Google doodles

[9A]

24 Nov 2019

195th Anniversary of Las Piñas Bamboo Organ





Today’s Doodle celebrates the 195th anniversary of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ, the oldest, largest, and only known bamboo pipe organ in existence. Constructed over 8 years with 1,031 pipes, 902 of which are made of native bamboo, the Bamboo Organ of St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas, Manila, was completed in 1824 under the direction of Spanish missionary Fray Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmel. The organ is still operational and has been playing daily for nearly 45 years since its reconstruction.

In the 1880s, natural disasters severely damaged the instrument, silencing it until a restoration project started in 1972. The organ was moved from Las Piñas to Bonn, Germany, where it underwent a full reconstruction, returning to the island in 1975. The homecoming celebrations morphed into the International Bamboo Organ Festival, held every February. On this day in 2003, the Bamboo Organ was named a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.

The Bamboo Organ Foundation oversees the annual celebrations where some of the most famous organists from around the world have come to perform. In the 44 years since the return to Las Piñas, the organ and festival in its honor have become synonymous with Filipino cultural expression.

A monument to sustainable building and technological sophistication, the Bamboo Organ stands as a symbol of what’s possible when design draws from native resources, labor, and the ingenuity of its nation’s people.

[9A]

12 December 2018

'Baya' Fatima Haddad’s 87th Birthday



Born in Bordj El Kiffan, a suburb of Algiers, on this day in 1931, Fatima Haddad was an Algerian artist known simply as Baya. Her vivacious watercolors, gouaches, and ceramics depict powerful images of women and nature in an expressive and personal style that defies easy categorization.

Orphaned as a young girl, Baya was adopted in 1942 by the French art collector Marguerite Camina Benoura, who employed Baya’s grandmother as a housekeeper. Showing talent from an early age, Baya made “fascinating small animals and strange female figures” in the sand of her beachside hometown. She was exposed to Benoura’s collection of modern art, including works by Matisse, and by age nine she was painting as well.

The art dealer Aimé Maeght, known for representing Miró, Calder, Léger, Braque, Giacometti, and Chagall, exhibited Baya’s first solo show of paintings at his Paris gallery when she was only 16 years old. “I speak not as others have, to deplore an ending, but rather to promote a beginning,” wrote the influential poet and critic André Breton in her exhibition catalog. “And at this beginning, Baya is queen.”

Picasso invited her to work with him in 1948, and traces of her influence can be seen in his Women of Algeria series. She married the musician El Hadj Mahfoud Mahieddine and raised a family during a time of revolution in Algeria, but declined an offer to move to France, in affirmation of her Algerian identity. Baya became so beloved in her homeland that a portrait of the artist and one of her paintings appeared on Algerian postage stamps in 2008.

Breaking conventional rules of composition and perspective, Baya’s bold, colorful paintings explode with energy, evoking a world of ecstatic women with their eyes wide open.

Happy Birthday, Baya!

[9A]

2 Dec 2018

United Arab Emirates National Day 2018


Today’s Doodle celebrates the United Arab Emirates National Day on a very special anniversary for the country. This year, UAE’s first president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan - who founded the country and began his 33-year reign over the unified nation - would have turned 100 years old.

On this day in 1971, the six emirates of Abu Dhabi [the nation’s capital], Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain, joined forces at the Union House in Dubai. One remaining emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, would join in February of the following year thus creating the United Arab Emirates — a rich amalgamation of 7 unique cultures and traditions of centuries past.

To mark the occasion, a spectacular display of fireworks will illuminate the skylines of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah in honor of the national day.

Happy National Day, United Arab Emirates!

[9A]

27 November 2008

Thanksgiving 2008

[9A]

27 November 2014

Thanksgiving 2014

[9A]

27 November 2018

Fe del Mundo’s 107th Birthday




“I’m glad that I have been very much involved in the care of children, and that I have been relevant to them,” says Filipina physician Fe del Mundo. “They are the most outstanding feature in my life.”

Born in Manilla on this day in 1911, del Mundo was inspired to study medicine by her older sister who did not herself live to realize her dream of becoming a doctor. Also known as “The Angel of Santo Tomas,” del Mundo devoted her life to child healthcare and revolutionized pediatric medicine in the process.

A gifted student who became the first woman admitted to Harvard Medical School, del Mundo returned home after completing her studies in the U.S. During World War II, she set up a hospice where she treated more than 400 children and later became director of a government hospital. Frustrated with the bureaucracy, she eventually sold her house and belongings to finance the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. Del Mundo lived on the second floor of the Children's Medical Center in Quezon City, making early morning rounds until she was 99 years old, even in a wheelchair.

