Google doodles

[9A]

June 10, 2016

UEFA Euro 2016




It’s time for UEFA Euro 2016! France plays host to the world’s second-largest football championships from June 10 – July 10. Nearly 2 million fans are expected to travel to France to cheer teams from 24 countries in stadiums across the nation, while over 300 million are expected to tune in from afar. Whether you’re hoping Spain will defend their title or are counting on an upset, here’s to an exciting tournament!

[9A]

Jun 9, 2016

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson’s 180th birthday





Born 180 years ago today, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first woman to qualify as a physician and surgeon in Britain. She had a penchant for “firsts,” snagging many more during her illustrious career. She co-founded the first hospital staffed by women, and became the first dean of a British medical school. She even broke barriers across borders as France’s first female doctor.

Her accomplishments were gained through struggle and tenacity. When she was barred from medical school, she studied privately through tutors. Though the system prevented women from obtaining a medical degree, Garrett Anderson found a loophole and passed her medical exam with the highest marks.

As Britain’s first female doctor, Garrett Anderson was a fearless advocate for the care and advancement of women. Today’s doodle memorializes the infrastructure she set up to usher other women into the profession, as well as her devotion to the poor women and children she treated at her clinic.

After a long and successful career, Garrett Anderson broke one more barrier: becoming Britain’s first female mayor in 1908.

[9A]

May 14, 2018

Celebrating Strawberry Season





Today’s Doodle celebrates Germany’s sweetest time of year: Erdbeersaison, or strawberry season!

Beginning anywhere from early to mid-May, the season is one of the first signs of summer. It’s also the only time Germans can feast on fresh local strawberries all year. Luckily, the fruit is ripe with possibilities: it’s added to jams, cakes, fruit salads, and milkshakes and can be found across the country in farmers’ markets, fruit stands, and even Berlin’s underground station.

Strawberries aren’t the only food that produces a frenzy around this time of year. Seasonal eating is a way of life in Germany, with Spargelzeit, or asparagus season, topping the shopping list of beloved fruits and veggies.

In today’s Doodle, guest artist Barbara Dziadosz depicts some of the many ways locals savor this season’s fruit, from strawberry picking to picnicking.

Wishing you a berry happy Erdbeersaison, Germany!

[9A]

January 2, 2020

Amaka Igwe’s 57th Birthday





"I will give you all I have, so you can add it to what you have and be better than me."
–Amaka Igwe


Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Nigerian-raised, Brooklyn-based guest artist Data Oruwari, celebrates award-winning Nigerian writer, director, entrepreneur, and producer Amaka Igwe on her 57th birthday. Igwe helped transform the Nigerian film industry and built a media empire from the ground up.

Uzoamaka ‘Amaka’ Audrey Igwe was born on this day in 1963 in Port harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. At an early age, Amaka showed deep interest in the performing arts, as she organized her school's variety shows, taught performance dance, as well as wrote, acted, and directed plays.

During her postgraduate studies, Igwe started focusing on theater and what she considered to be her first gift: writing. She developed her first television series screenplay, Checkmate, widely considered the best Nigerian soap opera of the 1990s.

This led to her directorial debut in the feature film Rattlesnake [1995 for Crystal Gold Limited], a smash hit in her home country, followed by films like Violated [1995 for Crystal Gold Limited] and A Barber's Wisdom [2001 for Mnet], which helped set a higher production standard for “Nollywood” at the time. She wrote and directed the phenomenally successful Fuji House of Commotion [2001-2012 for Crystal Gold Limited], which gave her dominance of the national television series industry.

Passionate about growing the local industry, Igwe also helped organize the guild system that served the executive boards of the Association of Movie Producers, and was also a patron of the National Association of Cinematographers, the Screenwriters Guild and the Guild of Movie Editors.

As a champion of efficient local distribution as the basis for Nollywood’s growth, Igwe and her business partner also organized an enhanced market distribution system and helped improve quality and fairness in the industry.

On an international level, Igwe led delegations to South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and France, among other countries, to present the unique Nigerian approach to visual storytelling, propogating global awareness of Nollywood.

She also co-founded the African Film and Media Content Expo, entitled BOBTV, with Big Picture Limited, with the aim of providing a global platform for Nigeria’s creative industries. For 11 years, they presented BOBTV to the world, engaging more than 400 departments from 104 Nigerian universities, as well as the Motion Picture Industry Practitioners and the Nigeria Government through its agencies.

Cementing herself as a matriarch of Nollywood, Igwe evolved a media empire by co-founding a production company, radio station, and TV network. Amaka Igwe shall be remembered as a gifted storyteller, producer, director, pioneer of Nollywood, wife, and mother of three.

In 2011, she was announced as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria [MFR], an award that honors Nigerians who made significant contributions to the nation.

Here’s to Amaka Igwe, a true pioneer of Nigerian entertainment.

[9A]

Jan 14, 2020

Kaifi Azmi's 101st Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates Indian poet, songwriter, and social change advocate Kaifi Azmi on his 101st birthday. With work ranging from passionate love poems and activist verses to Bollywood songs lyrics and screenplays, Azmi has become one of the most renowned poets of the 20th century in India, and his humanitarian efforts continue to impact people’s lives today.

