Google doodles

[9A]

24 August 2010

Ukraine Independence Day 2010

[9A]

24 August 2017

Ukraine Independence Day 2017




Today’s Doodle honors Ukraine’s independence day with a colorful celebration of its people. It’s drawn in shades of blue and yellow, Ukraine's national colors, meant to evoke the country's golden wheat fields and blue skies.

Home to nearly 130 different nationalities, Ukraine’s diverse population is represented in each unique letter. Guest artist Sergiy Maidukov says the image is meant to invoke happiness and show different people from across the country working together toward “freedom, peace and respect for each other.” He considers Ukraine’s diversity “a reason to be proud, to meet each other, learn about each other, sing and laugh together, and celebrate.”

Ukrainians may don hutsul shirts, or folk costumes, to attend the parade in Kiev today, or to watch fireworks over the city at night. Other celebrations include art fairs celebrating local craftsmen, historical reenactments, fireworks and live music all over the country.

Happy 26th Independence Day, Ukraine!

[9A]

24 August 2015

Ukraine Independence Day 2015



Today we honor Ukrainian heritage with a reimagining of our logo as a traditional Ukrainian rushnyk. Embroidery has ancient roots in Ukraine, and so does the cultural significance of the kalyna digitally stitched into the center of today’s Doodle. This flowery shrub features prominently in Ukrainian literature, music, and folklore as a symbol of posterity and irrevocable family bonds, and often appears on the rushnyks sewn to celebrate Ukrainian births and weddings.

[9A]

24 August 2019

Independence Day of Ukraine 2019



The flag seen in today’s Doodle—with colors representing peace and prosperity, a bright blue sky, and golden wheatfields—will fly throughout Ukraine today in honor of the Eastern European nation’s 28th Independence Day. The national holiday marks Ukraine’s emergence as a sovereign state.

On this day in 1991, a coup attempt in Moscow inspired Ukraine’s declaration of independence, leading to a referendum in which Ukrainian citizens voted to cut ties with the Soviet Union and elect a new president.

Living in the second largest country in Europe aside from Russia, Ukrainians have their own rich language and culture. Many time-honored traditions are celebrated on this day. At festive concerts and fairs, many participants wear the vyshyvanka, an embroidered shirt popularized nearly 1000 years ago, during the days of the Kievan Rus. ​

З Днем Незалежності, Україно!

[9A]

8 Feb 2019

Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge’s 225th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge, a German analytical chemist whose place in history resulted in large part from an accident followed by a chance encounter.

Runge was born outside of Hamburg on this day in 1795. The son of a Lutheran pastor, he expressed interest in chemistry from an early age and began conducting experiments as a teenager.

During one such experiment, Runge accidentally splashed a drop of belladonna extract in his eye, taking note of its pupil-dilating effects. Ten years later, while studying under renowned chemist and inventor Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner at the University of Jena, Runge was asked to reproduce belladonna’s effects as part of a demonstration for one of Döbereiner’s friends: the writer and polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Impressed by the 25-year-old chemist, Goethe handed Runge a bag of rare coffee beans and suggested he analyze their chemical makeup. Shortly thereafter, Runge isolated the active ingredient we know today as caffeine!

After earning his doctorate from the University of Berlin, Runge went on to teach at the University of Breslau until 1831 when he left academia to take a position at a chemical company. During this time, he invented the first coal tar dye and a related process for dyeing clothes. His contributions to the world also include: being one of the first scientists to isolate quinine [a drug used to treat malaria], being considered an originator of paper chromatography [an early technique for separating chemical substances], and even devising a method for extracting sugar from beet juice.

Here’s to Runge, without whom the pain of forgoing one’s morning cup of coffee might never have had a scientific explanation!

[9A]

8 February 2013

Jagjit Singh's 72nd Birthday



Jagjit Singh was an Indian composer, singer and musician. Dubbed "The Ghazal King" or "King of Ghazals", he composed and sang in numerous languages and is credited for the revival and popularity of ghazal, an Indian classical art form, by choosing poetry that was relevant to the masses and composing them in a way that laid more emphasis on the meaning of words and melody evoked by them. In terms of Indian classical music, his style of composing and gayaki [singing] is considered as Bol-pradhan, one that lays emphasis on words. He highlighted this in his music for films such as Prem Geet [1981], Arth [1982], and Saath Saath [1982], and TV serials Mirza Ghalib [1988] and Kahkashan [1991]. Singh is considered to be the most successful ghazal singer and composer of all time in terms of critical acclaim and commercial success. With a career spanning five decades and many albums, the range and breadth of his work has been regarded as genre-defining.

[9A]

15 August 2021

India Independence Day 2021





At the stroke of midnight on this day in 1947, India’s decades-long movement for independence culminated as the nation became a sovereign republic. Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Kolkata, India-based guest artist Sayan Mukherjee, celebrates India’s Independence Day and its cultural traditions forged in centuries of historical progress.

Home to over an estimated 1.3 billion people, India is inhabited by one-sixth of the total global population and is characterized by the thousands of distinct languages and ethnic groups within its borders. Indians across the subcontinent’s 29 states celebrate their freedom and multicultural spirit with customs such as traditional dance performances, which vary depending on regional culture.

The Doodle artwork illustrates these diverse forms of dance. From the classical tradition of Bharatnatyam depicted on the far left to the oldest Indian dance style with origins stretching back 3000 years in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Depicted third from the right, the masked reenactments from Indian epics known as Chhau dance have origins in the eastern state of Jharkhand, the Purulia Chau, and the Seraikella Chau regions. The far right dancer depicts dance from Kathakali.

Happy Independence Day, India!

