Google doodles

[9A]

August 4, 2011

Roberto Burle Marx's 102nd Birthday




Roberto Burle Marx was a Brazilian landscape architect [as well as a painter, print maker, ecologist, naturalist, artist and musician] whose designs of parks and gardens made him world-famous. He is accredited with having introduced modernist landscape architecture to Brazil. He was known as a modern nature artist and a public urban space designer. His work had a great influence on tropical garden design in the 20th century. Water gardens were a popular theme in his work. He was deftly able to transfer traditional artistic expressions such as graphic design, tapestry and folk art into his landscape designs. He also designed fabrics, jewellery and stage sets.

He was one of the first people to call for the conservation of Brazil's rainforests. More than 50 plants bear his name. He amassed a substantial collection of plants at his home, including more than 500 philodendrons, including some that were discovered by him or bear his name, like Philodendron burle-marxii.

[9A]

Aug 6, 2011


Chinese Valentine's Day 2011




Qixi Festival [The Night of Sevens, Magpie Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day]
7th day of the 7th month

According to legend, the goddess "Zhi Nü" [the star Vega] fell in love with the farmer boy "Niu Lang" [the star Altair], but was disapproved by her mother goddess. As punishment, they were separated by the Milky Way and could only meet once a year on this night.

[9A]

August 6, 2002

Andy Warhol's 74th Birthday


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

[9A]

August 9, 2021

Singapore National Day 2021




Today’s Doodle celebrates Singapore’s National Day, which commemorates the island nation’s sovereignty and cultural heritage each year. On this day in 1965, Singapore declared its national independence.

Today, Singaporeans from all walks of life come together to celebrate their multiethnic national culture and customs. While citizens’ backgrounds vary widely, most find common ground in enjoying the diverse cuisines. Singapore’s hawker culture is a distinctive element in its national identity, and in 2020 this was recognized by its inclusion in the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Well-loved hawker dishes Nasi Lemak [coconut milk rice], chili crab, and roti prata [flatbread] are depicted in the Doodle artwork. Originating from affordable, on-the-go meals served by early migrant street stalls in the 1800s, hawker cuisine is now traditionally prepared in the nation’s 110 hawker centers. These community dining hubs are found across the island and are great spots to get a taste of Singapore!

Happy National Day, Singapore!

[9A]

August 28, 2020

Grandparents' Day 2020 [August 28] [Mexico]

[9A]

Aug 25, 2020

Qixi Festival 2020 [Canada]





Today’s Doodle celebrates the Qixi Festival, also known as Qixi Valentine’s Day, a celebration of love observed in Taiwan each year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

The holiday traces its roots to an ancient Chinese story of forbidden romance. The legend tells of a human cow herder named Niúláng and a fairy named Zhinü–the daughter of the goddess of heaven–who fell in love and wed in secret. When Zhinü’s mother discovered that her daughter had married a mortal man, she forbade their love and demanded Zhinü return to heaven.

Niúláng attempted to find his wife in heaven, but the goddess created a river between them, known today as the Milky Way. Touched by Niúláng’s heartbreak, thousands of magpies formed a bridge over the river to reunite the couple, a scene reimagined in the Doodle artwork. In turn, the goddess agreed to allow the star-crossed lovers to meet once a year on this day.

In honor of the pair’s annual reunion, people across Taiwan take this day to celebrate the ones they love.

Happy Qixi Festival!

[9A]

Aug 25, 2020

Celebrating Barbara Hepworth



Today’s animated Doodle celebrates the life and work of English abstract sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth, widely considered one of the mid-20th century’s most impactful sculptors. On this day in 1939, Hepworth arrived in St. Ives, a town on England’s southern coast, where she established her studio and lived for the remainder of her career.

Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on January 10th, 1903 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, and by the age of 15, she knew she wanted to become a sculptor. She enrolled at the Leeds School of Art, where she began a mutually influential lifelong friendship with fellow sculptor Henry Moore, and then attended the Royal College of Art in London. While her early work incorporated classic elements, by the 1930s she had shifted to wholly abstract pieces, among the earliest such sculptures crafted in Britain.

As depicted in today’s Doodle artwork, Hepworth was one of the leading practitioners of “direct carving,” a technique by which the sculpting process is influenced by the qualities of the raw materials, rather than a preconceived model. Her work is frequently marked by a sensitive, organic quality and a signature focus on the interplay between mass and empty space.

Among her many accolades, Hepworth was awarded the Grand Prix at the 1959 São Paulo Bienal, and for her invaluable contribution to British art was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1965. Hepworth’s more than 600 sculptures remain a testament to the unique power of art to reflect the timeless values of humanism and natural beauty.

Thank you, Dame Barbara Hepworth, for using your art to help carve a path toward greater harmony within our society and environment.

[9A]

Aug 21, 2017

Great American Eclipse 2017



Skywatchers on the American continent today are in for a special astronomical treat: front row seats to a total solar eclipse. An eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, blocking the light of the sun from reaching us.