Amzi was born Syed Athar Hussain Rizvi on this day in 1919 in the Azmargh district of Uttar Pradesh, India. At age 11, he composed his first poem, a ghazal-style piece. Inspired by Gandhi's 1942 Quit India freedom movement, he later left for Bombay [[now Mumbai) to write for an Urdu newspaper. He then published his first collection of poems, Jhankar [1943], as well as became a member of the influential Progressive Writers’ Association that used writing to try to achieve socioeconomic reforms.

Azmi was prolific and won numerous awards for his contributions, including three Filmfare Awards for Garm Hawa [“Scorching Winds,” 1973], the prestigious Padma Shri Award for Literature and Education [1974], and one of India’s highest literary honors, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship [2002].

In one of his early and most famous poems, “Aurat,” Amzi advocated for women’s equality, one of the causes he championed in his lifetime. He also founded the NGO Mijwan Welfare Society [MWS] to support various educational initiatives to improve the lives of rural women and families, and to this day, MWS continues its work in the spirit of its founder.

[9A]

Jan 22, 2020

Celebrating Anna May Wong





“I felt sure that I’d see my name in electric lights before long.”
–Anna May Wong


Today’s slideshow Doodle celebrates the first-ever Chinese American movie star in Hollywood, Anna May Wong, on the 97th anniversary of the day The Toll of the Sea went into general release, which was her first leading role. Featured in the Doodle slideshow are scenes from her life, including some of her most famous characters from the more than 50 movies she was featured in throughout her career.

The Los Angeles native was born Wong Liu Tsong on January 3rd, 1905. Originally from Taishan, China, Wong’s family taught their children both English and Cantonese. When not at school or in her father’s Sam Kee laundry, Wong began spending her time hanging around movie studios and asking directors for roles, and by age 11, she had chosen her stage name: “Anna May Wong.”

Wong was often overlooked or only offered small roles due to prevailing racial barriers. However, refusing to be limited to or typecast as Asian stereotypes, she moved to Europe in 1928. There, Wong starred in many plays and movies, such as Piccadilly [1929] and The Flame of Love [1930], and was soon promised leading roles in the U.S.

Upon returning to the U.S., one of the roles Wong was cast for was opposite her friend Marlene Dietrich in the 1932 release of Shanghai Express, which became one of her most famous roles. Shortly after, she was named the “world’s best-dressed woman” by the Mayfair Mannequin Society of New York, cementing her position as an international fashion icon. In the 1950s, she also became the first Asian American to land a leading role in a U.S. television series, playing a mystery-solving detective in the show The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.

In recognition of her many accomplishments, Wong was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

[9A]

Jan 22, 2020

Celebrating "Sawaddee"





Today’s Doodle celebrates sawaddee, the Thai way to greet friends and strangers alike. A custom adopted on this day in 1943, this salutation is presented with a wai: a prayer-like pose delivered in concert with a bow that accompanies the expression of sawaddee. The gesture altogether is meant to convey respect and warmth.

Originally coined by linguist Phraya Upakit Silapasan from the root word, “Svasti,” the Sanskrit word for “blessing” or “well-being,” sawaddee soon became an official part of the Thai vocabulary.

Known as the “Land of a Thousand Smiles,” Thailand is world-renowned for its friendly people and gracious hospitality. Today, sawaddee can be heard across the country—from the idyllic beaches of the south, to the temples of the mountainous north, and everywhere in between—epitomizing the welcoming spirit of Thailand.

[9A]

July 8, 2019

Celebrating Women's World Cup 2019 Runner Up: Netherlands





Congratulations to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup runners up: the Netherlands!

Over the past month, players from the women's national teams of 24 countries competed for top rank across nine cities in France. Today, the games culminated at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu, a suburb of Lyon, France, where the United States Women’s National Team won, making the Netherlands women’s team the 2019 Women’s World Cup runners up!

This year's Doodle series celebrated the rich cultures and talent of all 24 participating countries by featuring guest artists hailing from each nation. We hope you've enjoyed all 24 Doodles throughout the games, each capturing the local excitement of the World Cup competition as well as what soccer means to the guest artist personally.

Today's Doodle celebrating the valiant effort of the Netherlands women’s team is unique creation by our Dutch guest artist Zeloot.

Cheers to all the talented players around the world. See you next time!

[9A]

July 8, 2013

Roswell's 66th Anniversary




The doodle marking the 66th Anniversary of the Roswell Incident tells the story of an alien, who, despite having mastered interstellar space travel, appears less than adept at making a smooth landing on Earth. The team was inspired by classic point-and-click adventure games, and wanted to invite users to help an alien repair its spacecraft by exploring a 1940's New Mexican landscape, interacting with farm animals, and solving puzzles. When designing the game, we tried to think of things from an alien's point of view... chatting with a cow or chicken would be just as novel as meeting human beings for the first time; horseshoes and sacks of feed might be considered fascinating artifacts.