[9A]

15 August 2013

Ivan Mestrovic's 130th Birthday






Ivan Meštrović was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavle Bilinić's Stone Workshop in Split and at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where he was formed under the influence of the Secession. He traveled throughout Europe and studied the works of ancient and Renaissance masters, especially Michelangelo, and French sculptors Auguste Rodin, Antoine Bourdelle and Aristide Maillol. He was the initiator of the national-romantic group Medulić [he advocated the creation of art of national features inspired by the heroic folk songs]. During the First World War, he lived in emigration. After the war, he returned to Croatia and began a long and fruitful period of sculpture and pedagogical work. In 1942 he emigrated to Italy, in 1943 to Switzerland and in 1947 to the United States. He was a professor of sculpture at the Syracuse University and from 1955 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

[9A]

15 August 2012

Julia Child's 100th Birthday






The scene in our living room in the early ‘60s will be familiar to many. I can picture my dad sitting in his chair, glued to the new black-and-white miracle of technology in our house, watching The French Chef... for the sheer fun of the show. Fast-forward nearly 15 years and I would find myself, as a young student at La Varenne cooking school in Paris, standing in front of Julia Child herself. At that first meeting, for a moment, I had Julia’s undivided attention and her intent interest in my goals and plans as a cook.

[Happily, that encounter would lead to opportunities to work as a member of Julia’s team, to travel with her around the U.S. and in France, and to a treasured friendship until her death in 2004. I would even become executive director of that esteemed cooking school – due, in large measure, to her influence and support.] Countless times throughout the years that’s the scene which would became familiar to me – Julia engaging and encouraging both professional chefs and home cooks. She would rarely leave a restaurant without a visit to the kitchen or exit a book signing without having communed with everyone in line; she was an active mentor to many of us.

Julia was so approachable that people felt they knew her – no one hesitated to stride right up and start a conversation – and in fact, they did know her. After all, she’d been in our living rooms taking us by the hand in the kitchen for years. [Ever-embracing of new technologies, I believe Julia would be thrilled to know that she’s now literally in people’s hands, on digital devices.] But more than that, what people saw on camera was what they’d experience in person.

It was all pure Julia. Especially on the occasion of what would have been her 100th birthday, it’s clear that Julia Child is simply someone we love to love. For good reason – there are many qualities that endear her to us. She came into her own later in life and helped to redefine age. [One of her secrets to aging, I discovered, is that she never saw herself as old. After attending a Smith College reunion in her late 70s, she told me she’d never go to another. “Too many old people,” she said.] Julia loved hard and worked hard [more than anyone I have ever known] and accomplished great things that endure.

[How many authors have a New York Times best seller nearly 50 years after publication?] She was opinionated, utterly authentic, and a self-professed ham. She managed to be both serious and a showman, making things look easy while never compromising her incredibly disciplined approach. She demystified and democratized French cooking [the gold standard and height of sophistication when she took the stage] and appeared to have a ball doing it. Julia dedicated her support to the organizations and causes that mattered to her most, particularly those related to cooking and the pleasures of the table. In 1995, Julia created the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts [juliachildfoundation.org] for the purpose of continuing that support after she’d “slipped off the raft”, as she would often refer to dying.

The Foundation is proud to help further Julia’s life’s work. Julia believed in all of us. She felt that if she could show us how to cook well, we’d do just that. She wanted us to experience the pleasures – in both life and work – that she had, and to revel in good food. “The thing about food,” she said in a 1966 Time Magazine cover story, “is you’re a much happier person if you eat well and treasure your meals.” So to quote Julia once again – on the occasion of her 100th birthday – “Bon Appétit!”

Susy Davidson Executive Director, The Julia Child Foundation

[9A]

30 March 2019

María Moliner’s 119th Birthday



María Moliner devoted her whole life to working with words, and making their power accessible to all. Born in Paniza [a province of Zaragoza] on this day in 1900, the Spanish librarian, philologist, and lexicographer labored single-handedly to create a new kind of reference book, which was hailed as “the most complete, most useful, most accurate, and funniest dictionary of the Spanish language” by novelist Gabriel García Márquez.

Moliner began working as a librarian at age 22 and was elected head of the University of Valencia library in 1936. She took a special interest in the popular libraries project, developing a plan for Bibliotecas Rurales [Rural Libraries] to help promote literacy and culture. Following the Spanish Civil War, her family was penalized by the new authoritarian government, causing her to be passed over for faculty promotions.

Moliner began compiling her Diccionario de Uso del Español [Dictionary of Spanish Use] in 1952, working at home before and after her day job. A mother of four as well as a grandmother, she had extraordinary powers of concentration. Moliner would research words read in newspapers or heard on the street, aiming to outdo the dictionary published by the Real Academia Española. “The Academy dictionary is the dictionary of authority,” she once said. “Mine has not had much regard for authority.”

Instead of alphabetical organization, Moliner’s dictionary was grouped in families of words, offering not only detailed definitions, but also synonyms, and guidance on usage. When she began the project she estimated it would take two years, but the first edition of the two-volume dictionary was not published until 1966—a total of 15 years later!

Her life inspired a stage drama, The Dictionary, as well as a documentary film, Tending Words. However, the dictionary itself, sometimes referred to as “The María Moliner,” is widely considered her greatest legacy.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, María Moliner!

[9A]

30 March 2014

Mother's Day 2014 [UK]

[9A]

30 March 2021

Children's Day 2021 [30 March] [Mexico]

[9A]

4 April 2016

Cazuza’s 58th birthday




Like so many great rock musicians, Agenor Miranda Araújo Neto, better known as Cazuza, began his career rattling the walls of neighborhood garages. A native of Rio de Janeiro, he fell in with the fledgling rock group Barão Vermelho when a friend urged him to audition for their open lead vocalist position. After landing a song on the soundtrack for a local film, the group played at the first ever Rock in Rio music festival, and their popularity soared.

After four years with the band, Cazuza embarked on an enormously successful solo career. His music and profound lyrics were a testament to his travels in the UK and his brushes with Beat poetry in San Francisco. In 1988, Cazuza’s health declined, and in 1989 he announced that he had been living with AIDS. He continued to compose and perform despite the illness. Through his openness, charm, and advocacy, Cazuza helped ease the stigmas surrounding the LGBT and HIV-positive communities in Brazil. When he died in July of 1990, thousands lined the streets of Rio for his funeral procession.

To honor the late singer’s musical career, Doodler Helene Leroux sketched the rocker on stage in his iconic and ever-present bandana.

