Google doodles

[9A]

14 Apr 2022

Celebrating Sơn Đoòng Cave




Nestled deep within the remote jungles of central Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, lies a natural phenomenon unparalleled by any other on Earth: the gargantuan Sơn Đoòng Cave. Today’s Doodle celebrates this colossal cavern, which was officially discovered on this day in 2009.

Expert geologists estimate the Sơn Đoòng [Vietnamese for “Mountain River”] Cave was formed sometime between two to five million years ago—epochs before local farmer Ho Khanh inadvertently stumbled upon its enormous entrance in 1990. The cave remained untouched until 2008, when Khanh retraced his steps to its misty opening, and until 2009 alongside Howard and Deb Limbert of the British Cave Research Association. The intrepid speleologists conducted the cave’s first official survey and concluded that it was the largest cave on the planet.

Inside Sơn Đoòng’s undisturbed inner chambers [big enough to fit an entire city block of 40-story buildings!], scientists discovered a wealth of record-breaking geological formations including the world’s largest limestone pearls and tallest stalagmite. Giant sinkholes situated further into the cave’s depths allow for sunlight and rain to nourish two pristine jungle ecosystems, which are home to flying foxes, the world’s only monkeys to live underground, and eyeless white fish. One of these thriving rainforests is so vast, it even has its own localized weather system!

In 2019, a trio of British divers proved there was still more to discover after finding an underwater tunnel connecting Sơn Đoòng to another cave—tacking on another 5.6 million cubic feet to its already titanic volume of 1.35 billion cubic feet.

Here’s to a natural wonder for everyone’s travel bucket list!

[9A]

13 Apr 2022

Ola Rotimi's 84th birthday



Emmanuel Gladstone Olawale Rotimi, also known as Ola Rotimi, was in the spotlight for more reasons than one. Today’s Doodle celebrates the renowned Nigerian playwright, director, actor, choreographer and designer, who used his art to reflect on Nigeria’s rich culture, diversity, and local traditions.

Ola Rotimi was born in 1938 and grew up in a family of artists: His mother managed a traditional dance group and his father organized a community theater. His father also directed and produced a play where Rotimi would show up on stage for the first time at only four-years-old. His family’s passion for the arts, as well as his mixed parentage—an Ijaw mother and Yoruba father—greatly influenced his future work. He would later attend Boston University to study theater and earned an M.F.A. degree at Yale University in playwriting and dramatic literature.

Throughout Rotimi’s career, he wrote and directed dozens of plays and short stories that poignantly examined Nigeria’s ethnic traditions and history. He was known to have a larger-than-life vision and embraced dance, music, and even mime within his productions. Rotimi’s plays pulled back the curtain to unveil traditional Nigerian rituals, songs, and dances to audiences all over the world. Some of his most celebrated and award-winning works include The Gods Are Not to Blame, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again, and Kurunmi.

Happy birthday to “the father of Nollywood” and one of Nigeria’s foremost dramatists, Ola Rotimi.

[9A]

9 Apr 2022

Nomhle Nkonyeni's 80th birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the 80th birthday of Nomhle Nkonyeni, a Black South African actress who overcame discrimination to take the stage during apartheid.

Nomhle Nkonyeni was born on this day in 1942 in Aggrey Road, in the city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth. Her notable acting career began as early as age 19 when she co-founded the Serpent Players. This interracial theater troupe’s name was inspired by the abandoned snake pit in which they were forced to first perform due to discrimination. Nkonyeni continued to defy discrimination laws, with the acting group eventually drawing interracial audiences to view political protest theater.


Almost two decades later, Nkonyeni made history by becoming the first Black actress to perform at The CAPAB theater, a major performing arts center in Cape Town. She played the lead role in Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena, which details the struggles of a Black South African woman navigating discriminatory laws. Nkonyeni’s talent became known on the small and big screens as well, where she held numerous roles in television shows and films such as Tsha Tsha, Scandal!, Zulu, and Red Dust—her career spanning over five decades.

Nkonyeni also dedicated her life to empowering the next generation. She volunteered as a drama teacher for homeless youth in her spare time and led youth theater programs in Cape Town. In 2016, Nkonyeni received a lifetime achievement award from the South African Film and Television Awards for her legacy and impact—both on and off the stage.

[9A]

7 April 2015

Gabriela Mistral’s 126th birthday



Happy 126th birthday to Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral. She was the first and remains the only Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

[9A]

31 March 2017

Sergei Diaghilev’s 145th birthday




Born in 1872 to a wealthy Russian family, art critic, visionary, and all-around provocateur Sergei Diaghilev made his mark on the performing arts with his influential Ballets Russes, a trailblazing dance company that united talents from the disciplines of art, fashion, dance, choreography, and music, and vaulted them to dizzying creative heights.

From 1909-1929, the Ballet Russes performed on stages around the globe, mesmerizing, even scandalizing, audiences with its unprecedented costumes, stage sets, compositions, and choreography. In Schéhérazade, which premiered at the Théâtre national de l’Opéra, Paris, in 1910, dancers traded tutus for artist Léon Bakst’s risqué harem pants while Vaslav Nijinsky performed in gold body paint and bejeweled costumes. Firebird, based on Russian fairy tales, marked Diaghilev’s first commissioned score from Igor Stravinsky, kicking off a collaboration that would include the primal work, The Rite of Spring and Pulcinella [with costumes and sets by Pablo Picasso].

Anna Pavlova, Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau—all figured into Diaghilev’s sensational productions.

Today, on Sergei Diaghilev’s 145th birthday, we salute his boundless imagination with a Doodle that depicts the impresario flanked by his vividly costumed Ballets Russes dancers against an onion-domed Russian backdrop. Diaghilev wowed the world, both then and now.


Doodle by Sophie Diao

[9A]

31 March 2011

Robert Bunsen's 200th Birthday




Science or chemistry was never one of my stronger classes in school [as the chemically unsound set-up within the doodle might indicate], but I get nostalgic every time I see a chemistry set and a bunsen burner. I think we can all relate to that feeling of anticipation and discovery in the classroom, not to mention feeling just a little more grown up. If only we got to wear the white lab coats too!

Working on the doodle itself was a bit of an experiment as well. I collaborated with software engineer, Jonathan Tang, giving him all of the artwork assets, which he then recreated using modern web technology. On updated web browsers, you can move your mouse anywhere on the screen to control the intensity of the flame and the level of the fluids in the beakers. It was a pretty intense session getting all of the work done in time for the doodle to launch, but don't worry, we managed to avoid any [major] lab disasters and/or explosions in the process.

posted by Mike Dutton

[9A]

Apr 3, 2011

Anniversary of the Ice Cream Sundae





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

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

posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino

[9A]

11 April 2017

Misuzu Kaneko’s 114th birthday




Simple and expressive enough for children yet deep and accessible enough for adults, the works of Misuzu Kaneko were nearly lost to time until they were rediscovered four decades later. Misuzu is known throughout Japan as a poet who expressed childlike wonderment and humility simply and beautifully through her words.

