Google doodles

[9A]

May 5, 2019

Stanislaw Moniuszko’s 200th Birthday






Today’s Doodle by Warsaw-based illustrator Gosia Herba honors Stanisław Moniuszko, the Polish musician, composer, conductor, and teacher. Born on May 5, 1819, Moniuszko went on to become director of the Warsaw Opera House where he premiered many of his own works, including one of the most beloved operas in Polish history.

After being taught music by his mother as a child, Moniuszko was sent to study harmony, counterpoint, instrumentation, and conducting with the director of the Singakademie Music Society. There, he decided to become a composer, with a special interest in the human voice.

While working as an organist in Wilno, Moniuszko began writing his songbook, Śpiewnik Domowy [Home Songbook], publishing the first of 12 volumes in 1843. During a trip to Warsaw, he met the poet Włodzimierz Wolski, who’d written a libretto for an opera named Halka, based on a Polish folk story. Moniuszko composed the music, drawing inspiration from traditional Polish dance music known as polonaises and mazurkas. Halka premiered in Wilno in 1848 and later traveled to Prague, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. Expanded to four acts in 1858, the opera was hailed as a Polish cultural treasure, making Moniuszko a national hero.

A statue of Moniuszko stands outside Warsaw’s Opera House to this day, and his legacy lives on in The Stanislaw Moniuszko Music Academy in Gdansk. An international vocal competition in his name also takes place every three years. In it, finalists compete for a chance to sing with Poland’s National Opera on the stage where Moniuszko’s legend began.

[9A]

Oct 18, 2019

Kita Kusunose’s 183rd Birthday





“It is strange that despite paying taxes, I do not have the right to vote because I am a woman,” wrote Kita Kusunose in her famous 1878 letter to Japanese officials. “If I don’t have the right to vote then I won’t pay my taxes.” Today’s Doodle celebrates the birth of a self-described “common woman” who’s now fondly remembered as Minken Baasan, “the people’s rights granny.”

Born in Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku on this day in 1836, Kita married at age 21 and took over as the head of her household after her husband’s passing. Denied the right to vote in local elections just because she was a woman, she refused to pay her property tax with the belief that duty and rights should coexist, and sent a letter to the prefectural governor explaining her decision. As the first public petition written by a Japanese woman, Kita’s letter caused quite a stir. When her argument was dismissed by local authorities she took her case to Japan’s national ministry, after which it was reprinted in newspapers.

During the Meiji Era [1868 to 1912], Japanese society was undergoing a period of great transition under Emperor Mutsuhito. Kita’s letter sparked a national debate about women’s rights that led to changes in voting laws for parts of her home prefecture, allowing some women to vote for the first time in 1880. Although the rights were denied four years later, Kita is remembered as a pioneer for women’s suffrage, which was finally extended nationwide in Japan in 1946.

Kita was also an advocate for education and is honored at the Kochi Liberty and Peoples’ Rights Museum, which opened in her hometown in 1990.

[9A]

Apr 3, 2013

Henry van de Velde's 150th Birthday







Henry Clemens van de Velde was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.He worked in Paris with Samuel Bing, the founder of the first gallery of Art Nouveau in Paris. Van de Velde spent the most important part of his career in Germany and became a major figure in the German Jugendstil. He had a decisive influence on German architecture and design at the beginning of the 20th century.

[9A]

October 7, 2017

Wilhelm Bartelmann’s 172nd Birthday





In 1882, 37-year-old Wilhelm Bartelmann, a master basket maker living in Rostock, Lübeck, received an unusual request.

The noblewoman Elfriede von Maltzahn wanted very much to enjoy a relaxing beach vacation [as she did every year]. But her annual ritual was threatened by rheumatism, aggravated by cold winds off the Baltic sea. Could Herr Bartelmann help?

He could, and did by inventing the Strandkorb — the iconic German ‘basket’ chair that protects holidaymakers from sun, wind, and neighboring eyes on northern beaches [and in parks, in homes, and on mountains too].

The original chair was designed to seat only Fräulein Maltzahn. But company on the beach is always welcome, and most Strandkorbs today seat two people. In addition to shade, they sometimes provide folding tables, storage space, potential wedding venues, even mini-bars.

In honor of Bartelmann’s 172nd birthday, guest artist Stephanie Wunderlich has created this very special paper sculpture of the Strandkorb. Thank you Herr Bartelmann for your contribution to the good life.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

[9A]

August 15, 2018

India Independence Day 2018





Thousands of kites dot the skies over India as the country celebrates its 72nd Independence Day. Both a solemn and joyful occasion, this marks the day in 1947 when India became an independent, autonomous state, fulfilling the dream of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Commemorations begin on the eve of August 15, when the president delivers an address to the nation and citizens reflect on modern India’s origins as they look with pride toward the future. On Indian television you’ll find films honoring India’s history running around the clock. Crowds of people sing the national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana,” which was played in 1947 at the United Nations to mark India’s entry.

Today’s Doodle—featuring images of some of India’s iconic colorful plantlife and mighty animals—was inspired by Indian truck art, a long-standing tradition in this four million square kilometer nation where truckers who live on the road surround themselves with cheerful folk art to occupy their minds during long months away from their families.

Happy Swatantrata Diwas

[9A]

April 14, 2012

Robert Doisneau's 100th Birthday









If a picture's worth a 1,000 words, what're a few more letters?

