Google doodles

[9A]

18 September 2013

Uzeyir Hacibeyov's 128th Birthday [Azerbaijan]





Uzeyir bey Abdulhuseyn oghlu Hajibeyli , known as Uzeyir Hajibeyov was an Azerbaijani composer, conductor, publicist, playwright, and social figure. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani composed classical music and opera. Uzeyir Hajibeyov composed the music of the national anthem of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic [which was re-adopted after Azerbaijan regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991]. He also composed the anthem used by Azerbaijan during the Soviet period. He was the first composer of an opera in the Islamic world. He composed that first oriental opera Leyli and Majnun in 1908 and since then Azerbaijani people have been honored him for bringing to life the written masterpiece of the world literature.

[9A]

19 Sept 2013

Thanksgiving Day 2013 Korea

[9A]

19 September 2013

Robert Storm Petersen's 131st Birthday




Robert Storm Petersen was a Danish cartoonist, writer, animator, illustrator, painter and humorist. He is known almost exclusively by his pen name Storm P.

[9A]

19 September 2021

Paulo Freire's 100th birthday



Today's Doodle celebrates the centennial birthday of Brazilian philosopher, educator, and author Paulo Freire. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential educational thinkers of the 20th century.

Paulo Reglus Neves Freire was born on this day in 1921 in Recife, Brazil, then mostly impoverished region affected by the echoes of colonialism and slavery. Coming of age alongside poor rural families while his own family experienced hunger, he grounded his understanding of the interconnected relationship between socioeconomic status and education. From then on, Freire made it his mission to improve the lives of marginalized people.

In 1947, Freire began a decade-long position providing social services to the Brazilian working class, which was foundational to the creation of his universal educational model一conscientização [the development of critical consciousness]. This groundbreaking methodology calls for the cultural exchange between teacher and student through the lens of their socio-historical circumstances with the aim of creating a democratic society free of illiteracy.

In 1962, he applied awareness with radical success—teaching 300 farmworkers to read and write in only 45 days! However, these ideals proved too radical for the newly established Brazilian government in 1964 and he was forced into exile until 1979. During this period, Freire published his acclaimed 1968 book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” which brought his revolutionary teaching philosophy to a wide international audience.

He continued his educational journey abroad before returning to Brazil in 1980 to lead an adult literacy project. In 1988, Freire began working as São Paulo's Minister of Education, implementing innovative literary programs. Today, his work lives on at the Freire Institute, an international organization devoted to educational advancement and societal transformation through his teachings.

Happy Birthday, Paulo Freire!

[9A]

19 September 2019

Tin Tan’s 104th Birthday




The exact origins of the Mexican-American term “Pachuco” are hard to pin down, but one of the most famous Pachucos in history would have to be Tin Tan. Today’s animated Doodle celebrates the actor, singer, and comedian who got his start in the nightclubs of Ciudad Juarez, just south of the Rio Grande, and went on to redefine a misunderstood youth culture.

Born in Mexico City on this day in 1915, Germán Genaro Cipriano Gómez Valdés de Castillo, also known as Tin Tan, helped to popularize the Mexican-American Pachuco. Known for their streetwise swagger and “zoot suits,” Tin Tan’s Pachuco characters were a variation on the “tramp” often portrayed by Mexican film actor Cantinflas. Often accompanied by Marcelo Chávez on guitar, Tin Tan appeared alongside the actress Famie Kaufman, also known as Vitola, though legend has it that he kissed more leading ladies than any actor in history.

His performance in films like the musical comedy Calabacitas Tiernas helped popularize the dialect known as caló, a mixture of Spanish and English spoken along the border. Besides appearing in more than 100 films, Tin Tan also recorded 11 records and voiced beloved Disney characters like Baloo in The Jungle Book and Cat O'Malley in The Aristocats.

Though he reportedly turned down The Beatles’ invitation to appear on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Tin Tan was honored by the Asociación de Actores de México. His legacy lives on in a statue on Génova Street in Mexico City’s Zona Rosa, standing as a symbol of pride in Mexico’s cultural heritage.

Feliz Cumpleaños, Tin Tan!