Born Teru Kaneko in the fishing village of Senzaki, twenty-year-old Misuzu sent her first poems to several Tokyo children’s magazines in 1923. Her mother, who ran a bookstore in the small town of Shimonoseki, ensured her daughter was highly educated. Misuzu became a voracious reader, in turn inspiring her to try her own hand at writing. What resulted were internationally read poems beloved by several generations.

Today’s Doodle took its inspiration from Misuzu’s poem “A Bell, A Bird, and Me.”

No matter how I spread my arms
I can not fly at all,
But unlike me, a flying bird
Can not run fast on ground.

Though I rock my body back and forth
It makes no pretty sounds,
Yet unlike me, a ringing bell
Does not know many songs.

A bell, a bird, and also me,
All are different, all are good.

The poem exemplify Misuzu’s insatiable curiosity about nature and her ability to find the good in adversity. An early Doodle sketch captures the spirit of her poem “Are You An Echo?”, aired by TV stations to inspire volunteers helping in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

[9A]

11 April 2007

Yuri Gagarin's Birthday





Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin [9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968] was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. Travelling in the Vostok 1 capsule, Gagarin completed one orbit of Earth on 12 April 1961. By achieving this major milestone in the Space Race he became an international celebrity, and was awarded many medals and titles, including Hero of the Soviet Union, his nation's highest honour.

[9A]

11 April 2014

Percy Julian's 115th Birthday




It's no scientific revelation that it's the experiences from our everyday lives that inform our work, and in Dr. Julian's case, he used these experiences, overcoming tremendous challenges and racial barriers [and even a couple happy accidents] to become one of the most renowned and highly respected chemists in history.

Visually, I was presented with a familiar challenge: to create something fun and engaging for us non-science types [I confess to finding a way of skipping chemistry in high school], while still calling attention to Julian's key achievements in an appropriate -[ie. correct and validated!] way. Before getting too far into the research, I sketched thumbnails of the common association – that of a chemist in a lab full of beakers and tubes:

As I read more about his work, I became fascinated with his process in the specific field of organic chemistry, and how he discovered ways to take rare and exotic components and synthesize them or discover alternate organic substances in place of more cost-prohibitive resources. Yep, that's a mouthful! So here are two key examples: His most well known triumph was the synthesis of the alkaloid, physostigmine, found in the african calabar bean, which led to a more readily available treatment of ailments such as glaucoma and Alzheimer's Disease. He also pioneered many uses from the soybean and soybean oil, developing a better process for obtaining cortisone to treat arthritis or to aid the body in the receiving of organ transplants.

Happy 115th birthday to the NOT Forgotten Genius, Dr. Percy Lavon Julian!

posted by Mike Dutton, Doodler

[9A]

8 Apr 2014

Dionisios Solomos's 216th Birthday



Dionysios Solomos was a Greek poet from Zakynthos, who is considered to be Greece's national poet. He is best known for writing the Hymn to Liberty, which was set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros and became the Greek and Cypriot national anthem in 1865 and 1966 respectively. He was the central figure of the Heptanese School of poetry. He is considered the national poet of Greece, not only because he wrote the national anthem, but also because he contributed to the preservation of earlier poetic tradition and highlighted its usefulness to modern literature. Other notable poems include Ὁ Κρητικός [The Cretan], Ἐλεύθεροι Πολιορκημένοι [The Free Besieged]. A characteristic of his work is that no poem except the Hymn to Liberty was completed, and almost nothing was published during his lifetime.

[9A]

7 Apr 2014

Victoria Ocampo's 124th Birthday [born 1890]





Ramona Victoria Epifanía Rufina Ocampo was an Argentine writer and intellectual. Best known as an advocate for others and as publisher of the literary magazine Sur, she was also a writer and critic in her own right and one of the most prominent South American women of her time. Her sister is Silvina Ocampo, also a writer.

[9A]

7 April 2022

Charlotte Maxeke's 151st birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by South Africa-based artist Pola Maneli, celebrates the life and 151st birthday of Mama Charlotte Maxeke. Widely known as the mother of Black Freedom in South Africa, she was a scholar, an evangelist and a torchbearer for Black South African women’s rights.

Charlotte Manye Maxeke was born in 1871 in the small town of Fort Beaufort, situated in today’s Eastern Cape province. She eventually found herself following in her parents’ footsteps—her mother was a teacher, her father a preacher. By age 20, Maxeke was invited to sing and tour Britain with the African Jubilee Choir; during this experience she made connections that inspired her to travel to the United States.

She eventually earned a bachelor degree from the Wilberforce University in 1903 and is recognized as the first Black South African woman to graduate from the school, as well as the first with a university degree from America. While in school, Maxeke excelled in many fields of study and was lectured by renowned Pan-Africanist scholar, W.E.B. DuBois.

After returning to South Africa, Maxeke settled in Johannesburg and became involved in the country’s political and social rights movements. She attended the launch of the South African Native National Congress [SANCC] in Bloemfontein in 1912. As an avid opponent of the dompas, a pass which regulated and limited the freedom of Black South Africans [especially women], Maxeke helped organize the anti-dompas movement in 1913. She also founded the Bantu Women’s League of the SANCC in 1918.

Over the next 25 years, Charlotte Maxeke continued her efforts as a tireless leader and advocate for women’s rights. She worked with others across race and class, oftentimes remembered as “everyone’s friend and no one’s enemy.”

Happy birthday, Charlotte Maxeke!

[9A]

27 May 2022

Celebrating Jimmy Little




Today’s Doodle illustrated by guest artist Dixon Patten—a traditional descendant from the Gunnai, Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara, and Dhuduroa people—celebrates Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and advocate Dr. James “Jimmy” Oswald Little. Over an illustrious 60-year career, Little championed the music, health, and education of Indigenous Australian communities as a cultural ambassador and musical sensation. On this day in 2003, Little was awarded the Red Ochre Award for his lifelong contribution to the recognition of Indigenous arts in Australia and around the world.

James Oswald Little was born to a Yorta Yorta mother and Yuin Monaro Father in 1937, on the Cummeragunja Mission Station, an Indigenous Australian reserve located in New South Wales. in 1955, Little left home to pursue his dreams of becoming a musician in Sydney. His recording career began the following year, and his breakout hit song “Royal Telephone” became the first song by an Indigenous Australian to hit number one on the pop music charts in 1963.