While eclipses aren’t rare, a total eclipse, when viewers from Earth are at the very center of the moon’s shadow, only happens once every 18 months. To see one requires you to be in just the right place on earth, and a total eclipse in the same location only happens every 375 years on average.

It’s been 99 years since an total eclipse crossed the width the United States. This year, the 65-mile wide path of totality with sweep, sash-like, across the country—entering the map at Oregon and exiting at South Carolina. The once-in-a-lifetime spectacle will attract an estimated 7.4 million people to areas in the path of totality, including so-called eclipse-chasers, who plan for years in advance and travel from far and wide to get a glimpse of the stellar phenomenon.

Happy viewing, skywatchers!

[9A]

Aug 20, 2017

Cora Coralina's 128th Birthday




Anna Lins dos Guimarães Peixoto Bretas led a simple life selling sweets to the townsfolk in rural Goiás, Brazil, the same place where she was born in 1889. At the age of 76, she had her first book of poetry published, under the pseudonym Cora Coralina. She continued to write under that name and eventually was regarded as one of the country's most important writers.

Cora’s poetry is a mirror of her simple and peaceful rural life. She wrote about love and kindness in a light and sweet manner - quite fitting for a lifelong confectioner.

One of Cora's poems can be interpreted to say, "Life is not about the starting point, but the journey. If you sow as you walk, you'll have a harvest to reap at the end". In her own, unique way, she cultivated a rich world that continues to nourish her readers. Happy birthday, Cora!

[9A]

July 31, 2016

Munshi Premchand’s 136th Birthday





Today’s homepage celebrates a man who forever changed India’s literary landscape. Born Dhanpat Rai in a small village in northern India, the prolific author is best known under his pen name, Premchand. He’s also been called Upanyas Samrat, or “emperor among novelists,” having produced more than a dozen novels, 250 short stories, and a number of essays throughout his lifetime.

Writing wasn’t always his main focus, though. Premchand was a teacher for many years until he joined the non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in the 1920s. Gandhi influenced much of Premchand’s later work, which brought to light some of India’s most prominent social issues of the time.

His last and most famous novel, Godaan [1936], inspired today’s Doodle, which depicts Premchand bringing his signature working-class characters to life. On what would have been his 136th birthday, this illustration pays tribute to the many important stories he told.

[9A]

Aug 1, 2016

Switzerland National Day 2016





Swiss National Day is celebrated today because it was around this time in the year 1291 that three Alpine states joined to create what would eventually become modern-day Switzerland. Celebrated informally since 1891, Swiss National Day became an official holiday in 1994.

The Google homepage honors this day with a Doodle depicting a cowbell flanked by Alpine flowers. The cowbell was chosen because of its stature as an enduring symbol of the meadows and mountains of Switzerland. The Alpine flowers depicted in the illustration are Enzian and Edelweiss, found in the same region where cows roam, and on the Swiss five franc coin.

As for the celebration, communities and cities in Switzerland will mark the day in many different ways, from brunches with buurezmorgä to bonfires.

Happy Swiss National Day!

[9A]

December 17, 2021

Émilie du Châtelet's 315th Birthday


Today’s Doodle celebrates the 315th birthday of French mathematician, physicist, translator, and philosopher Émilie du Châtelet, whose contributions to Newtonian theory and mission to make scientific literature more accessible helped clear the path for modern physics.

Émilie du Châtelet was born Gabrielle-Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil in Paris on this day in 1706—a time when it was rare for women to publicly pursue intellectual careers. Raised in an aristocratic household, Châtelet learned avidly from the distinguished scientists and mathematicians whom her family often entertained. She complemented her formal math and science studies with fencing and linguistics lessons, learning six languages by age 12. Despite society’s discouragement of women pursuing the sciences, Châtelet broke convention.

In her 20s, she married Marquis Florent-Claude du Châtelet, a prominent military officer, and their estate library housed approximately 21,000 books! After months of clandestine research and experimentation, Châtelet submitted a groundbreaking physics paper to the French Academy of Sciences in 1737 that predicted the existence of infrared radiation. Voltaire, an eminent writer of the French enlightenment, recognized her talents, and in 1738, the pair published “Elements of Newton’s Philosophy” under Voltaire’s name. This pioneering book broke down complex Newtonian physics into easy-to-understand terms for French readers.

Châtelet’s magnum opus came in 1740 with the anonymous publication of “The Foundations of Physics,” a work of natural philosophy that married Newtonian physics with metaphysics. Her work played an instrumental role in the acceptance of Newtonian physics across Europe. Albeit anonymously, Châtelet continued to revolutionize physics by translating “Principia,” Newton’s manifesto for the laws of motion and gravity. Published posthumously in 1759, it remains the leading French translation to this day.

Here’s to an unstoppable force in the progression of physics!