[9A]

20 Sept 2019

Rugby World Cup 2019 Opening Day




Today’s Doodle celebrates the Opening Day of the Rugby World Cup, kicking off today inside Tokyo’s Ajinomoto Stadium. Held every four years since 1987, this year is the first time in history that the tournament will be held in Asia, with a match between host country Japan and Russia.

Twenty teams are competing this year for a chance to bring home the Webb Ellis Cup, named after a 19th century schoolboy in the British Midlands town of Rugby, Warwickshire. “With a fine disregard for the rules of the game as played in his time,” as one historian wrote, William Webb Ellis grabbed the ball and ran with it, innovating a centuries-old game that would come to be known as modern rugby.

Defending champions New Zealand have won the Webb Ellis Cup three times, Australia and South Africa twice, and England once in 2003.

Best of luck to all the competing teams!

[9A]

21 May 2019

Willem Einthoven’s 159th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the birth of Willem Einthoven, the Nobel Prize-winning Dutch physiologist who pioneered electrocardiography—a quick, painless, and effective method of studying the rhythms of the heart and diagnosing cardiovascular disease.

Born on the island of Java [now Indonesia] on this day in 1860, Einthoven grew up aspiring to follow in the footsteps of his father who had been both a doctor and military medical officer. By 1886 he had become a professor of physiology at the University of Leiden, focusing on optics, respiration, and the heart.

In 1889, Einthoven attended the First International Congress of Physiologists, where he watched a demonstration of a device known as the “Lippmann capillary electrometer” recording the electrical activity of the human heart. After analyzing the results, Einthoven recognized the need for a more accurate device, and began work on his string galvanometer, based on the technology used to amplify signals along underwater cables.

Balancing a fine string of quartz coated in silver between the two poles of a magnet, Einthoven’s invention precisely measured variations in electrical current. In 1901 he announced the first version of the string galvanometer, and soon published the world’s first electrocardiogram or ECG, a printed record of a human heartbeat. Einthoven studied the ECG patterns, identifying five “deflections” of normal heart function, learning how to interpret deviations that signal circulatory problems and heart disease.

Einthoven’s groundbreaking research won him the 1924 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Today, ECG machines are still used in hospitals all over the world, and while the technology has evolved greatly, they still work according to the same basic principles and techniques developed by Einthoven, who is now remembered as the father of modern electrocardiography.

[9A]

20 September 2021

Respect the Aged Day 2021




On the third Monday of September, the people of Japan honor the eldest in their communities during Respect for the Aged Day. Today's Doodle by Ishikawa, Japan-based guest artist Maiko Dake captures the joy provided by elderly people and their contributions to society.

The holiday, also known as Keirō no Hi, started as a local festival in 1947 when the mayor of Nomadani-mura [now Taka-cho] in the Hyōgo Prefecture wanted to host an event during which people could look to their elders for guidance and wisdom. The idea soon caught on in other communities and Japan declared Respect for the Aged Day a national holiday in 1966.

In years past, many people used the long weekend to visit aging relatives or bring meals to the elderly. Some cities also hold athletic competitions for seniors! Others call or send flowers like those represented in today’s Doodle to honor their loved ones.

People who have recently celebrated their 100th birthdays can look forward to official congratulations, and of these more than 80,000 centenarians, some appear on television to share their advice for a long and healthy life.

Happy Respect for the Aged Day, Japan!

[9A]

20 September 2013

Olga Ferri's 85th Birthday [Argentina]






Olga Ferri was an Argentine choreographer and ballet dancer. She joined the Ballet of the Teatro Colón at eighteen and was prima ballerina from 1949.

[9A]

20 September 2015

Children's Day 2015 [Germany]




Today, around three hundred and fifty thousand children will open their eyes for the very first time.

They’ll arrive from all over, but will eventually learn a universal language: one of surprise, fascination, fear, joy and hope. And as they grow, they’ll use these emotions to teach us how to live, and to see our lives through newer, fresher eyes. This is why we honor Children’s Day – to raise awareness about the possibilities within each and every young person, and how they can improve our world, and ourselves. The potential of children is limitless. Let’s help them achieve their best, so that we, as a society, can achieve ours.

[9A]

18 Sept 2015

Rugby World Cup 2015 Opening Day





Coming through!

Having grown up playing rugby in England, I can still feel the muddy squelch in my boots lining up on the pitch for lessons. Our doodle celebrates the girth and gracefulness of the 2015 World Cup players.