“Royal Telephone” sold over 75,000 copies—a platinum achievement by today’s standards that earned him the title of Australian Pop Star of the Year in 1964. Little also began acting during this era and became a household name through national tours, radio playtime, and TV appearances into the 1970s. By the 1980s, Little began to use his influence to mentor Indigenous youth and advocate for literacy and health programs throughout the rest of his career.

Little’s reinterpretations of contemporary hits released on over 29 albums earned him the title of one of the founding fathers of Australian country music, an achievement honored by his induction into Tamworth’s Country Music Roll of Renown. For his lifetime of advocacy for Indigenous peoples in Australia, he earned three honorary doctorates and was named a National Living Treasure. Today, his legacy lives on through the work of the Jimmy Little Foundation, an organisation he founded in 2006 with the aim of promoting health, education, and access to opportunity in Indigenous Australian communities.

Jimmy Little at his first recording at EMI Records in 1956
Courtesy of the Jimmy Little Foundation

[9A]

27 May 2022

Juana Alarco de Dammert's 180th birthday




Today’s Doodle honors Juana Alarco de Dammert, a children’s rights advocate and philanthropist who spearheaded the first social welfare program for mothers and children in Peru. Known as the grandmother of all children—la abuelita de los niños—she also helped establish the country’s first kindergartens and daycare centers.

Born on this day in Lima in 1842, Dammert had a humanitarian spirit as a child, often volunteering with her father at the local hospital. After marrying a German businessman in 1861, Dammert and her husband moved to Europe as France was undergoing a major welfare reform. It inspired her to learn more about how governments can play an impactful role in protecting the lives of children.

During this time, she became interested in the works of Firmin Marbeau, a French philanthropist who founded the modern concept of daycares, and Friedrich Froebel, a German philosopher who advocated for early childhood education. Armed with new ideas, Dammert returned to Peru in 1886—after the Chilean occupation ended—to help rebuild her war-torn country.

Seeing the war had left many children without parents, Dammert helped create an orphanage for kids between the ages of seven and twelve. She also later established caring maternity crib institutions for the children of working mothers, opened the first daycare center in Peru, and established two schools that helped young children learn at their own pace. Dedicated to uplifting impoverished women, Dammert also trained and empowered young women in Lima to become teachers.

Today, there are two schools and a park in Lima named in her honor. A bronze bust of Dammert has also been erected in her memory at Parque Neptuno. Every year, students in Lima gather at her sculpture to thank her and celebrate her life’s work.

Happy birthday Juana Alarco! Children in Peru today are living better lives because of you.

[9A]

21 November 2022

Virgínia Leone Bicudo's 112th birthday







Today’s Doodle celebrates Brazilian psychoanalyst Virgínia Leone Bicudo’s 112th birthday and was illustrated by Brazil-based guest artist Bárbara Quintino. As a psychoanalyst who pioneered race studies in Brazil, she made sure Black perspectives were heard in academia.

Bicudo was born on this day in 1910 in São Paulo. Her mother was an Italian immigrant and housemaid, and her father, a Black man, dreamed of becoming a doctor. After Medical schools denied his application on the basis of his skin color, her father decided to invest in his children’s education.

Bicudo inherited her parent’s ambitions and prioritized studying at a young age. In 1930, she graduated from Escola Caetano de Campos. She completed a course in public health education before taking a job as a psychiatric attendant. Bicudo quickly earned a promotion and worked as a supervisor in the Infant Oriented Clinic in São Paulo.

In 1936, Bicudo enrolled in the Free School of Sociology and Politics, Brazil’s first higher education institution that taught social sciences. She was the only woman in the program. During her time at this school, she learned about Sigmund Freud.

She graduated two years later with a bachelor’s degree. Bicudo believed she could use psychoanalysis to better understand racial tensions in Brazil, which had significantly impacted both her and her father’s lives.

Bicudo also pursued graduate studies at the same school. Her dissertation was the first postgraduate work in Brazil that focused on race relations. This earned her an invitation to participate in a UNESCO research project analyzing race in different countries. Her research concluded Brazil was not a racial democracy, which contradicted her advisor’s beliefs, and caused her work to go unpublished.

After returning to Brazil, Bicudo was treated like an imposter in academic circles because she did not have a medical degree. In 1959, she moved to London and studied with some of the most prominent psychoanalysts of the time. She transmitted lectures to Brazil through the BBC to publicize her work.

After returning to Brazil in 1959, Bicudo founded the Institute of Psychoanalysis of the Brasília Society of Psychoanalysis. She also hosted “Our Mental World,” one of Brazil’s most popular radio programs, while writing a column in the newspaper under the same title. Bicudo’s efforts and resilience laid the groundwork for generations of women psychoanalysts to come. You can find her thesis online if you’d like to learn more!

Happy birthday, Virgínia Leone Bicudo!

[9A]

21 November 2008

René Magritte's 110th Birthday -
Courtesy of Succession René Magritte / ARS, NY





René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature and boundaries of reality and representation. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.

[9A]

21 November 2022

Virgínia Leone Bicudo's 112th birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates Brazilian psychoanalyst Virgínia Leone Bicudo’s 112th birthday and was illustrated by Brazil-based guest artist Bárbara Quintino. As a psychoanalyst who pioneered race studies in Brazil, she made sure Black perspectives were heard in academia.

Bicudo was born on this day in 1910 in São Paulo. Her mother was an Italian immigrant and housemaid, and her father, a Black man, dreamed of becoming a doctor. After Medical schools denied his application on the basis of his skin color, her father decided to invest in his children’s education.

Bicudo inherited her parent’s ambitions and prioritized studying at a young age. In 1930, she graduated from Escola Caetano de Campos. She completed a course in public health education before taking a job as a psychiatric attendant. Bicudo quickly earned a promotion and worked as a supervisor in the Infant Oriented Clinic in São Paulo.

In 1936, Bicudo enrolled in the Free School of Sociology and Politics, Brazil’s first higher education institution that taught social sciences. She was the only woman in the program. During her time at this school, she learned about Sigmund Freud.

She graduated two years later with a bachelor’s degree. Bicudo believed she could use psychoanalysis to better understand racial tensions in Brazil, which had significantly impacted both her and her father’s lives.

Bicudo also pursued graduate studies at the same school. Her dissertation was the first postgraduate work in Brazil that focused on race relations. This earned her an invitation to participate in a UNESCO research project analyzing race in different countries. Her research concluded Brazil was not a racial democracy, which contradicted her advisor’s beliefs, and caused her work to go unpublished.

After returning to Brazil, Bicudo was treated like an imposter in academic circles because she did not have a medical degree. In 1959, she moved to London and studied with some of the most prominent psychoanalysts of the time. She transmitted lectures to Brazil through the BBC to publicize her work.