[9A]

December 17, 2009

Discovery of the Aztec Sun Stone




The Aztec sun stone [Spanish: Piedra del Sol] is a late post-classic Mexica sculpture housed in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, and is perhaps the most famous work of Mexica sculpture. It measures 358 centimetres [141 in] in diameter and 98 centimetres [39 in] thick, and weighs 24,590 kg [54,210 lb]. Shortly after the Spanish conquest, the monolithic sculpture was buried in the Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City. It was rediscovered on 17 December 1790 during repairs on the Mexico City Cathedral. Following its rediscovery, the sun stone was mounted on an exterior wall of the cathedral, where it remained until 1885.

The sculpted motifs that cover the surface of the stone refer to central components of the Mexica cosmogony. The state-sponsored monument linked aspects of Aztec ideology such as the importance of violence and warfare, the cosmic cycles, and the nature of the relationship between gods and man. The Aztec elite used this relationship with the cosmos and the bloodshed often associated with it to maintain control over the population, and the sun stone was a tool in which the ideology was visually manifested.

[9A]

Jul 22, 2022

Celebrating Stefan Banach



Today’s Doodle celebrates an original member of the Lwów School of Mathematics and founder of modern functional analysis —Stefan Banach. On this day in 1922, this influential 20th-century mathematician officially became a professor

Stefan Banach was born in Kraków, Poland [30 March 1892 – 31 August 1945] He never knew his mother, and his father sent him to be raised by a family in the city. Due to his poor eyesight, Banach was deemed unfit for military service and taught in local schools during World War 1.

After publishing mathematical papers he worked on in his spare time, Banach received a job at Lvov Technical University. He was a mostly self-taught mathematician and professor. Hugo Steinhaus, a distinguished mathematician and educator met and befriended a young Banach. Steinhaus, an early founder of game and probability theory, would later refer to Banach as his “greatest scientific discovery.”

With the help of Steinhaus’ academic connections, Banach founded modern functional analysis, an entirely new branch of mathematics. Many concepts are named after him including Banach spaces, Banach algebra and the Banach-Steinhaus theorm.

He was also an original member of the famous school of mathematics in what is now present day Lviv, Ukraine. Banach influenced the school’s unique atmosphere. Faculty would meet in noisy cafés, discuss and formulate problems, and write directly on the tables.

Banach is widely regarded as one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century. He made major contributions to the theory of topological vector spaces, measure theory, integration, the theory of sets, orthogonal series and functional analysis, which is still studied and used today.

Thank you for your invaluable contributions to mathematics, Stefan Banach!

[9A]

July 22, 2016

Mukesh's 93rd Birthday



Decades before single-name stars Madonna and Prince became superstars, there was the mononymous Mukesh, one of Bollywood’s most acclaimed playback singers. Mukesh first rose to fame as the singing voice of actor, Raj Kapoor in the smash hit Andaz [1949], a Hindi film about a tragic love triangle.

Born Mukesh Chand Mathur in Delhi, India on July 22, 1923, Mukesh was discovered by Motilal, an actor and distant relative, when he sang at his sister’s wedding. The talent that earned him the nickname “The Man with the Golden Voice” took time to develop. Early on, he studied with classical musician Pandit Jagannath Prasad, and for years emulated his idol, singer K.L. Saigal. Working with music director Naushad Ali, who gave him the songs for Andaz, he eventually came into his own.

In 1974, Mukesh won the National Film Award in India for Best Male Playback singer for his song "Kai Baar Yuhi Dekha Hai" from the film Rajnigandha. He followed that up with wins in 1976 at the Filmfare Awards for four songs, most notably "Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein,” the title track of the film Kabhie Kabhie and the inspiration for today’s Doodle.

[9A]

July 21, 2022

Belgium National Day 2022






Today’s Doodle celebrates Belgium’s National Day! On this day in 1831, Leopold I swore allegiance to the constitution and took the oath as king. Although Belgium became an independent nation the previous year in 1830, this holiday commemorates the country’s first king.

After the Napoleonic Wars, the Netherlands annexed Belgium. Between August and October of 1830, Belgians across multiple revolutionary factions united to oust the Dutch. In November, after Dutch forces withdrew from the country, the National Congress declared Belgium a constitutional monarchy and elected Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a German aristocrat, as its first rightful ruler.

Every year, several events are held to honor Belgium’s Independence. After the king makes a televised speech, festivities usually start with the Te Deum hymn at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. The royal family then attends the National Day ceremony at the Place de Palais, where a grand parade takes place.

Firework shows, free concerts and flyovers by the Belgian Air Force are also enjoyed by the people. And it wouldn’t be a proper celebration without some crispy and delicious frites, fried to perfection and served with a variety of sauces and condiments. Many frites stands—friterie [French] or frietkot [Flemish] —like the one in today’s Doodle, can be found throughout the country on National Day. In fact, there’s even a museum in Bruges, Belgium called the Frietmuseum dedicated entirely to celebrating frites!

Happy National Day, Belgium!