[9A]

4 April 2019

Hugh Masekela's 80th Birthday





“My biggest obsession is to show Africans and the world who the people of Africa really are.”
—Hugh Masekela


Today’s Doodle celebrates the world-renowned South African trumpeter, singer, bandleader, composer, and human rights advocate Hugh Masekela. Born 80 years ago today in the coal-mining town of Witbank, South Africa, Masakela got his first horn at age 14. He went on to play with a wildly popular group known as the Jazz Epistles, the first all-black jazz band to record an album in South African history. However, within the year, its members were forced out of the country by the apartheid government.

At the age of 21, Masakela began a 30-year exile, traveling to New York where he enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music and dived into the city’s jazz scene, observing jazz giants like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Mingus, and Max Roach on a nightly basis. “You’re just going to be a statistic if you play jazz,” Miles Davis advised him, “but if you put in some of the stuff you remember from South Africa, you’ll be different from everybody.”

Encouraged by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong, Masakela delved into his own unique influences to create his 1963 debut album, entitled Trumpet Africaine. By the late ’60s he moved to Los Angeles, and performed at the Monterey Pop Festival on a bill that included Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, and The Who. His 1968 single “Grazin’ in the Grass” hit #1 on the U.S. pop charts.

Masakela would go on to collaborate with the likes of Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder. In 1990, “Bra Hugh” returned to South Africa in time to see his song “Bring Him Back Home [Nelson Mandela]” come true. When the ANC leader was released from prison and elected South Africa’s first black president, Masakela’s music was the soundtrack.

Happy 80th birthday, Hugh Masekela!





From left to right: Hugh Masekela, singer and ex-wife Mariam Makeba, then-African National Congress President Nelson Mandela and Paul Simon are shown at a 1992 event in Johannesburg.

[9A]

23 January 2020

Luis Alberto Spinetta's 70th Birthday




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

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

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

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

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Flaco!

[9A]

4 April 2018

Dr. Maya Angelou’s 90th Birthday




“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

-Dr. Maya Angelou


In a life rich with experiences and stories, author, poet, memoirist, and activist Dr. Maya Angelou touched the lives of millions around the globe through her teachings, her writings, her voice, and her actions.

Born Marguerite Annie Johnson in 1928, her incredible story began with tragedy when a sexual assault at the age of seven rendered her mute for five years. During those years, however, books and poetry became her solace and constant companions, eventually helping her find her voice again to embark upon an intellectual and creative journey that defies description.

In her her teens and early adult life Dr. Angelou saw more experiences than many do in a lifetime: from motherhood, to becoming San Francisco’s first female and black streetcar conductor, to touring the world as a cast member of the opera Porgy and Bess — all while mastering several languages. She sang and danced in professional cabarets, worked as a journalist in Africa, and became one of the most prominent civil rights activists of her generation.

The success of her first book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” in 1969 brought her mainstream attention as an author. Six other autobiographical works followed, in addition to poetry, children’s literature, and non-fiction [even cookbooks!].

Through her works, Dr. Angelou gave a voice to millions. She championed women’s rights and gender equality. She redefined black beauty and celebrated African-American oral traditions. She advocated against war and campaigned for universal peace.

She was also the recipient of numerous honors during her lifetime. She became the first poet to make an inaugural recitation in three decades when Bill Clinton became President in 1992. Her vast impact on popular culture was also felt through a host of award nominations, public accolades, and more than 50 honorary degrees.

Today’s video Doodle celebrates Dr. Maya Angelou on what would have been her 90th birthday. Set to her poem “Still I Rise,” the Doodle includes her own voice along with the voices of other individuals whose lives she has inspired, and who aspire to live by her legacy today.

Special thanks to these project partners who include [in order of appearance]:





​“Maya Angelou, I love her so much. Everything she represented as a woman, her creativity, her story, who she is. She was a renaissance woman of all types, she recreated though levels, all angles, all places in her mind. She is brilliant...I am honored to be able to say her words."








"Being around Maya was so powerful and inspiring. I count myself very blessed to be one of the ones chosen to be a part of this. For some reason she took a liking to me and went out of her way to extend herself to me and I am forever grateful for that."

"Dr. Angelou's work is filled with such incredible wisdom and spiritual teachings. It feels like the ultimate privilege to have the opportunity to speak her words. She is a national treasure we should always celebrate.”

“Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken, it's how she did it all. She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence, and a fiery, fierce grace and abounding love.”

Here’s to Dr. Maya Angelou for her courage, compassion, and words, which continue to inspire hope around the world.

[9A]

4 April 2011

100th Birthday of Vaclav Ctvrtek



Václav Cafourek [4 April 1911, in Prague, Austria-Hungary – 6 November 1976, in Prague, Czechoslovakia], commonly known under his pen name of Václav Čtvrtek was a Czech poet and author. His most famous works include Křemílek and Vochomůrka, Rumcajs, Manka and Cipísek, and Víla Amálka. He primarily wrote fairy tales for children, and some of his works have been adapted on the Czech children's television program Večerníček. On 4 April 2011, Google celebrated his 100th birthday by replacing the original Google logo with a doodle celebrating his works for a day on Google Czech Republic.

[9A]

3 Apr 2011

Anniversary of the Ice Cream Sundae




When the doodle team heard that the 119th anniversary of the first ever documented ice cream sundae was fast approaching, we couldn't resist the indulgence. The ice cream sundae is a dessert that's rife with opportunities for reinterpretation and restyling, but the prototypical setup – with ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, sprinkles, strawberries, nuts, and cherries all piled into an elegant glass – is still a classic.

Even though the first documented sundae was made in 1892, for this doodle I drew inspiration from vintage 1950s soda shoppe decor and magazine advertisements. I also did a fair amount of research at my local ice cream parlor!

posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino

[9A]

17 Mar 2011

Sayed Darwish's Birthday




Sayed Darwish was an Egyptian singer and composer who was considered the father of Egyptian popular music and one of Egypt's greatest musicians and seen by some as its single greatest composer.