After a few concepts I concentrated on the vice like grip of an arm around the ball and how this could be used as a "G". I even added rain for the full effect.

Good luck to all involved in the tournament!

Matt Cruickshank, Doodler

[9A]

18 September 2017

Chile National Day 2017



On this date in 1810, the first Junta de Gobierno [Government Junta] was formed, and the Chilean people embarked on an eight-year-long struggle for independence from Spain.

Many Chileans take advantage of the holidays and the good weather to travel and gather with friends and family. Kites fill the skies, and revelers dance the traditional cueca. Children and grown-ups alike might indulge in a sack race, fight to the top of a palo ensebado [greased pole], or even try a game of pillar el chancho, aiming to catch a very greasy pig!

Today’s Doodle, by Chilean artist Paloma Valdivia, celebrates the country’s pride in its diverse people and its bountiful natural resources. Each element of the Doodle carries a special meaning:

The Mapuche [indigenous people] and the huaso [Chilean cowboys] represent Chile's diverse people.

The mountain represents the Andes Mountain range, which stretches along Chile’s eastern borders and is home to some of the world’s tallest peaks.

The little red boat signifies the special relationship Chileans share with the sea and its resources.

The cactus represents the north of Chile, home to the driest desert in the world, the Atacama.

The penguin represents Chile’s Antarctic territory, base to several Chilean and international research stations. Remote Easter Island is home to the moai, gigantic monoliths carved by the Rapa Nui people centuries ago.

The majestic condor [among the world’s heaviest flying birds] and the bright red copihue [Chile’s national flower] symbolize the country’s rich biodiversity.
With so much to celebrate, we hope you'll join us in shouting a loud and happy ¡Feliz Dieciocho!

[9A]

20 September 2014

Children's Day 2014 – Germany

[9A]

23 Sept 2014

First Day of Autumn 2014
[Northern hemisphere.]

[9A]

23 September 2019

Autumn 2019 [Northern Hemisphere]

[9A]

23 September 2011

Jaroslav Seifert's 110th Birthday




Jaroslav Seifert was a Czech writer, poet and journalist. In 1984 Seifert won the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his poetry which endowed with freshness, sensuality and rich inventiveness provides a liberating image of the indomitable spirit and versatility of man".

[9A]

23 September 2016

Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta [El Santo]’s 99th Birthday




Today we’re celebrating what would have been the 99th birthday of the man credited with popularizing wrestling in Mexico, the one and only Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta. More commonly known as “El Santo” [The Saint], this legendary, silver-masked luchador wrestled for nearly five decades and is remembered as one of the greatest sports figures in Mexican history. Through his appearance in film and as the subject of many comic books, he became a cultural icon, representing justice and the fight against evil.

Legend has it that El Santo never removed his silver mask even at home and had a special mask for eating. He went to great lengths to protect his identity, particularly when traveling. He finally removed his mask to reveal his identity on the Mexican talk show, Contrapunto. A week after his unmasking, El Santo died on February 5, 1984. His funeral was one of the biggest in Mexican history, attended by family, friends, and his many fans. Shortly thereafter, a statue of El Santo was erected in his hometown of Tulancingo.

Per his wishes, El Santo was buried wearing his iconic silver mask.

Below you can see a collection of all the scenes from the Doodle:

[9A]

22 Sept 2016

First Day of Spring 2016 [Southern Hemisphere]




Today, we unbutton our winter coats and welcome spring with open arms. As the earth’s axis tilts closer to the sun and the days grow longer, plants, trees, and buds come alive and “spring forth.” Here’s to fresh beginnings, new growth, and warmer days. Happy first day of spring!

[9A]

22 September 2016

First Day of Autumn 2016 [Northern Hemisphere]




Today is the first day of fall, also known as the equinox - when the length of night and the day are nearly equal. It’s also the beginning of the cooler temps that will be with us until spring comes around. Today’s Doodle celebrates the new season with the orange glow of fall’s falling leaves

[9A]

22 September 2008

First Day of Fall 2008

[9A]

22 September 2019

Junko Tabei’s 80th Birthday



“Do not give up,” said Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei, when asked for advice. “Keep on your quest.”