[9A]

Jul 20, 2022

Colombia Independence Day 2022



Today’s Doodle commemorates Colombia Independence Day, when the country gained independence from Spanish colonization. On this day in 1810, Colombia signed the Act of the Revolution and became a sovereign state.

Overlooking Independence Day celebrations from the Paramos Mountains of Colombia are Andean bears, like the one pictured in today’s Doodle. This particular breed of bear is said to be the country’s guardian. Colombians see the animal as a sacred addition to their land and include it in their oral traditions of legends, myths and songs.

In cities around the world, Colombians come together to celebrate their culture and history by observing military parades and historic reenactments. It is tradition for Colombians to show pride in their homeland by painting their faces yellow, blue and red, and wearing their national team’s football jersey.

One can’t end Colombian Independence Day without enjoying the savory national dish, bandeja paisa, which consists of grilled beefsteak, steamed white rice, red beans, fried eggs, sweet plantains, fried pork, and slices of avocado.

Happy Independence Day, Colombia!

[9A]

July 20, 2009

40th Anniversary of Moon Landing



A Moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, on 13 September 1959.

The United States' Apollo 11 was the first crewed mission to land on the Moon, on 20 July 1969. There were six crewed U.S. landings between 1969 and 1972, and numerous uncrewed landings, with no soft landings happening between 22 August 1976 and 14 December 2013.

The United States is the only country to have successfully conducted crewed missions to the Moon, with the last departing the lunar surface in December 1972. All soft landings took place on the near side of the Moon until 3 January 2019, when the Chinese Chang'e 4 spacecraft made the first landing on the far side of the Moon.

[9A]

July 20, 2005

Anniversary of Lunar Landing





The United States' Apollo 11 was the first crewed mission to land on the Moon, on 20 July 1969.

[9A]

Jul 27, 2012

Opening Ceremony 2012



The 2012 Summer Olympics [officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012] were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, United Kingdom. The first event, the group stage in women's football, began on 25 July at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, followed by the opening ceremony on 27 July. 10,768 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees [NOCs] participated in the 2012 Olympics.

[9A]

Aug 1, 2012

Field Hockey 2012

[9A]

Aug 2, 2012

Table Tennis 2012

[9A]

Aug 3, 2012

Shot Put 2012

[9A]

Aug 4, 2012

Pole Vault 2012

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Aug 5, 2012

Synchronized Swimming 2012

[9A]

August 5, 2015

101st Anniversary of the First Electric Traffic Signal System





The early twentieth-century intersection was a strange scene. While the world’s largest automobile manufacturer sold over 20,000 cars a month in 1914, horse-drawn wagons and carts still crowded the streets, and accidents became increasingly frequent. Intersections in major cities were congested, and traffic was directed by police officers who stood in the middle of chaotic highways waving their arms--an unenviable beat, to say the least, especially during a blustery winter in the Midwest.

A solution to the problem was woefully overdue. Gas-lit stoplights appeared in England before the turn of the century, but these had a tendency to explode, and mechanically operated signs that displayed the words “stop” and “move” still relied on traffic attendants. Enter the inspiration of today’s Doodle, the electric traffic signal, which was first installed at the corner of 105th and Euclid in Cleveland, Ohio on August 5th, 1914.

Doodler Nate Swinehart hearkens back to an earlier time with shades of black and white, and uses the background colors to make the red and green signals particularly luminous. It’s not an artistic coincidence that the cars leap forward and screech wildly to a halt, either--the yellow light wouldn’t appear for several years, and overzealous motorists had to stop on a dime.

[9A]

August 5, 2021

Soraya Jiménez’s 44th Birthday




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Mexico-based guest artist Carolina Martínez, celebrates the 44th birthday of Mexican Olympic-champion weightlifter Soraya Jiménez, the first Mexican woman to ever win an Olympic gold.

Soraya Jiménez Mendivil was born on this day in 1977 in Naucalpan de Juárez, Mexico. As a child, she swam competitively and played basketball and badminton but ultimately found her true athletic calling in weightlifting. She secured her first podium win at just 17 years old, placing third at the 1994 NORCECA Cup in Colorado Springs.

In 1996, Jiménez earned her first major championship win at the Simón Bolívar International in Venezuela, where her performance proved her to be a serious contender on the international circuit. The years that followed were decorated with titles from across the Americas, which included a weight-class win in the Central American and Caribbean Games as well as a silver at the Pan American Games. A combination of 1999 championship wins at the NORCECA Cup, the Greek Tofalos International, and the Bulgarian National Championships established Jiménez as a favored front-runner heading into the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Jiménez’s athletic career reached its apex when she lifted a staggering total of 497 pounds, taking home the gold in the 58 kg [128 lbs] class weightlifting event at the 2000 Summer Games. Although she retired in 2004, Jiménez continued to share her passion for sports as a broadcaster for Televisa, the world’s largest Spanish-language media company.

Happy birthday, Soraya Jiménez—thanks for using your strength to make history!