[9A]

July 8, 2011

Jean de la Fontaine's 390th Birthday




Of all the fables adapted by Jean de la Fontaine, “The Tortoise and the Hare” appealed to me the most for the persistent relevance of its message. I drew stylistic inspiration from traditional storybook etchings, and also looked at some of my heroes of illustration -- Arthur Rackham and John Tenniel. Though the style is old-fashioned, the moral is still true! You go, little guy!

Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino

[9A]

Jul 12, 2011

450th Anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral





Built in 1561, St. Basil's Cathedral is an architectural treasure for both Russia and the world. As this is one of my personal favorite buildings of all time, it was difficult for me to not become completely caught up in every detail while drawing [even knowing how small it appears on the homepage]. Never the less, above is the high resolution version of this doodle!

posted by Jennifer Hom

[9A]

July 12, 2014

World Cup 2014 #61

[9A]

July 12, 2019

René Favaloro’s 96th Birthday




“‘We’ is more important than ‘I.’ In medicine, the advances are always the result of many efforts accumulated over the years,” wrote Dr. René Favaloro, the Argentinian surgeon who introduced coronary artery bypass surgery into clinical practice and is celebrated in today’s Doodle.

Born in the city of La Plata on this day in 1923, René Gerónimo Favaloro spent the first 12 years of his medical career as a country doctor in the farming community of Jacinto Arauz. He built an operating room, trained his own nurses, set up a local blood bank, and educated patients on how to prevent common ailments. The experience left him with a lifelong conviction that healthcare was a basic human right, regardless of economic circumstances.

In 1962, he traveled to the United States to practice at the Cleveland Clinic, where he worked alongside Mason Sones, a pioneer of cineangiography—the reading and interpreting of coronary and ventricular images. After studying angiograms in the Sones Library, Dr. Favalaro was convinced that coronary artery bypass grafting could be an effective therapy.

On May 9th, 1967, Dr. Favaloro operated on a 51-year-old woman with a blockage in her right coronary artery. Attaching her to a heart-lung machine, he stopped her heart and used a vein from her leg to redirect blood flow around the blockage. The historic operation was a success, and since then, the procedure has saved countless lives during the past half-century.

Returning to Argentina in the early 1970s, Dr. Favaloro established the Favalaro Foundation in Buenos Aires. The center serves patients based on their medical needs rather than their ability to pay and teaches Dr. Favaloro’s innovative techniques to doctors all over Latin America.

[9A]

July 12, 2009

Pablo Neruda's Birthday



Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto [12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973], better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda, was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old, and wrote in a variety of styles, including surrealist poems, historical epics, overtly political manifestos, a prose autobiography, and passionate love poems such as the ones in his collection Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair [1924].

[9A]

Jul 10, 2009


Nikola Tesla's Birthday


Nikola Tesla [28 June 1856 – 7 January 1943], a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current [AC] electricity supply system.

[9A]

July 10, 2017

Eva Ekeblad’s 293rd Birthday



Today we celebrate Eva Ekeblad’s 293rd birthday. The Swedish scientist brought potatoes, then a greenhouse curiosity, to the people. Eva discovered the starch was humble but mighty – potatoes could be ground into flour or distilled into spirits. Her discovery helped reduce famine in years to come.

For her scientific and delicious work, Eva Ekeblad became the first woman elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1748. She was truly a pioneer - the next woman recognized in those ranks would come 203 years later.

Today we honor Eva Ekeblad's ingenuity and her scientific achievements. Happy birthday, Eva!

[9A]

Jul 9, 2017

Argentina National Day 2017



Happy National Day Argentina! On this day, 201 years ago, thirty three congressmen gathered in Tucuman, Argentina and declared it to be finally independent of Spain. To celebrate Argentina’s national day this year, we’re diving into the musical instruments and traditions that are dear to its people.

One of these is the milonga, a local event where couples gather to dance tango all over Argentina. If you were to walk past one, you may hear the deep bellow of a bandoneon, the accordion-like instrument stretching between the fingers of the gentleman in today’s doodle. The instrument was brought over by German immigrants to Argentina in the 19th century and is essential to tango dancing. The bandoneon and the tango reflect the rich cultural heritage of Argentina, with deep European and African influences respectively. Tango may not be an easy dance for all to master, but nearly all Argentinians will agree on the importance of keeping this tradition alive.

Illustrated by guest artist, Liniers

[9A]

Jul 5, 2014

Venezuela Independence Day 2014



For Venezuelan Independence Day, we’re dining on hallacas, a traditional dish made of meat wrapped in cornmeal and then folded within plantain leaves.

[9A]

July 5, 2020

Hwang Hye-seong's 100th Birthday





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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

July 5, 2016

Juno Reaches Jupiter




A NASA satellite built like a tank is settling into polar orbit around Jupiter, the mysterious gas giant two doors down from Earth.