When she wasn’t treating patients she was teaching students, publishing important research in medical journals, and authoring a definitive ‘Textbook of Pediatrics.’ She established the Institute of Maternal and Child Health to train doctors and nurses, and became the first woman to be conferred the title National Scientist of the Philippines and received many awards for her outstanding service to humankind.

Happy Birthday, Fe del Mundo!

[9A]

23 November 2006

Thanksgiving 2006

[9A]

24 November 2010

Thanksgiving 2010 by Ina Garten, part 2

[9A]

24 November 2017

Celebrating Mensch ärgere dich nicht





Mensch ärgere dich nicht, or “Do not get angry,” is a game whose very title tackles the ire that board games can provoke. The premise is simple: the first player to move all of their pieces to the other side of the board wins. But don’t trust the dice — they’ll inevitably force soon-to-be winners back to square one.

The game was invented between 1907 and 1908 by Josef Friedrich Schmidt. Born on this day in 1871, Schmidt was a Munich resident who worked in the city. Inspiration struck when he decided to create an engaging pastime for his three young children. He devised a game similar to others across the globe, including the Indian game Pachisi and the English game Ludo. Today's Doodle, featuring game piece characters made of clay playing the game, was created by stop-motion animator Max Mörtl, with assistance from 2D animator Robert Loebel.

The timelessness of this game is a huge part of what lends it its status as one of the most beloved forms of entertainment in Germany. If today’s Doodle inspires you to give Mensch ärgere dich nicht a shot and your opponent snatches away your victory at the eleventh hour, don’t get angry with us!

[9A]

24 November 2016

Thanksgiving 2016



On Thanksgiving, celebrated in America on the last Thursday of November, friends and families gather around tables to feast and give thanks. This holiday has origins dating back nearly 400 years when early American settlers met the Native American Wampanoag people.

It was 1620 in Plymouth, Massachusetts when Mayflower colonists and the Wampanoag forged a partnership of necessity. Decimated by an epidemic and wary of the mightier Narragansett, their nearby enemies, the Wampanoag and the newcomers become allies. The pilgrims were unfamiliar with Massachusetts’ natural resources and ill-equipped for survival - but Tisquantum, an English-speaking Patuxet Wampanoag, taught them how to hunt, gather shellfish, and plant corn, beans, and squash. Following harvest in the fall of 1621, the settlers and the Wampanoag, celebrated what’s considered the “First Thanksgiving,” a three-day feast with wild duck, goose, turkey, deer, and barley ale.

Evocative of American folk art, with quilt-like patterning and simple shapes, today’s Doodle, rendered in a rich harvest-colored palette, is an ode to this season of togetherness.

[9A]

24 November 2014

Henri de Toulouse Lautrec's 150th Birthday



French painter Henri de Toulouse Lautrec was a man who immersed himself in the color and theatrics of life. True to his spirit, Lautrec’s artwork portrayed the grandeur and excitement of the world he lived in.

When doodler Jennifer Hom was tasked with making a doodle for the renowned artist’s 150th birthday, she immediately looked to his work for inspiration.

Wanting to capture what essentially was the Golden Age of Paris, Jennifer focused her design around the iconic imagery of the Can-can Dancers and the lithograph style, symbols that best embodied the lively spirit of the “La Belle Époque” [“The Beautiful Era”]. The fluid-like forms of the dancers revealed the sense of joy and freedom that was characteristic of the time period.





As a final touch, Jennifer incorporated the portrait of Lautrec into the doodle to reference another of one of his posters. Surely a man who is remembered for his provocative and engaging imagery of Parisian nightlife has a place alongside his illustrations that have captivated the world for decades.

[9A]

24 November 2004

Thanksgiving 2004

[9A]

24 November 2013

Teacher's Day 2013 [Turkey]

[9A]

23 November 2022

Celebrating Myrtle Gonzalez






Today’s Doodle celebrates Mexican American actress, Myrtle Gonzalez and was illustrated by Bay Area-based guest artist, Ana Ramírez González. Myrtle Gonzalez starred in an astounding 80 silent films in just five years between 1913 and 1917. On this day in 1914, one of Myrtle Gonzalez’s most well-known films, The Level, was released.

Gonzalez was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 28, 1891. She had a lovely soprano voice, often singing in church and at local charity events as a young girl.