Darwish believed that genuine art must be derived from people's aspirations and feelings. In his music and songs, he truly expressed the yearnings and moods of the masses, as well as recording the events that took place during his lifetime. He dealt with the aroused national feeling against the British occupiers, the passion of the people, and social justice, and he often criticized the negative aspects of Egyptian society.

His works, blending Western instruments and harmony with classical Arab forms and Egyptian folklore, gained immense popularity due to their social and patriotic subjects. Darwish's many nationalistic melodies reflect his close ties to the national leaders who were guiding the struggle against the British occupiers. His music and songs knew no class and were enjoyed by both the poor and the affluent.

[9A]

17 March 2020

Olga Orozco’s 100th birthday




“Mi historia está en mis manos y en las manos con que otros las tatuaron.
De mi estadía quedan las magias y los ritos,
unas fechas gastadas por el soplo de un despiadado amor,
la humareda distante de la casa donde nunca estuvimos,
y unos gestos dispersos entre los gestos de otros que no me conocieron.”


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


—Olga Orozco, “Yo, Olga Orozco”


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

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

Orozco took an early interest in poetry and went on to study literature at the University of Buenos Aires. She successfully published her early work in the literary magazine, Canto, and found creative company among a like-minded group of writers that came to be referred to as “The Generation of ‘40.”

In 1946, she published her first book of poetry, “Desde lejos” [“From Far Away”], sparking a prolific creative period that lasted decades and solidified her status among Argentina's great poets. Her work was marked by a sense of magic and spirituality, exploring possible dimensions beyond the everyday physical world.

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

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Olga Orozco!

[9A]

1 March 2020

St. David's Day 2020





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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

1 March 2016

St. David's Day 2016



Today is St. David’s Day in Wales, commemorating the life and death of Wales’ patron saint. We’re celebrating this important national holiday with today’s Doodle. Each component in the illustration represents a unique aspect of Wales’ culture and national symbology.

The ancient lettering and Celtic knot are a nod to Celtic art’s importance in Welsh culture. The daffodil, Wales’ national flower, features prominently in St. David’s Day celebrations across the world. No St. David’s Day Doodle would be complete without the Welsh dragon, which adorns the national flag. The dragon is quite possibly Wales’ most enduring national symbol.

We’d like to wish a Happy St. David’s Day to everyone celebrating today, throughout Wales and beyond.

[9A]

1 March 2018

St. David's Day 2018



March 1st is celebrated in the UK as St. David’s Day [Dewi Sant], named after the patron saint of Wales. The musical country earned the title “Land of Song” through its rich history of choral singing, dating all the way back to the 19th century.

Today’s Doodle was created by Sander Berg, an illustrator from Sweden who now makes his home in Wales. It features a woman in historic Welsh dress—now traditionally worn on St. David’s Day—plays the Welsh National Anthem on a Welsh Triple Harp. The harpist plays in front of Mt. Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, and is surrounded by Cenhinen Pedr [St. Peter’s Leek], also known as the daffodil. As one of the first signs of spring, the cheerful flowers are an important symbol on Welsh National Day, and can be seen popping up in fields and on lapels throughout the country.

Wales boasts several well-known musical institutions, including The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Welsh National Opera, the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, and a myriad of Welsh Male Voice Choirs. Eisteddfod, an eight-day festival of literature, music, and performance, is a common way for Welsh communities around the world to honor their patron saint and celebrate their musical heritage.

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

[9A]

1 March 2010

Frederic Chopin's 200th Birthday




Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading musician of his era, one whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation."

Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola in the Duchy of Warsaw and grew up in Warsaw, which in 1815 became part of Congress Poland. A child prodigy, he completed his musical education and composed his earlier works in Warsaw before leaving Poland at the age of 20, less than a month before the outbreak of the November 1830 Uprising. At 21, he settled in Paris. Thereafter – in the last 18 years of his life – he gave only 30 public performances, preferring the more intimate atmosphere of the salon. He supported himself by selling his compositions and by giving piano lessons, for which he was in high demand. Chopin formed a friendship with Franz Liszt and was admired by many of his other musical contemporaries, including Robert Schumann.

[9A]

8 January 2022

Stephen Hawking's 80th birthday





Today’s video Doodle celebrates one of history’s most influential scientific minds, English cosmologist, author, and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. From colliding black holes to the Big Bang, his theories on the origins and mechanics of the universe revolutionized modern physics while his best-selling books made the field widely accessible to millions of readers worldwide.

Stephen William Hawking was born on this day in 1942 in Oxford, England. Fascinated by how the universe functioned from a young age, his curiosity and intellect earned him the nickname “Einstein.” Following a diagnosis with a neurodegenerative disease at 21, the music of composer Richard Wagner and the loving support of his future wife Jane Wilde motivated Hawking to dedicate himself to physics, math, and cosmology.

In 1965, Hawking defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Cambridge, “Properties of Expanding Universes,” which presented the revolutionary theory that space and time originated from a singularity, a point both infinitely small and dense, best known today as the key characteristic of black holes. That year, Hawking was accepted as a research fellow at Cambridge’s Gonville and Caius College—his academic home for a lifetime of research. Hawking’s obsession with black holes led to his 1974 discovery that particles could escape black holes. This theory, coined Hawking radiation, is widely considered his most important contribution to physics.

In 1979, Hawking’s groundbreaking work on black holes prompted Cambridge to appoint him as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position held by Isaac Newton in 1669. Hawking’s doctoral thesis was released to the public in 2017 on a University of Cambridge website, which crashed due to enormous amounts of traffic.

Here’s to an innovator whose astronomical impact changed how the world understands the universe!

Note: In the Doodle, the voice of Stephen Hawking was generated and used with the approval of the Hawking estate.



Stephen Hawking at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge

Photo courtesy of the Hawking family



Stephen Hawking with his children, Robert and baby Lucy

Photo courtesy of the Hawking family

[9A]

27 September 2021

Google's 23rd birthday





It’s said that one chance encounter can change the course of your life. In Google’s case, a chance encounter between two computer scientists changed the course of the Internet and the lives of millions.