Juno’s five year, 500 million mile journey will culminate in a treasure trove of new pictures and measurements taken by its nine instruments. What Juno tells us about Jupiter will detail the planet’s magnetic and gravitational fields and interior structure, revealing how it was formed and providing clues to our own planet’s humble beginnings.

In satellite terms, Juno is a warrior. Building the 3,500-pound device for Jupiter’s brutal atmosphere took seven years and countless hours of testing. NASA scientists equipped Juno with titanium shields to withstand pummeling rocks, powerful radiation, and freezing temperatures. It’s armor will keep it safe and working properly over its year-long polar orbit collecting data about Jupiter.

Today's Doodle celebrates this incredible moment of human achievement. Bravo, Juno!

Visit NASA’s page on the Google Cultural Institute to see how space exploration has evolved over the years.

[9A]

July 5, 2011

Venezuela Independence Day 2011




The national flower is the orchid Cattleya mossiae, known as flor de Mayo ["May flower"]. It was first discovered in the northern land in 1849 and was given the status of national flower on 23 May 1951.




Flor de Mayo [Cattleya mossiae],
the Venezuelan national flower.

[9A]

November 24, 2021

Celebrating Isala Van Diest



Today’s Doodle celebrates the first woman to become a doctor in Belgium—Isala Van Diest. On this day in 1884, a government decree went into effect that allowed Van Diest to practice medicine in Belgium.

Isala Van Diest was born in Leuven, Belgium in 1842. Her father was a doctor who owned a medical practice and her mother was active in progressive, feminist organizations. Van Diest made the decision early on to take over her father’s practice, marking a departure from gender conventions of the era. Unable to enroll in medical school in Belgium due to gender discrimination, Diest left home to study in Bern, Switzerland, where she became the first Belgian woman to graduate with a university degree in 1879.

After a short stint in a British women’s hospital, Van Diest shifted her focus to opening her own practice, but many societal and institutional obstacles hindered her progress. Belgium finally began to allow women to formally study medicine in 1880, and in 1883, Van Diest graduated as a doctor of medicine, surgery, and obstetrics. Following years of working in a women’s refuge hospital and advocating for women’s rights, Diest at last opened her own practice in 1886.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day in 2011, the Belgian government issued a €2 coin in Van Diest’s honor alongside Belgium's first woman lawyer, Marie Popelin. In Brussels, the street of Van Diest's former practice was named in her honor in 2018.

Here’s to a medical trailblazer—Isala Van Diest!

[9A]

Nov 28, 2021

35th Anniversary of Taroko National Park




In the language of Taiwan’s indigenous Truku people, taroko means magnificent or beautiful. Taroko Park—the Truku people’s ancestral home—reflects the grandiosity of its title as one of Taiwan’s nine national parks. Today’s Doodle celebrates this protected park on the 35th anniversary of the day it was established to formally conserve the nation’s natural beauty and biodiversity. The Doodle artwork depicts the Taroko Gorge Waterfalls and the Eternal Spring Shrine.

From the precipitous white marble walls of Taroko Gorge to the active steam vents of Taiwan’s tallest volcano Mount Qixing, Taroko Park serves as an epicenter of scientific research and environmental education. The reserve spans over 350 square miles, ranging across an expansive Pacific shoreline to 140 rugged mountain peaks—27 of which stand among the nation’s 100 tallest mountains! These peaks were formed by the collision of two massive tectonic plates over millions of years, and the Central Mountain Range continues to be elevated by several millimeters annually.

As a gathering place for outdoor adventurists and wildlife enthusiasts alike, Taroko’s widely varied geography creates several climate zones that provide habitats for hundreds of species of flora and fauna. The alpine forests of the park’s higher elevations support tree-dwelling mammals like the Formosan rock macaque, Taiwan’s only indigenous primate. Its lower regions harbor an exceptional collection of plant and animal life, including over 300 butterfly species.

Happy 35th Anniversary, Taroko National Park!

[9A]

May 9, 2022

Celebrating the Birthday of Kiyoshi Kuromiya


Continuing the company’s celebration of Pride Month, the latest Google Doodle honors Kiyoshi Kuromiya, a Japanese American activist for civil rights and gay liberation.

Kiyoshi Kuromiya was born on May 9, 1943, in Wyoming, though his family’s home was in California. At the time, tensions were high between Japan and America, and the United States put those of Japanese descent into internment camps around the country. As such, Kuromiya was born inside of the Heart Mountain Concentration Camp.

After living on the West Coast for most of his life, Kuromiya moved to the eastern US to attend the University of Pennsylvania starting in 1961. There, Kuromiya felt a need to get involved as an activist both for human rights and antiwar efforts. Among other protest events, the next year, he participated in the Congress for Racial Equality’s sit-ins at diners in Maryland.

In 1963, Kiyoshi Kuromiya had the privilege of being in attendance for Dr. Martin Luther KingJr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and in time Kuromiya became one of Dr. King’s aides.

Kuromiya formally came out as gay in 1965, at the first “Annual Reminder,” a yearly protest using picket signs to remind the public of the rights that the gay community simply did not have. Four years later, after the Stonewall Riots, Kiyoshi Kuromiya helped cofound the Gay Liberation Front, a group meant to help men deal with the loneliness of having a different sexual identity.