In the case of creating a doodle with well-known images, my natural inclination is to re-stage the composition to work in the characters of the Google logo. Today's inspiring doodle subject, however, anticipated this move many years ago with the following, oft-repeated pearl of wisdom:
"The marvels of daily life are exciting; no [Google doodler] can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street." - Robert Doisneau

Point taken. So, in lieu of heading to Paris in the Google X time machine, the best I could do to create a doodle homage to Monsieur Doisneau's oeuvre of incroyable photography was to employ a little digital trickery with the original source material. [Photobombing, essentially.]

My first pass with this approach was taking one of his most iconic photographs, Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville and trying to sneak in the Google logo:




This proved problematic for two reasons: 1] this treasure finder of a photographer had captured too many moments to highlight just one gem 2] I couldn't bear the thought of re-cropping a masterpiece.

The solution? Mucking up several masterpieces.

Arranging a seemingly casual stack of photographs, I placed 3D models of the letters into four different magical moments that Robert Doisneau captured on film:



And, finally, I used value, shading, texture, and focus to hide them as best I could [click for a higher-res photo]:




Here's the line up of photos featured in the final doodle:

Le remorqueur du champs de Mars, 1943
Trois petits enfants blancs, 1971
Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville, 1950
Un chien à roulettes, 1977

Many thanks to Robert Doisneau's estate for giving us permission to use these wonderful images!

posted by Ryan Germick

[9A]

July 8, 2011

Jean de la Fontaine's 390th Birthday







Of all the fables adapted by Jean de la Fontaine, “The Tortoise and the Hare” appealed to me the most for the persistent relevance of its message. I drew stylistic inspiration from traditional storybook etchings, and also looked at some of my heroes of illustration -- Arthur Rackham and John Tenniel. Though the style is old-fashioned, the moral is still true! You go, little guy!

Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino

[9A]

July 1, 2018

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's 372nd Birthday




["Google" spelled in binary.]

Today’s Doodle celebrates the birthday of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, one of the most notable inventors and mathematicians of his time. Born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1646, Leibniz was raised in an academic family. It was not long before his thirst for innovation led him to develop mathematical tools that are the foundation for the ones used to this day.

Leibniz earned a master’s degree in philosophy at young age of 17, and a law degree at 20. In 1673, he invented the first mechanical calculator, called the “Step Reckoner,” which could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It is also said that Leibniz invented calculus independently of Sir Isaac Newton while studying in Paris in the 1670s - a point which is still heavily contended.

Leibniz was also inspired by works in different genres throughout time, including ancient philosophers of Greece and China. He wrote about the “monad,” a metaphysical idea of essential particles that was opposed to atoms. Leibniz believed all existence was made up of essential particles that were both biological and spiritual, impossible to be disentangled.

While Leibniz’s early calculator did not use the binary system, he invented that, too, in 1679. His concept of breaking information down to 0s and 1s, detailed in his 1703-published Explication de l'Arithmétique Binaire [Explanation of Binary Arithmetic], is the basis of all computer programming. Today’s Doodle nods to this by spelling “Google” in binary.

Happy birthday, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz!

[9A]

May 23, 2014

Otto Lilienthal's 166th Birthday







A crowd gathers to watch the “Gilder King” Otto Lilienthal in flight on our homepage in Germany today. A pioneer in aviation, Lilienthal is known for his work on heavier-than-air flight, and was an inspiration for the Wright Brothers among others.

[9A]

May 26, 2013

Mother’s Day 2013 International

[9A]

December 17, 2015

Celebrating Ludwig van Beethoven's 245th Year






Help Beethoven's unfortunate journey to the symphony hall by arranging his masterpieces in time for the big crescendo!

Even when you’re the preeminent musical genius of your generation, sometimes you just step in it. So begins Beethoven’s trip to the symphony hall in today’s musical puzzle, which Leon Hong created in collaboration with artist Nate Swinehart and engineers Jonathan Shneier and Jordan Thompson. It happens that our story isn’t much of a stretch in the broader context of Ludwig van Beethoven’s life, which saw more than its share of rotten luck.

Ludwig’s father, a middling singer in the Elector’s court and a man too often in his cups, pulled the precocious child out of school at the age of ten in hopes of earning some money on the shoulders of his talent [as a result, his handwriting was so bad that musicologists still struggle to authenticate his signature]. He lost two siblings prematurely, had to assume full responsibility for his family as a teenager, fell madly for unrequiting lovers twice, and, most famously, began losing his hearing at the peak of his career.

Despite all of this, Beethoven’s music prevailed. As Mozart reputedly said, “one day, [that boy] will give the world something to talk about.” That he certainly did. Sure, he may have raised his voice a few times, but he could overwhelm his friends with excessive kindness and generosity just the same. And while his romances brought him more anguish than happiness, would we have Für Elise or Moonlight Sonata if they hadn’t?

It’s unclear when Beethoven was actually born, but December 17th marks the 245th anniversary of his baptism. Today provided us a rare opportunity to construct a game in step with beautiful music, whose evocative moods, drama, lightness, and depth made conjuring visuals to match it rollickingly fun. Here’s to one of history’s greatest artists, and to hoping that, wherever you happen to be traveling this holiday, your life’s work isn’t eaten by a horse.

[9A]

June 22, 2018

Dame Cicely Saunders’ 100th Birthday








A pioneer of the modern hospice movement, Dame Cicely Saunders felt that all should live with “a sense of fulfillment and a readiness to let go.”