As movie production shifted from New York to Los Angeles, which offered more diverse scenic landscapes for filmmakers, Gonzalez seized the opportunity to get involved in film. She participated in a few local plays before joining a silent motion picture studio called Vitagraph Company of America, where she made her film debut in The Yellow Streak.

After a few years, she moved to Universal Studios and performed in feature films like The Secret of the Swamp and The Girl of Lost Lake. Many of the bold, outdoorsy heroines she played lived in the wilderness, forcing the city girl to adapt to filming in new, treacherous climates. As shown in today’s Doodle, Gonzalez once acted in three feet of snow!

Gonzalez was proud of her Hispanic heritage, and throughout her career, she played strong women who persevered through adversity with strength and dignity.

While much of her work was lost over the years, the Library of Congress preserved a few of her films. She is remembered as one of the first Latina actresses to break into Hollywood.

[9A]

23 November 2017

Thanksgiving 2017






Unlike his domesticated brethren, the Turkey in today’s Doodle is taking flight…from the Thanksgiving table.

Three hundred ninety-six years ago, the Pilgrims celebrated their first successful harvest with Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe. As time flew by, feasts like these became beloved traditions that flocked through the colonies, and in 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Though the pardoning of turkeys has been a presidential privilege since 1989, the Turkey in this Doodle has decided to pardon itself. Luckily, there are plenty of mashed potatoes to go around.

Happy Thanksgiving 2017!

[9A]

25 November 2010

Thanksgiving 2010 by Ina Garten, part 3






Ina Rosenberg Garten [ born February 2, 1948 ] is an American author, host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, and a former staff member of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Her culinary career began with her gourmet food store, Barefoot Contessa; Garten then expanded her activities to many best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded convenience products, and a popular Food Network television show.

[9A]

26 Nov 2010

65th Birthday of Pippi Longstocking





Pippi Longstocking is the fictional main character in an eponymous series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi was named by Lindgren's daughter Karin, who asked her mother for a get-well story when she was off school.

Pippi is red-haired, freckled, unconventional and superhumanly strong – able to lift her horse one-handed. She is playful and unpredictable. She often makes fun of unreasonable adults, especially if they are pompous and condescending. Her anger comes out in extreme cases, such as when a man mistreats his horse. Pippi, like Peter Pan, does not want to grow up. She is the daughter of a buccaneer captain and has adventure stories to tell about that, too. Her four best friends are her horse and monkey, and the neighbours' children, Tommy and Annika.

[9A]

27 Nov 2010

Bruce Lee's 70th Birthday





Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts [MMA]. Lee is considered by critics, media, and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West. He is credited with promoting Hong Kong action cinema and helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films

[9A]

27 November 2020

Munier Chowdhury's 95th birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates the 95th birthday of Bangladeshi playwright, educator, linguist, literary critic, stage actor, and political activist Munier Chowdhury, who is widely considered a pioneer of the country’s modern Bangla drama. Chowdhury dedicated his life to the promotion of the Bangla language, its national identity, and the fight against repression in all its forms.

Shaheed Munier Chowdhury was born on this day in 1925 in the town of Manikganj, British India [now Bangladesh], and from a young age he impressed his family with his precocious wit. Following his first of multiple master’s degrees, he became a professor in the English and Bangla departments of Dhaka University in 1950.

In 1952, Chowdhury was imprisoned for his activism related to the Language Movement, an ultimately successful campaign to have Bangla recognized as one of Pakistan’s official languages. While detained he completed one of his greatest works, Kabar—a surrealist ode to the struggles of the movement. Throughout the rest of his life, Chowdhury maintained his success as a writer of short stories and plays while serving as a champion of nationalist and cultural causes. A committed torchbearer for the Bangla language, he also helped to design an improved Bangla typewriter keyboard in the mid-’60s.

In 1980, the Bangladeshi government posthumously awarded Chowdhury the Independence Day Award—the nation’s highest state honor.

Happy birthday, Munier Chowdhury, and thank you for all of your work to uplift and preserve Bengali culture!

[9A]

26 Nov 2020

Thanksgiving 2020



On the last Thursday of November each year, many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by expressing gratitude and sharing a moment and meal together.

Though this year will look a bit different for folks around the country, today’s Doodle—and the furry and feathered friends in it—recognizes the spirit of this special holiday: a time for everyone to reflect on their blessings, appreciate loved ones both near and far, and embrace new traditions.

