Google doodles

[9A]

28 October 2018

Simón Rodríguez’s 249th Birthday





Today’s Doodle honors the life and legacy of Simón Rodríguez, a scholar, humanist, philosopher, and educator who traveled the world seeking knowledge, building schools, and working tirelessly to further the principles he held dear.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela on this day in 1771, Rodríguez was a gifted and precocious student, deeply inspired by the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, particularly his landmark treatise Emile, or On Education. In 1791 Rodríguez received his first teaching position in Caracas, and three years later presented a critique of the school system as well as a plan for its reform.

The young teacher proposed creating new schools, with well-trained and fairly compensated instructors and incorporating more students of all ethnicities and social backgrounds. Among his students was Simón Bolívar, to whom he became a friend and mentor as well, shaping the sensibilities of the future statesman known throughout South America as El Libertador.

Reunited with his student as an adult, Rodríguez worked alongside Bolívar during his quest to create independent states in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and the Republic of Bolivia, always focused on the importance of education as a fundamental human right.Within a few years, Rodríguez fled from Venezuela under an assumed name, having provoked the powerful elites with his unwavering dedication and unwillingness to compromise his ideals.

After setting up a what he called a “workshop-school” in Columbia, Rodríguez was summoned to Peru by Bolívar. Rodríguez soon became its “Director for Public Education, Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Arts" as well as "Director of Mines, Agriculture and Public Roads.”

Rodríguez traveled restlessly in search of a place to apply his ideas, living in Peru, Chile, and Ecuador. In 1828 he began publishing Sociedades Americanas, subtitled “how they are and how they should be in the centuries to come.” The work comprised a summary of his ideas about on education, human rights, and citizenship in practice.

Applying in South America the bold educational ideas that transformed Europe, Rodríguez devised innovative methods of childhood education that shaped the future of his homeland for centuries to come.

Happy Birthday, Simón Rodríguez!

[9A]

2 May 2016

Mario Miranda’s 90th birthday





Mario Miranda was a beloved cartoonist best known for his works in the Times of India and The Illustrated Weekly of India. Based primarily on the bustling cityscape of Mumbai, Miranda’s works often feature complex, multi-layered scenes. Humanity floods the canvas and yet each character maintains their individuality.

Our guest Doodler today is Aaron Renier, another artist known for portraying large crowds. “I approached Mario’s work by pretending I was drawing with him,” says Renier. “I chose his most popular style, very flat with criss-crossing interactions.” In this homage to Miranda, we see a rich litany of people, each unique in their perspective. “That is what I liked most about his work,” Renier explains, “trying to pick out who knows who, who's watching who, who's annoyed by who, who's enamored by who. Hopefully people will see something of [Miranda’s] spirit in it.”

Mario Miranda’s works live on throughout India, and on what would have been his 90th birthday, we honor his legacy.

[9A]

November 23, 2018

Valdemar Poulsen’s 148th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates Valdemar Poulsen, a Danish engineer whose innovations made magnetic sound recording and long-range radio transmission possible. Many modern conveniences, from telephone answering machines to cassettes, even VHS tapes and floppy disks, used the basic technology that he developed by stringing a steel piano wire at a slight angle between two walls. By sliding an electromagnet down the wire he was able to record sound using a microphone and play it back through a telephone earpiece.

Born in Copenhagen on this day in 1869, Poulsen studied medicine for a time before joining the Copenhagen Telephone Company as a technician. During his time he invented the telegraphone—or telegrafon in Danish–– and was awarded a patent. The cylindrical electromagnetic phonograph was capable of recording up to thirty minutes of speech. In 1900 he showed off his device at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, where he recorded the voice of Austrian emperor Francis Joseph—still the earliest surviving magnetic recording. After winning a Grand Prix in Paris, he founded the American Telegraphone Company, but sales were sluggish as the device was truly ahead of its time.

That same year brought another breakthrough, a “singing arc” radio that would transmit up to 150 miles. Subsequent improvements of this design, capable of reaching 2,500 miles, were eventually used by the U.S. Navy.

Although he dropped out of medical school, Poulsen was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Leipzig. He was also a Fellow of the Danish Academy of Technical Science and the Swedish Institute for Engineering Research, and won the Gold Medal of the Royal Danish Society of Science and the Danish Government Medal of Merit. A stamp was issued in his honor and the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences established an annual award in his name.

Happy Birthday, Valdemar Poulsen!

[9A]

12 June 2021

Margherita Hack's 99th birthday








Today’s Doodle celebrates the 99th birthday of Italian professor, activist, author, and astrophysicist Margherita “The Lady of the Stars” Hack. Outside of her interest in satellites, asteroids, and the evolution of stellar atmospheres, Hack championed civil rights as an outspoken advocate for progressive causes, animal protection, and equality for all.

Margherita Hack was born in Florence on this day in 1922. She took just one university class in literature before switching her major to physics. Following the 1945 defense of her thesis on Cepheid variables [stars used to measure intergalactic distances], Hack applied her knowledge of stellar spectroscopy as an astronomer at Florence’s Astronomical Observatory of Arcetri.

In 1964, Hack moved to Trieste, where she made history not just as the first Italian woman to earn a full professorship at the city’s university but also as the first female director of the Trieste Astronomical Observatory. For over 20 years, she transformed Trieste’s Observatory from a largely anonymous institution to a globally renowned nexus of scientific progress. These distinguished innovations garnered Hack international recognition in the astronomical community, which led to prestigious memberships at NASA and the European Space Agency—both home to the world’s foremost scientific observatories.

Acclaimed for her ability to explain complex scientific concepts to the general public, Hack published dozens of academic papers, several astronomy books, and founded two astronomical magazines. She received a litany of accolades for her lifetime achievements, notably having asteroid 8558 Hack, which orbits between Mars and Jupiter, named in her honor in 1995. At 90 years young, the Italian government conferred Hack with its highest award: the title of Dama di Gran Croce.

Happy birthday, Margherita Hack, and thank you for inspiring future generations to shoot for the stars!

[9A]

15 August 2022

India Independence Day 2022



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Kerala-based guest artist Neethi, celebrates India’s 75th Independence Day. On this day in 1947, India officially became a democratic country—ending nearly two hundred years of British rule.