Born 100 years ago today, Saunders performed many roles in her life, including nurse, doctor, author, and social worker. It was while caring for a terminally ill patient that she recognized certain challenges other medical professionals of her time did not: that his diagnosis required a fundamentally different kind of healthcare.

Through this experience, Saunders envisioned an environment that focused care on a patient’s individual and specific needs. As a result, she went on to found St. Christopher’s, the first modern hospice, in a suburb of London in 1967. There, core values included vigilant pain-management as well as a holistic and individualized understanding of practical, medical, and psychological patient needs.

Not only did Saunders’ work inspire hundreds of other hospices worldwide, but her books and teachings also established a new branch of medicine known as palliative care, which addresses the importance of holistic care among patients with life-limiting illnesses. She also went on to establish a global charity focusing on palliative care research and education, Cicely Saunders International, which still works to improve the lives of patients with progressive illness to this day.

Today’s Doodle, created by London-based guest artist Briony May Smith, was inspired by Saunders' favorite anthology, All In the End is Harvest [1984] which states, “Love and life is an eternal thing, like the growth and reaping of the harvest."

[9A]

August 13, 2019

Doodle for Google 2019 - US Winner





Congratulations to Georgia-based high school senior Arantza Peña Popo, who was announced as the winner of the US 2019 Doodle for Google national competition last night on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon!

“When I grow up, I hope to care for my mom as much as she cared for me my entire life,” Arantza wrote in the statement submitted with her artwork, entitled Once you get it, give it back, which appears today on the Google homepage. In Arantza’s Doodle, there is a framed picture of her mother carrying Arantza as a baby─inspired by a real picture in her house of her mom holding her sister. Below the picture is Arantza, caring for her mom when she’s older in the future.

Arantza started drawing when she was three years old and wants to publish alternative graphic novels and comics in the future. She graduated as valedictorian of Arabia Mountain High School in DeKalb County, Georgia, and will be attending the University of Southern Califonia in the Fall.

Described by her mother as someone who “lights up any room she is in,” Arantza is currently teaching herself how to skateboard when she’s not focusing on her school work and visual arts.

Arantza dreams of one day being able to help her mom do all the things in life she hasn't been able to yet, such as traveling around the world.

Congrats again to Arantza and thanks to all the students who shared their dreams and creativity with us this year!

Arantza visiting Google HQ in California
with her mother for the national finals

[9A]

August 13, 2014

Anders Jonas Ångström's 200th Birthday





Which physicist has a unit of measurement, a top university’s laboratory, a crater on the moon and—here’s the kicker— a conference room at Google named after him? Did you guess Anders Jonas Ångström? Of course you did We’re wishing Ångström a happy 200th birthday on our homepage in Sweden today. Ångström is one of the founders of spectroscopy, the study of the interaction between radiated energy and matter.

[9A]

November 14, 2021

Fanny Hensel's 216th Birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates the 216th birthday of virtuosic German pianist and composer Fanny Hensel, who is widely considered one of the most important woman composers of the 19th century.

Fanny Hensel was born Fanny Zippora Mendelssohn on this day in 1805 in Hamburg, Germany into an upper-class family. Her mother, herself taught by a student of Johann Sebastian Bach, first taught her piano. At 13, Hensel astonished a private audience in Berlin with a memorized performance of 24 preludes from Bach’s masterpiece “The Well-Tempered Clavier” [1722-1742]. Despite her prodigious talent, her ability to foster a musical career was hindered by restrictive societal conventions.

Hensel remained musically engaged, and around 1820, she began working as an integral part of Mendelssohn family Sunday Concerts, a semi-public exhibition where she shined for decades as a hostess, organizer, conductor, and pianist free to explore the depths of her creativity. Although her public image was overshadowed by her brother Felix’s career, she devoted herself to developing the Mendelssohnian style in over 450 compositions, which reflected her veneration of Bach and Beethoven and an innovative musical approach.

At age 41, she published Opus 1, the first original work published in her name and among the first published compositions by a woman, paving the way for women to pursue a classical tradition historically dominated by men. In 2010, musicologists uncovered the Easter Sonata, a masterful, solo piano piece written by Hensel when she was 22 years old that had been mistakenly attributed to her brother. The piece was performed under her name for the first time in 2017, nearly 190 years after its composition.

Happy birthday, Fanny Hensel!

[9A]

June 7, 2021

Roberto Cantoral's 85th Birthday









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

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

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

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

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

[9A]

February 1, 2013

María Elena Walsh's 83rd Birthday



María Elena Walsh was an Argentine poet, novelist, musician, playwright, writer and composer, mainly known for her songs and books for children. Her work includes many of the most popular children's books and songs of all time in her home country.

[9A]

February 9, 2017

Carmen Miranda's 108th Birthday







Carmen Miranda is a rare example of a triple threat: talented at acting, singing, and dancing. Born in Portugal and raised in Brazil, Miranda took to the performing arts at a young age. Her father's love of opera and her mother's support led her to pursue a career in show business. Inspired by baianas, Afro-Brazilian fruit vendors, Miranda donned a "fruit hat" when she performed. It would become her signature as her star soared, first in Brazil and then, worldwide.

Miranda’s big break happened following her performance at the National Institute of Music. She landed an audition at a recording studio where she was immediately signed to put out a single. Miranda’s first album was released in 1929, and was immensely popular among Brazilians. Her performing style helped samba gain respect and a place in the Brazilian [and later, the world] spotlight.