Born on this day in 1939, Tabei was raised in Miharu, a small town in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture. She discovered the joy of climbing at age 10 during a class trip to Mount Nasu. Though she was the first woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, Tabei once said she preferred to be remembered as the 36th person to climb the world’s highest mountain peak.

“I did not intend to be the first woman on Everest,” she explained. Still, it's undeniable that the 4-foot-9 [144.8 centimeter] mother of two made history in 1969 when she founded Japan’s first Ladies Climbing Club, defying the traditional notion that women should stay at home and clean the house.

The Everest expedition started in the spring of 1975 with 15 climbers and 6 sherpas. At an elevation of 9,000 feet [2,743.2 meters], their camp was buried by an avalanche. After 3 days of recovery, Tabei continued with the climb, reaching the summit on May 16, 1975, accompanied only by the sherpa Ang Tshering.

After returning from the summit, she received congratulations from Japan’s Emperor, Crown Prince, and Princess, among others. “It took two months until I could settle at home,” she recalled. “My three-year-old daughter was scared of all the cameras."

Excited more by mountain climbing than media attention, Tabei continued to scale new heights, including the “seven summits”—the highest peaks on each continent—as depicted in today’s Doodle. Even when battling illness, she continued climbing.

Tabei eventually reached mountaintops in 76 different countries.

Happy Birthday, Junko Tabei!

[9A]

22 September 2017

Fall Equinox 2017 [Northern Hemisphere]

[9A]

22 September 2021

Autumn 2021 [Northern Hemisphere]

[9A]

22 September 2017

Spring Equinox 2017 [Southern Hemisphere]

[9A]

23 September 2012

Solomiya Krushelnytska's 140th Birthday



Solomiya Amvrosiivna Krushelnytska was a Ukrainian soprano, considered to be one of the brightest opera stars of the first half of the 20th century.

[9A]

23 September 2013

100th anniversary of the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean Sea

[9A]

23 September 2020

Romy Schneider's 82nd birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the 82nd birthday of Austrian-born actress Romy Schneider, a legendary star of European cinema between the 1950s and the early ‘80s. Schneider garnered international acclaim for her charismatic and provocative performances in more than 60 feature films throughout her storied career.

Romy Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach-Retty on this day in 1938 in the Austrian capital of Vienna and moved to Germany as a young child. Following in the footsteps of two generations of professional actors in her family, she appeared in her first feature film alongside her mother by the age of 15. Three years later, Schneider earned a big break when she landed the role of the titular empress in the Austrian historical drama “Sissi.”

The film was a major hit and–along with two sequels–established Schneider as one of Europe’s brightest new stars. To the dismay of many in Germany, the young actress moved to Paris, France in 1958, in part to distance herself from the “Sissi” trilogy and pursue a bold transition to more serious roles. Over the following decades, she worked with some of the world’s top directors and redefined herself as a prolific force in international cinema.

For her performance in “L’important C’est D’Aimer” [“That Most Important Thing: Love,” 1975], Schneider became the very first recipient of the César Award for Best Actress–one of French cinema’s most prestigious prizes–and she won the honor again for 1978’s “Une Histoire Simple” [“A Simple Story”].

Happy birthday, Romy Schneider, and thank you for helping to bring decades of timeless stories to life.

[9A]

25 January 2018

Virginia Woolf’s 136th Birthday




“I see children running in the garden…The sound of the sea at night…
almost forty years of life, all built on that, permeated by that: so much I could never explain."

These childhood memories inspired the settings and themes of English author Virginia Woolf’s powerful stream-of-consciousness narratives, a unique literary style that established Woolf as one of modern feminism’s most influential voices.

Born in London in 1882, Woolf grew up in a home with a large library, and a constant stream of literary visitors come to call on her author and historian father. Unsurprisingly, Woolf would become an integral member of the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of prominent contemporary intellectuals and artists.

Woolf’s lyrical writing thrived on the introspection of her characters, revealing the complex emotions underlying seemingly mundane events — how the ringing of the Big Ben evokes the passage of time in Mrs. Dalloway [1925] or a family’s visit to the coast hides deep-seated tensions in To the Lighthouse [1927].

Nonfiction works like A Room of One’s Own [1929] and Three Guineas [1938] showcase Woolf’s unflinching feminist perspective by documenting the gendered intellectual stratification and resulting male-dominated power dynamics of the period.