The lengthy struggle for freedom resulted in the birth of the largest democracy in the world. Heroic freedom fighters, such as Mahatma Gandhi, led the country’s independence movement through civil disobedience and nonviolent protests. On August 15, 1947, the Indian national flag was raised for the first time at the Red Fort in Delhi.

The biggest annual celebration takes place at the Red Fort in Delhi, where the Prime Minister raises the saffron, white and green national flag in synchronization with a 21-gun salute. After the Prime Minister delivers his televised speech, a patriotic parade honors members of the Indian armed forces and police.

People also celebrate by flying kites—a longstanding symbol of independence. Indian revolutionaries once flew kites with slogans to protest British rule. Since then, recreational and competitive kite flying have become one of Independence Day’s most popular traditions. Indians also commemorate the day by spending time with loved ones and hosting cultural programmes in neighborhoods and schools.

[9A]

6 February 2022

Waitangi Day 2022




In honor of Waitangi Day, a day that recognises the 1840 signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi [The Treaty of Waitangi] in Aotearoa New Zealand, today’s Doodle features the harakeke plant in celebration of the island nation’s unique native flora.

The common flax, also known as harakeke in te reo Māori, is one of New Zealand’s most ancient endemic plant species and one of its most revered. Its tall, green blades of flax leaves and vibrant flowers provide both shelter and abundant food for New Zealand’s wildlife community, which include tūī [birds with a unique white throat] and korimako [bellbirds].

Māori regard harakeke as a crucial fiber plant for raranga, the art of flax weaving. It is used to create everything from baskets to floor mats—even raincoats can be created by combining the harakeke’s hard outer layers together with its soft inner fibers. Māori believe these different layers symbolize the family lineage—the outer layer represents the grandparents, while the inner layer represents the parents wrapped around the innermost new shoots symbolizing the children who all previous generations protect.

Ngā mihi o te wā Aotearoa [acknowledgements of the time] New Zealand.

[9A]

February 6, 2020

Waitangi Day 2020



Today’s Doodle celebrates New Zealand’s Waitangi Day, a recognition of the signing of the nation’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, on this day in 1840. To commemorate the country’s rich collection of bird fauna, the artwork depicts three of the nation’s endemic birds: the iconic flightless Kiwi in the centre, with the Tūī and the Kererū on either side.

The islands of New Zealand are home to around 168 different native birds, and over half of these species cannot be found anywhere else in the world. With the Tūī, prized by the Māori people for their imitation skills using its two voice boxes, the Kererū [[whose unique flying noises are a distinctive sound in New Zealand’s bush) and the Kiwi [[the world’s only bird with nostrils at the end of their long bill) New Zealand’s avian community has developed unique characteristics from evolving on the isolated South Pacific island.

Look up into the sky, or down to the ground, and enjoy these wonders of biodiversity.

Happy Waitangi Day, New Zealand!

[9A]

20 December 2022

Gonzalo Rojas' 106th birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 106th birthday of Gonzalo Rojas, a Chilean poet, diplomat, and teacher who won the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 1992. He wrote and published more than 40 collections of poetry throughout his career, often focusing on melodic words that sound pleasing to the ear.

Rojas was born in Lebu, Chile on this day in 1916. He attended boarding school on scholarship and eventually studied law and literature at the University of Chile in Santiago. While working on his first poetry volume, Rojas also taught literacy to miners in the Atacama desert. During this time, he also founded a literary journal called Antárctica and served as its editor.

The publication of his first collection, La miseria del hombre [The Misery of Man], in 1948, won him international recognition as a poet. Rojas published countless more collections like Contra la muerte [Against Death, 1964], Oscuro [Darkness, 1977], and Del relámpago [Of Lightning, 1981] throughout his seven-decade career.

He also worked as a lecturer and administrator at the University of Concepción, organizing seminars and conferences during the height of Latin American literature in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Rojas served as a diplomatic ambassador until political tensions led to his exile. From there, he traveled to universities in Germany, Spain, the United States and more to teach Spanish literature.

A Guggenheim scholarship allowed Rojas to return to Chile in 1979. He settled in the city of Chillán, where he continued publishing celebrated works of poetry. He went on to win the Chilean National Prize for Literature [Chile’s highest national award for writers], the Miguel de Cervantes Prize of Spain, the Octavio Paz Prize of Mexico and the José Hernandez Prize of Argentina in his later years.

[9A]

February 6, 2017

Pramoedya Ananta Toer's 92nd Birthday


It might be said that Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s pen was his sword. Known as ‘Pramoedya’ or “Pram,’ this Indonesian writer was a proponent of human rights and freedom of expression who fought against Japanese and Dutch colonialism in his country.

Born on February 6, 1925, in a village called Blora on Java, Pram was exposed to political activism through his father, and came to journalism while working as a stenographer for a Japanese news agency. Incarcerated from 1947–1949 for being “anti-colonial,” he wrote his first novel,The Fugitive behind bars.

His novels throughout the 1950s continued to hold a mirror up to the impact of colonialism. Following a coup and suspected of ties to the Indonesian communist party, Pram was sent to the Indonesian island of Buru in 1969 where he spent over a decade as a political prisoner. When refused pen and paper, Pram turned to oral storytelling, sharing a story with his fellow prisoners about a Javanese boy named Minke who spurns Indonesia’s hierarchical society in the last years of Dutch colonization. Granted a typewriter towards the end of his term, he brought Minke’s tale to life through the four-volume Buru Quartet, his most well-known work. In fact, the books were smuggled out of Indonesia by Pram's friend, a German priest, to avoid being taken or destroyed, and have now been translated into more than 20 languages worldwide.

Today’s Doodle celebrates Pram’s birthday with an animation of the industrious novelist seated at his typewriter, hard at work.

[9A]

June 28, 2012

Luigi Pirandello's 145th Birthday



Luigi Pirandello was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre." Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd.

[9A]

April 28, 2021

Rogelio Salmona’s 92nd Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona on his 92nd birthday. Known for his visionary red-brick constructions in the capital city of Bogotá, Salmona is widely considered one of the most important figures in Latin American architecture.

Rogelio Salmona was born on this day in 1929 in Paris, France. But in the face of rising tensions in Europe, his family relocated to Bogotá in 1934. Salmona formed a strong attachment to his new home city until he returned to Paris in 1948 to apprentice under the legendary Swiss architect Le Corbusier.