Thanksgiving Day has arrived and for 2020, it’s going to be a very different experience for most people. To celebrate the day, though, Google has posted a new homepage Doodle to celebrate Thanksgiving 2020 and the history of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Live now on Google.com in the United States, the Thanksgiving 2020 Doodle reflects how this year is not the same as the traditional holiday. In the Doodle, two different “families” of squirrels and birds celebrate the day with their meals, but speak to each other from a distance. It’s extremely cute, and a good message to give.

Thanksgiving 2020, of course, is being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to ravage the globe. In the United States, the spread of the virus is out of control in almost every state and shows no signs of slowing. Since Thanksgiving is a holiday where families traditionally travel across the country to visit each other, many have opted to skip that this year for the sake of everyone’s health. That’s the sentiment today’s Google Doodle puts across.

[9A]

A Thanksgiving Google Doodles Collection from 2021



Music


Song Dude

Artist Patrick Patrikios

[9A]

26 November 2003

Thanksgiving 2003

[9A]

26 November 2012

Ernie Coombs' [Mr Dressup] 85th Birthday






Ernest "Ernie" Arthur Coombs, was a US-born Canadian children's entertainer who starred in the Canadian television series Mr. Dressup.

His career began as an assistant puppeteer to Fred Rogers, joining him in Canada when his employer was invited to produce a variant of his local Pittsburgh show for CBC Television, The Children's Corner on a national series, Misterogers. Eventually, when Rogers decided to return to the United States, Coombs chose to stay in Canada on his employer's recommendation, developing the children's show Butternut Square which later evolved into Mr. Dressup, which went on to become a long-running and iconic presence in Canadian media. Coombs eventually became a Canadian citizen and became a honoree of the Order of Canada, among other honours.

[9A]

26 November 2020

Frank Bailey's 95th birthday






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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

24 November 2022

Thanksgiving 2022




Today’s hand-carved Doodle celebrates Thanksgiving in the United States! The holiday always takes place on the fourth Thursday of November. This year, November 24th marks the day when many people across the country gather with loved ones to give thanks and gather around the table.

Aside from enjoying recipes passed down generations, millions attend or tune in to parades taking place across the country. One of the holiday’s greatest traditions is the spirit of supporting others. Communities across the U.S. also organize food drives and free dinners so as many Americans as possible can celebrate the day.

So whatever plans you’ve carved out for yourself, we hope it’s a day filled with togetherness and gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Check out the behind-the-scenes process fortoday’s Doodle artwork by Doodler, Celine You



Photographed: early wood carvings



Photographed: painted wood carvings



Photographed: finalized Doodle figurines and logo set in an nature scene for photographing

[9A]

24 November 2016

Thanksgiving 2016


On Thanksgiving, celebrated in America on the last Thursday of November, friends and families gather around tables to feast and give thanks. This holiday has origins dating back nearly 400 years when early American settlers met the Native American Wampanoag people.

It was 1620 in Plymouth, Massachusetts when Mayflower colonists and the Wampanoag forged a partnership of necessity. Decimated by an epidemic and wary of the mightier Narragansett, their nearby enemies, the Wampanoag and the newcomers become allies. The pilgrims were unfamiliar with Massachusetts’ natural resources and ill-equipped for survival - but Tisquantum, an English-speaking Patuxet Wampanoag, taught them how to hunt, gather shellfish, and plant corn, beans, and squash. Following harvest in the fall of 1621, the settlers and the Wampanoag, celebrated what’s considered the “First Thanksgiving,” a three-day feast with wild duck, goose, turkey, deer, and barley ale.

Evocative of American folk art, with quilt-like patterning and simple shapes, today’s Doodle, rendered in a rich harvest-colored palette, is an ode to this season of togetherness.

[9A]

9 May 2020

Celebrating Frank Soo






Today’s Doodle celebrates British footballer and coach Frank Soo, a fearsome half-back and inside forward who broke racial barriers playing for the English national team during World War II. On this day in 1942, Soo made his international debut in a match against Wales, becoming the first person of non-European descent—and only ever of Asian heritage—to represent the country’s team at the highest level.

Frank Soo was born on March 8th, 1914 in Derbyshire, England and raised in Liverpool. He quickly earned a reputation as one of the best youth players in the city. At just 18 years old, he was scouted by Stoke City F.C., becoming the first professional player of Chinese ancestry in the English Football League.

Renowned for an artful playing style, dignified ball control, and precise passing, the charismatic Soo was named team captain at age 27 and rose to a level of national celebrity. In 1940, following the outbreak of World War II, Soo enlisted in the Royal Air Force and continued his legacy as the captain of its football team. Though England’s Football Association deemed its wartime matches unofficial, Soo went on to represent his country in nine such international fixtures by 1945.