After returning to Brazil in 1959, Bicudo founded the Institute of Psychoanalysis of the Brasília Society of Psychoanalysis. She also hosted “Our Mental World,” one of Brazil’s most popular radio programs, while writing a column in the newspaper under the same title. Bicudo’s efforts and resilience laid the groundwork for generations of women psychoanalysts to come. You can find her thesis online if you’d like to learn more!

Happy birthday, Virgínia Leone Bicudo!

[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]

29 April 2022

Toots Thielemans' 100th birthday





A small instrument delivered soulful sounds when it was in the hands of Belgian musician and composer Toots Thielemans. Known for his chromatic harmonica skills, he made a name for himself in the genre of jazz. He also played guitar and professionally whistled his way up international charts throughout his musical career. Today’s Doodle—illustrated by guest artist Melissa Crowton—hits all the right notes by celebrating Toots Thielemans’ contributions to the jazz world on what would be his 100th birthday.

Toots picked up the accordion at three years old and quickly found himself entertaining people at an early age. He would eventually grow up and become a performing musician at his parents’ cafe. As a teenager, he got his hands on a harmonica, but it wasn’t until he heard Louis Armstrong on record that he discovered jazz. In the early 1940s, he picked up the guitar and began performing and touring with other talented musicians. Playing next to jazz and blues figures like Quincy Jones, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra, Toots made himself a staple on radio and television. He recorded 21 records, was featured in Old Spice and Firestone commercials as well as motion-picture soundtracks. One of his most recognizable harmonica solos was for the theme song on PBS-TV’s Sesame Street.

Toots is widely considered an unrivaled harmonica player and a true Jazz Master. He continued recording with other artists and performing publicly late into his life. After his passing, many collected and showcased his records, ticket stubs and autographs while museums displayed donated items and instruments from his personal collection.

Happy birthday, Toots Thielemans!

[9A]

29 April 2014

Gerard Oury's 95th Birthday




Gérard Oury was a French film director, actor and writer.

If you're not a French film buff, it may look like we have some explaining to do... and you'd be right! While the uniforms seem to indicate these are members of a dark and sinister army, they are in fact the famous comedic duo, Louis de Funes and Bourvil, cast as ordinary Frenchmen disguised in German uniforms in Gerard Oury's best-known work, La Grande Vadrouille.

[9A]

29 Apr 2014

Ustad Alla Rakha's 95th Birthday





Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi, popularly known as Alla Rakha, was an Indian tabla player who specialized in Hindustani classical music. He was a frequent accompanist of sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar and was largely responsible for introducing Tabla to the western audience.

[9A]

28 Apr 2014

Cinecittà's 77 anniversary





Cinecittà Studios [Italian for Cinema City Studios], is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres [99 acres], it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constructed during the Fascist era as part of a plan to revive the Italian film industry.

Filmmakers such as Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Luchino Visconti, Sergio Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Mel Gibson have worked at Cinecittà. More than 3,000 movies have been filmed there, of which 90 received an Academy Award nomination and 47 of these won it. In the 1950s, the number of international productions being made there led to Rome being dubbed "Hollywood on the Tiber."

[9A]

28 April 2016

Girls' and Boys' Day 2016 [Germany]

[9A]

28 February 2021

Kuzgun Acar's 93rd birthday



One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Today’s Doodle celebrates the 93rd birthday of an artist whose work reflects this expression: Turkish sculptor Kuzgun Acar. For his experimentation in welding materials like wire, nails, and scrap metal together to form abstract works, Acar is widely considered a pioneer of modern sculpture in Turkey.

Born in Istanbul on this day in 1928, Kuzgun Acar opened a shoelace factory with his father after high school, but it wasn’t until he enrolled in the sculptor department of the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts that he found his true calling. There, he attended ship-dismantling workshops, where experts taught him how to weld scavenged materials into works of art. Influenced by contemporary Turkish masters Zühtü Müridoğlu and Hadi Bara, Acar developed the talent that became his life’s passion: abstract sculpture.

In 1961, a sculpture made of rusty nails won Acar first prize at a Paris exhibition, along with a scholarship that sponsored a year of study in France. While there, he continued to perfect his artistic craft, and he even organized a solo exhibition at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris [Paris Museum of Modern Art] in 1962. Upon Acar’s return to Istanbul, he produced some of his most significant works including “Turkey”—a massive bronze relief displayed on an Ankara skyscraper—and his timeless metal sculpture, “Birds - Abstract Composition.” As one of his final works, Acar transformed twisted steel and rubber into 140 metal masks for “The Caucasian Chalk Office,” a German theatre play staged in Paris.

Happy birthday, Kuzgun Acar!

[9A]

Google’s first AI-powered Doodle lets you make music like Bach



Even if you think you have no musical ability — orespecially if you think that — you can compose a beautiful bit of music today, thanks to AI, Google, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

To celebrate the birthday of Bach, a beloved German composer born on March 21, 1685, Google has launched its first ever AI-powered Doodle. All you have to do is plunk down a few notes and the Doodle will add harmony to them in the signature style of Bach. I’ve got zero formal musical training, but I gave it a try. My little composition came out sounding surprisingly great!

It’s not really surprising, though, if you know a bit about machine learning, the process Google used to make this possible. Machine learning is a type of AI that involves feeding computers example after example of something, until they “learn” to create their own example — without ever having been given explicit instructions to follow.


In this case, 306 chorale harmonizations composed by Bach were fed into a model. His chorales make for great training data because their structure is pretty consistent and concise — they all contain four voices, which take on a pleasing depth when layered on top of one another. After the model “learned” Bach’s style by picking out the patterns, the machine learning system was refitted to run within the confines of your humble web browser.
As a result, you can make your own Bachian music with just a few quick clicks. So go on, give it a whirl!

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2...-ai-bach-music

[9A]

20 April 2021

Luther Vandross's 70th birthday




Today’s video Doodle, created by Atlanta-based guest artist Sam Bass, celebrates the 70th birthday of multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Luther Vandross—the “Velvet Voice” whose silky-smooth tenor ballads romanced generations with inimitable style and grace.

Born on this day in 1951 in New York City, Luther Ronzoni Vandross grew up inspired by soul music giants such as Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Dionne Warwick. At the age of five, he showed a sharp interest in singing, often using the coin-operated recording booths found in stores sprinkled throughout New York City at the time. He truly knew music was his destiny after a Warwick performance blew him away at 13—so he began to write his own songs. After high school, Vandross showcased his tunes at Amateur Night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Although he never won first place, he joined the theater’s performing arts group “Listen My Brother Revue,” who sang on the 1969 pilot episode of the children’s show “Sesame Street” and gave Vandross his first taste of widespread exposure.