Salmona eventually settled in Bogotá for the majority of his career, transforming the city with a unique blend of traditional global influences and modern aesthetics. Salmona first came to international attention with his Torres del Parque [[Park Towers, 1964-1970), a curved apartment complex of exposed red brick in the center of the city, which is widely considered the architect’s masterpiece. Salmona continued to feature his signature brick fingerprint throughout his career, including in the sprawling Biblioteca Pública Virgilio Barco [Virgilio Barco Public Library, 2001] which remains one of his most famous structures.

With his innovative urban structures, Salmona is widely credited as a driving catalyst of the rebirth of Bogotá in recent decades. In addition to winning many significant architecture prizes throughout his prolific career, Salmona became the first Latin American architect to receive the prestigious Alvar Aalto Medal in 2003.

Happy birthday to Rogelio Salmona, a visionary architect who recognized the infinite potential of the humble red brick!

[9A]

9 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]

May 28, 2022

Chiquito de la Calzada's 90th Birthday



Today’s Doodle by guest artist José Antonio Roda Martínez celebrates Chiquito de la Calzada, a Spanish singer, actor, and stand-up comedian who left a lasting cultural impact in Spain. Born as Gregorio Esteban Sánchez Fernández on this day in 1932, Chiquito’s brilliant comedic style has widely influenced Spanish comedians and entertainers to this day.


As children, Fernández and his two brothers grew up in poverty in post-Civil War Spain in La Calzada de la Trinidad. He began singing and dancing flamenco at eight years old to help feed his family. During this time he received his stage name, Chiquito de la Calzada.


Fernández spent most of his adult life performing flamenco throughout Spain and abroad. After spending 54 years in the flamenco industry, his life took an unexpected turn when he crossed paths with a television producer named Tomás Summers at a restaurant.

After overhearing Fernández tell jokes at a nearby table, Summers offered him a part in an upcoming comedy show airing on Antena 3, a major Spanish television station. The new show was called Genio y figura, and the production team thought Summers was making a mistake by casting an unknown 62-year-old man. Summers took a chance on Fernández anyway and he was sure glad he did.

Soon after the show aired, Fernández transformed into an instant star. Spaniards from all walks of life found his comedic timing, clever puns, and exaggerated movements irresistibly funny. Over the next two decades, Fernández developed an original comedic style that continues to influence Spanish comedians and TV characters today.

In 2019, the Ministry of Culture of Spain recognized his cultural impact by awarding him a Medalla de Oro al mérito en las Bellas Artes [Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts].

Happy birthday, Chiquito de la Calzada!

[9A]

2 October 2014

National Batik Day 2014





Today’s a day of fashion for Indonesians everywhere as they mark National Batik Day. “Batik” is a traditional Indonesian cloth that has roots in the country’s historical artwork. In celebration of their culture, Indonesians dress head-to-toe in “Batik” for the holiday.

[9A]

1 September 2019

Bùi Xuân Phái's 99th Birthday'





Today’s Doodle celebrates the Vietnamese artist Bui Xuan Phai, renowned for his evocative paintings of Hanoi’s historic old quarter, as referenced in the Doodle art. Born on this day in 1920 in the village of Kim Hoang, Phai went on to help shape the evolution of modern art in Vietnam, becoming widely considered one of the most celebrated South East Asian painters of the twentieth century.

Raised during Vietnam’s French colonial era, Phai took an early interest in art, drawing illustrations for Hanoi newspapers to pay for classes at the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine. Although his father preferred that he pursue a career in medicine, the young man persisted, selling his first picture by the age of 20.

Phai’s interest in modern European painters like Matisse did not sit well with his teachers at the traditional academy, which closed after North Vietnam’s political upheaval in August 1945. Ho Chi Min’s new government insisted that artists focus their talents on supporting the new regime, but over time, Phai grew restless.

During the 1950s, he and his wife moved into his parents’ home at 87 Thuoc Bac Street in Hanoi, converting it into a small studio. Living simply, he devoted himself to the practice of art for its own sake. He enjoyed teaching at the Hanoi Fine Arts College but was asked to resign because he insisted on creative freedom. Phai went on to paint the streets and alleys of Hanoi’s old quarter, capturing the mood of a bygone era in his loose brushwork, and sometimes trading his art for supplies needed to support his family.

In years to come, his work earned numerous local and international honors. He won a prize for his book cover design at the International Graphic Exhibition in Leipzig, Germany. In recognition of his contributions to Vietnamese culture, he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal. His humble home studio has since become a museum, honoring one man’s commitment to his art.

[9A]

15 August 2017

South Korea National Day 2017





National Liberation Day, also called Gwangbokjeol [“the day the light returned”], marks South Korea’s independence following the end of WWII. Today, South Koreans embrace their hard-earned nationhood with patriotic fanfare, participating in parades and community festivals. In South Korea’s capital of Seoul, dignitaries and prominent political figures gather at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts for the annual ringing of the bell at 12 PM on the dot to commemorate former leaders.

Today’s Doodle welcomes National Liberation Day with an intricate rendering of a mugunghwa [botanical name: Hibiscus syriacus], Korea’s national flower. Beloved by Koreans for over a thousand years, this bloom symbolizes perseverance and loyalty — the perfect complement to the country’s flag, known as taegukgi, which is emblazoned with a bold blue and red circle representing the harmony of yin-yang.

[9A]

19 August 2020

Julius Lothar Meyer's 190th birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates German chemist, professor, and author Julius Lothar Meyer on his 190th birthday. Meyer was one of two scientists to independently discover the periodic law of chemical elements and pioneer the earliest periodic tables.

Julius Lothar Meyer was born into a medical family in Varel, Germany on this day in 1830. Initially devoted to the study of medicine, he soon shifted his focus to physiological chemistry. He earned his doctorate in 1858 and began his career as a science teacher the very next year.

In 1864, Meyer published a seminal textbook called “Die modernen Theorien der Chemie" [“Modern Chemical Theory”]. The treatise included a rudimentary system for the organization of 28 elements based on atomic weight, a precursor to the modern periodic table. But Meyer was not alone in the sprint toward this scientific milestone, as Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev was independently developing similar ideas of his own.