Kuromiya continued his activism work for decades after that, including boosting public awareness of the AIDS epidemic in the ’80s all the way through to the late ’90s. Kiyoshi Kuromiya died due to cancer-related complications on May 10, 2000, at the age of 57.

To get a more in-depth look at Kuromiya’s life, be sure to check out the special exhibit from the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation on Google Arts & Culture, which includes pictures of the man himself.

The Google Doodle honoring Kiyoshi Kuromiya depicts a building in the city, painted with a mural of Kuromiya. In a vignette to the left, you can see a protest in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, while the right-side shows a phone and the Progress Pride flag. As for why Google chose this day to honor the respected activist, Kiyoshi Kuromiya was inducted into the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor on June 4, 2019.

[9A]

Apr 17, 2021

Celebrating Laura Bassi




Newton’s second law of motion states that an object’s acceleration is dependent on two variables: the force acting on the object and its mass. Apply this law to the momentum of women in science, and Italian physicist and professor—Laura Bassi—arises as a primary force for propelling scientific progress forward. On this day in 1732, Bassi successfully defended 49 theses to become one of the first women in Europe to receive a PhD.

Today’s Doodle celebrates Laura Maria Catarina Bassi, who was born in Bologna, Papal States [modern-day Italy] in 1711. A child prodigy, she was debating top academics on the history of philosophy and physics by 20; a rare achievement at a time in which women were largely excluded from higher education.

By 1732, Bassi was a household name in Bologna, and following her thesis defense, she became the first female member of the Bologna Academy of Sciences, one of Italy’s foremost scientific institutions. Due to gender discrimination, her position at the Academy was limited, yet she persisted. Bassi apprenticed under eminent Bologna professors to learn calculus and Newtonian physics, a discipline she spread across Italy for almost 50 years. A lifelong teacher of physics and philosophy, she complemented her education with innovative research and experiments on subjects ranging from electricity to hydraulics.

Bassi continually fought for gender equality in education throughout her trailblazing career; efforts that culminated in 1776 when the Bologna Academy of Sciences appointed her a professor of experimental physics—making Bassi the first woman offered an official teaching position at a European university.

Here’s to you, Laura Bassi!

[9A]

April 17, 2013

Adam Frantisek Kollar's 295th Birthday




Adam František Kollár de Keresztén [1718–1783] was a Slovak jurist, Imperial-Royal Court Councillor and Chief Imperial-Royal Librarian, a member of Natio Hungarica in the Kingdom of Hungary, a historian, ethnologist, an influential advocate of Empress Maria Theresa's Enlightened and centralist policies. His advancement of Maria Theresa's status in the Kingdom of Hungary as its apostolic ruler in 1772 was used as an argument in support of the subsequent Habsburg annexations of Galicia and Dalmatia. Kollár is also credited with coining the term ethnology and providing its first definition in 1783.

[9A]

April 17, 2014

The Peak District becomes Britain's 1st National Park



The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, where moorland is found and the geology gritstone, and the White Peak, a limestone area with valleys and gorges. The Dark Peak forms an arc on the north, east and west sides; the White Peak covers central and southern tracts.

The historic Peak District extends beyond the National Park, which excludes major towns, quarries and industrial areas. It became the first of the national parks of England and Wales in 1951. Nearby Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Sheffield send millions of visitors – some 20 million live within an hour's ride. Inhabited from the Mesolithic era, it shows evidence of the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. Settled by the Romans and Anglo-Saxons, it remained largely agricultural; mining arose in the Middle Ages. Richard Arkwright built cotton mills in the Industrial Revolution. As mining declined, quarrying grew. Tourism came with the railways, spurred by the landscape, spa towns and Castleton's show caves.




Get Here [if you can] - Oleta Adams

Songwriter: Brenda Russell

[9A]

Apr 21, 2014

Charlotte Brontë's 198th Birthday [born 1816]




Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature.

Although her first novel, The Professor, was rejected by publishers, her second novel, Jane Eyre, was published in 1847. The sisters admitted to their Bell pseudonyms in 1848, and by the following year were celebrated in London literary circles.

[9A]

April 21, 2006

Earth Day 2006

[9A]

April 21, 2012

Brasilia's Anniversary





This doodle was a co-creation between Oscar Niemeyer, who is one of the city of Brasilia's most important architects, and his grand-grandson, Paulo Sergio. Together they took Niemeyer's original drawings for the city and digitally crafted them into the Google logo.

[9A]

April 21, 2008

Earth Day 2008

[9A]

Apr 23, 2008

Girl's Day 2008 [Germany]

[9A]

April 23, 2022

Celebrating Naziha Salim




Naziha Salim was a painter, professor and one of the most influential artists in Iraq’s contemporary art scene. Her work often depicts rural Iraqi women and peasant life through bold brush strokes and vivid colors. On this day in 2020, Naziha Salim was spotlighted by the Barjeel Art Foundation in their collection of female artists.