By the time she moved to the United States in 1939, Miranda was a national star in Brazil and had the power to ensure her band could travel with her. Hollywood's famous Garuman's Chinese Theatre invited her to leave her hand prints in the cement in 1941, the first Latin American to do so.

Today, we celebrate Carmen Miranda on what would be her 108th birthday.

Doodle by Sophie Diao

[9A]

Feb 23, 2017

Seven Earth-size Exoplanets Discovered!







This just in! Turns out it wasn’t just dust on the telescope lens: NASA just announced the discovery of seven earth-size planets orbiting the same star only 235 trillion miles away. In space terms, that practically makes us next-door neighbors!





This artist's concept shows what each of the TRAPPIST-1 planets may look like. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

What exactly does this new solar system TRAPPIST-1 mean for our universe? Well, three of these newly discovered planets land smack-dab in the middle of what scientists call the habitable zone, or the distance from the star it orbits “where a rocky planet is most likely to have liquid water.” Though scientists have some serious studying to do before we can definitively say whether any of the new TRAPPIST-1 planets are habitable, the potential is very promising.

So if three of these new TRAPPIST-1 planets land in the habitable zone, what about the other four? According to NASA, all seven planets could have liquid water, the most crucial ingredient for life -- assuming the right atmospheric conditions.

Unlike our solar system, the planets in TRAPPIST-1 are very close together. If we’re able to visit one of the TRAPPIST-1 planets one day, we could be able to watch each neighboring planet pass by on its orbital journey! Until then, you can explore TRAPPIST-1 d, the third planet in the TRAPPIST-1 solar system in 3D using your computer or mobile device. If you have a virtual reality device, you can also take a stroll around.

Happy solar-searching!






An artist's fantasy of the surface of TRAPPIST-1e. Credit: NASA

We don’t know about you, but we’re hoping to spend our next vacation luxuriating by the cosmic pool. At least that's where you'll find Nate Swinehart, the artist for today's star-studded Doodle.

[9A]

May 15, 2013

Frank Hornby's 150th Birthday






Frank Hornby was an English inventor, businessman and politician. He was a visionary in toy development and manufacture, and although he had no formal engineering training, he was responsible for the invention and production of three of the most popular lines of toys based on engineering principles in the 20th century: Meccano, Hornby Model Railways and Dinky Toys. He also founded the British toy company Meccano Ltd in 1908, and launched a monthly publication, Meccano Magazine in 1916.

[9A]

May 14, 2013

Antonio Berni's 108th Birthday







Delesio Antonio Berni was an Argentine figurative artist. He is associated with the movement known as Nuevo Realismo ["New Realism"], a Argentine extension of social realism. His work, including a series of Juanito Laguna collages depicting poverty and the effects of industrialization in Buenos Aires, has been exhibited around the world.

[9A]

12 May 2014

Dorothy Hodgkin's 104th Birthday







Today marks the 104th Birthday of Dorothy Hodgkin, a pioneer of the field of X-ray crystallography. A 100 year old technique in chemistry which has revolutionized the way we understand the structure of the universe on a molecular level. By studying the patterns produced by X-rays, scientists are able to surmise the molecular structure of materials. A technique so important that it has had a direct role in producing multiple Nobel Laureates including Dorothy Hodgkin, who was awarded one in 1964 for her work on uncovering the complex structure of Penicillin G [the model in the doodle].

A special thanks to scientists Laura Satkamp and Louise Scharf, PhD, for ensuring that the doodle was scientifically correct.

posted by Leon Hong

[9A]

29 April 2016

48th Anniversary of first TV broadcasting of Les Shadoks





Nearly half a century later, France still fondly recalls Les Shadoks. With absurd maxims like “every advantage has its disadvantage, and vice versa," the bird-like creatures and their hilariously inane brand of logic struck a chord with French culture when they hit the screen in 1968.

Jacques Rouxel’s experimental and minimalist cartoon even proved divisive, as some saw nonsense where others found originality, comic genius, and important commentary on futility and French life. Hélène Leroux, who animated today’s Shadoks, used the occasion to bring her favorite Shadok’s proverbs to life. She writes:

“I particularly enjoyed the simplicity of the characters: Simple, rounded birds with long, thin legs, always going on nonsense adventures. In their daily lives, the Shadoks always refer to specific mottos they made up that parody real-life human principles: ‘If there are no solutions, then there are no problems,’ or, ‘to reduce the number of unhappy people, always beat up the same individuals,’ and of course, ‘I pump therefore I am.’ Like operators on a handcar that goes nowhere, Les Shadoks are famous for their endless and useless pumping. I thought it would be a great homage to represent some of these great Shadoks quotes with simple, looping animations.”

Below are all four of Hélène's animations:




I pump, therefore I am.


If we keep trying, we end up succeeding.



Therefore: the more we fail, the more we get to succeed.


When you don't know where you are going, you have to get there... as fast as possible.


Why should it be simple when it can be complicated?!

[9A]

29 April 2017

Tama’s 18th birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates little Tama, the beloved stationmaster of Kishi Station in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan.

For many years, the train station was lightly traveled, causing officials to close it in 2004. But in 2007, the railway appointed Tama the calico cat to be the stationmaster. The new local celebrity drew crowds of travelers to see her in her office, where she sometimes wore an official cat-sized cap. Not only did Tama draw tourists to her new cat-themed cafe and gift shop [even the station itself got a cat-themed makeover!], but her celebrity also kept the train service open for local residents.