Meyer designed a more comprehensive table in 1868, but before he could publish, Mendeleev released his own paper that placed all the known elements in one table and cemented his place in science history. Meyer’s subsequent 1870 paper was groundbreaking in its own right, as its graphical demonstration of the relationship between atomic volume and atomic weight provided strong evidence for the periodic law describing cyclical patterns among the elements. Meyer’s now-famous display is depicted behind him in today’s Doodle artwork.

Happy birthday, Julius Lothar Meyer, and thank you for braving the elements for the sake of scientific knowledge!

[9A]

8 September 2014

Ludovico Ariosto's 540th Birthday





Ruggiero from Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem Orlando Furioso saves princess Angelica from a sea-dwelling orc [sounds terrifying] on our homepage in Italy today. Happy 540th birthday to Ariosto!

[9A]

24 Nov 2021

Muhammad al-Fayturi's 85th birthday




Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Nora Zeid, celebrates Sudanese–Libyan poet, playwright, and diplomat Muhammad al-Fayturi. Thread together by the language of revolution, al-Fayturi’s work breathed new life into contemporary Arabic literature with a fusion of mystic philosophy, African culture, and a call for a future free from oppression.

Muhammad Muftah Rajab al-Fayturi was born on this day in 1936 in Al-Geneina, a town on the western border of Sudan, to a Libyan father and Egyptian mother. At 3 years old, he moved to Egypt, where he spent the remainder of his childhood. He went on to study literature and the sciences at university and found work as an editor for Egyptian and Sudanese newspapers following graduation.

In 1956, al-Fayturi published his first collection of poems entitled “Songs of Africa,” which explored the impacts of colonialism on the collective African identity and encouraged his readership to embrace their continent’s cultural roots.

He published numerous plays, books, and other poetry collections as he lived and worked as a writer and journalist across North Africa, from Lebanon to his birth country of Sudan. Almost 50 years after the release of his first collection, al-Fayturi’s literary career climaxed with the release of his final two books in 2005. Today, he is widely regarded as a trailblazer of modernist Arabic literature.

[9A]

July 23, 2009

The 40th Anniversary of Comic-Con - Designed by Jim Lee © DC Comics





A comic book convention or comic con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels, or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels, with a larger number of attendees participating in cosplay than most other types of fan conventions. Comic book conventions are also used as a vehicle for industry, in which publishers, distributors, and retailers represent their comic-related releases. Comic book conventions may be considered derivatives of science-fiction conventions, which began in the late 1930s.

Comic-cons were traditionally organized by fans on a not-for-profit basis, though nowadays most events catering to fans are run by commercial interests for profit. Many conventions have award presentations relating to comics [such as the Eisner Awards, which have been presented at San Diego Comic-Con International since 1988; or the Harvey Awards, which have been presented at a variety of venues also since 1988].

[9A]

Jul 20, 2010

Nam June Paik






Nam June Paik [July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006] was a Korean American artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use [1974] of the term "electronic super highway" to describe the future of telecommunications.

[9A]

July 20, 2020

Celebrating Dilhan Eryurt





Today’s Doodle celebrates a star in the field of astronomy, Turkish astrophysicist Dr. Dilhan Eryurt. She was the first Turkish woman to work as a scientist at NASA, and her research on the evolution of stars led to an unexpected discovery about the history of the solar system. On this day in 1969, Dr. Eryurt was honored with NASA’s prestigious “Apollo Achievement Award” for her contribution to the moon landing that year.

Dilhan Eryurt was born in İzmir, Turkey, on November 29, 1926. After high school, she studied in the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy at Istanbul University, and then earned a PhD in Astrophysics from Ankara University in 1953. In 1961, Dr. Eryurt began work as the only woman at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in New York.

At the time, the leading scientific model suggested that the sun had been heating up over billions of years to reach its current temperature. Dr. Eryurt’s work helped show that in fact the sun used to be even hotter than it is today. This transformative discovery had huge implications for the chemical makeup of the Earth, as well as the conditions astronauts could expect to find on the Moon.

After Dr. Eryurt returned to Turkey, she established an astrophysics department at the Middle East Technical University, where she went on to become the dean of the faculty. In 1977, she was honored with Turkey’s TÜBİTAK Science Award.

Thank you, Dr. Dilhan Eryurt, for casting a bright light on the mysteries of the universe!

[9A]

July 15, 2010

Josef Frank's 125th Birthday





Some people see things in an entirely unique way. Josef Frank's work was equal parts inspiring and surprising when I first came across this doodle proposal. Famous in Austria and Sweden for his vivid textiles and patterns, Frank's work delighted the doodle team so much that we decided to launch this doodle in other countries as well!

posted by Jennifer Hom

[9A]

July 15, 2013

Rembrandt van Rijn's 407th Birthday




Often regarded as one of the greatest artists in European history, Rembrandt van Rijn is a master not only of form and light but also in portraying human emotion. In his body of work, Rembrandt depicts subjects that range from portraits, to energetic landscapes, to poignant allegories. Such allegories often draw inspiration from his personal hardships and still speak to viewers hundreds of years after his lifetime.

Most striking, perhaps, is his series of self portraits. These paintings are an honest recording of Rembrandt's aging visage and technical skill. One can see his tastes shift from the classical sfumato [or soft] approach in his early twenties to a more expressive and almost impressionistic technique in his fifties. Ahead of his time, Rembrandt applies his paint with great volume and confidence while many of his contemporaries continue to glaze [or paint in thin layers].

His paintings also reveal a passion for innovation-- some of his works have unusual substances mixed into the pigments. Glass and wheat flour, though not often found on most artists' palettes, appear on some of Rembrandt's canvases. He may have mixed them in to alter the texture of the paint; to push the medium forward.

Posted by Jennifer Hom, doodler

[9A]

Jul 14, 2013

Ingmar Bergman's 95th Birthday





Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known as "profoundly personal meditations into the myriad struggles facing the psyche and the soul."

Bergman directed more than 60 films and documentaries for cinematic release and for television screenings, most of which he also wrote.

[9A]

Jul 12, 2009

Pablo Neruda's Birthday







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

[9A]

July 12, 2019

René Favaloro’s 96th Birthday




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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

July 12, 2022

Celebrating the deepest photo of the universe ever taken!