In 1997, Sergey Brin, a graduate student at Stanford University, just so happened to be assigned to show Larry Page, who was considering Stanford for graduate school at the time, around campus. By the next year, the two Google co-founders were building a search engine together in their dorm rooms and developing their first prototype. In 1998, Google Inc. was officially born.

Every day, there are billions of searches on Google in more than 150 languages around the globe, and while much has changed from the early days of Google, from its first server housed in a cabinet built out of toy blocks to its servers now being housed in more than 20 data centers globally, its mission of making the world’s information accessible to everyone remains the same.

Happy 23rd Birthday, Google!

[9A]

12 April 2011

50th Anniversary of the First Man in Space




Yuri Gagarin made headlines and history as the first man to launch into space back in 1961. This doodle was a particularly fun project because it allowed me to research everything from mid-century toy packaging to vintage space-race posters. Together with one or our engineers, we made the Vostok spacecraft launch when users roll over the doodle.


posted by Jennifer Hom

[9A]

All Google doodles 2011 [global]





All global Google Doodles 2011 - the best Doodles and the most important persons and things to remember in 2011:


Jan 1, 2011 - New Year's Day
Jan 19, 2011 - 172nd birthday of Paul Cezanne [artist]
Feb. 8, 2011 - 183rd birthday of Jules Verne [author]
Feb 11, 2011 - 164th birthday of Thomas Edison [inventor]
Feb 19, 2011 - 135th birthday of Constantin Brancusi [artist]
Mar 24, 2011 - 137th birthday of Harry Houdini [magican]
Mar 31, 2011 - 200th birthday of Robert Bunsen [chemist]
Apr 3, 2011 - Anniversary of the Ice Cream Sundae
Apr 12, 2011 - 50th Anniversary of the First Man in Space [Juri Gagarin]
Apr 16, 2011 - 122nd Birthday of Charles Chaplin
Apr 22, 2011 - Earth Day
Apr 26, 2011 - 226th Birthday of John James Audubon [ornithologist]
May 1, 2011 - 160th Anniversary of the frist World's Fair
May 9, 2011 - 76th Birthday of Roger Hargreaves [illustrator]
May 11, 2011 - 117th Birthday of Martha Graham [modern dancer]
Jun 9, 2011 - 96th Birthday of Les Paul [guitar pioneer]
Jun 15, 2011 - Total Lunar eclipse
Jun 21, 2011 - First day of summer by Takashi Murakami
Jul 12, 2011 - 450th Anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral [Moskwa]
Jul 20, 2011 - 189th Birthday of Gregor Mendel [scientist]
Jul 22, 2011 - 113th Birthday of Alexander Calder [artist]
Aug 17, 2011 - 410th Birthday of Pierre de Fermat [mathematician]
Aug 24, 2011 - 112th Birthday of Jorge Luis Borges [author]
Sep 5, 2011 - 65th Birthday of Freddie Mercury [Queen]
Sep 16, 2011 - 118th Birthday of Albert Szent-Gyorgyi [scientist]
Sep 24, 2011 - 75th Birthday of Jim Henson [Muppets]
Sep 27, 2011 - 13th Birthday of Google
Oct 12, 2011 - 90th Birthday of Art Clokey [clay animator]
Oct 21, 2011 - 100th Birthday of Mary Blair [illustrator]
Nov 7, 2011 - 144th Birthday of Mary Curie [scientist]
Nov 18, 2011 - 144th Birthday of Louis Daguerre [Photo pioneer]
Nov 30, 2011 - 176th Birthday of Mark Twain [Author]
Dec 8, 2011 - 125th Birthday of Diego Rivera [artist
Dec 12, 2011 - 84th Birthday of Robert Noyce [Computer pioneer]
Dec 23, 2011 - Happy Holidays


35 global doodles, 13 interactive with animation. Of course Google has shown some more doodles in each country. Thanks Google for these nice little doodles. ours [and more past doodles].

[9A]

4 March 2022

Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 begins!



Today’s Doodle celebrates the Women’s Cricket World Cup, which officially begins today at Bay Oval Stadium in New Zealand.

The world’s first international cricket match took place in 1844 between Canada and the United States. The first women’s World Cup tournament was held in 1973, also won by this year’s defending champions, England. This year, eight teams from around the world will compete for tournament victory.

No matter how heated the competition may get, cricket is highly respected for maintaining high standards of fair play and good sportsmanship. Hence the phrase “It’s just not cricket,” which describes anything considered unfair.

Best of luck to all the competing teams!

[9A]

4 March 2016

42nd Anniversary of Rio-Niteroi Bridge Opening




Completed 42 years ago today, Brazil’s Rio–Niterói Bridge beautifully exemplifies the ingenuity of the human spirit. It met with great international praise when it opened in 1974 as the second-longest bridge in the world, spanning the vast Guanabara Bay. Guest Doodler Patrick Leger has crafted a lovely recreation of the bridge on the bay with the Brazilian coast visible in the background.

At 13.29 km [8.3 mi], it remains the longest bridge in Latin America and one of the longest in the world. On the day it opened it was second only to the near-infinite Lake Pontchartrain Bridge in Louisiana [38.35 km, 28.3 miles long].

But this structure’s greatest accomplishment is connection. Carrying over 100,000 passengers daily, it unites Nieterói and Rio de Janeiro, cities with populations of 487,000 and 6.5 million respectively. With that kind of impact, the Rio–Niterói Bridge reminds us that nothing lies beyond the reaches of the human imagination.

[9A]

25 Mar 2011

400th Birthday of Evliya Çelebi






Derviş Mehmed Zillî [25 March 1611 – 1682], known as Evliya Çelebi, was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording his commentary in a travelogue called the Seyâhatnâme ["Book of Travel"].The name Çelebi is an honorific title meaning "gentleman" or "man of God" see pre-1934 Turkish naming conventions].

[9A]

4 March 2007

Purim 2007


Purim [also called the Festival of Lots] is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an Achaemenid Persian Empire official who was planning to kill all the Jews in the empire, as recounted in the Book of Esther [usually dated to the 5th century BCE].