Though Tama passed away in 2015, a new kitty called Nitama [or “Tama the second”] keeps the trains running and poses for selfies with passengers.

Happy birthday to the world’s first feline stationmaster!

Doodle by Lydia Nichols

[9A]

27 Apr 2009

Samuel Morse's Birthday





Samuel Finley Breese Morse [April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872] was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs. He was a co-developer of Morse code and helped to develop the commercial use of telegraphy.

[9A]

April 30, 2022

Celebrating Route 66







Today’s video Doodle takes you on the ultimate American road trip, a journey along the historic Route 66. The iconic highway—known for its retro diners, quirky motels, eclectic art installations and extraordinary landscapes—connects Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. On this day in 1926, the name “U.S. 66” was first proposed for the cross-country route.

Built during the start of mass car ownership in 1926, U.S. Highway 66 made cross-country travel affordable for the first time ever. It also served as an escape route for displaced families during the Dust Bowl. When severe dust storms ravaged the Great Plains in the 1930s, more than 200,000 refugees got on Route 66 to pursue a better life out West. Among these drivers was John Steinbeck, who traveled along Route 66 during this time to seek inspiration for The Grapes of Wrath.

When the American economy stabilized after World War II, Route 66’s popularity surged. Millions of travelers drove through the highway to witness awe-inspiring sites—like a 50,000-year-old meteor crater in northern Arizona, and graffiti-laden Cadillacs buried nose-down in Amarillo, Texas.

Although Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, after five new interstate highways replaced it, many organizations campaigned to preserve the road to honor its historical significance. As a result, parts of Route 66 were preserved as State or National Scenic Byways. Travelers today can still find many original establishments from the heyday of the historic highway.

Today’s artwork celebrates the cultural significance of one of America’s first national highways, and how it became a symbol of a changing nation.
Honk if you love Route 66!


-------------------------

During the 2,400+ mile road trip along Route 66, Doodler Matthew Cruiskshank developed more than 100 paintings and sketches to create today’s animated video

[9A]

April 30, 2012

Queen's Day 2012 [Netherlands]





Queen's Day or Koninginnedag was a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 2013 that was succeeded by King's Day or Koningsdag.

[9A]

May 24, 2016

Suzanne Lenglen’s 117th Birthday




Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen [[24 May 1899 – 4 July 1938) was a French tennis player. She was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926, winning eight Grand Slam titles in singles and twenty-one in total.

Back in the day, tennis was a rigid affair. Amateurs couldn’t compete with pros, and participation fees for important matches were astronomical. Then Suzanne Lenglen came along.

Lenglen picked up her first racket in 1910 for health reasons. In less than five years, she became the sport’s youngest champion. She had a staggeringly successful career, and even starred in one of the earliest instructional films. More importantly, she broke down barriers through her passionate play, non-traditional wardrobe, and outspoken stance against the sport’s formalities.

With Lenglen’s influence, tennis gained the attention it deserved, and became a sport not just for some, but for all.

[9A]

September 16, 2019

B.B. King’s 94th Birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Little Rock-based guest artist Steve Spencer and animated by Brooklyn-based guest animator Nayeli Lavanderos, celebrates B.B. King—the iconic “King of the Blues” who brought blues music from cotton fields and street corners to grand halls and arenas across the world.

Born on this day in 1925 on a Mississippi Delta plantation near Berclair, Mississippi, Riley B. King was a sharecropper’s son whose soulful, piercing guitar solos became recognizable with a single note. Often imitated but never duplicated, B.B. King became a blueprint for many of the world’s biggest rock stars who followed. “I wish I could just do like B. B. King,” said John Lennon of The Beatles. “If you would put me with B. B. King, I would feel real silly.”

Raised singing gospel music in church, King performed on street corners before hitchhiking to Memphis and landing a job on the air at radio station WDIA. There, locals began calling him “Beale Street Blues Boy,” later shortened to “Bee Bee” and finally “B.B.”

He began recording in 1949 and never looked back after his first hit, “Three O’Clock Blues.” Records like “The Thrill is Gone” and “Every Day I Have the Blues” have become classics of the genre.

King opened for the Rolling Stones on tour and became the first internationally acclaimed blues artist, winning 15 Grammys, being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, receiving honorary doctorates from assorted universities, and performing at the White House. Embodying the traveling bluesman, King was also known for averaging more than 300 shows a year throughout various points in his career.

In 1949, King ran inside a burning nightclub to save a guitar, risking his own life for his beloved instrument. The fire had been caused by two men fighting over a woman named Lucille, and from that day forward, King referred to all his guitars by that name.

“When I sing, I play in my mind,” he once said. “The minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.”

[9A]

September 16, 2016

Mexico National Day 2016



From the greens of the ahuejote to the browns and golds of the axolotl, the canals of Xochimilco are known for their cast of colorful flora and fauna. None are quite so colorful as the trajineras, handpainted canoes that carry tourists all around the World Heritage Site via the canals.

These canals used to connect Xochimilco to the heart of Mexico City, where the trajineras were used to transport goods back and forth. Today, tourists floating in the these vibrant boats can flag down food vendors or listen to the upbeat melodies of mariachis while they enjoy the natural beauty around them.

Today’s Doodle depicts a trajinera of Xochimilco, a reminder of the colorful traditions that make Mexican culture so unique.

