagination reaches beyond the confines of reality and even the technology of his time.

Among his most famous works is his weekly comic strip "Little Nemo in Slumberland." This series follows the journeys of Nemo through a fantastic dreamworld. Nightly, he finds himself thrown into a topsy turvy, overgrown, and colorful mess that often leaves him tumbling out of bed. McCay's mastery of perspective, bold use of color, and sheer creativeness yield a series that is visually stunning and immersive. Though not popular in its time, "Little Nemo in Slumberland" became celebrated in the mid 20th century. Since its "rediscovery," the comic has inspired artists, feature animated films, and operas. Original pages have also drawn attention at the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

If drawing painfully intricate comic strips every week isn't enough, McCay is also a pioneer in animation. His short film, "Gertie the Dinosaur" is regarded to have the first character designed for animation with a unique personality. His groundbreaking achievements in animation, art, and storytelling make McCay a perfect candidate for a doodle.

Paying tribute to such a creative giant and body of work, however, is intimidating for any artist. "Little Nemo in Slumberland" is an undertaking in itself, but the doodlers and I wanted to approach this doodle as McCay might have. What if McCay composed a Nemo comic for the internet? What if he had Google engineers to back his creativity? We may never know how far he would have pushed the resources and technology available today, but his work will continue to inspire generations of dreamers.

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14 October 2020

Celebrating Claudia Jones



Today’s Doodle commemorates Trinidad-born activist, feminist, journalist, orator, and community organizer Claudia Jones. Among her groundbreaking accomplishments, Jones founded and served as the editor-in-chief for the West Indian Gazette and Afro-Asian Caribbean News—Britain’s first, major Black newspaper. Through its global news coverage, the Gazette aimed to unify the Black community in the worldwide battle against discrimination. The publication also provided a platform for Jones to organize Britain’s first Caribbean carnival in 1959, which is widely credited as the precursor to today’s annual celebration of Caribbean culture known as the Notting Hill Carnival. On this day in 2008, Jones was honored with a Great British Stamp in the “Women of Distinction” series to commemorate her lifetime of pioneering activism.

Claudia Jones was born Claudia Vera Cumberbatch on February 21, 1915 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. At 8 years old, she moved with her family to New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. Passionate about writing, Jones contributed to and led a variety of communist publications as a young adult, and she spent much of her adulthood as an active member of the Communist Party USA.

Throughout her life, Jones tirelessly championed issues like civil rights, gender equality, and decolonization through journalism, community organization, and public speaking. She focused much of her work on the liberation of Black women everywhere from the discrimination they faced due to a combination of classism, racism, and sexism.

Jones’ political activity led to multiple imprisonments and ultimately her deportation to the U.K. in 1955, but she refused to be deterred. Beginning a new chapter of her life in Britain, she turned particular attention to the issues facing London’s West Indian immigrant community. In an effort to counteract racial tensions, she inaugurated an annual Caribbean carnival, whose spirit lives on today as a symbol of community and inclusion.

Thank you, Claudia Jones, for your lifelong commitment to a more equitable world.

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14 October 2014

Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin's 135th Birthday






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

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23 February 2020

Ca Trù's Founder Commemoration Day 2020





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

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

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

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

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

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23 February 2017

Seven Earth-Size Exoplanets Discovered!



This just in! Turns out it wasn’t just dust on the telescope lens: NASA just announced the discovery of seven earth-size planets orbiting the same star only 235 trillion miles away. In space terms, that practically makes us next-door neighbors!

This artist's concept shows what each of the TRAPPIST-1 planets may look like. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

What exactly does this new solar system TRAPPIST-1 mean for our universe? Well, three of these newly discovered planets land smack-dab in the middle of what scientists call the habitable zone, or the distance from the star it orbits “where a rocky planet is most likely to have liquid water.” Though scientists have some serious studying to do before we can definitively say whether any of the new TRAPPIST-1 planets are habitable, the potential is very promising.

So if three of these new TRAPPIST-1 planets land in the habitable zone, what about the other four? According to NASA, all seven planets could have liquid water, the most crucial ingredient for life -- assuming the right atmospheric conditions.

Unlike our solar system, the planets in TRAPPIST-1 are very close together. If we’re able to visit one of the TRAPPIST-1 planets one day, we could be able to watch each neighboring planet pass by on its orbital journey! Until then, you can explore TRAPPIST-1 d, the third planet in the TRAPPIST-1 solar system in 3D using your computer or mobile device. If you have a virtual reality device, you can also take a stroll around.

Happy solar-searching!

An artist's fantasy of the surface of TRAPPIST-1e. Credit: NASA

We don’t know about you, but we’re hoping to spend our next vacation luxuriating by the cosmic pool. At least that's where you'll find Nate Swinehart, the artist for today's star-studded Doodle.

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9 Feb 2017

Carmen Miranda's 108th Birthday




Carmen Miranda is a rare example of a triple threat: talented at acting, singing, and dancing. Born in Portugal and raised in Brazil, Miranda took to the performing arts at a young age. Her father's love of opera and her mother's support led her to pursue a career in show business. Inspired by baianas, Afro-Brazilian fruit vendors, Miranda donned a "fruit hat" when she performed. It would become her signature as her star soared, first in Brazil and then, worldwide.