Haman was the royal vizier to King Ahasuerus [Xerxes I or Artaxerxes I of Persia, "Khshayarsha" and "Artakhsher" in Old Persian, respectively].His plans were foiled by Mordecai and Esther, his cousin and adopted daughter who had become Queen of Persia. The day of deliverance became a day of feasting and rejoicing.

According to the Scroll of Esther, "they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor." Purim is celebrated among Jews by:

Exchanging gifts of food and drink known as mishloach manot
Donating charity to the poor
Eating a celebratory meal known as a se'udat Purim
Public recitation ["reading of the megillah"] of the Scroll of Esther, known as kriat ha-megillah, usually in synagogue
Reciting additions to the daily prayers and the grace after meals, known as Al HaNissim
Other customs include wearing masks and costumes, public celebrations and parades [Adloyada], and eating hamantaschen ["Haman's pocket"]; men are encouraged to drink wine or any other alcoholic beverage.

[9A]

3 March 2022

Girls' Day 2022



As winter blossoms into spring, today’s Doodle celebrates Japan’s Girls’ Day or Hinamatsuri, also called the Doll’s Festival. On this day, families wish for the health, growth, and happiness of Japan’s young girls, traditionally by displaying sets of costumed Hiina dolls that represent members of the imperial court dating back to Japan’s Heian period [A.D. 794 to 1185].

So what connection does the display of ornate dolls have with the happiness of Japan’s youth? During the Heian era, noble children played with Hiina [paper dolls], developing a tradition known as Hiina-Asobi [doll play]. Members of the Imperial court believed the dolls would absorb the children’s bad luck, thus protecting them from evil spirits. In some regions of Japan, these dolls were released to float down a river. Now, people display porcelain dolls with brightly colored clothing—a tradition dating back to the Edo period—to celebrate and to wish girls health and prosperity with traditional foods such as Chirashi-Sushi.

Happy Girls’ Day, Japan!

[9A]

2 March 2022

Discovery of Thailand's largest dinosaur remains




On this day in 2016 in the Chaiyaphum province, Thailand’s Department of Mineral Resources discovered a dinosaur fossil estimated to be 100 million years old that is believed to be the largest herbivore dinosaur fossil ever found in Thailand or Southeast Asia.

While out and about, a local noticed something quite unusual–massive bones. He contacted the authorities, who then uncovered over 20 individual fragments of sacrum, pelvis spine, and femur all belonging to a single titanosauriform sauropod species estimated to be anywhere between 23 to 30 meters [approximately 74 to 98 feet] long!

Scientists believe the bones of the brontosaurus-like sauropod species characterized by its long neck and tail could be attributed to a previously discovered species called Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae, but the remains also could indicate the existence of an entirely new species—which would be the largest to have ever roamed Cretaceous-era Thailand.

[9A]

March 4, 2022

Winter Games 2022 Begin! [Mar 4]







The Winter Paralympic Games 2022 open Friday in Beijing, and Google is marking the occasion with an animated Doodle that highlights the sports in which athletes will participate.
Beginning as a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948, the Paralympic Games have grown into the world's largest sporting event for athletes with physical impairments. Since 1960, the Paralympics have taken place during the same year the Olympic Games are held.

[9A]

March 4, 2014

Carnival 2014





The Carnival of Brazil [Portuguese: Carnaval do Brasil] is an annual Brazilian festival held the Friday afternoon before Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. During Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival", from carnelevare, "to remove [literally, "raise"] meat."

Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Vitória, huge organized parades are led by samba schools. Those official parades are meant to be watched by the public, while minor parades [blocos] allowing public participation can be found in other cities, like Belo Horizonte, also in the southeastern region. The northeastern cities of Recife, Olinda, Salvador, and Porto Seguro have organized groups parading through streets, and public interacts directly with them. It is a six-day party where crowds follow the trios elétricos through the city streets, dancing and singing. Also in northeast, Olinda carnival features unique characteristics, heavily influenced by local folklore and cultural manifestations, such as Frevo and Maracatu.

The typical genres of music of Brazilian carnival are, in the Southeast Region in general, mostly cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo: the samba-enredo, the samba de bloco, the samba de embalo and the marchinha; and in the Northeast Region including Pernambuco [mostly cities of Olinda and Recife]: frevo and maracatu, and Bahia [mostly the city of Salvador]: samba-reggae, pagode [also a type of Samba] and the main genre axé music. These rhythms were mainly developed by Afro-brazlians and Pardos, incorporating and adapting many cultural influences, from the percussion beats of Africa to the military fanfares of Europe and iberian music in the use of instruments like pandeiro and cavaquinho.

[9A]

March 4, 2014

Hatsusaburo Yoshida's 130th Birthday [born 1884]






Hatsusaburō Yoshida was a Japanese cartographer and artist, known by his bird's-eye view maps of cities and towns. Known as the "Hiroshige of the Taisho Era," Yoshida created over 3000 maps in his lifetime.

[9A]

March 4, 2010

Antonio Vivaldi's Birthday



Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher, impresario, and Roman Catholic priest.

Born in Venice, the capital of the Venetian Republic, Vivaldi is regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers. His influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe, giving origin to many imitators and admirers and was paramount in the development of Johann Sebastian Bach's instrumental music and the French concerto.

Vivaldi composed many instrumental concertos, for the violin and a variety of other musical instruments, as well as sacred choral works and more than fifty operas. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as the Four Seasons. Many of his compositions were written for the all-female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children. Vivaldi had worked as a Catholic priest for 18 months and was employed from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740. Vivaldi also had some success with expensive stagings of his operas in Venice, Mantua and Vienna. After meeting the Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna, hoping for royal support. However, the Emperor died soon after Vivaldi's arrival, and Vivaldi himself died in poverty less than a year later.

After almost two centuries of decline, Vivaldi's musical reputation underwent a revival in the early 20th century, with much scholarly research devoted to his work. Many of Vivaldi's compositions, once thought lost, have been rediscovered – in one case as recently as 2006. His music remains widely popular in the present day and is regularly played all over the world.