Soo retired from playing in 1950 and moved on to a successful international coaching career that lasted over three decades. His legacy lives on in the increasingly diverse English team that plays today.

Thank you, Frank Soo, for showing the world the unifying power of sport. ​

[9A]

9 May 2010

J.M. Barrie's 150th Birthday




Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several successful novels and plays. There he met the Llewelyn Davies boys, who inspired him to write about a baby boy who has magical adventures in Kensington Gardens [first included in Barrie's 1902 adult novel The Little White Bird], then to write Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, a 1904 West End "fairy play" about an ageless boy and an ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in the fantasy setting of Neverland.

[9A]

9 May 2012
Howard Carter's 138th Birthday




Howard Carter [9 May 1874 – 2 March 1939] was a British archaeologist and Egyptologist who discovered the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun in November 1922, the best-preserved pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings.

[9A]

19 Nov 2022

Celebrating Enrique de la Mora




Today’s Doodle celebrates Enrique de la Mora y Palomar, a Mexican architect who shaped the image of contemporary cities in Mexico, and was illustrated by Mexico-based artist Julian Ardila. De la Mora experimented with hyperbolic paraboloid shell roofs, also known as saddle roofs, to create structurally efficient buildings with a modern aesthetic. On this day in 1946, Enrique de la Mora received the Premio Educación Pública award from the Administrative Commission of the National Prize for Arts and Sciences for his Purísima Concepción Parish design.

De la Mora was born on November 19, 1907 in Guadalajara, a city in Western Mexico. His father, Manuel de la Mora y del Castillo Negrete, was a prominent engineer and architect.

Following his father’s footsteps, the young De la Mora attended the National School of Architecture and graduated in 1933. A year later, he launched his career by designing the El Puerto de Liverpool department store in Mexico City.

De la Mora went on to design more than 100 architectural projects over the next two decades, including major university buildings and churches. His building designs focused on optimizing structures with symmetrical curves such as hyperbolas, parabolas, vaults and arches.

His most notable work was Iglesia La Purísima, the first Mexican church with a modern architectural design. The structural innovation behind the church’s parabolic vaulted ceilings won him a National Architecture Award in 1946.

His other major works include the master plan for the Monterrey Institute of Technology, the Mexican Stock Exchange, and the School of Philosophy and Literature [Facultad de Filosofía y Letras] at the National Autonomous University of Mexico which later became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Today, De la Mora is remembered as an important figure in the structural expressionism movement. We can find his exceptional work and influence across major Mexican cities.

[9A]

19 November 2011

Mikhail Lomonosov's 300th Birthday





Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov was a Russian polymath, scientist and writer, who made important contributions to literature, education, and science. Among his discoveries were the atmosphere of Venus and the law of conservation of mass in chemical reactions. His spheres of science were natural science, chemistry, physics, mineralogy, history, art, philology, optical devices and others. The founder of modern geology, Lomonosov was also a poet and influenced the formation of the modern Russian literary language.

[9A]

18 November 2016

James Welch's 76th Birthday






Today’s Doodle by artist Sophie Diao pays tribute to James Welch, the Blackfeet writer, on what would be his 76th birthday. Through his novels, documentary film, and poems, Welch gave voice to the struggles and humanity of the Native American experience in the United States.

Thirty years ago, Welch published his best known work, Fools Crow, the story of the Blackfeet people during the period of post-civil war encroachment by Europeans. In this award-winning novel, the Blackfeet seek to continue traditional ways, and to avoid both contact and conflict. As a whole, Welch’s works emphasized the humanity of native peoples and their deep attachment to their homelands. He was considered an early part of what was later dubbed the Native American Renaissance, during which native writers celebrated tribal culture and revealed its complex problems in works readily accessible to the larger American public.

Welch, who as a young man described himself as an "Indian who writes," gained an international audience. His works were appreciated universally for both their artistic appeal and ability to bring the experiences of the Native American people to life.

Here’s to James -- thank you for your contributions!

[9A]

18 November 2014

Amalia Eriksson's 190th Birthday




Excited because it’s candy cane season? We’ll send your regards to Swedish entrepreneur Amalia Eriksson. Eriksson was the first person to manufacture the peppermint treats, becoming one of Sweden’s first women to own a business. Happy 190th birthday to Amalia!

[9A]

15 Nov 2013

Emil Racoviță's 145th Birthday





Emil Gheorghe Racoviță was a Romanian biologist, zoologist, speleologist, and Antarctic explorer.