Created by London-based illustrator Louise Pomeroy, today’s Doodle celebrates Woolf’s minimalist style — her iconic profile surrounded by the falling autumn leaves [a frequent visual theme in her work]. In Woolf’s words: “The autumn trees gleam in the yellow moonlight, in the light of harvest moons, the light which mellows the energy of labor, and smooths the stubble, and brings the wave lapping blue to the shore.”

Happy 136th birthday, Virginia Woolf!

[9A]

25 Sept 2013

Maria Tănase's 100th Birthday



Maria Tănase was a Romanian singer and actress. Her music ranged from traditional Romanian music to romance, tango, chanson and operetta.

Tănase has a similar importance in Romania as Édith Piaf in France or Amália Rodrigues in Portugal. In her nearly three-decade-long career, she became widely regarded as Romania's national diva, being admired for her originality, voice, physical beauty and charisma. In Romania, she is still regarded as a major cultural icon of the 20th century. In 2006 she was included to the list of the 100 Greatest Romanians of all time by a nationwide poll.

[9A]

21 Sept 2013

Arbor Day 2013 Brazil

[9A]

22 September 2018

Spring Equinox 2018 [Southern Hemisphere]




Happy Spring Equinox!

Today’s Doodle welcomes the spring equinox, a celestial event which marks the beginning of spring in many cultures. The term comes from the Latin equi, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night. The earth has seasons because the planet is tilted on its axis, which results in each hemisphere receiving more direct light at opposite times of the year. But on the equinox, the earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun. In other words, people all over the world experience a day and night of equal length — almost exactly 12 hours.

This year’s seasonal Doodle series protagonist, Quinn, is strumming a pleasant tune to coax a mysterious creature out of hiding. With a mild breeze and beautiful flowers, would it be, could it be, spring?

Doodle by Sophie Diao

[9A]

22 September 2018

Autumn Equinox 2018 [Northern Hemisphere]




Happy Fall Equinox!

Today marks the first day of autumn, astronomically speaking at least. The autumnal equinox — the celestial event in which the sun is directly above the equator — occurs around 1:54 AM UTC. That means night and day will be almost exactly equal in length, since the earth’s tilt and position in orbit render it parallel with the sun. Just following the equinox, the northern hemisphere will gradually begin to tilt away from the sun’s rays and usher in the cool, crisp autumn weather.

This year’s seasonal Doodle series protagonist, Quinn, curiously follows the path of a falling leaf, waking up a new friend hidden in the deciduous mound. Surely as the trees begin to turn, many, like Quinn, will find warmth in the company of friends old and new, and fun in the potential of colorful, crunchy leaf piles!

Doodle by Sophie Diao, with coloring help from Vrinda Zaveri

[9A]

23 Sept 2018

Chuseok 2018



Today is the Korean holiday Chuseok, celebrating the fall harvest moon. It’s one of the most important holidays on the calendar, an official day off work for the Asian peninsula nation. The days before and after Chuseok are also festive, creating a three-day holiday.

Most Koreans use Chuseok to visit their hometowns and feast with their families, resulting in mass exoduses into the suburbs or country. Once there, families will honor their ancestors by weeding their grave sites, and preparing food for memorial services at home. The official food of Chuseok is songpyeon: rice cakes with subtle nutty flavors, steamed over pine needles. Songpyeon are historically made with that year’s new rice crop, utilizing the harvest. The rice cakes are part of the ancestral offering and the family’s feast.

As depicted in our Doodle, many Koreans celebrate Chuseok in multigenerational groups while wearing traditional hanboks, color-blocked suits and high-waisted dresses. Hanboks are worn during important ceremonies and holidays in Korea and what could be more important than spending a special day with family.

Happy Chuseok, Korea!

[9A]

23 September 2016

358th Anniversary of Tea in the UK





Tea drinking is a thoroughly British pastime, whether it’s a mug of steaming builder’s tea or a delicate cup and saucer served with cucumber sandwiches. It’s not known when the first cuppa was enjoyed in the UK, but we do know that the first advert for tea in England appeared on this date in a publication from 1658 describing it simply as a “China Drink.” A couple of years later, English Naval Administrator Samuel Pepys wrote about drinking tea in his diary entry from 1660.