A picture is worth a thousand worlds. Today’s Doodle celebrates the deepest infrared photo of the universe ever taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope—also known as the JWST or Webb—a scientific phenomenon and one of the biggest engineering feats of humanity. It is the largest, most powerful, and most complex infrared telescope to ever be put into space—and the largest international space endeavor in history! Today, six months since take off, NASA released Webb’s first operational images unveiling new depths and worlds.

The JWST is named after NASA’s second administrator, James E. Webb, who led the Apollo missions that landed the first humans on the moon. The telescope was launched from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on December 25, 2021 and took a month to reach its orbit at 1.5 million kilometers [940,000 miles] from Earth. The launch was made possible through the collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency [ESA] and the Canadian Space Agency [CSA].

Thanks to images from the JWST, astronomers will now have the opportunity to study every phase of cosmic history, which spans a massive 13.5 billion years, and the mysteries beyond our galaxy. NASA aims to explore the early universe, multiple galaxies over time, the star life cycle and other worlds with Webb. The JWST will even be able to observe light from galaxies that formed 400 millions years after the big bang, and detect oxygen and organic molecules on other planets.

Long throughout history, humans have wondered, “How did we get here?” and “Are we alone in the universe?” The JWST will allow us to explore these questions and distant worlds that orbit other stars and study our solar system extensively, producing the sharpest infrared images ever taken by a space telescope. It will open the doors to more scientific breakthroughs in the future, shining a new light on space, time, and celestial bodies we’ve yet to discover.

Today’s Doodle features the deepest infrared photo of the universe ever taken as well as other initial images from the JWST. Explore them below!





An image of Deep Field—the deepest infrared photo of the universe ever taken!





Star-Forming regionThe Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located approximately 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars form. The Carina Nebula is home to many massive stars, several times larger than the Sun.





Stephan's Quintet
About 290 million light-years away, Stephan’s Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1877. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.

Stellar Death

The Southern Ring, or “Eight-Burst” nebula, is a planetary nebula – an expanding cloud of gas, surrounding a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located approximately 2,000 light years away from Earth.

[9A]

Jul 5, 2020

Hwang Hye-seong's 100th Birthday




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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

December 9, 2001

Google celebrates the Nobel Prize Centennial Award Ceremony






The Nobel Prizes are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to Humankind." Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist most famously known for the invention of dynamite. He died in 1896. In his will, he bequeathed all of his "remaining realisable assets" to be used to establish five prizes which became known as "Nobel Prizes." Nobel Prizes were first awarded in 1901.

Nobel Prizes are awarded in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace [Nobel characterized the Peace Prize as "to the person who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses"]. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank [Sweden's central bank] funded the establishment of the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, to also be administered by the Nobel Foundation. Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards available in their respective fields.

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October 12, 2021

Paulette Nardal's 125th Birthday







Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Amsterdam, Netherlands-based guest artist Jessica Coppet, celebrates the 125th birthday of Martinican-French author Paulette Nardal. She is widely considered one of the founders of Négritude, an intellectual movement produced by Black artists and writers who joined in solidarity to champion their cultural heritage and carve out space in the prevailing literary world for Black voices.

Born on this day in 1896 in Saint-Pierre, a French colonial town on the Caribbean island of Martinique, Félix Jeanne Paulette Nardal was the daughter of one of Martinique’s first Black engineers in the Department of Public Works. Nardal followed suit and established a trailblazing legacy of her own when she arrived in Paris in 1920 and became the first Black woman from Martinique to enroll at the city’s prestigious university, La Sorbonne, earning a master’s degree in English.

In the 1920s, members of the French Black community, many being West Indian immigrants like Nardal, often faced intense racial discrimination. Paulette Nardal and her sister Jane opened a Paris salon called Le Salon de Clamart in 1929 as an intellectual meeting ground to reflect on the Black condition. Known for its hospitality and elegance, the well-appointed salon allowed Nardal to gather intellectuals for conversation and mutual support. Scholars credit this salon as the birthplace of the Négritude movement, which Nardal helped initiate by authoring social commentary articles in the review journal “La Revue du monde noir” [“The Review of the Black World”].

Another significant moment of her life occurred at the beginning of World War II. Nardal left Martinique for France but suffered a lifelong injury when a submarine attacked her ship. Her demand for France to recognize her as a civilian war victim and survivor highlights the convergence of race, gender, disability, and citizenship. This event eventually inspired Nardal to establish organizations and newspapers encouraging educated women to channel their energies into social improvement and suffrage.

Nardal rose to prominence through her writings and fostered an international community of Black women who broke down barriers across race, class, and educational status. In recognition of her unifying work, Nardal was elected as a delegate to the United Nations in 1946 and was awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1976, the nation’s highest honor. There is the Promenade Jane-et-Paulette Nardal located on 100 rue Didot in Paris, and a plaque honors Nardal’s legacy in the Paris suburb of Clamart, where her salon catalyzed an international movement.

Happy Birthday, Paulette Nardal!

[9A]

October 12, 2018

Celebrating Roberto Clemente





“I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give.”

—Roberto Clemente

In the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month in the US, today’s Doodle by guest artist Roxie Vizcarra, commemorates the life and career of Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican Hall of Fame baseball star, Latinx trailblazer, and passionate humanitarian.

Born the son of a sugar cane worker in Carolina, Puerto Rico on August 18, 1934, Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker grew up in Barrio San Antón. His athletic gifts were obvious from an early age, joining the Puerto Rican amateur league at age 16. His professional career began in 1952, when the then 18-year-old signed with the Santurce Cangrejeros [Crabbers], a winter league team in the LBBPR [Puerto Rico’s Baseball League].

Soon after graduating high school, Clemente signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliate in Montreal. His first at bat resulted in a game-winning home run on July 25, 1954. He made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates the following season.

A testament to his unique athletic ability, the right fielder accumulated numerous accolades during his pro career including 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, 4 National League batting titles, 3,000 career hits, the 1966 National League MVP Award, 2 World Series rings, and the 1971 World Series MVP Award. In fact, it was on this day in 1971 that Clemente’s performance led the Pittsburgh Pirates to victory against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of the series, ultimately contributing to their Series title.