Vandross’s next big break came when his original composition “Everybody Rejoice” was featured in “The Wiz,” a 1974 Broadway musical later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. From there, Vandross launched himself into dozens of collaborative projects with artists like David Bowie, Ringo Starr, Whitney Houston, and Ben E. King. His knack for infectious hooks also landed him gigs singing commercial jingles for Juicy Fruit and several other major brands.

In 1981, Vandross launched his solo career and took full creative control to compose, write, and produce his debut studio album “Never Too Much”—the soundtrack of today’s Doodle and the first of 14 studio albums that went either platinum or multi-platinum! A fine-tuned maestro of performance, Vandross took his passionate songs on world-wide tours, where he poured his style into all aspects of live production, from the design of background singers sparkling gowns to the mood-setting stage lights. In 1989, Vandross’s devotion to the live experience set an international milestone when he became the first male artist to sell out 10 consecutive shows at London’s Wembley Arena.

Vandross’s successful music career culminated in eight Grammy Awards [out of 33 nominations], a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a 1997 Super Bowl half-time show performance, and eight Billboard Top 10 albums.

Happy birthday, Luther Vandross! The joy your music brings to the world is never too much.

[9A]

18 Feb 2021

Audre Lorde's 87th birthday




https://www.google.com/doodles/audre...-87th-birthday [slide show]

In honor of U.S. Black History Month, today’s Doodle—illustrated by Los Angeles-based guest artist Monica Ahanonu—celebrates internationally-acclaimed American poet, feminist, professor, and civil rights champion Audre Lorde, a key figure of the Black and LGBTQ+ cultural movements of 20th century. For Lorde, poetry was more than just a form of emotional expression, it was a way of life–providing the vehicle for her lifetime advocacy against discrimination and racial injustice.



Audre Geraldin Lorde was born the daughter of Caribbean immigrants on this day in 1934 in Harlem, New York City. Introverted as a child, she learned how to read and write from her neighborhood librarian Augusta Baker, who influenced her profoundly. Poetry soon became second nature for Lorde. When asked how she was, her response was often a poem she had memorized, and by eighth grade, she began to write her own verse.


A precocious student, she became the first Black student at Hunter High School, a public school for gifted girls. Her 1951 love poem “Spring” was rejected as unsuitable by the school’s literary journal, but was printed by Seventeen magazine when she was just 15—making it her first published poem. Lorde went on to earn her Master's of Library Science from Columbia University in 1961, and continued to write poetry as a librarian and English teacher in New York public schools throughout the ‘60s.


Describing herself as a “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” Lorde emerged as an essential voice in the confrontation of homophobia and racism when she published her first collection of poems, ”The First Cities” [1968]. Throughout her career, Lorde published poetry that explored identity and sexuality, while demanding social and racial justice—not only in the United States, but also abroad.

Between 1984 and 1992, Lorde spent extensive time in West Germany teaching poetry at the Free University in Berlin and organizing the local feminist movement. While in Germany, Lorde led numerous lectures and workshops on feminism, homophobia, classism, and racism. She also connected and mentored Black German women, encouraging them to define and own their identities; Lorde’s guidance was influential in sparking the Afro-German movement of the ‘80s.

Poetry wasn’t the only literary medium that Lorde was fluent in; she also earned great acclaim for her prose. Her book “Sister Outsider” [1984] is a notable collection of her essays and speeches—including “Learning from the 60s” [excerpts of which are featured in today’s Doodle artwork]. In this speech and throughout her career, Lorde explored how the complexities of contemporary social justice activism lie at the intersections of our individual differences, which include gender, class, race, and sexuality. She noted that personal identity isn’t shaped by a single factor, rather that it’s the result of the myriad aspects of experience exclusive to each individual. Lorde felt that understanding this concept was the best way to make progress against oppression; understanding that the prejudices others face vary greatly from person to person, as they are unique to their own life’s journey. Lorde is often regarded as one of the forefront voices of intersectionality and its role within the global feminist movement.

For her literary achievements, Audre Lorde was awarded the American Book Award in 1989. She was later honored as the poet laureate of New York State through the Walt Whitman Citation of Merit in 1991.

Happy birthday, Audre Lorde!

[9A]

18 February 2015

Alessandro Volta’s 270th Birthday




Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta was an Italian physicist and chemist who was a pioneer of electricity and power who is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane. He invented the voltaic pile in 1799, and reported the results of his experiments in 1800 in a two-part letter to the president of the Royal Society. With this invention Volta proved that electricity could be generated chemically and debunked the prevalent theory that electricity was generated solely by living beings. Volta's invention sparked a great amount of scientific excitement and led others to conduct similar experiments, which eventually led to the development of the field of electrochemistry.

[9A]

18 February 2018

Carnival 2018 [Greece]




In Greece, the Carnival is a time for games, parades, and celebration. The Greek season of apokries, which literally translates to “no more meat,” refers to the time of Lent that Carnival precedes. The Carnival’s ten weeks of festivities also celebrate Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. Partygoers can participate in myriad events throughout the festival, from a treasure hunt to the burning of the carnival king.

Though Carnival has been celebrated for centuries [or longer!], its modern form is likely derived from a party held by a merchant named Moretis in 1829. As new cultures visited and left their marks on the Grecian islands, the celebration continued to change, leading to different versions of Carnival in different regions of the country.

Carnival ends on Clean Monday [Ash Monday], when Lent begins for those who observe.

May the season of apokries inspire you to celebrate life, joy, and laughter!

[9A]

18 February 2021

Celebrating Yee Sang

Lou Hei! Today’s Doodle celebrates Yee Sang, a Malaysian raw fish salad traditionally enjoyed on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. With chopsticks in hand, families toss the ingredients that make up Yee Sang high above the table while they exclaim “Lou Hei” and wish each other good fortune for the year to come—the higher the toss, the better the fortune!

This ritual traces its origins to the Chinese creation myth of goddess Nu Wa, who is said to have created humanity on the seventh day of the new year. Chinese fishers and sailors commemorated this symbolic day of rebirth by combining the leftovers of the new year’s celebrations to make yu sheng—a salad as thrifty as it was tasty.

By the 1930s, Chinese immigrants brought the Yu Sheng tradition to Malaya, selling fish salad with ginger and lettuce out of hawker carts. But it wasn’t until the 1940s, when Seremban chef Loke Ching Fatta added a twist, that the recipe was adapted to the Yee Sang known today. Fatta combined some 30 ingredients together with his signature sauce to invent the dish now loved by many during the Lunar New Year.