Chinese tea was reportedly drunk by Europeans as early as the 16th century, a trend spearheaded by Dutch and Portuguese traders. British coffee shops were selling tea in the 17th century, though drinking it was considered an expensive, upper-class privilege. By the 19th century, The East India Company was using fast ships called tea clippers to transport leaves from India and China to England’s docks. The Cutty Sark is the only surviving clipper of its kind and can still be visited in Greenwich.

As tea became more readily available, dedicated tea shops began popping up throughout the UK, becoming favorite spots for daytime socialising. Tea was well on its way to becoming a British tradition.

As today’s animated Doodle illustrates, tea cups come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Whatever your favorite vessel may be, we hope you enjoy a cuppa or two of this enduring drink today.

[9A]

24 Sept 2018

Celebrating Altamira Cave





Charging bisons, wild horses, and mysterious handprints—primeval evidence of humanity’s creative genius, miraculously well preserved after some 36,000 years. Today’s Doodle celebrates the 139th anniversary of the first discovery of cave paintings at the Altamira caves in Cantabria, northern Spain—a masterpiece of the prehistoric era.

Nicknamed “the Sistine Chapel of paleolithic art,” Altamira was discovered in 1879 by the amateur botanist and archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola who first noticed animal bones and flint tools there. He returned his daughter Maria, who first noticed the red and black paintings covering its walls and ceiling, rendered in charcoal and hematite, depicting animals including European bison and bulls.

Early claims of the caves’ paleolithic origin were mostly dismissed as fake. Some argued that the art, which includes abstract shapes as well as depictions of wildlife, was too sophisticated for the time. Then in 1902 a French study of Altamira proved these paintings were in fact paleolithic, dating to between 14,000 and 20,000 years ago. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Altamira caves are open for public visitation.

[9A]

24 September 2011

Jim Henson's 75th Birthday






We’re thrilled to share this guest post by Brian Henson about his father—puppeteer, director and producer Jim Henson, best known as the creator of the Muppets. For the next 36 hours, we’re honoring Jim’s birthday on our homepage with a special doodle created in tandem withThe Jim Henson Company. -Ed.

When we were kids, my brother and sisters and I were always allowed to stay up late to watch our father’s appearances on The Tonight Show or The Ed Sullivan Show. No matter how late it was or how young we were, my mother would wake us up and trundle us down to the living room television. We’d be giddy—like Christmas. When he came home, he’d head down to the garage where he had a workshop, and repair everything that we broke while he was away—or build a dollhouse for one of my sisters. Jim never stopped making things.

He also loved games—card games, board games, all kinds of games. He was one of those rare parents who was always ready to play again. He loved dogs, particularly goofy ones. And he lived for those moments when everyone laughed so hard they couldn’t talk. I often walked onto the Muppet set to find everyone just laughing hysterically.

Although he loved family, his work was almost never about “traditional” families. The Muppets were a family—a very diverse one. One of his life philosophies was that we should love people not for their similarities, but for their differences.

Jim often had a little lesson about the important things in life: How to be a good person. How to believe in yourself and follow your dreams. And above all, how to forgive. If anything was stolen from one of us—like when the car was broken into—he would always say, “Oh well, they probably needed that stuff more than we did.”

He loved gadgets and technology. Following his lead, The Jim Henson Company continues to develop cutting-edge technology for animatronics and digital animation, like this cool Google doodle celebrating Jim’s 75th birthday. But I think even he would have found it hilarious the way today some people feel that when they’ve got their smartphone, they no longer need their brain.

Jim was clearly a great visionary. But he also wanted everyone around him fully committed creatively. If you asked him how a movie would turn out, he’d say, “It’ll be what this group can make, and if you changed any one of them, it would be a different movie.” Every day for him was joyously filled with the surprises of other people’s ideas. I often think that if we all lived like that, not only would life be more interesting, we’d all be a lot happier.

Posted by Brian Henson, Chairman of The Jim Henson Company

[9A]

24 September 2012

Howard Florey's 114th Birthday




Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey was an Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Sir Ernst Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for his role in the development of penicillin.

Although Fleming received most of the credit for the discovery of penicillin, it was Florey who carried out the first clinical trials of penicillin in 1941 at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford on the first patient, a police constable from Oxford.