[9A]

August 5, 2009

Ilya Repin's Birthday




Ilya Yefimovich Repin was a Russian painter, born in what is now Ukraine. He became one of the most renowned artists in Russia during the 19th century. His major works include Barge Haulers on the Volga [1873], Religious Procession in Kursk Province [1880–1883], Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan [1885]; and Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks [1880–1891]. He is also known for the revealing portraits he made of the leading literary and artistic figures of his time, including Mikhail Glinka, Modest Mussorgsky, Pavel Tretyakov and especially Leo Tolstoy, with whom he had a long friendship.

[9A]

June 1, 2020

Children's Day 2020 [Indonesia, Russia]

[9A]

June 1, 2020

Celebrating Anna Molka Ahmed




Today’s Doodle honors acclaimed Pakistani artist and educator Anna Molka Ahmed, the country’s first art teacher to bring her students out of the classroom to paint outdoors. On this day in 1940, Ahmed established the Fine Arts Department, now the University College of Arts & Design, at the University of the Punjab in Lahore, laying the foundation for decades of arts education in the country.

Anna Molka Bridger was born on August 13th, 1917, in London, England. She was determined to become an artist from a young age, and despite her parents’ disapproval, eventually enrolled at the Royal College of Art in London. There she met her husband, and the pair soon moved to Lahore.

Ahmed’s path took a fortuitous turn when she responded to an ad from the University of the Punjab seeking an artist to open a women's art department at the school. In 1940, she became the first head of the university’s Fine Arts Department, and over more than thirty years, she was instrumental in fostering a culture of arts education in Pakistan.

She organized the first art exhibitions ever held in the country, and many of her students went on to establish their own university arts programs throughout Pakistan. Meanwhile, Ahmed never stopped painting, her expressionist work often combining European influences with inspiration from her adopted home country.

In honor of her pioneering achievements in the world of fine arts education, Ahmed was honored in 1963 with the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz [Medal of Excellence], one of the highest awards for a citizen in Pakistan.

Thank you, Anna Molka Ahmed, for inspiring generations of Pakistani artists.

[9A]

Jul 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]

June 7, 2019

2019 Women's World Cup - Day 1




The 2019 Women’s World Cup kicks off today in France! Today’s Doodle celebrates the eighth edition of the tournament with a collage of characters from our upcoming series of Doodles by guest artists representing each of the competing countries. Each Doodle will capture the local excitement of the World Cup competition as well as what soccer means to the guest artist personally.

Over the next month, players from the national teams of 24 countries will compete, with the final match in the biggest Women’s World Cup yet taking place on July 7th in Lyon, France. No one is more excited than ettie the French poussin, this year’s official mascot!

Seven teams will be making their eighth consecutive appearance in the Women’s World Cup, including the American team, who return as defending champions looking to win their fourth title this year. Four teams will be making their Women’s World Cup debut in 2019: Chile, Scotland, South Africa, and Jamaica—the first Caribbean team ever to qualify.

Best of luck to all the athletes, and let the games begin!



Illustrations by:


Argentina - Xoana Herrera

Australia - Sophie Beer

Brazil - Laura Lannes

Cameroon - Reine Dibussi

Canada - Jenn Liv

Chile - Luisa Rivera

China - Lisk Feng

England - Priya Mistry

France - Aurore Carric

Germany - Noam Weiner

Italy - Giovanna Giuliano

Jamaica - Robin Clare

Japan - Ayumi Takahashi

Netherlands - Eline Van Dam

New Zealand - Phoebe Morris

Nigeria - Data Oruwari

Norway - Ingunn Dybendal

Scotland - Nuria Boj

South Africa - Phathu Nembilwi

South Korea - Sehee Chae

Spain - Núria Tamarit

Sweden - Sara Andreasson

Thailand - Banana Blah Blah

United States - Roxie Vizcarra

[9A]

June 7, 2019

Dragon Boat Festival 2019



Today’s Doodle celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Jie, which begins on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The exciting three-day event has occurred for over 2,000 years, and 10 years ago was inscribed on UNESCO’s list representing the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The festival’s practice of racing boats originated from stories of people rowing on China’s Miluo River to try and rescue the ancient poet Qu Yuan from drowning during the third century B.C. Since then, the races have grown in popularity and spread throughout the world.

The boats are traditionally made of teak wood and can range up to 100 feet in length, accommodating as many as 80 rowers. Boats are usually decorated with dragon heads at the bow and scaly tails at the stern. A sacred ritual is held before the race when the eyes are painted on, which is said to “bring the boat to life.” During the race, a drummer sits in the front of each boat, helping the rowers to work in unison.

Families clean their homes and property in preparation for the festival, hanging bunches of mugwort and calamus on doors to ward off bad luck and disease. Aside from the race itself, there are many time-honored customs associated with the festival: eating sticky rice dumplings wrapped in lotus leaves, called zongzi; drinking wine made with the ruby-colored crystal realgar; and wearing “perfume pouches,” colorful silk bags filled with fragrant medicinal herbs.