Aside from his talents on diamond, it was Clemente’s mission to help others that has solidified his legacy as one of the most humanitarian athletes to play the game. Whether it was delivering food and supplies to those in need, holding baseball clinics for kids, or making generous donations, he consistently sought to be an agent of positive impact and a role model for the youth of his community.

Unfortunately, it was during the pursuit of this mission that Clemente saw his final moments. When a massive earthquake struck Nicaragua on Dec 23, 1972, he decided to personally airlift relief supplies to the nation to ensure they reached those in need. The overloaded plane crashed shortly after takeoff and Clemente passed away at the age of 38.

A few months after his passing, on March 20, 1973, Clemente was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame, becoming the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be so honored. Major League Baseball has honored his legacy since then by presenting the Roberto Clemente Award each year to an outstanding player who shows a strong commitment to community work.

Other posthumous awards Clemente has received include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Roberto Clemente Walker Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Citizens Medal. Sixty years after Clemente’s pro debut, Puerto Rico’s professional baseball league was even renamed the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente—a testimony to the enduring impact he made on his community and beyond.

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October 12, 2021

Helena Modrzejewska's 181st Birthday





Widely regarded as one of the best actors in Polish history and one of the late-19th century’s greatest Shakespearean stage performers in America, Helena Modrzejewska [known professionally as Helena Modjesk] portrayed nearly 300 different roles in over 6,000 plays—both in Polish and English. Her theatrical career took center stage in over 300 cities worldwide spanning 46 years and has yet to be eclipsed by any other Polish artist. Today’s Doodle celebrates Modrzejewska’s prolific life and legacy on her 181st birthday.

Helena Modrzejewska was born as Jadwiga Benda on this day in 1840 in Krakow, Poland and was soon renamed Helena Opid. She made her theatrical debut in 1861 in a one-act comedy “The White Camellia,” performing under the stage name Modrzejewska.

Modrzejewska’s performances in Poland’s major cities were well received by critics, but she felt her talent surpassed the scope of the nation’s small venues. In 1877, she debuted in America—the new stage for her ambitious career. Renowned for Shakespearean roles, she livened up theater productions across America, sometimes touring for up to 30 weeks while performing 8 to 9 productions each week. If this grueling schedule wasn’t challenging enough, she toured not just as a lead actor but also as a director, producer, costume designer, and publicist!

Modrzejewska’s longest-lasting role was Lady Macbeth which she played a staggering 520 times. Plus, she still found time to pursue her love of nature as a botany enthusiast and gardener.

Happy birthday, Helena Modrzejewska—here’s to one tough act to follow!

[9A]

Oct 8, 2021

Ivan Piddubny's 150th Birthday





Few professional wrestlers enjoy a career lasting over 40 years, and many fewer retire undefeated from every tournament in which they’ve competed. Today’s Doodle celebrates a world champion Ukrainian wrestler who accomplished both—Ivan Piddubny.

Ivan Piddubny was born on this day in 1871 in the small village of Krasenivka in what is now central Ukraine. The young Piddubny developed his grit and brute strength by throwing haystacks into carts and plowing the land on his family farm. After leaving home at 17 in search of a better life, Piddubny found work in the ports of the Crimean town of Feodosia. While spectating a Greco-Roman wrestling match hosted by a touring circus that visited the port town, he decided to put his strength to the test.

Piddubny requested to join a match and to everyone’s amazement, he defeated every opponent—including a handful of famous world-class contenders. Piddubny joined the circus as an indomitable wrestler in 1897, marking the start of a whirlwind career entertaining audiences around the globe. By 1906, he was the first wrestler to win two world championships. The winning streak continued with six world titles that earned him prestigious names such as “The Champion of Champions.” He astounded onlookers and fellow athletes alike with both his Herculean strength and unheard of longevity—even winning the 1926 American championship at 55!

Although he retired in 1941 at the age of 70, his powerful legacy endures as many Ukrainians are known to still say “like Piddubny” to describe someone's strength.

Happy birthday, Ivan Piddubny. Here’s to an athlete who turned the world of wrestling upside-down!

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October 8, 2013

William John Swainson's 224th Birthday





William John Swainson was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist. Apart from the common and scientific names of many species, it is for the quality of his illustrations that he is best remembered.

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November 4, 2020

Miliki's 91st Birthday



Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Spain-based guest artist Cinta Arribas, celebrates Spanish clown, actor, director, writer, singer, and composer Emilio Aragón Bermúdez, known fondly by his stage name Miliki. Among his many artistic accomplishments, Aragón starred in the Spanish children’s program “El Gran Circo de TVE” [“TVE’s Great Circus”] which is widely considered one of the most iconic shows in the history of Spanish television.

Emilio Alberto Aragón Bermúdez was born on this day in 1929 in the town of Carmona in southwestern Spain. The son of a clown and an equestrian acrobatics specialist, Aragón honed his talent for performance art as a child surrounded by entertainers. Determined to carry on the family tradition, Aragón launched his clowning career by the age of 11, performing with his brothers at venues like Madrid’s legendary Circo Price [Price Circus].

The siblings moved to Cuba in the 1940s and achieved fame over the following decades as they showcased their endearing talents across the Americas. They found their way back to Spain in 1972 and the very next year, they took Spanish television by storm as the hosts of the children’s show which eventually became known as “El Gran Circo de TVE.”

After a hugely successful decade on air, Aragón moved beyond his identity as a clown and throughout the rest of his career explored new endeavors as a writer, TV presenter, filmmaker, and recording musician—a talent which earned him two Latin Grammy Awards.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Miliki!

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August 27, 2018

Sir Donald George "The Don" Bradman’s 110th Birthday



A hero to Australian cricket fans, Sir Donald George Bradman, affectionately known as “The Don,” is considered the greatest batsman of all time. Born on this day in Cootamundra, New South Wales in 1908, Bradman developed his skills by hitting a golf ball off the curved base of a water tank, using a cricket stump, which is much narrower than a bat. The ball came back to him fast and at all angles. “I found I had to be pretty quick on my feet and keep my wits about me,” he said, “and in this way I developed, unconsciously, perhaps, sense of distance and pace.” Using his own unique grip and batting stance, he achieved a lifetime test batting average of 99.4, which many consider to be one of the greatest achievements by any athlete in a sport.