To paint the scene, Salim was born into a family of Iraqi artists in Turkey. Her father was a painter and her mother was a skilled embroidery artist. All three of her brothers worked in the arts, including Jawad, who’s widely considered one of Iraq’s most influential sculptors. From an early age she enjoyed making her own art.

Salim enrolled at the Baghdad Fine Arts Institute where she studied painting and graduated with distinction. Because of her hard work and passion for art she was one of the first women awarded a scholarship to continue her education in Paris at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. While in Paris, Salim specialized in fresco and mural painting. After graduation, she spent several more years abroad, immersing herself in art and culture.

Salim eventually returned to Baghdad to work at the Fine Arts Institute where she would teach until retirement. She was active in Iraq’s arts community and one of the founding members of Al-Ruwwad, a community of artists that study abroad and incorporate European art techniques into the Iraqi aesthetic. Later in her career, Salim authored Iraq: Contemporary Art, an important resource for the early development of Iraq’s modern art movement.

Naziha Salim’s artwork hangs at the Sharjah Art Museum and the Modern Art Iraqi Archive. There you can see the magic she created from dripping brushes and brimmed canvases. Today’s Doodle artwork is an ode to Salim's painting style and a celebration of her long standing contributions to the art world!

[9A]

Apr 27, 2022

King's Day 2022




Today’s Doodle celebrates King’s Day, or Koningsdag. Every year on the 27th of April, Dutch communities gather to celebrate their heritage and honor the birthday of the Dutch king.

Previously known as Queensday, this national holiday’s name was changed when Queen Beatrix crowned her son Willem-Alexander as king in 2013. King’s Day festival goers can be seen wearing orange clothes and enjoying the national drink known as Oranjebitter, all to honor the royal House of Orange.

Street carnivals and flea markets—the day is filled with various lively events and activities. Got a sweet tooth? Stop by a bakery for a quick, sugary bite. Need to do some shopping? Explore the many open-air free markets set up along the streets. Kids are even encouraged to trade their old toys, games and books for new ones.

Show your Dutch pride and appreciation on Koningsdag this year by donning bright orange apparel.




Fijne Koningsdag! [Happy King’s Day!]

[9A]

April 27, 2017

Theodor Kittelsen’s 160th Birthday





A nature lover with an affinity for fairy tales, painter Theodor Severin Kittelsen is one of Norway’s most prized artists. Kittelsen was born on April 27, 1857, in the coastal town of Kragerø. At the age of 11, he was apprenticed to a watchmaker, but his budding talent caught the eye of a benefactor. By 17, he was on the path to becoming an accomplished artist, studying in Christiania [now Oslo], Munich, and Paris before returning to his homeland.

Norway agreed with Kittelsen. The artist set up his studio near Prestfoss and dubbed it "Lauvlia." He drew inspiration from the beauty in his midst, including Mount Andersnatten overlooking Lake Soneren. He created scenic paintings in a style described as Neo-Romantic or naive. He also drew illustrations of trolls and animals — sometimes stark and haunting, sometimes whimsical — for children’s books, earning him the nickname “The Father of All Trolls.” In 1908, Kittelsen was named Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.

Lauvlia is now a private museum that houses Kittelsen’s iconic work. Today we honor his 160th birthday with a Doodle that reflects the lake he loved, as well as some of his more gothic creations.

[9A]

Apr 28, 2017

Marie Harel’s 256th Birthday



If not for Marie Harel, born April 28, 1761, brie might have no gooey counterpart. Harel, who’s credited with creating the first camembert in 1791, is said to have encountered a cheese whisperer at the Normandy manor where she worked as a dairymaid. According to legend, a priest [purportedly from the region of Brie] took shelter at Beaumoncel near Vimoutiers during the French Revolution, and he shared his secret for making the now-famous soft-centered cheese. Harel added her own signature, packaging the cheese in its iconic wooden boxes.

Like brie, camembert is made from raw cow’s milk, but without cream. The cheese is yellow in color, with an earthy aroma, creamy taste, and an edible white rind. Today, only camembert made from unpasteurized milk receives the designation Camembert de Normandie. The village of Vimoutiers, home of the Camembert Museum, boasts a statue of a cow — as well as one of Harel, who made such a delicious contribution to French cheese culture.

Our Doodle celebrates Harel’s 256th birthday with a slideshow that illustrates how camembert is made, step by step. It's drawn in a charming, nostalgic style reminiscent of early 20th-century French poster artists, such as Hervé Morvan and Raymond Savignac.

Bon appetit!

[9A]

April 28, 2016

Girls' and Boys' Day 2016



We all bring different skills to the table, some of us are great at crunching numbers, some of us have exceptional interpersonal skills. But when it comes to choosing careers, the path is not always as clear. To tackle that, Germany instituted Girls’ and Boys’ Day, which seeks to show kids the full array of career opportunities out there. On this day, girls and boys take a brief residence as working professionals — in doctors’ offices, in science labs, schools, and more. We join Germany in celebrating all these career choices, and the children who will one day seize them with the full force of their potential.