端午节快乐!

[9A]

June 7, 2021

Roberto Cantoral's 85th Birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Totoi Semerena, celebrates Mexican pianist, guitarist, singer, poet, activist, and composer Roberto Cantoral. He soundtracked a booming era of romantic Latin pop with beloved ballads such as “El Reloj” [“The Watch”] and “La Barca” [“The Boat”], both of which have been recorded over 1,000 times by dozens of musicians such as Plácido Domingo and Linda Ronstadt.

Born in Tampico on this day in 1935, Roberto Antonio Cantoral García launched his career at 15 when he and his brother Antonio formed the duet “Hermanos Cantoral” [“Cantoral Brothers”]. But his music found mainstream success once he banded together with Chamin Correa and Leonel Galver to form the trio aptly named “Los Tres Caballeros” [“The Three Gentlemen”].

The trio traveled far and wide throughout the 50s, taking their romantic ballads on worldwide tours in countries ranging from Japan to Argentina. In 1960, Cantoral broke out on his own. His original solo compositions were performed by some of Mexico’s most distinguished singers, and he continued to share his music with the world into the 2000s, performing at music festivals, radio shows, and TV programs in over 120 countries.

Along with his musical legacy, Cantoral advocated for protecting composers’ intellectual property as an honorary president of the Mexican Society of Composers and Authors for over 25 years. In 2009, Cantoral was honored at the 10th Latin Grammy Awards with the Latin Recording Academy Trustees Award to recognize his dedication to music and community.

Happy birthday, Roberto Cantoral, and may your music live on forever in the hearts of listeners worldwide!

[9A]

February 7, 2020

Celebrating Else Lasker-Schüler





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Frankfurt-based guest artist Cynthia Kittler, celebrates Jewish German poet and artist Else Lasker-Schüler, widely considered one of the greatest lyricists to write in the German language. On this day in 1937, a Swiss newspaper published her famous poem “Mein blaues Klavier” [“My Blue Piano”], which is referenced in today’s Doodle artwork by the piano keys depicted on the camel’s back, alongside other symbols of Lasker-Schüler’s life and work.

Born in the western German town of Elberfeld on February 11th, 1869, Elisabeth Schüler was raised in a prominent Jewish family. Homeschooled by her mother, she was encouraged to experiment and explore her artistic interests, and in time, she began to develop her voice as a poet.

In 1894, Schüler married Jonathan Lasker and moved to Berlin, where she later published her first poems. She became a well-known fixture in Berlin’s artistic circles, rubbing elbows in cafes with some of the city’s top literary figures. Bringing her vivid work to life, the eccentric Lasker-Schüler could be found dressed in flamboyant robes, assuming the alter ego of one of her vibrant characters, “Jusuf, Prince of Thebes,” depicted in today’s artwork.

In the leadup to World War II, Lasker-Schüler was forced to flee her home country and eventually settled in Jerusalem. She continued portraying “Jusuf, Prince of Thebes” and publishing multiple works from exile, including “Mein blaues Klavier.”

A prolific poet, Lasker-Schüler established herself as a leading German Expressionist voice and a major feature in the iconic Berlin literary journal Der Sturm [“The Storm”], with verses frequently exploring themes of fantasy, loneliness, romance, and religion. In recognition of her impact, in 1932 Lasker-Schüler received the Kleist Prize, widely considered the highest German literary honor at the time.

[9A]

February 7, 2015

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 148th Birthday




Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in a log cabin in the “Big Woods” of Wisconsin. Her beloved Little House books, chronicling her family’s hardscrabble journeys through the American frontier, stand as a notable achievement of early American literature. The television series based on the books—a staple for viewers in the 70s—brought legions of new fans to her work.

[9A]

Feb 13, 2015

Ivan Andreyevich Krylov’s 246th Birthday




In Russia, our doodle depicts “The Crow and the Fox,” a fable by Russian fabulist Ivan Andreyevich Krylov for his 246th birthday. Ivan Andreyevich Krylov is Russia's best-known fabulist and probably the most epigrammatic of all Russian authors. Formerly a dramatist and journalist, he only discovered his true genre at the age of 40. While many of his earlier fables were loosely based on Aesop's and La Fontaine's, later fables were original work, often with a satirical bent.

[9A]

Feb 14, 2015

Cricket World Cup Opening 2015


It will all come down to one match, two teams and millions of fans watching around the world. Here’s to what we hope will be an exciting Cricket World Cup!

The final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup took place on 29 March 2015 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. It was played between the tournament's two co-hosts, New Zealand and Australia. Australia went into the game as favourites and won by 7 wickets for a fifth World Cup triumph. The match was played in front of 93,013 spectators, a record crowd for a day of cricket in Australia.

The final was between the co-hosts Australia and New Zealand. Australia won by seven wickets, to win their fifth Cricket World Cup.