[9A]

24 September 2018

Mid-Autumn Festival 2018




Today, many east Asian nations celebrate Mid-Autumn Festivals, timed with the harvest moon – including China, Taiwan, Hong Hong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. This shared holiday is generally a day off work for the whole country, and jumps around on the Roman calendar because it’s based on the lunar one.

Going under various names, Mid-Autumn Festivals occur on the first full moon after the Fall equinox. The position of the moon is important for rice farming, and mid-Autumn festivals are linked this way to agriculture. East Asian countries have their own mythologies and folk traditions associated with Mid-Autumn festivals. Japan has a story about a visible goddess and rabbit in the moon. Koreans believe it’s a day to celebrate their ancestors. China’s traditions, carried out in several other countries as well, involve lighting thousands of red paper lanterns.

All Mid-Autumn Festivals involve food, and most include some form of “moon cakes.” Chinese and Vietnamese moon cakes are baked and branded with characters; Korean mooncakes are made from rice flour and steamed over pine needles; Japanese mooncakes are spherical, like little moons.

In general these Mid-Autumn Festivals are about families getting together to express gratitude, and celebrate seasonal change. They often stretch to three days, incorporating the days before and after, and rank among the biggest holidays of the year.

So to East Asia and the entire diaspora: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Doodle by Cynthia Yuan Cheng

[9A]

27 Sept 2018

Google's 20th Birthday



Twenty [ish ] years ago, two Stanford Ph.D. students launched a new search engine with a bold mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Though much has changed in the intervening years—including now offering Search in more than 150 languages and over 190 countries—Google is still dedicated to building products for everyone.

Today’s video Doodle takes a stroll down memory lane by exploring popular searches all over the world throughout the last two decades.

So whether you’ve searched for the status of your favorite object orbiting the sun, the latest on the world’s biggest events, or how to impress on the dance floor:

[9A]

24 September 2014

60th anniversary of the unveiling of the first Routemaster bus



‘The wheels on the bus go round and round’ sings the famous nursery rhyme and in London, they've now been going round and round for over 50 years.

Much like the actual London bus, doodle Kevin Laughlin’s design evolved over time before coming full circle. This was the initial sketch idea.

The first Routemaster buses left the depot on their maiden journeys in 1956 and with their distinctive red colour, they soon became a popular sight for Londoners and a worldwide icon.

Over the years, millions of commuters, schoolchildren, tourists and evening revellers have all used the humble bus to take them to work, school, see the sights and then take them home again after their busy days.

While the London bus has evolved over the years, the reliability of the service and Londoners' love of it remain the same. Those wheels will carry on going round and round for many years to come.

[9A]

16 Sept 2014

40th anniversary of the first broadcast of Casimir




The spotlight is on Casimir the Dinosaur on our homepage in France today. Casimir starred in the famous French cartoon “l'Île aux enfants” [“The Children’s Show”], which first aired 40 years ago today.

[9A]

16 September 2016

50th anniversary of the 1st play with Jara Cimrman




Little is known of Jára Cimrman's childhood, but we know everything about this beloved fictional character’s many inventions, awards, and artistic achievements. Created by Zdeněk Svěrák, Ladislav Smoljak, and Jiří Šebánek, Cimrman has done it all [or so he would have you believe], from influencing the plans for the Panama Canal and the Eiffel Tower, to pre-inventing the telephone and the lightbulb, to exploring [near] the North Pole.

Although the character of Jára Cimrman was created for the radio show Nealkoholická vinárna U Pavouka, Cimrman won his way into the hearts of listeners and onto a bigger stage. Shortly after, he started appearing in plays at his very own Jára Cimrman Theatre. Since bursting onto the scene in 1966, he has continued to capture imaginations across the Czech Republic, even being voted The Greatest Czech in 2005.

Today we celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the creation of Jára Cimrman by highlighting a few of his ingenious inventions, such as the broom that's made for sweeping corners and the handled cane for easy carrying. Here's to you, Jára Cimrman, and to many more years adventures!

[9A]

16 September 2011

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi's 118th Birthday




To say thanks to the scientist responsible for discovering Vitamin-C, I thought it’d be fun to not only rebrand our logo with a few replaced or redrawn letters, but to rebrand Google the Company, right down to our core product, so to speak. In this case, Google became the distributor of all foods and herbs rich in Vitamin-C content!