One of the most common combinations of Yee Sang include raw fish, ginger, shredded carrot, radish, pomelo, leek, topped with condiments like crushed peanuts, all mixed thoroughly with several different oils and spices. But there is no wrong way to make Yee Sang, as the dish has infinite variations.

Here’s to Yee Sang and prosperity in the Lunar New Year!

[9A]

18 February 2013

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi's 812th Birthday




Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Tūsī , better known as Nasir al-Din al-Tusi was a Persian polymath, architect, philosopher, physician, scientist, and theologian. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi was a well published author, writing on subjects of math, engineering, prose, and mysticism. Additionally, al-Tusi made several scientific advancements. In astronomy, al-Tusi created very accurate tables of planetary motion, an updated planetary model, and critiques of Ptolemaic astronomy. He also made strides in logic, mathematics but especially trigonometry, biology, and chemistry. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi left behind a great legacy as well. Tusi is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of medieval Islam, since he is often considered the creator of trigonometry as a mathematical discipline in its own right.

[9A]

17 December 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]

17 December 2022

Celebrating Ana Mercedes Hoyos



Today’s Doodle celebrates Ana Mercedes Hoyos, a distinguished Colombian artist. She was an award-winning painter and sculptor who won over seventeen national and international awards. Hoyos was a pioneer in modern art who focused on the complexities of Colombian culture. On this day in 1968, Hoyos was awarded first place in the Bogotá Museum of Modern Arts’ “Environmental Spaces” exhibition.

Born to a family of architects in Bogotá, Colombia on September 29, 1942, Hoyos was encouraged to study art history from an early age. She attended Colegia Marymount before studying visual arts at the University of Andes. She first explored more minimalistic and abstract styles, which led to her first series Ventanas [[Windows). Many consider this collection the turning point of her career, as it won the Colombian National Salon of Artists’ Caracas Prize.

In the next few decades, Hoyos ventured into new realms. In the mid 1970s, she released Atmósferas [[Atmospheres), a series exploring the parameters of light that won international recognition. She then created works featuring flora and fruit typically found in Cartagena, where she lived in the 1980s.

Hoyos’ artistic journey eventually led her to still-life paintings that examined the multicultural diversity of Colombia. These still lifes combined exaggerated light with explosive tropical colors to capture the Caribbean’s rich cultures and sceneries. Hoyos’ paintings portrayed Afro-Colombian heritage in a magical, mesmerizing way.

Nowadays, people can enjoy her work far and wide at renowned art institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, the United Nations University in Tokyo, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C., and perhaps most importantly, the Bogotá Museum of Modern Art, where her journey started.

[9A]

July 26, 2022

Celebrating Steelpan




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Trinidad & Tobago-based artist Nicholas Huggins, celebrates the steelpan, a percussion instrument made of metal, created and influenced by Trinbagonians. It’s the only acoustic instrument invented in the twentieth century, but has origins dating back to the 1700’s. It was a staple during Carnival and Canboulay, the annual harvest festivals celebrated in Trinidad, and is still used in contemporary music. On this day in 1951, the Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra [TASPO] performed at the Festival of Britain, introducing the steelpan and a new music genre to the world.

When enslaved Africans were brought to Trinidad by colonialists in the 1700’s, they brought over their African heritage and traditions of rhythmic drumming with them. When slavery was abolished between 1834 and 1838, Trinidadians joined in on Carnival festivities with their drums. However in 1877, government officials banned their drumming because they feared that the drumming would be used to send messages that would inspire rebellion. In protest of this ban, musicians started to pound tuned bamboo tubes on the ground as alternatives to mimic the sound of their drums. These ensembles were called Tamboo Bamboo bands.

Another ban came in 1930, when rival Tamboo Bamboo bands would cause disturbances during Carnival and other street festivals. These bands then looked to a new alternative to carry their rhythm: metal objects such as car parts, paint pots, dustbins, biscuit tins and thus the idea of the pan was born.

During World War II, Carnival was forbidden due to security reasons, and musicians began experimenting with the unique instrument to improve the sound quality. Overtime, dents were hammered into the surface of these objects, which played different notes depending on the size, position and shape. In 1948, after the war ended, the musicians switched to using the 55 gallon oil drums discarded by the oil refineries. In addition to changing the shape of the drum surface, they found that changing the length of the drum allowed complete scales from bass to soprano. This formed the basis for the modern version of the pan. The steelpan grew and developed into a legitimate instrument through the likes of pioneers and innovators such as Winston “Spree” Simon, Ellie Mannette, Anthony Williams and Bertie Marshall. Many of their innovations and techniques are still used today.

The steelpan is now the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, and is a source of great pride and true resilience for its citizens. Steelpans are now enjoyed in concert calls like Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and more. Whether in the UK or Japan, Senegal or the States, the steelpan is an internationally recognized instrument that reminds listeners of its island origins.

[9A]

26 July 2016

Maria Severa Onofriana's 196th Birthday




A legend in her native Lisbon, Maria Severa Onofriana, known simply as Severa, is remembered as the voice that brought fado into popular culture. By performing at taverns across the Alfama district, she helped spread this expressive style of music in the 1830s and 40s.

Often somber in tone, fado [which translates roughly to “fate”] is a lyrical ode to the trials of everyday life. Although Severa told many of these tales through her songs, very little is actually known about her life. For that reason, the singer’s story has been reimagined many times in music, theater, and film.

Today’s Doodle is yet another take on the famous fadista. Donning her signature dark shawl, Severa plays the “Portuguese blues” as we celebrate her contributions to music on what would have been her 196th birthday.

[9A]

26 July 2021

70th anniversary of the birch bark manuscripts




On this day in 1951, a Soviet archaeological expedition led by Artemiy Artsikhovsky excavated the first ancient birch bark manuscript—a medieval letter inscribed with Old Russian text. Today’s Doodle celebrates the 70th anniversary of this major discovery that marked a new chapter in Russian linguistics research and shed new light on daily life of the Rus people in the Middle Ages.

In the 14th century, birch bark prevailed in Rus [now Russia] as the most dependable material for communication among medieval city-dwellers. It was inexpensive, ubiquitous in the region’s vast swaths of forest, and could be easily engraved using a pointed stylus made of metal, bone or wood.

Found in Veliky Novgorod—one of Russia’s oldest cities approximately 120 miles from St. Petersburg—the birch bark manuscript excavated in 1951 contains a brief list of working assignments addressed to a local laborer. This breakthrough finding proved to be just the tip of the iceberg, as over 1,000 manuscripts have been discovered across Russia since—some dating back to the 11th century!