[9A]

May 24, 2007

Cyrillic Alphabet Day 2007 [Bulgaria]







The Day of Bulgarian Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture has been celebrated in Bulgaria since 11 May 1851 [old style]. Today, this holiday is celebrated every year on May 24th [new style] and is an official holiday of Bulgaria since 1990. In 2020, the name was changed to Day of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture and of Slavic literature.

[9A]

May 24, 2019

Concha Michel’s 120th Birthday








She sang duets with Frida Kahlo, performed for John D. Rockefeller, modeled for Diego Rivera, and traveled the world supported only by her voice and her guitar. Today’s Doodle by Mexico-based guest artist Emilia Schettino celebrates the life of the Mexican musician, folklorist, and activist Concha Michel.

Born in Villa de Purificación, Jalisco, on this day in 1899, Concepción Michel was described as “ungovernable” as a child but fell in love with music early, learning to sing and play guitar at a Catholic convent founded by her grandfather.

Known for her indigenous Mexican attire, Michel wore embroidered dresses with braided hair in the style of Mexico’s Tehuana women. She traveled throughout Mexico learning traditional songs and singing her own corridos revolucionarios or revolutionary ballads, becoming one of the few women singing this traditional Mexican form at the time.

During the 1930s she traveled to the United States where she performed at the Museum of Modern Art and the Rockefeller’s grand home. Proceeds of her performances paid for trips to Europe and the Soviet Union, where she met feminist thinkers like Clara Zetkin and Alexandra Kollontai.

In 1950, she established the Folklore Institute in Morelia, Michoacán, part of a lifelong effort to preserve Mexico’s indigenous culture. As she put it in her autobiography, “The world was my university; my graduation, voluntary. My experience was direct, confirmed by life.”

[9A]

Dec 28, 2012

Leonardo Torres Quevedo's 160th Birthday





Leonardo Torres y Quevedo was a Spanish civil engineer and mathematician of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Quevedo was a pioneer in the development of the radio control and automated calculation machines, the inventor of a chess automaton, and a innovative designer of the three-lobed non-rigid Astra-Torres airship and the Whirlpool Aero Car located in Niagara Falls. With his Telekine, Torres-Quevedo created wireless remote-control operation principles. He was also a famous speaker of Esperanto.

[9A]

January 25, 2012

Vladmir Vysotsky's 74th Birthday





Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky, was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, had an immense and enduring effect on Soviet culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street-jargon. He was also a prominent stage- and screen-actor. Though the official Soviet cultural establishment largely ignored his work, he achieved remarkable fame during his lifetime, and to this day exerts significant influence on many of Russia's popular musicians and actors years after his death.

[9A]

Apr 7, 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]

May 1, 2022

Labour Day 2022 [Brazil, Sweden, Germany, France]

[9A]

Jan 26, 2020

Australia Day 2020





January 26th means different things for Australians all around the country. This year, we’re going through a particularly difficult summer, with devastating bushfires affecting many parts of the country.

Today's Doodle on Australia Day is inspired by the spirit of resilience and mateship that binds the country together.

[9A]

May 16, 2018

Tamara de Lempicka’s 120th Birthday



"I live life in the margins of society, and the rules of normal society don't apply to those who live on the fringe."

-Tamara de Lempicka


Today’s Doodle celebrates Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, who made a career out of subverting expectations and in doing so, developed her distinct style in the Art Deco era.

Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1898, Lempicka’s love for art started at an early age. As a young child, she spent a summer in Italy with her grandmother, who inspired her love for great Italian Renaissance painters. Upon her parents divorce, she was sent to live with her wealthy aunt in Russia. It was during this time that Lempicka was exposed to the lives of nobility as well as her future husband, Tadeusz Lempicki.

Shortly after their marriage, the Russian Revolution began and Lempicka, now a refugee, moved from St. Petersburg to Paris. It was there, at the height of post-cubism, where she began her formal artistic training under the influence of French painters Maurice Denis and André Lhote.

Internalizing her grandiose and decorative surroundings, Lempicka went on to produce exquisite tributes to the Roaring Twenties in her own unique way, utilizing a blend of late neoclassical and refined cubist styles in her art. Her affinity for the luxurious also led her to fixate on portraits of artists, stars, and aristocrats, which coupled with her considerable charm and exotic lifestyle, lit up the art world and social circles of the period.

Today’s Doodle by Doodler Matthew Cruickshank pays homage to Lempicka’s unique style. Cruickshank shares:

“Few artists embodied the exuberant roaring twenties more than Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka. Her fast paced, opulent lifestyle manifests itself perfectly into the stylized Art-Deco subjects she celebrated in her paintings. I first encountered Lempicka's work at her Royal Academy show in London, 2004. I was struck by the scale and skill of her paintings coupled with her life [as colorful as her work!]. I chose to place a portrait of Lempicka in my design with accompanying motifs evocative of the roaring '20s and '30s. It's no easy feat to recreate any artists work - but I hope to have done so here.”

Happy 120th birthday, Tamara de Lempicka!

[9A]

May 16, 2008

Invention of the First Laser




A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The first laser was built in 1960 by Theodore H. Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories, based on theoretical work by Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow

In 1962, Robert N. Hall demonstrated the first laser diode device, which was made of gallium arsenide and emitted in the near-infrared band of the spectrum at 850 nm. Later that year, Nick Holonyak, Jr. demonstrated the first semiconductor laser with a visible emission.