[9A]

Mar 1, 2015

450th Anniversary of Rio de Janeiro




Rio celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding with a yearlong series of events including concerts, exhibitions, historical tours, soccer matches, fireworks displays and more.

[9A]

March 1, 2009

Vasaloppet 2009




Vasaloppet [Swedish for 'the Vasa-race'] is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The 90 km [56 mi] course starts in the village of Sälen and ends in the town of Mora in northwestern Dalarna, Sweden. It is the oldest cross-country ski race in the world, as well as the one with the highest number of participants.

The race was inspired by a notable journey King Gustav Vasa made from Mora to Sälen when he was fleeing from Christian II's soldiers during the winter of 1520–1521. According to legend, he fled on skis. The modern competition started in 1922 and it has been a part of the Worldloppet events since 1979.

Traditionally since 1958, blåbärssoppa ['bilberry-soup'] made by Ekströms food company, is served at the stations along the course. The Swedish word for bilberry, blåbär, literally means 'blueberry'. About 50,000 liters is served during the Vasaloppet week. In addition, sports drinks and "Vasaloppet buns" are also served. Coffee is served at the Eldris station.


For a number of years, Ekströms had the logo for their blåbärssoppa printed on the number tags worn by the participants in the race. The word blåbär was printed in large bold letters, which resulted in the participants being called blåbär— a double meaning and pun since the word is also used to describe a "rookie".

[9A]

March 1, 2008

Mărţişor 2008





Mărțișor Romanian pronunciation: is a celebration at the beginning of spring, on March the 1st in Romania and Moldova, very similar to the Martenitsa tradition in Bulgaria and the Martinka in Northern Macedonia.

The word Mărțișor is the diminutive of Marț, the old folk name for March, and thus literally means "little March".

Mărțișor, marț and mărțiguș are all names for the red and white string with hanging tassel customarily given on the 1st day of March. In the olden times, the string could be red and black. Giving this talisman to people is an old custom, and it is believed that the wearer will be strong and healthy for the year to come. It is also a symbol of the coming spring. Usually, both women and men wear it pinned to their clothes, close to the heart, until the last day of March, when they tie it to a fruit-tree twig. In some regions, a gold or silver coin hangs on the string and is worn around the neck. After wearing it for a certain length of time, they buy red wine and sweet cheese with the coin, according to a belief that their faces would remain white as cheese and rubicund as wine all year.

In modern times, and especially in urban areas, the Mărțișor lost most of its talisman properties and became more a symbol of friendship, love, appreciation and respect. The black threads were replaced by red, but the delicate wool string is still a ‘cottage industry’ among people in the countryside, who comb out the wool, dye the floss, and twist it into thousands of tassels. In some areas, the amulets are still made with black and white string, to ward off evil. Related to the Mărțișor and also symbol for spring in Romania is the snowdrop flower.

[9A]

March 6, 2016

Mother's Day 2016 [UK, IE]

[9A]

March 6, 2012

Ghana Independence Day 2012



The Independence Day of Ghana is a national holiday celebrated yearly. This day is an official state holiday for the citizens of Ghana both within and in the diaspora to honour and celebrate the Heroes of Ghana who led the country to attain its independence. The Independence Day is celebrated on March 6 every year. Independence Day is also remembrance of the day that marks the declaration of Ghanaian independence from the British colonial rule. The first Prime Minister of Ghana; Kwame Nkrumah became the Head of Government from 1957 to 1960. On 6 March 1957 Kwame Nkrumah declared to the people of Ghana about their freedom, he added that, "the African People are capable of managing their own affairs and Ghana our beloved country is free forever." Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve its independence from European colonial rule. Many Ghanaian who have had the chance to lead the country as Presidents have commemorated the occasion of Ghana Independence Day and have declared the day a public holiday for a celebration.

[9A]

March 6, 2017

37th Anniversary of Komodo National Park



How much do you know about Komodo dragons?


Today’s Doodle celebrates the 37th anniversary of Komodo National Park with an interactive quiz to test your knowledge about Its main, reptilian inhabitant: the Komodo dragon!

Komodo National Park in Indonesia sits at the center of an archipelago and consists mainly of 3 volcanic islands. The landscape is unlike any other, ranging from dry savanna conditions to lush forests, all surrounded by white-sand beaches and bright blue water.

Although Komodo National Park was created to protect the life of the 5700 Komodo dragons who call it home, the park's scope has now expanded to other native wildlife. In addition to the Timor deer, which is the main source of food for the Komodo dragon, the islands are also the habitat for 72 species of birds, such as the yellow-crested cockatoo. Thousands of fish species swim in the surrounding waters, as well as sea turtles, dolphins, and whales.

Despite the plethora of native wildlife, Komodo dragons are still what the park is best known for. Thanks to National Parks like Komodo, wildlife can continue to thrive largely uninterrupted by human interference.

Here's to the Komodo dragon and Komodo National Park's 37th year!

BONUS! Did you also know?



Like sharks, Komodo dragon teeth are replaceable



Komodo dragons have flexible skulls



Komodo dragons are related to snakesThanks for playing!

Team Komodo

Art	Engineering	Production
Alyssa Winans	Jonathan Shneier	My-Linh Le
Diana Tran	Mark Ivey
Kevin Laughlin

[9A]

March 6, 2018

Celebrating Semla



Semla season is in full swing, sending fans of these storied Swedish buns, flavored with cardamom and filled with almond paste and whipped cream, into a frenzy!

Dating back to around 1541, semlor [plural of semla, because who could consume just one?] were originally eaten by Sweden’s monarchy and upper-classes, usually every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter, prior to Lenten fasting.

King Adolf Frederick, a ruler with an enormous appetite, devoured 14 semlor in one sitting, shortly before his demise on February 12, 1771. Unlike typical buns of the time, his were soaked in hot milk [known as hetvägg], and fancified with cinnamon and raisins. Alas, they were to be his last.