[9A]

Apr 30, 2016

Claude Shannon’s 100th birthday




It’s impossible to overstate the legacy of Claude Shannon. The paper he wrote for his master’s thesis is the foundation of electronic digital computing. As a cryptographer for the U.S. Government during WWII, he developed the first unbreakable cipher. For fun, he tinkered with electronic switches, and one of his inventions--an electromechanic mouse he called Theseus--could teach itself to navigate a maze. If you’re thinking, “that sounds a lot like artificial intelligence,” you’re right. He regularly brushed shoulders with Einstein and Alan Turing, and his work in electronic communications and signal processing--the stuff that earned him the moniker “the father of information theory”--led to revolutionary changes in the storage and transmission of data.

Notwithstanding this staggering list of achievements in mathematics and engineering, Shannon managed to avoid one of the trappings of genius: taking oneself too seriously. A world-class prankster and juggler, he was often spotted in the halls of Bell Labs on a unicycle, and invented such devices as the rocket-powered frisbee and flame-throwing trumpet.

Animated by artist Nate Swinehart, today’s homepage celebrates the brilliance and lightheartedness of the father of modern digital communication on what would have been his 100th birthday.

[9A]

April 30, 2008


Guest Doodle by Jeff Koons



Jeffrey Lynn Koons [January 21, 1955] is an American artist recognized for his work dealing with popular culture and his sculptures depicting everyday objects, including balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror-finish surfaces. He lives and works in both New York City and his hometown of York, Pennsylvania. His works have sold for substantial sums, including at least two record auction prices for a work by a living artist: US$58.4 million for Balloon Dog [Orange] in 2013 and US$91.1 million for Rabbit in 2019.


Critics are sharply divided in their views of Koons. Some view his work as pioneering and of major art-historical importance. Others dismiss his work as kitsch, crass, and based on cynical self-merchandising. Koons has stated that there are no hidden meanings and critiques in his works.



Balloon Dog [Magenta], 1994–2000, mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating, 121 × 143 × 45 in. [307.3 × 363.2 × 114.3 cm], François Pinault Foundation. One of five unique versions [Blue, Magenta, Orange, Red, Yellow]. The Orange version was sold in 2013 for a record price for a living sculptor.

[9A]

April 30, 2022

Celebrating Route 66




Today’s video Doodle takes you on the ultimate American road trip, a journey along the historic Route 66. The iconic highway, known for its retro diners, quirky motels, eclectic art installations and extraordinary landscapes, connects Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. On this day in 1926, the name “U.S. 66” was first proposed for the cross-country route.

Built during the start of mass car ownership in 1926, U.S. Highway 66 made cross-country travel affordable for the first time ever. It also served as an escape route for displaced families during the Dust Bowl. When severe dust storms ravaged the Great Plains in the 1930s, more than 200,000 refugees got on Route 66 to pursue a better life out West. Among these drivers was John Steinbeck, who traveled along Route 66 during this time to seek inspiration for The Grapes of Wrath.

When the American economy stabilized after World War II, Route 66’s popularity surged. Millions of travelers drove through the highway to witness awe-inspiring sites—like a 50,000-year-old meteor crater in northern Arizona, and graffiti-laden Cadillacs buried nose-down in Amarillo, Texas.

Although Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, after five new interstate highways replaced it, many organizations campaigned to preserve the road to honor its historical significance. As a result, parts of Route 66 were preserved as State or National Scenic Byways. Travelers today can still find many original establishments from the heyday of the historic highway.

Today's video—set to the classic music track "Route 66" by Bobby Troup—celebrates the cultural significance of one of America’s first national highways, and how it became a symbol of a changing nation.

Honk if you love Route 66!

[9A]

May 7, 2012

Władysław Reymont's 145th Birthday



Władysław Stanisław Reymont was a Polish novelist and the 1924 laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His best-known work is the award-winning four-volume novel Chłopi [The Peasants].

[9A]

May 9, 2012

Howard Carter's 138th Birthday



Howard Carter's doodle was so much fun to work on! Researching it and diving into his writing was a claustrophobic process in itself. The rich, detailed account and the anticipation of when he finally chiseled away at the tomb sent chills down my spine... so much so that I couldn't wait to read more. I now seriously hope to visit Tut's tomb someday.

posted by Willie Real

[9A]

May 10, 2012

Mahmoud Mokhtar's 121st Birthday






Mahmoud Mukhtar was an Egyptian sculptor. He attended the School of Fine Arts in Cairo upon its opening in 1908 by Prince Yusuf Kamal, and was part of the original "Pioneers" of the Egyptian Art movement. Despite his early death, he greatly impacted the realization and formation of contemporary Egyptian art. His work is credited with signaling the beginning of the Egyptian modernist movement, and he is often referred to as the father of modern Egyptian sculpture.

[9A]

June 6, 2022

Angelo Moriondo's 171st Birthday




Once upon a time, in 19th century Italy, coffee was the hottest item around. Unfortunately, brewing methods required customers to wait over five minutes to get their drink. Enter Angelo Moriondo, the man who patented the first known espresso machine. Today’s Doodle celebrates his 171st birthday.