[9A]

May 30, 2019

2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Begins!




Over 100 players, 10 teams, but only one cup.

Today’s Doodle celebrates the International Cricket Council’s 2019 World Cup, which opens at the Oval in London.​

Taking place every four years, the Cricket World Cup is the world’s leading contest in one-day cricket, and has become one of the most popular sporting events on the planet. Ten teams earn their chance to compete for the cup through a qualifying process that takes five to six years. This year’s round robin will be hosted in England and Wales.

Now England’s official national sport, it is said that cricket began as a children’s game in the Weald of rural England. Cricket spread to North America by the 17th century, eventually arriving in the British colonies of the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa and has since spread around the world.

The world’s first international cricket match, between Canada and the United States, took place in 1844. The first World Cup tournament was held in 1975, won by the West Indies team, who repeated the feat in 1979. This year’s defending champions are Australia, a perennial powerhouse that has won five of the eleven cups.

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.

May the best team win!

[9A]

May 30, 2013

Potato Day 2013 [Peru]


The potato was the first domesticated vegetable in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BCE. Cultivation of potatoes in South America may go back 10,000 years, but tubers do not preserve well in the archaeological record, making identification difficult. Aside from actual remains, the potato is also found in the Peruvian archaeological record as a design influence of ceramic pottery, often in the shape of vessels. The potato has since spread around the world and has become a staple crop in most countries

The corresponding resolution adopted on 25 November 2005 by the Food and Agriculture Organization, which was to facilitate the implementation of the year, affirmed "the need to revive public awareness of the relationship that exists between poverty, food security, malnutrition and the potential contribution of the potato to defeating hunger."

The year 2008 was declared the International Year of the Potato by the United Nations, noting that the potato is a staple food in the diet of the world's population, and affirming the need to focus world attention on the role that the potato can play in providing food security and eradicating poverty. Food and Agriculture Organization was invited to facilitate its implementation.

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

[9A]

July 10, 2009

Nikola Tesla's Birthday


Nikola Tesla was 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]

Jul 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 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. 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]

August 27, 2018

198th Anniversary of the First Ascent of the Zugspitze




The Zugspitze is Germany’s tallest mountain, standing at a height of 2,962 meters, and situated along the border between Germany and Austria.

The first people to ascend the Zugspitze were Lieutenant Josef Naus, a 27-year-old engineer from the Royal Bavarian Army, his mountain guide Johann Georg Tauschl, and a military orderly named Maier. Lieutenant Naus was employed by the Royal Bavarian Topographic Bureau, putting together an Atlas of Bavaria. Seeking to prove that this pinnacle was the loftiest in the Kingdom of Bavaria, they trekked across glaciers covered with melting ice— conditions ripe for avalanches.

Setting out in July they made their way across the largest glacier, proceeding to a shepherd’s hut from which they would attempt to climb the summit. After a short night’s rest, Naus’ party undertook their ascent on August 27, 1820, reaching the top seven hours and forty-five minutes later. Storms soon enfolded the mountain, hastening the men’s descent.

Today, visitors can take a cable car up the steep incline to the top, where they are rewarded with awe-inspiring views of the many jagged limestone peaks forming the border between Germany and Austria.

Some believe that local climbers—gatherers or hunters—may have beaten the Naus survey team to the summit before 1820. But Naus, Tauschl, and Maier were the first to prove their success in reaching the pinnacle. Today’s Doodle celebrates the Zugspitze immensity, beauty, and its importance to both Austria and Germany.

Earlier concepts of this Doodle portrayed the mountain as a character standing taller than the surrounding fellow mountains

[9A]

August 15, 2021

Melhem Barakat’s 76th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the 76th birthday of Lebanese singer, composer and actor Melhem Barakat, widely regarded as one of Lebanon's most distinguished musicians. Acclaimed for his unique musical style and extraordinary live performances, Barakat prided himself as one of few musicians to perform primarily in colloquial Lebanese Arabic throughout his iconic career.

Melhem Barakat was born on this day in 1945 in the Lebanese town of Kfarshima, near the capital of Beirut. His teachers recognized his vocal gift early on when he performed an original composition to a rapt audience at his school. Barakat went on to sing and act in musical theater productions and proved himself as one of the country’s most promising voices.

As Barakat’s career progressed, he began to compose original music and developed a signature style that combined classical elements with improvisation. He established a huge fan base across the Arab world and went on to appear in multiple Lebanese films in the 1980s. His powerful voice reverberated across the globe as he toured internationally from Australia to the United States. In addition, he collaborated with some of the Arab world’s most famous singers and continued to compose music throughout his life.

In 2008, for his contributions to Lebanese entertainment, Barakat received the prestigious lifetime achievement award at Lebanon’s annual Murex d’Or ceremony.

Happy birthday, Melhem Barakat and thank you for being a vocal ambassador of Lebanese culture!