Miranda’s big break happened following her performance at the National Institute of Music. She landed an audition at a recording studio where she was immediately signed to put out a single. Miranda’s first album was released in 1929, and was immensely popular among Brazilians. Her performing style helped samba gain respect and a place in the Brazilian [and later, the world] spotlight.

By the time she moved to the United States in 1939, Miranda was a national star in Brazil and had the power to ensure her band could travel with her. Hollywood's famous Garuman's Chinese Theatre invited her to leave her hand prints in the cement in 1941, the first Latin American to do so.

Today, we celebrate Carmen Miranda on what would be her 108th birthday.


Doodle by Sophie Diao

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9 February 2022

150th anniversary of the State Historical Museum




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Russian-guest artist Toma Vagner, celebrates the State Historical Museum, one of the most important repositories of the nation’s centuries-long culture and history. Established in Moscow 150 years ago today with the mission of both commemorating Russian history and archiving its cultural development, the storied museum holds artifacts from antiquity to the start of the 20th century.

The museum’s 39 halls include relics such as an excavated longboat; Scythian gold artifacts; glass and ceramic masterpieces; belongings of Tsars such as Ivan IV the Terrible and Peter I; and the birch bark manuscripts of Novgorod, Russia’s first city. In total, there are an estimated 4.5 million pieces of Russian history and culture showcased in various themed exhibitions, including the largest collections of coins in Russia. A comprehensive genealogical tree of Russian rulers, accompanied by their portraits, is one of the museum’s centerpieces.

From 1986 to 1997, the giant crimson museum was restored, allowing visitors a glimpse into the building’s former grandeur of the late 1800s. Its permanent collection includes rare artifacts found nowhere else in Russia such as maps, iconography, engravings, early printed books, ancient textiles, and masterful works of art—all of which tell the nation’s story to each guest who walks its halls.

Happy 150th Anniversary, State Historical Museum!

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9 February 2009

Lantern Festival 2009 [China]

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9 February 2013

Barranquilla Carnival






The Carnival of Barranquilla [Spanish: Carnaval de Barranquilla] is one of Colombia's most important folkloric celebrations, and one of the biggest carnivals in the world. The carnival has traditions that date back to the 19th century. Four days before Holy Week, Barranquilla decks itself out to receive national and foreign tourists and joins together with the city's inhabitants to enjoy four days of intense festivities. During the carnival, Barranquilla's normal activities are put aside as the city gets busy with street dances, musical and masquerade parades. The Carnival Of Barranquilla includes dances such as the Spanish paloteo, African Congo, and indigenous mico y micas. Many styles of Colombian music are also performed, most prominently cumbia, and instruments include drums and wind ensembles. The Carnival of Barranquilla was proclaimed a Cultural Masterpiece of the Nation by Colombia's National Congress in 2002. Also the UNESCO, in Paris on November 7, 2003, declared it one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, and it was during Olga Lucia Rodriquez Carnival Queen year.


The Carnival starts on the Saturday before the Ash Wednesday with the Battle of the Flowers [La Batalla de Flores], which is considered one of the main activities. Then, The Great Parade [La Gran Parada] on Sunday and Monday is marked by an Orchestra Festival with Caribbean and Latin bands. Tuesday signals the end of the carnival, announced by the burial of Joselito Carnaval, who is mourned by everyone.

Barranquilla's Carnival slogan is: Those who live it are those who enjoy it [Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza].

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10 Feb 2013

Lunar New Year 2013 - Vietnam

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11 February 2021

Fredy Hirsch's 105th birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 105th birthday of German-Jewish educator and athlete Fredy Hirsch. Known for his charismatic spirit and commitment in supporting children, Hirsch helped save Jewish youth during World War II and enriched their lives with the arts.

Alfred “Fredy” Hirsch was born on this day in 1916 in Aachen, Germany, where he started his career as a teacher at several Jewish youth organizations and sports associations. He was openly gay at a time when queer people were being prosecuted by the growing Nazi party. In an effort to escape, Hirsch sought refuge in Czechoslovakia, until the Nazi regime invaded the country and deported him to the Terezin Ghetto and later Auschwitz in 1943.

Against all odds, Hirsch continued teaching at Auschwitz and set up a children’s daycare. He did everything in his power to give hope to the youth in his block—organizing concerts, encouraging children to paint scenes from fairy tales, and even salvaging tin cans to help children create sculptures. Many of the children that Hirsch taught credit him for sparking their creative pursuits, like Zuzana Růžičková who survived Auschwitz and later became one of the world’s greatest harpsichordists.

On February 11, 2016, in commemoration of Hirsch’s 100th birthday, the high school he attended in Aachen renamed its gymnasium and cafeteria in his honor. Today, these buildings stand as testaments to his unbreakable spirit and carry forward his legacy of improving the lives of young people.

Happy birthday, Fredy Hirsch. Here’s to an indomitable hero who reminds the world to push forth with courage and optimism, even during the most trying of times.

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11 February 2011

Thomas Edison's Birthday





As celebrators of all things and persons innovative, it doesn't get much more "well duh!" as doing a doodle for Thomas Edison, inventor and patent-holder of many things! Among those things, of course, is the first commercially produced light bulb, and a form of the telegraph machine [fun fact: this one types out "G" in morse code].

posted by Mike Dutton