[9A]

May 16, 2013

The National Theatre's 145 Anniversary





The National Theatre in Prague is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.

The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition, which helped to preserve and develop the most important features of the nation–the Czech language and a sense for a Czech musical and dramatic way of thinking.

Today the National Theatre consists of three artistic ensembles: opera, ballet and drama. They alternate in their performances in the historic building of the National Theatre, in the Theatre of the Estates and in the Kolowrat Theatre. All three artistic ensembles select their repertoire both from classical heritage, and modern authors.

[9A]

May 16, 2012

Juan Rulfo's 95th Birthday







Juan Nepomuceno Carlos Pérez Rulfo Vizcaíno, best known as Juan Rulfo, was a Mexican writer, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for two literary works, the 1955 novel Pedro Páramo, and the collection of short stories El Llano en llamas [1953]. This collection includes the popular tale "¡Diles que no me maten!" ["Tell Them Not to Kill Me!"].

[9A]

Oct 4, 2017

Violeta Parra’s 100th Birthday




Today we celebrate the 100th birthday of Violeta Parra, the Chilean composer, folk singer, social activist, author, and artist.

Born in the small, southern Chilean town of San Fabián de Alico, Parra picked up the guitar at an early age and began writing songs with her siblings. She started her career performing in small venues, later traveling across Chile to record a large breadth of traditional Chilean folk music. Her increasing popularity eventually earned her her own radio show and an invitation to perform at a youth festival in Poland. While in Europe, she also explored the visual arts, creating oil paintings, wire sculptures, ceramics, and burlap tapestries called arpilleras which were exhibited in the Louvre Palace in Paris in 1964.

She is perhaps best remembered as the “Mother of Latin American folk,” pioneering the Nueva canción chilena, a renewal of Chilean folk traditions that blossomed into a movement which celebrated the fight for social justice throughout Latin America. Upon her return to Chile in 1965, she established Centro Cultural La Carpa de La Reina, a community center for the arts and political activism.

Violeta’s artistic legacy shines through in this selection from “Gracias a la vida”:

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro
Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco
Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado
Y en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo

Thanks to life, which has given me so much.
It gave me two stars, which when I open them,
Perfectly distinguish black from white
And in the tall sky its starry backdrop,
And within the multitudes the one that I love.

[9A]

Oct 5, 2017

Magda Szabó's 100th Birthday




Symbolically, a door can be interpreted in countless ways. It can represent anything from the extraordinary to the mundane: the promise of a new opportunity, a mysterious gateway to the unknown, or just the point of entry to the next room. Today, we celebrate Magda Szabó, the Hungarian author whose most internationally recognized book takes its title from this symbol. Her ability to craft an evocative narrative within an everyday setting is a part of what’s made her the most translated author in Hungary, with publications reaching 42 countries and translated into over 30 languages.

Though she is recognized today as one of the most influential figures of contemporary Hungarian literature, Szabó was actually forced into literary exile during the early 1950’s by the Communist Party. Before being censured, she began her career as a poet, winning several awards for her art. After being brought back into favor by the very same group that had enforced her silence, she explored the implications of this in what became her most well known novel “The Door”. She also went on to publish well-known children’s books, collections of plays, and works of fiction and drama.

One hundred years may have passed since the day she was born, but Szabó’s works live on, thanks in large part to the timelessness of her characters, her settings, and her stories.

[9A]

Oct 5, 2016

100th Anniversary of completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway





From the country’s small villages to its big cities, Russia depends on the mighty Trans-Siberian Railway to traverse more than 6,000 miles and seven time zones between Moscow and Vladivostok.

In just seven days, the railway transports travelers and cargo from western Russia, across rocky tundra and frequently impassable countryside, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Built over 26 years and completed a century ago, it remains a critical facet of Russian trade with Europe and China, and is a stalwart example of Russian engineering.

Today’s Doodle celebrates the railway that helped link a nation with the world. Doodler Matt Cruickshank relied on his first-hand experience traveling the Trans-Siberian Railway in April 2015 to bring the Doodle to life.





During the trip, Matt sketched out images of the Russian cities and countryside that would help form the foundation of the animation. “I felt compelled to echo the visual strength of Russian graphics coupled with a folk art style,” Matt explains.

The Doodle also features Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48, II. Waltz” as performed by the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. “The accompanying score gave the short film the momentum and gravitas that brought the whole project together."

[9A]

14 October 2019

Joseph Plateau’s 218th Birthday









Today’s Doodle celebrates the Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau, whose research on visual perception inspired him to invent a device he called the phénakistiscope, which led to the birth of cinema by creating the illusion of a moving image. Inspired by the mesmerizing animated discs, the animated Doodle art was made to reflect Plateau’s style, with different imagery and themes in them on different device platforms.

Born in Brussels on this day in 1801, Plateau was the son of an accomplished artist who specialized in painting flowers. After studying law, young Plateau became one of the best-known Belgian scientists of the nineteenth century, remembered for his study of physiological optics, particularly the effect of light and color on the human retina.

Plateau’s doctoral dissertation detailed how images form on the retina, noting their exact duration, color, and intensity. Based on these conclusions, he was able to create a stroboscopic device in 1832, fitted with two discs that rotated in opposite directions. One disc was filled with small windows, evenly spaced in a circle, while the other had a series of pictures of a dancer. When both discs turned at exactly the right speed, the images seemed to merge, creating the illusion of a dancer in motion.