Before the 1951 excavation, historians mostly relied on ancient Russian archives to color in the grey areas of medieval history, but these records did not illustrate the minutiae of everyday life. Birch bark writings filled these gaps with incredible detail, chronicling accounts from children to high-ranking officials. Thanks to these artifacts, scholars now believe ancient Russians had a much higher rate of literacy than previously thought and have discovered a new Old Russian dialect.

Today, experts estimate tens of thousands of birch bark writings remain under Russian soil. What will archaeologists discover next?

[9A]

24 Nov 2020

Celebrating Mariachi





Today’s video Doodle celebrates a quintessential element of Mexico’s rich cultural heritage: the musical genre of Mariachi. Mariachi is typically characterized by a small group of musicians dressed in traditional clothing who perform a wide repertoire of Mexican songs on mostly stringed instruments [the term Mariachi can refer to either the music or the musicians themselves]. During a session held the week of November 22, 2011 UNESCO inscribed Mariachi on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Mariachi tradition was born in west-central Mexico around the turn of the 19th century, though its exact origins remain unknown. At first, the genre was strictly instrumental, composed of the sounds of stringed instruments, and eventually vocals and the trumpet were added to the mix. In modern times, Mariachi music has been combined with elements of diverse genres from jazz to reggae. Singers often add in their best grito to express the emotion of the vibrant music! No matter the variation, Mariachi remains a strong representation of Mexican history and culture.

Today’s video Doodle features a Mariachi serenade of the classic song, Cielito Lindo. More than just music, Cielito Lindo [which roughly translates from Spanish as “lovely sweet one”] is a symbol of Mexican pride and community.The Mariachi band is depicted playing the staple instruments of the musical genre—including the guitarrón [a six-string bass], vihuela [a five-string guitar], violin, trumpet, and harp—and wearing traditional trajes de charro [charro suits].

¡Que viva el Mariachi!

[9A]

3 April 2020

Lola Álvarez Bravo’s 117th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates one of Mexico’s first professional female photographers, Lola Álvarez Bravo, on her 117th birthday. Known for her portraits of public figures, as well as street photography chronicling decades of Mexican life, she is considered one of the country’s pioneers of modernist photography.

Born Dolores Martinez de Anda in Jalisco, Mexico, on this day in 1903, the future photographer moved to Mexico City as a child. It was from her neighbor, Manuel Bravo, that she first learned the basics of photography, including developing photos in the darkroom. The pair married in 1925, and both went on to achieve enormous acclaim for their work.

Álvarez Bravo became a central figure in Mexico’s post-revolution cultural renaissance, and among her most internationally-renowned photographs were those taken in the mid-1940s of her friend, and one of the country’s most iconic artists, the painter Frida Kahlo. Through her photojournalistic lens, Álvarez Bravo captured scenes of everyday Mexican life, from local traditions to outdoor barbershops, portraying the depth and breadth of the country’s culture across a career spanning more than half a century.

In 1981, Álvarez Bravo’s home state of Jalisco awarded her a medal of distinction for her contribution to the arts, and four years later, a plaque was installed in her honor in Guadalajara’s historic Degollada Theater.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Lola Álvarez Bravo! Thank you for capturing Mexico from the ground up.

[9A]

27 November 2010

Bruce Lee's 70th Birthday





Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong and American martial artist, martial arts instructor, actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and philosopher. 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]

17 September 2016

Irena Kwiatkowska’s 104th birthday





Beloved Polish actress Irena Kwiatkowska was born today in 1912. A household name in Poland, Kwiatkowska was celebrated for her work in cabaret, comedy, film, theater, radio, and television. She is best known for the television character "Working Woman," who did many different [and often wacky] jobs, to great humorous effect.

When Kwiatkowska was born, Poland was part of the Russian Empire. She witnessed dramatic changes in Poland's culture and politics during her lifetime. Whether she was advocating for Polish independence, teaching at the Warsaw Theatre Academy, performing a comedic monologue, or singing in a movie musical, Irena Kwiatkowska sought the best for her country -- and brought her best to her audiences.

[9A]

16 September 2017

Mexico National Day 2017





Happy National Day, Mexico!

Not far from the modern metropolis of Mexico City lies another important city—one that’s at least 1,300 years old. Today’s Doodle by guest artist Luis Pinto pays tribute to the ancient city Teotihuacan, constructed between the 1st and 7th centuries. Who actually built the ancient city remains a mystery.

Visitors to Teotihuacan stand in the shadows of the towering Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, and the detailed Temple of Quetzalcoatl. At night, a spectacular light and sound show brings the pyramid carvings to life in brilliant colors. You can also view the city from above in a hot air balloon; just keep an eye out for Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered serpent” responsible for the wind.

Many Mexicans today are descendants of its indigenous people, and the country is a rich mosaic of old and new. On September 16th, people of all ancestries come together to remember the famous Grito de Dolores, or “Cry of Dolores,” that set Mexico on the path to a united country for all.

¡Viva México!

[9A]

16 September 2014

Mexico Independence Day 2014




There’s no dish that has more pride than “chiles en nogada.” These green chiles are stuffed with picadillo, covered in a white walnut cream and topped with red pomegranate seeds, dressing the meal in the colors of the Mexican flag. Happy Independence Day to Mexico!

[9A]

12 Sept 2022

Celebrating the Lampang Rooster Bowl



Cock-a-Doodle-Do! Today’s Doodle celebrates the iconic Lampang Rooster Bowl, a traditional tableware design featuring a black-tailed rooster with peony flowers and banana leaves. This durable kitchenware is so popular in Asia that the Thai government registered the rooster bowl as a Geographical Indication product of Lampang on this day in 2013. This means international trade law affirms the quality and reputation of rooster bowls made in the region!

The rooster bowl was imported to Thailand from China. In the original artwork, the rooster symbolized hard work while the banana leaf and red peony represented dreams of good fortune.

In 1957, entrepreneurs opened many rooster kitchenware factories in Thailand’s Lampang province. The region, teeming with clay minerals, was better suited for ceramic manufacturing.

As Lampang began mass producing tableware with rooster designs, the bowl became one of the region’s best-selling products—bringing financial stability and freedom to Lampang locals.

Although Lampang continues to manufacture rooster bowls today, few factories can afford to design rooster bowls according to the traditional style and material, causing the original hand-painted rooster bowls to become a rare collector’s item.

Be sure to check your kitchen cabinets for vintage rooster bowls—they just might bring your family good fortune!

[9A]

16 September 2019

Chrisye’s 70th Birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Yogyakarta-based guest artist Antares Hasanbasri, celebrates the progressive Indonesian pop singer and songwriter, Chrisye. Born Chrismansyah Rahadi in Jakarta on this day in 1949, Chrisye won many awards in his 40-year career and is widely considered one of the greatest Indonesian musicians of all time.