Moriondo was born on June 6, 1851 in Turin, Italy to a family of entrepreneurs who never stopped brewing new ideas or projects. His grandfather founded a liquor production company that was passed down to his son [Angelo’s father], who himself would later build the popular chocolate company, “Moriondo and Gariglio” alongside his brother and cousin.

Following in his family’s footsteps, Moriondo purchased two establishments: the Grand-Hotel Ligure in the city-center Piazza Carlo Felice and the American Bar in the Galleria Nazionale of Via Roma. Despite coffee’s popularity in Italy, the time spent waiting for coffee to brew inconvenienced customers. Moriondo figured that making multiple cups of coffee at once would allow him to serve more customers at a faster pace, giving him an edge over his competitors.

After directly supervising a mechanic he enlisted to build his invention, Moriondo presented his espresso machine at the General Expo of Turin in 1884, where it was awarded the bronze medal. The machine consisted of a large boiler that pushed heated water through a bed of coffee grounds, with a second boiler producing steam that would flash the bed of coffee and complete the brew. He received a patent titled,"New steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage, method ‘A. Moriondo’." Moriondo continued to improve and patent his invention in the following years.

Happy 171st birthday, Angelo Moriondo. Today, coffee lovers sip in tribute to the godfather of espresso machines.

Check out the behind-the-scenes process for
today’s Doodle artwork by Doodler, Olivia When



Timelapse of the Doodle’s creation



This Doodle was painted entirely with coffee!



Early sketches and drafts

[9A]

June 6, 2011

Dragon Boat Festival 2011




The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which corresponds to late May or June in the Gregorian calendar.

[9A]

June 6, 2009

25 Years of Tetris – courtesy of Tetris Holding, LLC




Tetris is a puzzle video game created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It has been published by several companies for multiple platforms, most prominently during a dispute over the appropriation of the rights in the late 1980s. After a significant period of publication by Nintendo, the rights reverted to Pajitnov in 1996, who co-founded the Tetris Company with Henk Rogers to manage licensing.

Built on simple rules and requiring intelligence and skill, Tetris established itself as one of the great early video games.

[9A]

June 6, 2014

Honinbo Shusaku's 185th Birthday



Today in Japan and other countries, we’re marking the 185th birthday of Honinbo Shusaku, widely considered to be one of the greatest players of the ancient Chinese board game Go. Shusaku rose to prominence during Go’s golden age in the 19th century and is known for his perfection of the Shusaku opening, which is depicted in our doodle.

[9A]

June 6, 2012

79th Anniversary of the First Drive-in Movie





A partial drive-in theater—Theatre de Guadalupe—was opened in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on April 23, 1915. The first movie shown by the Theatre de Guadalupe was Bags of Gold, produced by Siegmund Lubin. Theatre de Guadalupe soon was renamed De Lux Theater before closing in July 1916.

In 1921, a drive-in was opened by Claude V. Caver in Comanche, Texas. Caver obtained a permit from the city to project films downtown. With cars parked bumper-to-bumper, patrons witnessed the screening of silent films from their vehicles. In the 1920s, "outdoor movies" became a popular summer entertainment, but relatively few "drive-in" experiments were made due to logistical difficulties.

After 1945 rising car ownership and suburban and rural population led to a boom in drive-in theaters, with hundreds being opened each year. More couples were reunited and having children, resulting in the Baby Boom, and more cars were being purchased following the end of wartime fuel rationing. By 1951, the number of drive-in movie theaters in the United States had increased from its 1947 total of 155 to 4,151.

Beginning in the late 1960s, drive-in attendance began to decline as the result of improvements and changes to home entertainment, from color television and cable TV, to VCRs and video rental in the early 1980s. Additionally, the 1970s energy crisis led to the widespread adoption of daylight saving time [which caused drive-in movies to start an hour later] and lower use of automobiles, making it increasingly difficult for drive-ins to remain profitable.

[9A]

June 8, 2005

Frank Lloyd Wright's 138th Birthday



Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements of the twentieth century, influencing architects worldwide through his works and hundreds of apprentices in his Taliesin Fellowship. Wright believed in designing in harmony with humanity and the environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture. This philosophy was exemplified in Fallingwater [1935], which has been called "the best all-time work of American architecture".

Wright was the pioneer of what came to be called the Prairie School movement of architecture and also developed the concept of the Usonian home in Broadacre City, his vision for urban planning in the United States. He also designed original and innovative offices, churches, schools, skyscrapers, hotels, museums, and other commercial projects. Wright-designed interior elements [including leaded glass windows, floors, furniture and even tableware] were integrated into these structures. He wrote several books and numerous articles and was a popular lecturer in the United States and in Europe. Wright was recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as "the greatest American architect of all time". In 2019, a selection of his work became a listed World Heritage Site as The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.


Fallingwater, Mill Run, Pennsylvania [1937]



Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City [1959]

[9A]

February 23, 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.