Together with Grigore Antipa, he was one of the most noted promoters of natural sciences in Romania. Racoviță was the first Romanian to have gone on a scientific research expedition to the Antarctic. He was an influential professor, scholar and researcher, and served as President of the Romanian Academy from 1926 to 1929.

[9A]

24 November 2022

Teachers' Day 2022 [24 November] [Turkey]

[9A]

4 December 2020

Celebrating Noken Papua




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Depok-based guest artist Danu Fitra, celebrates Noken, the craft of traditional handmade bags that holds great cultural and socio-economic significance throughout Indonesia’s Papua and West Papua Provinces. In recent years the longevity of this staple of Papuan heritage has come under threat, but following its addition to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in Need of Urgent Safeguarding on this day in 2012, great strides have been taken to secure Noken’s sustainability for future generations.

Noken bags are typically made from materials like tree fibers, bark, or leaves, which are processed into strong threads and then knotted or woven together. This complex handcraft has been passed down through the generations and demands refined tactile skill, dedicated care, and no shortage of artistic vision. The end product is a durable and versatile bag commonly used to transport and store things like food or firewood, and even to carry small children or animals!

Outside of its everyday use, Noken has traditionally fulfilled many social and economic purposes as well. For example, Noken serves as a symbol of cultural unification among more than 250 ethnic groups in the region; due to its value, it can be used as a type of savings; and it often plays a symbolic role in the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Here’s to a timeless craft that’s inextricably woven into the fabric of Indonesian culture!

[9A]

4 December 2016

Dewi Sartika’s 132nd Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates Dewi Sartika, a leader in women’s education in Indonesia during the late 1800s and early 1900s. At just 18 years old, Sartika started teaching women in a small room in the back of a house. Two years later, she opened the first school for women in Indonesia, and over the next ten years expanded her reach to ten schools.

She was awarded National Heroine by the Indonesian government in 1966 for her positive influence and public service to women across Indonesia.

Happy 132nd birthday to this educational trailblazer!

[9A]

1 Dec 2016

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





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

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

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

[9A]

30 Nov 2016

St. Andrew's Day 2016



St. Andrew’s Day is Scotland’s official national day, celebrating the feast day of St. Andrew—the nation’s patron saint since the 10th century. The Scottish government mandates that the flag, also known as the Saltire or St. Andrew’s Cross, is flown today on every building with a flagpole. Festivities will include traditional Scottish foods like haggis, neeps, and tatties, as well as parades, music, and dancing. The celebrations kick off Scotland’s winter festival season.

Today’s Doodle features the Scottish flag proudly waving against the backdrop of famed locations throughout the country, including Cuillin Hills, Ben Nevis, Broch of Mousa, Isle of Skye, and Loch Lomond.

[9A]

30 November 2017

St. Andrew's Day 2017


November 30 is St. Andrew’s Day in Scotland, a national holiday and cultural celebration that involves traditional food, ceilidh dancing, storytelling, and fireworks - with lots of talk and laughter.

Today’s very special coloring-in Doodle by Scottish artist Johanna Basford is a procession of beloved Scottish symbols, each with a special link to the country’s rich heritage and mythology. Wreathed in the prickly-leaved purple thistle, the unicorn [Scotland’s national animal] leads the parade, symbolizing innocence, purity, power, and joy.

The highlands and the lochs form the perfect backdrop to the country’s favorite mythical monster — Nessie, otherwise known as the Loch Ness monster. Trailing her is a majestic red deer, Scotland’s largest native land mammal, exploring the country’s much-celebrated bluebell woods.

The Saltire, the blue Scottish flag emblazoned with a white diagonal cross, heralds the procession. It is believed to be the oldest flag in Europe, and every building in Scotland is required by law to display it on this day.

Happy St. Andrew’s Day, everyone!

[9A]

30 November 2018

St Andrew's Day 2018





St. Andrew has been Scotland’s patron saint since the country declared its independence in 1320. Relics of the martyred disciple have been enshrined in a Scottish monastery since the eighth century, making the town of St. Andrews a destination for pilgrimages. The blue and white “saltire” design on the Scottish flag is known as St. Andrew’s Cross.

Today’s Doodle commemorates this national holiday with Scotland’s national flower the thistle. Legend has it that in the 13th century an invading army of Vikings tried to sneak into the country barefoot—until they stumbled onto a thorny patch of thistles, alerting the Scottish clansmen who turned them away. Scotland’s affinity for thistles is also represented by The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the highest honor the nation can confer on any individual.