Here are a few concept sketches that is very typical of our process when trying to find just the right idea.

The initial concept, which the team all agreed was the way to go.

A simple overhead shot of all the produce. However, the idea didn't feel all that – well – fresh.

Crates seemed fun, but it became less about the food and more about the crates.

Eventually, I went with the first concept to make it look like the label you might find on a wooden crate or the side of a produce truck. The most enjoyable part of this doodle? The amount of fresh OJ and grapefruit juice I drank as I dove into the... research.

posted by Mike Dutton

[9A]

1 May 2017

80th Anniversary of Los Glaciares National Park




Argentina’s stunning Los Glaciares National Park was established on May 11, 1937. Although the park is only 80 years old, its biggest attractions have been shaping the landscape for millennia.

The park’s northern boundary is a cluster of soaring, sharp-toothed peaks, including the forbidding Mt. Fitz Roy. Dominating the southern stretch is the awe-inspiring Perito Moreno Glacier, a towering wall of ice grinding a path through the Patagonian Andes. Its terminus, where the glacier flows into Argentina’s largest freshwater lake, is 5 km wide at an average height of 74 m above the lake’s surface.

As the powdery blue glacier advances, the ice often gives way with a resounding crack, plunging into the chilly lake and calving enormous icebergs. This dramatic icefall makes it one of the park’s most popular tourist attractions. Visitors can also hike across the rippled surface of the glacier.

Los Glaciares National Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981, as an area of outstanding natural beauty and an important example of the geological processes of glaciation.

[9A]

22 September 2020

Autumn 2020 [Northern Hemisphere]

[9A]

1 March 2021

Autumn 2021 [Australia]

[9A]

23 September 2015

First Day of Autumn 2015 [Northern Hemisphere]




Notice what’s been popping up lately? Pumpkins, squash, and some curious little critters, hungry for a harvest?

No surprise – today’s the first day of fall! It’s also known as the Autumnal Equinox, a time when day and night are equally long... meaning nature’s about to make way for the shorter days of winter. Today's doodle, created by guest artist Kirsten Lepore, shows off the colorful offerings of fall we’ll enjoy during the cooler months ahead.

[9A]

23 September 2017

Asima Chatterjee's 100th Birthday



When Dr. Asima Chatterjee was growing up in Calcutta in the 1920s and 1930s, it was almost unheard of for a woman to study chemistry. But that didn't stop Chatterjee: she not only completed her undergraduate degree in organic chemistry, but she also went on to receive a Doctorate of Science — the first woman to do so in India!

Dr. Chatterjee primarily studied the medicinal properties of plants native to India. Throughout her career, her research contributed to the development of drugs that treated epilepsy and malaria. Dr. Chatterjee's most noted contribution to the field, however, was her work on vinca alkaloids. Alkaloids are compounds made from plants, often to treat medical ailments. Vinca alkaloids, which come from the Madagascar periwinkle plant, are used today in chemotherapy treatment because they help slow down or stall the multiplying of cancer cells.

Dr. Chatterjee's groundbreaking contributions to medicine were recognized by universities all over the world. She received numerous accolades from the Indian government, including some of the highest awards [like the Padma Bhushan] and an appointment to the upper house of Parliament!

A firm believer in collaboration and teaching, Dr. Chatterjee also founded and led the department of chemistry at Lady Brabourne College. She started a research institute and mentored many of India's rising chemistry scholars.

Today's Doodle pays homage to this trailblazer and her great accomplishments in the name of science.

Discover more about Dr. Asima Chatterjee's life and work by visiting Google Arts & Culture.

[9A]

15 September 2016

Mid-Autumn Festival 2016 [Taiwan, Hong Kong]




How incredible it is that we all look up and see the same moon. Tonight’s in particular is one worthy of a celebration that dates all the way back to the Tang Dynasty. Families have gathered since the 600s to share a meal together under the autumnal harvest moon—the time of year that this beaming sphere in the sky is said to be at its brightest and roundest. As the tradition goes, offerings of fruit, wine, and of course, mooncakes, are made to mythical moon goddess, Chang’e, in gratitude for her blessings on the harvest to come. Step outside and soak up the gravity of this moment in moon history.

[9A]

15 September 2014

First Day of School 2014 [Bulgaria]