Though Plateau lost his vision later in life, he continued to have a productive career in science even after becoming blind, working as a professor of experimental physics at Ghent University with the help of colleagues that included his son Felix Plateau and his son-in-law Gustaaf Van der Mensbrugghe.

Happy Birthday, Joseph Plateau!

[9A]

February 18, 2015

Alessandro Volta’s 270th Birthday



​


Experimenting with different metals and solutions, Volta ended up creating the first electric battery: the Voltaic Pile, a stack of alternating metal discs separated by cardboard and cloth soaked with seawater. But what made this battery so remarkable was that it was easy to construct out of common materials and enabled experimenters for the first time to produce steady, predictable flows of electricity. Within just weeks it inspired a wave of discoveries and inventions and ushered in a new age of electrical science.

[9A]

November 29, 2017

Christian Doppler’s 214th Birthday



When a fire engine approaches, the siren gets louder as it comes closer, taxing your eardrums as it whizzes past, and fades into the distance. What causes this difference in volume?

The answer was proposed by Austrian mathematician and physicist Christian Doppler in 1842 in a phenomenon since documented as the Doppler Effect, a concept that applies to both sound and light, in addition to other phenomena.

Simply put, sound is generated in ‘waves.’ As the source of such waves moves closer, the waves themselves take less time to reach you. They hit you with increasing frequency, making the sound more intense. As the source moves away, the waves start to spread out, and the sound becomes weaker.

The Doppler effect also explains why stars in the sky appear to be of different colors. As a star approaches the earth, wavelengths compress and the star appears to be bluer in color. If the converse happens and a star is moving away from us, it appears redder.

[9A]

Feb 15, 2020

Susan B. Anthony’s 200th Birthday




“Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.”
–Susan B. Anthony, The Revolution


Today’s Doodle celebrates the 200th birthday of social reformer Susan B. Anthony, and 2020 also happens to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S.. Anthony fought tirelessly for decades to earn women the right to vote in the U.S and is recognized as one of the nation’s most important figures of the women’s suffrage movement.

Susan Brownell Anthony was born on this day in 1820 in western Massachusetts, U.S. As a child, she was inspired by the idea that all people were born equal regardless of their race or gender. An introduction through her father to prominent abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison first ignited her passion for social change. In 1851, Anthony met reformer Elizabeth Cady Stanton, beginning a 50-year partnership focused on women’s rights advocacy.

[9A]

June 1, 2021

Celebrating Daniel Balavoine







Today’s Doodle celebrates French singer, songwriter, and activist Daniel Balavoine [[5 February 1952 – 14 January 1986) a rebellious yet sensitive champion of pop music and human rights. On this day in 1978, Balavoine released his third album “Le Chanteur” [“The Singer”], an emotional reflection on the preciousness of life that skyrocketed his career.

Daniel Balavoine was born on February 5, 1952, in Alençon, France. In his teens, he fought passionately for social causes with energy he began to channel into music in 1970. Although his early musical efforts flew under the radar of mainstream success, Balavoine’s career began to pick up steam when Swiss pop star Patrick Juvet featured him on one of his albums.

In 1975, Balavoine continued to build momentum with the release of his debut solo album “De Vous à Elle en Passant Par Moi” [“From You to Her Through Me”]. A televised performance in 1977 of one of his sophomore album’s hit songs, “Lady Marlène,” captivated French pop icon Michel Berger, who commissioned Balavoine to play Johnny Rockfort in his cyberpunk rock opera “Starmania.” The role was a smash hit that set the stage for Balavoine to become a successful innovator of French electronic pop.

In 1980, he released a hit album, “Un Autre Monde” [“Another World”], featuring some of his most famous songs, such as “Je Ne Suis Pas un Héros” [“I’m not a Hero”], “Mon Fils, ma Bataille” [“My Son, My Battle”], and “La Vie ne M’Apprend Rien” [“Life Teaches me Nothing”]. In that same year, on television he issued a call to action to politician François Mitterrand with a challenge to do more for the youth. This was a defining moment for Balavoine’s legacy as not only a musician, but a vocal activist for the community and symbol for France’s next generation.

In addition to the over 20 million records he sold, Balavoine was a devoted humanitarian. He focused much of his efforts on improving the lives of residents in remote villages of the African Sahara, especially in Mali, where he planned to supervise the installation of water pumps near the route of the 1986 Paris-Dakar rally car race. Balavoine tragically lost his life during this trip, but his legacy has lived on. That same year, Balavoine’s final album “Sauver L'Amour” [“Save Love”] won a posthumous Victoire de la Musique award, one of French music’s highest honors.

Here’s to you, Daniel Balavoine!

[9A]

Dec 5, 2017

Veronika Dudarova’s 101st Birthday






In today’s Doodle, Google-hued lights shine on a group of musicians led by Veronika Dudarova, the first Russian woman to conduct an orchestra.

Born in 1916, Dudarova spent her formative years studying piano and musicology in the company of some of Russia’s most renowned musical talents. In 1947, she graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, joining the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra as a junior conductor. She spent 13 years in that role before taking over as principal conductor in 1960. In 1991, Dudarova formed the Symphony Orchestra of Russia, which she led until 2003.

One of the very few female conductors in the world, Dudarova holds the Guinness World Record as the only woman to lead a major symphony orchestra for more than 50 years. During her career, she won the State Russian Music Award, was named the People’s Artist of the USSR, and even had a minor planet named after her.