He made his debut in 1927 at 19 years old, in a first-class match between his New South Wales team and Adelaide, scoring a “century”—118 runs, to be exact—in his very first match. He was so talented and so consistent, he averaged at least one century every three innings over the course of his 21-year test match career. He amassed a total of 6,996 runs in 52 Test matches—making him a top contender for the title of best cricketer to ever step on a pitch. When Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack polled 100 former cricketers and journalists to determine the top cricketers of the 20th century, “The Don” was nominated by all 100.

Through the 1930s and 40s, Bradman set the world standard in the sport, scoring 309 runs in one often-cited game at Headingley Cricket Ground in England. After his retirement he remained a fixture in the cricket world as an administrator and commentator. Bradman was honored with a museum during his lifetime, called the “the greatest living Australian” by the Prime Minister, and knighted in 1949. Despite the accolades he earned, he remained a courteous and modest man.

Happy Birthday Sir Donald!

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August 25, 2009

400th Anniversary of Galileo's Telescope





The Galileo National Telescope, [Italian: Telescopio Nazionale Galileo] is a 3.58-meter Italian telescope, located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The TNG is operated by the "Fundación Galileo Galilei, Fundación Canaria", a non-profit institution, on behalf of the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics [INAF]. The telescope saw first light in 1998 and is named after the Italian Renaissance astronomer Galileo Galilei.

Some people believe that Galileo was the first person to build a telescope. This is not true, but he was the first person to publish his observations of astronomical objects through a telescope. He discovered that the Milky Way is made of many stars. He discovered that the Moon has hills. He found four moons around Jupiter. Those moons are now called the Galilean moons. He discovered sunspots, which are dark areas of the Sun. He saw that the planet Venus has light and dark phases just like the Moon. This helped people to know that the Sun is at the center of the Solar System, as Nicolaus Copernicus had said.

People remember Galileo today for his conflict with the Catholic Church of his day, which led to his trial for heresy by the Inquisition.

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October 10, 2016

50th Anniversary of Health and Sports Day



On Japan’s annual Health and Sports Day, everyone wins! That spirit inspired today’s Doodle, which shows Google-hued characters of all ages crossing the finish line together. First celebrated 50 years ago today, the holiday commemorates the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Since the occasion is all about promoting an active lifestyle, Japanese people both young and old celebrate by going for the gold. Many schools host field days that resemble mini Olympics, featuring events like the relay, long jump, and shot put, along with obstacle courses and tug of war.

For decades, Health and Sports Day was held on October 10th, but it was officially moved to the second Monday in October back in 2000. This year, the holiday happens to fall on its original date — just in time for its 50th birthday.

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Sep 30, 2016

Andrejs Jurjans’s 160th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates a man who, in many ways, carried Latvian music forward into the 20th century.

As the country’s first professional composer and musicologist, Andrejs Jurjāns delved into the Latvian folk music of the past while taking the sounds of his homeland to new heights. Throughout his lifetime, he collected and analyzed thousands of folk melodies, organizing them into an anthology that was published across six volumes. He also composed the first-ever Latvian symphonic works, including an instrumental concerto and a cantata, and was well-known for his choir arrangements.

When Jurjāns wasn’t crafting original pieces, he spent much of his time teaching. From 1882 — the year he finished his own schooling at the St. Petersburg Conservatory — to 1916, he shared his knowledge of music theory and more with students. Through his instruction, research, and composition, Jurjāns inspired many of the Latvian musicians who came after him. Today we pay tribute to that legacy on what would have been the composer’s 160th birthday.

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Sep 27, 2010

Google's 12th Birthday by Wayne Thiebaud





It was an amazing experience collaborating with painter, Wayne Thiebaud. Known for his paintings of dramatically lit cakes and pastries, we thought a birthday cake doodle for Google's 12th birthday by this living legend would be fun and delightful for art enthusiasts and lovers of sweet things alike.

posted by Mike Dutton


Born Morton Wayne Thiebaud
November 15, 1920
Mesa, Arizona, U.S.

Died December 25, 2021 [aged 101]
Sacramento, California, U.S.

Wikipedia:

Morton Wayne Thiebaud [ November 15, 1920 – December 25, 2021] was an American painter known for his colorful works depicting commonplace objects—pies, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries, and hot dogs—as well as for his landscapes and figure paintings. Thiebaud is associated with the pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, although his early works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate the works of the classic pop artists. Thiebaud used heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects, and the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements are almost always included in his work.

[9A]

Jul 11, 2021

UEFA Euro 2020 Finals




Today’s Doodle celebrates the UEFA [Union of European Football Associations] Euro Cup final between Italy & England, which kicks off today inside London’s Wembley Stadium. The high-stakes pinnacle of a month of world-class soccer, today’s matchup determines which nation will return home the 2020 Euro Cup champions. Who will it be?

Best of luck to both teams!

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January 20, 2012

Omar Rayo's 84th Birthday




Omar Rayo Reyes was a renowned Colombian painter, sculptor, caricaturist and plastic artist. He won the 1970 Salón de Artistas Colombianos. Rayo worked with abstract geometry primarily employing black, white, red and yellow. He was part of the Op Art movement. Rayo's work shows that geometric art is as much a part of the past as it is of the future. He used traces of the past to discover new ways to present visual and geometric sketches.

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July 16, 2021

Elizeth Cardoso's 101st Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the birthday of Brazilian actor and singer Elizeth “The Divine” Cardoso. Her 1958 album “Canção do Amor Demais” [“Too Much Love Song”] is widely regarded as the first true bossa nova album, a hybrid style of breezy jazz and traditional Brazilian music that captured the stylistic evolutions of the era.

On this day in 1920, Elizete Moreira Cardoso was born into a family of musicians in Rio de Janeiro and debuted as a singer at just five years old. Her first major break occurred at her 16th birthday party when an introduction to popular Brazilian musician Jacob do Bandolim changed her life.

Eager to share her rare vocal gift, Bandolim landed Cardoso an opening gig for a stacked lineup of Brazilian musicians in 1936, including the likes of Noel Rosa and Araci de Almeida. Cardoso’s fame continued to grow into the 1940s with regular appearances alongside this superstar group and by performing everywhere from circuses to ballrooms. In 1950, Cardoso recorded her first hit, "Canção de Amor" [“Love Song”]. The explosion of popular reception for this single paved the way for a fruitful musical career that was soon followed by success as an actor in both TV and film.