Chrisye’s parents had hoped he’d become an engineer. To their surprise, he fell in love with music early, starting a band with his brother Joris and later playing bass with his neighbors, eventually forming a band named Gipsy. Chrisye’s early recordings with Gipsy, as well as a number of other solo albums, solidified his place as one of Indonesia’s most popular recording artists.

Gipsy’s breakthrough occurred when they collaborated with Guruh Sukarnoputra in 1976 through the album Guruh Gipsy, blending contemporary rock and traditional music of Java and Bali, in a style called called gamelan.

A 1977 film soundtrack, Badai Pasti Berlalu [The Storm Will Surely Pass], birthed two of his most critically acclaimed works, including "Lilin-Lilin Kecil" [“Little Candles”] written by James F. Sundah. His smooth vocals on the song, emanating hope from an older generation, made the uplifting memorial song a favorite—and was also what inspired the art in today’s Doodle. The success of the soundtrack album led to a solo career with Chrisye’s first solo project, Sabda Alam, in 1978.

Chrisye appeared in the 1980 film Seindah Rembulan [As Beautiful As the Moon] and eventually married Yanti, former singer born G.F. Damayanti Noor, raising four children. He won numerous accolades, including Anugerah Musik Indonesia awards for Best Male Pop Singer and Best Album.

“Semangat bermusik saya tidak akan pernah mati,” Chrisye once wrote. “My musical spirit will never die.”

[9A]

September 2020

Celebrating Dr. Harold Moody





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Dublin-based guest artist Charlot Kristensen, celebrates Jamaican-born British doctor, racial equality campaigner, and founder of the U.K.'s first civil rights movement Dr. Harold Moody. On this day in 1904, Dr. Moody arrived in the U.K. from Jamaica to pursue his medical studies at King’s College London. Alongside his medical work, he dedicated his life to campaigning for racial equality and advocating against discrimination.

Harold Arundel Moody was born on October 8, 1882, in the Jamaican capital of Kingston. He received early exposure to the medical field while in secondary school through his work for his father’s pharmaceutical business. Determined to become a doctor, he left Jamaica in 1904 to study medicine in London.

Dr. Moody soon came face-to-face with rampant racism in Edwardian London. Even though he qualified to practice medicine, finished top of his class, and won numerous academic prizes, he was repeatedly refused work due to the color bar system that denied people opportunities based on race. Instead, he opened his own private medical practice in Peckham, South East London—the neighborhood that inspired the design of the buildings situated below Dr. Moody in today’s Doodle. The children depicted represent the countless impoverished youth Dr. Moody would treat free of charge, in a time before the U.K. had a National Health Service. In doing so, Dr. Moody earned a reputation as a compassionate humanitarian and philanthropist who would always help those in need.

Dr. Moody’s determination to improve the lives of those around him wasn’t limited to his medical practice—he simultaneously focused his attention on combating racial injustice as well. He founded the League of Coloured Peoples in 1931 with the mission to fight for racial equality both in the U.K. and around the world. The group pushed for change, at a government level, to combat discrimination in its many forms.

Thank you, Dr. Moody, for paving the way towards a more equal future.

[9A]

7 September 2022

Louise 'Miss Lou' Bennett-Coverley's 103rd birthday





Today's Doodle, illustrated by Jamaican guest artist Robyn Smith, celebrates Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley’s 103rd birthday. The Jamaican poet, folklorist, activist and entertainer empowered the country to take pride in its language and culture. Known by many Jamaicans as “Miss Lou,” Bennett's social commentary and sense of humor made her a popular personality in the country.

Bennett was born on September 7, 1919 in Kingston, Jamaica. She developed a passion for literature and Jamaican folklore in school and began writing poetry. Fascinated by her native language, Bennett wrote in the local dialect. Her first public appearance was her recital of a poem in Jamaican patois at a concert.

Soon, Bennett was given a weekly column in The Gleaner, the island’s newspaper at the time, though they originally rejected Bennett’s poems. The majority of Jamaicans speak patois, but critics denounced it as an inferior and improper language. Her column, which captured the experiences of Jamaicans in their own language, gained support across the country.


In 1942, Bennett published her first book of poetry, Dialect Verses. It earned her a British Council scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. As the school's first Black student, Bennett worked for the British Broadcasting Commission [BBC] where she hosted the radio program Caribbean Carnival. After completing her degree, she hosted other programs like West Indian Guest Night and acted in theater companies.

Returning to Jamaica in 1956, Bennett worked as a Drama Officer and later Director of the Jamaica Social Welfare Commission. On behalf of the commission, she moved around the country to train village instructors and regional officers with workshops like playmaking, improvisation and mime. She gave lectures on Jamaican folklore in the United States and England. Bennett also hosted radio programs like Laugh with Louise and Miss Lou's Views, and Ring Ding, a beloved Saturday morning children’s TV show airing on Jamaica Broadcasting Commission [JBC].

In 1998, the Jamaican government appointed Bennett as the country’s Cultural Ambassador at Large. She was also inducted into the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II. Bennett was a champion of her country’s language and culture, inspiring Jamaicans to take pride in both.

Happy Birthday, Miss Lou!

[9A]

Nov 13, 2010

Robert Louis Stevenson's 160th Birthday






Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer, most noted for writing Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, and A Child's Garden of Verses.

Born and educated in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial trouble for much of his life, but continued to write prolifically and travel widely in defiance of his poor health. As a young man, he mixed in London literary circles, receiving encouragement from Andrew Lang, Edmund Gosse, Leslie Stephen and W. E. Henley, the last of whom may have provided the model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island. In 1890, he settled in Samoa where, alarmed at increasing European and American influence in the South Sea islands, his writing turned away from romance and adventure toward a darker realism. He died in his island home in 1894.

A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, though today his works are held in general acclaim. In 2018 he was ranked, just behind Charles Dickens, as the 26th-most-translated author in the world.

[9A]

Feb 4, 2009

Božena Němcová's Birthday





Božena Němcová [4 February 1820[citation needed] in Vienna – 21 January 1862 in Prague] was a Czech writer of the final phase of the Czech National Revival movement.
Her image is featured on the 500 CZK denomination of the banknotes of the Czech koruna.

[9A]

Mar 1, 2009

St. David's Day 2009




Saint David's Day, or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. The feast has been regularly celebrated since the canonisation of David in the 12th century, by Pope Callixtus II, though it is not a public holiday in the UK.

Traditional festivities include wearing daffodils and leeks, recognised symbols of Wales and Saint David respectively, eating traditional Welsh food including cawl and Welsh rarebit, and women wearing traditional Welsh dress. An increasing number of cities and towns across Wales including Cardiff, Swansea and Aberystwyth also put on parades throughout the day.