[9A]

June 25, 2020

Dragon Boat Festival 2020





Each year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, revelers flock to the banks of rivers and canals to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwujie. Dating back more than 2,000 years, the holiday is honored with unique customs in countries all across Asia. Among the most popular traditions in many countries are the dragon boat races, which draw teams from around the world to compete in colorfully painted boats, like those depicted in today’s Doodle artwork.

Percussion rings out across the water as a drummer on each boat keeps the rowers in sync. As the teams approach the finish, the most nimble racers can often be seen stretching far off the fronts of their boats; the first to snatch a flag from a buoy or cross the finish line earns their team the victory.

Meanwhile, spectators are known to enjoy one of the holiday’s most popular treats called zongzi. These triangular dumplings of sticky rice can be topped with meat or egg yolk and are typically tied up in leaves. And it’s believed that if you can balance an egg upright at noon, you’ll have good luck for a year.

[9A]

June 25, 2015

Mozambique Independence Day 2015






Mozambique succeeded in achieving independence on June 25, 1975, after a civil resistance movement known as the Carnation Revolution backed by portions of the military in Portugal overthrew the Salazar regime, thus ending 470 years of Portuguese colonial rule in the East African region.

[9A]

June 25, 2019

103rd Anniversary of Hua Lamphong





It’s been exactly 103 years since Bangkok Railway Station, unofficially known as Hua Lamphong, first opened its doors to passengers. Although the Bang Sue mega station will eventually become the capital's main rail transport hub, Hua Lamphong holds the title as Bangkok’s oldest train station—whose ornate neoclassical design, featuring a vaulted iron roof with stained glass windows, evokes a time when trains were the ultimate mode of transportation.

During his 1907 tour of Europe, King Rama V was so impressed by the Frankfurt Train Station that he commissioned a similar building for his own country. The Italian architects Mario Tamagno and Annibale Rigotti echoed certain details of the German station in their design, from the half dome façade, to the open-air passenger galleries, to the giant clock on the front gable.

For more than a century, Hua Lamphong has been the entry point to Bangkok for millions of visitors. The station connects with the MRT underground system, and you can also catch both rural commuter lines and the luxurious Orient Express from here. The State Railway of Thailand accommodates some 200 trains a day, with over 27,000 passengers, and will eventually also be a railway history museum.

Happy Anniversary, Hua Lamphong!

[9A]

September 4, 2019

50th Anniversary of Mexico City Metro



Today’s Doodle celebrates the 50th anniversary of one of the world’s great public transportation systems, the Mexico City Metro. On this day in 1969, the first subway line of the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo began running east and west from Zaragoza to Chapultepec.

Today the Metro’s 12 lines correspond with 12 different colors, as shown in today’s Doodle artwork, with connections to light railways in the south and cable cars in the north, crisscrossing the most populous metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere and transporting some 5 million passengers every day.

When the idea for the Metro was first proposed in the 1950s, Mexico City’s population was much smaller than it is today, but the bus and tramway system was severely strained. To address the issue, the city government approved the Metro construction plan in 1967, with the 1968 Olympics just around the corner.

It was no small challenge for engineer Bernardo Quintana to tunnel underneath a mega city built over a lake, in an area with a history of seismological activity as well as archaeological riches. Metro construction crews have unearthed some remarkable finds, including an 11,000-year-old mammoth skull, which is now on display at the Talismán station; a circular pyramid dedicated to Ehécatl, the Aztec God of wind, around which the Pino Suárez station was built; and in 2010, a 500-year-old Aztec gravesite.

Each of the 195 Metro stops has its own color and symbol, designed to make the system easy to navigate. La Raza station boasts a 600-meter-long [[1969-feet-long) science museum, the Túnel de la Ciencia, stimulating the minds of passengers as they walk between lines 3 and 5. Other stations are designed to resemble the Art Nouveau entrances to the Paris Metro. Rubber wheels on many lines keep noise to a minimum, and the fare to ride can be as low as 5 pesos.

[9A]

March 3, 2021

Girls' Day 2021


Today’s Doodle honors Girls’ Day, also known as Doll's Day or Hinamatsuri, an annual celebration observed to wish the healthy development and happiness of girls in Japan. Today’s holiday, which is one of the nation’s five sekku [seasonal festivals], is traditionally marked with the display of ornate hina dolls [ceramic dolls] dressed in kimonos worn by the ancient Japanese imperial court of the Heian era [794-1185 A.D.].

Each family celebrates Girls’ Day in their own way but some of the most common traditions include the gifting of hina dolls to the youngest girl in the family. Preparation of seasonal foods often complement the festivities, like chirashi-zushi [a sushi often decorated with pink rice] with hishi mochi [a diamond-shaped rice cake] for dessert. Games are another Girls’ Day custom, the most popular being kai-awase, a shell-matching game also passed down from the Heian era.

While Girls’ Day is traditionally reserved for families with young girls, modern observances celebrate women at every age.

Happy Girls’ Day, Japan!