Almond paste and whipped cream further sweetened the bun in the 1930s. and over the years semlor in all shapes and sizes have filled bakery windows, from traditional semlor with cut-off tops and powdered sugar to modern takes like semmelwrap, made with flattened dough and the Princess semla, a cross between the Prinsesstårta, a traditional green layer cake, and the cardamom bun. [In other parts of Scandinavia, semlor are known as fastlagsbulle or fastelavnsbolle.]

Today’s Doodle celebrates this enduring treat in all of its delicious variations. Enjoyed during a fika [coffee break] a semla is worth flipping your lid over!

[9A]

March 6, 2011

Will Eisner's 94th Birthday




From time to time we invite guests to post about topics of interest and we’re pleased to have Scott McCloud join us here. Scott is a comics artist with special ties to Google—he illustrated the Chrome comic book and is a 2011 U.S. Doodle 4 Google judge. He also helped conceptualize the design of today’s doodle in honor of Will Eisner [the artwork itself is by doodler, Mike Dutton], which is running in many countries including the U.S. In this post, Scott shares his thoughts on Will Eisner’s legacy. -Ed.

Will Eisner, American comics pioneer and creator of The Spirit, was born on March 6, 1917. He would have been 94 today.

Many of us who knew him still find it hard to believe he’s gone. He died in 2005, but for six decades, Eisner was a participant in, and inspiration for, much of the best in American comics, as well as a friend and mentor to multiple generations of comics artists.

Eisner influenced comics in dozens of ways. In the ‘40s, Eisner’s The Spirit—a seven-page newspaper feature—introduced an arsenal of visual storytelling techniques still used generations later, and provided an early testing ground for future comics stars including Jack Kirby and Jules Feiffer. [The Spirit also began a tradition of pictorially-integrated logos—inspiring today's snazzy rooftop doodle!]

Eisner was one of the first cartoonists to understand the power of visual education, and wrote eloquently about the process of making comics in Comics and Sequential Art [1985] and Graphic Storytelling [1996]. As early as 1941, he publicly advocated treating comics as a distinct literary and artistic form, and—nearly four decades later—was instrumental in the rise of the graphic novel in America, beginning with A Contract with God in 1978.

For most of his career, Eisner was years, even decades, ahead of the curve. I saw him debating artists and editors half his age, and there was rarely any question who the youngest man in the room was. It helped that he never stood on ceremony. Everyone was his peer, regardless of age or status. None of us called him “Mr. Eisner.” He was just “Will.”

Eisner lived well into his eighties; long enough to see an industry award named after him. Inevitably, the prospect loomed that Will Eisner himself might win an “Eisner Award” leading to some awkward choices; Hall of Fame, maybe? Lifetime Achievement?

His only suggestion was “Most Promising Young Cartoonist.”

And so he was.

Posted by Scott McCloud

[9A]

March 6, 2015

Holi Festival 2015




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

Holi celebrates the arrival of spring, the end of winter, the blossoming of love and for many, it is a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. The festival also celebrates the beginning of a good spring harvest season. It lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the Purnima [Full Moon Day] falling in the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar. The first evening is known as Holika Dahan [burning of Demon Holika] or Chhoti Holi and the following day as Holi, Rangwali Holi, Dol Purnima, Dhuleti, Dhulandi, Ukuli, Manjal Kuli, Yaosang, Shigmo or Phagwah, Jajiri.

[9A]

March 5, 2012

Heitor Vila Lobos' 125th Birthday




Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known South American composer of all time. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works, totaling over 2000 works by his death in 1959. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and by stylistic elements from the European classical tradition, as exemplified by his Bachianas Brasileiras and his Chôros. His Etudes for classical guitar [1929] were dedicated to Andrés Segovia, while his 5 Preludes [1940] were dedicated to his spouse Arminda Neves d'Almeida, a.k.a. "Mindinha". Both are important works in the classical guitar repertory.

[9A]

March 5, 2018

Celebrating the Edelweiss Flower







Today's Doodle celebrates Leontopodium nivale – more commonly known as the edelweiss flower – which for centuries has beckoned soldiers, hikers, and other adventurers from the slopes of the highest mountains of Europe. The name edelweiss was first found in writing on this date in 1784, and is a direct German translation of the words ‘noble’ and ‘white’.

The flower only blooms in the summer months of June through September. Its characteristic double-star shape and wooly-white texture make it highly recognizable both in nature and in folklore.

Embarking on a quest to find the edelweiss requires bravery, determination, and a little bit of luck. Romance is also a central theme in the story of this flower because its white blooms are thought to represent deep love and devotion. In fact, the gift of an edelweiss was once the equivalent of giving an engagement ring, a true sign of adoration and faithfulness.

Once on the brink of extinction, the edelweiss is no longer at risk, and blooms more and more across the mountainous landscape of Europe.

Today’s Doodle was created by Kassel-based artist Rita Fürstenau and depicts the edelweiss flower in a traditional cross-stitch design.

[9A]

Mar 8, 2018

International Women's Day 2018




Happy International Women’s Day 2018!

Those familiar with Doodles know that we frequently celebrate extraordinary women throughout history such as prominent inventors, scientists, writers, artists, activists, philanthropists, and so on. Today, we wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate the stories and voices of another group of extraordinary women—the everyday women living all over the world.

For today’s global, interactive Doodle, we reached out to 12 female artists of all backgrounds to share their personal stories in a series of visual narratives. Specifically, each story represents a moment, person, or event that has impacted their lives as women. While each artist tells a unique story, the themes are universal, reminding us of how much we often have in common. We hope that the combined power of words and images help bring these stories to life in a way that invokes feelings of understanding, empathy, and spirit of the day.

This project has been an incredible journey for us, and we’ve been moved by the candor, intimacy, and bravery of our contributors’ stories. Translating these works across 80+ languages and sharing them across a global audience means so much to us, and we hope that readers will go about their day feeling as inspired as we do.

Special thanks to our storytellers, readers, and everyone involved in this project to celebrate such an important day. And last -but certainly not least- thanks to all the women in our own lives who continue to move and change the world with their own stories.

-Lydia Nichols & Alyssa Winans, Doodlers & IWD 2018 Project Leads