Cardoso became an international sensation in the following decades; her heartfelt spin on Brazilian music garnered standing ovations [with one lasting 15 minutes!] and enchanted audiences globally on world tours well into the 1980s. In 2007, Rolling Stone Brazil listed Cardoso’s “Canção do Amor Demais” among the nation’s top 100 albums of all time.

Happy birthday, Elizeth Cardoso!

[9A]

11 July 2013

Anibal Troilo's 99th Birthday







Aníbal Carmelo Troilo [July 11, 1914 – May 18, 1975] was an Argentine tango musician.
Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango [1940–1955], but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s.

Troilo's orchestra is best known for its instrumentals, though he also recorded with many well-known vocalists such as Roberto Goyeneche, Edmundo Rivero and Francisco Fiorentino . His rhythmic instrumentals and the recordings he made with vocalist Francisco Fiorentino from 1941 to 1943, known as milongas, were some of the favourites in tango salons. The renowned bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla played in and arranged for Troilo's orquesta típica during the period of 1939–1944.

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9 Jul 2013

Saturnino Herrán's 126th Birthday





Saturnino Herrán Guinchard [July 9, 1887 – October 8, 1918 was a Mexican painter influential to Latin culture in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Herrán completed majestic paintings of Mexican Indigenous people, giving them heroic strength, beauty, and dignity. In 1910 he participated in the exhibition commemorating the Centennial Anniversary of Mexico's Independence. A desire to be a mural painter appeared during his career, and in 1911 he completed commissioned large-scale, mural-like paintings.

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17 June 2015

130th Anniversary of France delivering the Statue of Liberty to the United States





Born in France, made in the USA. Relive the creation of the Statue of Liberty on the Google Cultural Institute.

Nearly 130 years ago, France gifted the U.S. with one of the most prolific symbols of freedom the world over. Since then, it has welcomed millions of people searching for a new life on unfamiliar shores.

Today, the Statue of Liberty is more than just a symbol of solidarity. It’s a reminder that all countries t hrive on the exchange of ideas and culture. The National Park Service's dedication to maintaining and restoring the statue ensures that message will live on.

Though the statue was actually shipped in separate pieces and then assembled upon delivery, we've drawn a more playful take on the occasion by portraying Lady Liberty crossing the Atlantic fully constructed on a steamer much too small for her.

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2 March 2019

Desi Arnaz’s 102nd Birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of Desi Arnaz, the Cuban-born American actor, musician, comedian, and producer best known for playing Ricky Ricardo in the 1950s hit sitcom I Love Lucy.

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz III was born in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917, where he spent his childhood before immigrating to the United States during the Cuban Revolution. After arriving in America without a penny to his name, the young Arnaz worked hard to eventually find success as a musician. A major turning point in his career came after he landed a role in the 1939 Broadway production Too Many Girls as well as a film adaptation of the same play just one year later. It was on this set that he met his co-star, future wife, and lifelong friend Lucille Ball.

In 1950, after advancing his career as both an actor and a musician, both Arnaz and Ball pitched CBS on what would eventually become the hit American TV sitcom I Love Lucy. Network executives were initially concerned that Arnaz’s accent would affect his credibility as Ball’s husband, so the pair produced a pilot with their own money, ultimately winning support for the creation of the show.

I Love Lucy ran from 1951 to 1957 and was the most popular TV show in America for four of its six prime-time seasons. At one point, it attracted an estimated 44 million viewers for a single episode—more than watched the inauguration of President Eisenhower! As part of their production deal, Arnaz and Ball retained all rights to the content, enabling them to sell the series into syndication.

Today, Arnaz is widely considered a trailblazer in the American entertainment industry, even being credited with inventing the rerun. In 1956 he won a Golden Globe for Best Television Achievement, an award which recognized his impact on American comedy both in front AND behind the camera. He was also awarded not one, but two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to both Television and Motion Pictures.

Here’s to Desi Arnaz, whose beaming joy and laughter continues to bring delight to living rooms and viewers around the globe.

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2 Mar 2021

Wangdee Nima [Wang Tae]'s 96th birthday







Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of Thai musician Wangdee Nima, a performer affectionately known by his stage name Wang Tae.

Born on this day in central Thailand in 1925, Wang Tae inherited a love for music from his parents, both of whom were performers of traditional Thai folk genres. As a child, he became a specialist in Lam Tad, a style of music that originated in his home region. This popular folk genre brings groups of men and women together to alternate singing improvised humorous lyrics to elicit laughs from the audience, all set against the background of instruments like the Klong Ramana, a traditional Thai hand drum.

Wang Tae soon established his own troupe, eponymously named “Lam Tad Wang Te,” which earned him national recognition and widespread appeal. Renowned for his clever lyrics with his cunning use of double entendres, Wang Tae was a true master of the Thai language whose witty performances brought smiles to the faces of audiences across Thailand for close to forty years.

In 1988, Wang Tae was named a National Artist of Thailand, an annual prize awarded by the National Culture Commission of Thailand to the country’s most prestigious performing artists.

Happy birthday, Wangdee Nima!

[9A]

4 March 2016

42nd Anniversary of Rio-Niteroi Bridge Opening





Completed 42 years ago today, Brazil’s Rio–Niterói Bridge beautifully exemplifies the ingenuity of the human spirit. It met with great international praise when it opened in 1974 as the second-longest bridge in the world, spanning the vast Guanabara Bay. Guest Doodler Patrick Leger has crafted a lovely recreation of the bridge on the bay with the Brazilian coast visible in the background.

At 13.29 km [8.3 mi], it remains the longest bridge in Latin America and one of the longest in the world. On the day it opened it was second only to the near-infinite Lake Pontchartrain Bridge in Louisiana [38.35 km, 28.3 miles long].

But this structure’s greatest accomplishment is connection. Carrying over 100,000 passengers daily, it unites Nieterói and Rio de Janeiro, cities with populations of 487,000 and 6.5 million respectively. With that kind of impact, the Rio–Niterói Bridge reminds us that nothing lies beyond the reaches of the human imagination.