A celebration of Scottish culture, St. Andrew’s Day is a time for family and friends to come together for an old-fashioned gathering known as a cèilidh featuring storytelling, hearty Scottish food, traditional music, and step dancing. The holiday marks the start of Scottish winter festival season, kicking off this year with three days of music and film festivals, museum programs, and a torchlight parade through the streets of Glasgow. Scotland is also encouraging fairness, inclusivity and all manner of good works with its #MakeSomeonesDay campaign, carrying on Andrew’s saintly legacy.

Latha fèill Anndrais sona dhuibh, Alba! →Happy Saint Andrew’s Day, Scotland!

[9A]

30 November 2021

Janaína Dutra's 61st birthday



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

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

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

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

[9A]

30 November 2014

Saint Andrew's Day 2014





What better way to mark St Andrew’s Day than to celebrate the 80th anniversary of ‘The Flying Scotsman’ being the first steam locomotive to chug its way to 100mph?

Designed by Edinburgh-born Sir Nigel Gresley, this world famous train vitally linked London to Scotland and went on to record the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive at an incredible 422 miles.

The train steamed along over 2 million miles of track before retiring at its final station in 1963 after 40 years of loyal service.

So light the fires, serve the feasts, play the bagpipes and start the shindigs, all in honour of this inspirational Scotsman.

[9A]

22 November 2012

Thanksgiving 2012





America's Thanksgiving Parade is an annual American parade held in downtown Detroit, Michigan each Thanksgiving Day from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST. The tradition was started in the city in 1924 by the J. L. Hudson Company department store. It shares the title for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, New York and is four years younger than the 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The idea came from Hudson's display director Charles Wendel after the success of the Canadian Eaton's Santa Claus Parade in Toronto, Ontario. In addition to the usual floats and bands, Wendel obtained large papier-mâché heads similar to those he saw during a recent trip to Europe. The heads are made in Viareggio, Italy, and remain a fixture of the parade to the present.

The parade features a variety of floats, marching bands and balloons, with the climax being the arrival of Santa Claus, who appears at the end to herald the arrival of the Christmas season. Unique to the parade are the Big Head Corps, featuring a large collection of papier-mâché heads, and the Distinguished Clown Corps, which features local corporate and community leaders dressed as clowns. The parade is made possible through the efforts of more than 4,500 volunteers.

[9A]

25 November 2017

Lope de Vega's 455th Birthday





“Con algunas flores en mi jardín, media docena de fotos y algunos libros; vivo sin envidia.”

[“With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy.”]

Born in Madrid in 1562, prolific dramatist Lope de Vega’s talent was noticed while he was a student by the bishop of Ávila, who attempted but ultimately failed to convince him to join the priesthood. A romance prompted de Vega to abandon this religious path, and he continued to educate himself with anthological readings while establishing a career as a writer in Madrid.

De Vega’s love life, which often inspired his plays and poetry, was defined by intense passion and marked with fierce ups and downs — including one that landed him in exile. During this time, he spent several years in Valencia focusing on further honing his craft and establishing a reputation as a talented playwright and poet. Service to dukes, romances and marriages, and a handful of heartbreaking deaths characterized the bulk of the playwright’s life during his most productive period. Today, some 3,000 sonnets, 3 novels, 4 novellas, 9 epic poems, and 500 plays are attributed to him.

Despite the chaos that surrounded him, de Vega remained a prolific and significant writer, majorly influencing the art and direction of Spanish theatre and poetry. Today, we celebrate the vast contributions of the Fénix de los Ingenios [Pheonix of Spanish Wits] on what would be his 455th birthday.

[9A]

25 November 2019

Ani Idrus’ 101st Birthday


Today’s Doodle celebrates fearless Indonesian journalist and activist Ani Idrus on her 101st birthday. Co-founding one of the longest-running Indonesian daily newspapers in 1947 and still active today, Waspada, Idrus became a leading force in the nation’s journalism, education, and politics.

Born on this day in 1918 in Western Sumatra, Idrus’ life left a wake of tremendous change. Establishing herself as a journalist in the 1930s, she went on to publish Waspada just before Indonesia’s independence from the Dutch. Idrus also served as a foreign correspondent for over a decade before releasing the first edition of a popular women’s magazine. In 1988, in recognition of her accomplishments in journalism, Idrus won the Satya Press Award.

As a member of the Young Indonesia political movement, Idrus’ activism continued to develop. She attended Indonesia’s First Women’s Congress, which led her to chair the North Sumatra Women's Front and became Deputy Secretary-General of the North Sumatra National Front.

Closely tied to Idrus’ dedication to causes that benefited Indonesian women was her push to improve education throughout the country. Her impact on the education system is marked by the opening of eight schools, the establishment of the Ani Idrus Education Foundation [YPAI], as well as her service as Chairperson of the Waspada Soccer School.

Commemorated with a stamp in 2004, Idrus’ life encapsulates her mission to improve the lives of Indonesians throughout the archipelago, especially those of women and children. It may be impossible to know just how many lives were positively affected by her tireless efforts in journalism, education, or politics, but her work stands as a monument to her principles.

[9A]

16 January 2018

Katy Jurado’s 94th Birthday



Initially brought to fame by playing “femme fatale” characters, Katy Jurado [born María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García] achieved stardom in both Mexican cinema and Hollywood through her nuanced portrayals of complicated women.

As a teenager, Jurado was barred from acting by her family, but she was so determined that she signed her first contract in secret. Her career began with several films produced during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, including the successful La vida inútil de Pito Pérez [1943].

Cast in her first Hollywood film, Bullfighter and the Lady [1951], Jurado’s limited grasp of English meant she delivered her lines by memorizing the way they sounded. Despite the unconventional approach, her strong performance caught the attention of a well-known Hollywood producer, who cast her in the soon-to-be-classic Western, High Noon [1952]. Jurado played the narratively-important character of Helen Ramirez so skillfully that she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Accolades for future performances would include three Silver Ariel Awards and nominations for several Academy Awards.

Off-screen, Jurado was a tenacious and spirited woman who captivated everyone around her. While she was stunningly beautiful, her portrayals transcended the stereotyped, over-sexualized roles written for Mexican women at the time. Her talent at depicting a range of characters helped to expand the parts available to Mexican and other Latina actresses in Hollywood today.

Today’s Doodle by artist Ana Ramirez pays homage to the trailblazing actress by depicting her in a powerful pose against a backdrop inspired by the set of her film High Noon - complete with roses, which symbolize Jurado’s birthplace of Guadalajara, nicknamed “the city of roses.”

[9A]

15 May 2012

Teachers' Day 2012 [Mexico, Colombia, S. Korea]

[9A]

27 June 2018

Efua Theodora Sutherland's 94th Birthday





Many great literary works owe their legacies to dedicated teachers who explore their meaning with their students. Prominent writer and teacher Efua Theodora Sutherland played a crucial role in both the creation and exploration of prominent plays across Ghana.

Sutherland [or Aunty Efua, as she was affectionately known], was one of Africa’s earliest female writers recognized locally and internationally for numerous theater works, including Foriwa [1962], Edufa [1967], and The Marriage of Anansewa [1975]. She is credited with bringing literary and theatrical movements in Ghana between the 1950s and 1990s through her own works and helped develop the country’s educational curriculum for children.

At a time when women played a limited role in governance, Sutherland is also remembered for her extensive work on the U.N. Convention on the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

Because of Sutherland’s dedication to children’s rights and cultural activism, thousands of students in Ghana [and beyond] have access to quality education and theater performance.

Happy 94th birthday to a pioneering dramatist, playwright, and activist.

[9A]

13 April 2021

151st anniversary of The Metropolitan Museum of Art






In honor of a storied legacy of cultural enrichment for New Yorkers and international communities alike, today’s Doodle celebrates the 151st Anniversary of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens—businessmen and financiers as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day—who wanted to create a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. On this day in 1870, the museum was officially incorporated and soon after acquired its first work of art: a Roman sarcophagus.

The Met has come quite a long way from that first showing to become New York’s largest art museum, with a permanent collection of over 1.5 million objects, spanning over 5,000 years from nearly every corner of the globe. A sampling of the many works of art found at The Met today are depicted in today’s Doodle artwork—including a Byzantine floor mosaic from 500-550 A.D., the armor of German Emperor Ferdinand I from the 16th century, an intricate traditional Lakota/Teton Sioux beaded dress, and the painting "Self-Portrait" by Samuel Joseph Brown, Jr. from the 1940s.

Whether you're a Met regular or planning your first trip to the Museum, be sure to visit a certain blue ceramic hippopotamus from Egypt’s Middle Kingdom nicknamed “William.” An unofficial mascot of The Met, he might soon become your favorite part of the collection.

Happy anniversary to The Met–and here’s to many more!