Google doodles

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Jun 16, 2013
Father's Day 2013

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Jun 16, 2013
Granadas Millenium

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Jul 3, 2013
Li Shizhen's 495th Birthday









Li Shizhen, courtesy name Dongbi, was a Chinese acupuncturist, herbalist, naturalist, pharmacologist, physician, and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is the author of a 27-year work, found in the Compendium of Materia Medica. He developed several methods for classifying herb components and medications for treating diseases.

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Jul 9, 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.

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Jul 11, 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 [es]. 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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Jul 12, 2013
Claude Bernard's 200th Birthday







Claude Bernard was a French physiologist. Historian I. Bernard Cohen of Harvard University called Bernard "one of the greatest of all men of science". Among many other accomplishments, he was one of the first to suggest the use of a blinded experiment to ensure the objectivity of scientific observations. He originated the term milieu intérieur, and the associated concept of homeostasis [the latter term being coined by Walter Cannon].

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Jul 23, 2013
Children's Day 2013 [Indonesia]

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Aug 7, 2013
Abebe Bikila's 81st Birthday





Shambel Abebe Bikila was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first black African Olympic gold medalist, winning his first gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome while running barefoot. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he won his second gold medal. In turn, he became the first athlete to successfully defend an Olympic marathon title. In both victories, he ran in world record time.

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August 7, 2009
Kenji Miyazawa's Birthday









Kenji Miyazawa was a Japanese novelist and poet of children's literature from Hanamaki, Iwate, in the late Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He was also known as an agricultural science teacher, a vegetarian, cellist, devout Buddhist, and utopian social activist.

Some of his major works include Night on the Galactic Railroad, Kaze no Matasaburō, Gauche the Cellist, and The Night of Taneyamagahara. Miyazawa converted to Nichiren Buddhism after reading the Lotus Sutra, and joined the Kokuchūkai, a Nichiren Buddhist organization. His religious and social beliefs created a rift between him and his wealthy family, especially his father, though after his death his family eventually followed him in converting to Nichiren Buddhism. Miyazawa founded the Rasu Farmers Association to improve the lives of peasants in Iwate Prefecture. He was also a speaker of Esperanto and translated some of his poems into that language.

He died of pneumonia in 1933. Almost totally unknown as a poet in his lifetime, Miyazawa's work gained its reputation posthumously, and enjoyed a boom by the mid-1990s on his centenary. A museum dedicated to his life and works was opened in 1982 in his hometown. Many of his children's stories have been adapted as anime, most notably Night on the Galactic Railroad. Many of his tanka and free verse poetry, translated into many languages, are still popular today.

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Aug 28, 2009
Battle of Flowers in Laredo 2009





Laredo, Battle of Flowers [Spain]. The parade is celebrated around the Alameda Miramar, which is located in Laredo’s central park. The parade originated during August of 1908 and it is said to be celebration of a farewell to summer.

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Sep 3, 2009
Doraemon 2009






Doraemon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko Fujio The series has also been adapted into a successful anime series and media franchise. The story revolves around an earless robotic cat named Doraemon, who travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a boy named Nobita Nobi .

The first full story in the Doraemon manga series was published in January 1970. A pre-advertisement for the manga was published in six different magazines in December 1969. A total of 1,465 stories were created in the original series, which are published by Shogakukan. It remains as the best-selling manga for children and one of the best-s elling manga in the world, and has sold over 100 million copies as of 2015.

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Sep 15, 2009
Crop Circles







A crop circle, crop formation, or corn circle is a pattern created by flattening a crop, usually a cereal. The term was first coined in the early 1980s by Colin Andrews. Crop circles have been described as all falling "within the range of the sort of thing done in hoaxes" by Taner Edis, professor of physics at Truman State University. Although obscure natural causes or alien origins of crop circles are suggested by fringe theorists, there is no scientific evidence for such explanations, and all crop circles are consistent with human causation.

The number of reports of crop circles has substantially increased since the 1970s. There has been scant scientific study of them. Circles in the United Kingdom are not distributed randomly across the landscape but appear near roads, areas of medium to dense population and cultural heritage monuments, such as Stonehenge or Avebury. In 1991 two hoaxers, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, took credit for having created many circles throughout England after one of their circles was described by an investigator as impossible for human beings to make.

Formations are usually created overnight, although some are reported to have appeared during the day. In contrast to crop circles or crop formations, archaeological remains can cause cropmarks in the fields in the shapes of circles and squares, but they do not appear overnight, and they are always in the same places every year. Nearly half of all crop circles found in the UK in 2003 were located within a 15 km radius of the Avebury stone circles.

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April 27, 2021
South Africa Freedom Day 2021







On this day in 1994, South Africa held its first post-apartheid elections, which granted citizens—regardless of their race—an equal opportunity to vote for their national leaders. Today’s Doodle honors this milestone anniversary, recognized annually as South Africa’s Freedom Day, with a depiction of the country’s national flower: the protea.

A symbol of South African identity and diversity, over 330 species of protea are found within national borders. The evolutionary origins of the protea trace back approximately 300 million years, making this ancient genus one of the oldest families of flowering plants found on Earth. Protea iconography is featured across South Africa, from passports to birth certificates, to the 5-rand coin and the name of the national cricket team: the Proteas.

Freedom Day honors all of the progress made since the historic 1994 elections, but today’s observances also remind South Africans of the ways they can continue to unify the great nation in the name of equality.

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April 27, 2018
King's Day 2018






Happy Koningsdag, or King’s Day, to all Dutch people everywhere! Each year on April 27, Dutch families all through the country and around the world partake in commemorating the birthday of King Willem-Alexander.

Planning and preparation for the day is the responsibility of the Oranjecomité, or Orange Committees, sourced from local communities. These groups will plan concerts, parties and vrijmarkt, or flea markets, a longstanding tradition on King’s Day. While towns across the Netherlands will participate in the festivities, the largest events take place in the capital city of Amsterdam. Over a million visitors, decked in orange clothing [and some with orange hair], flock to the city to celebrate in the streets and canals, and honor their country.

Today’s Doodle depicts the Dutch game of Koekhappen, traditionally played by children to celebrate King’s Day. Koekhappen involves a piece of soft sweet cake, such as gingerbread, tied to a string. The game begins as players either close their eyes or are blindfolded, the cake is held just above their heads and each must try to take bites of the cake without opening their eyes!

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April 27, 2019
South Africa Freedom Day 2019

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Apr 23, 2019
St. George's Day 2019










St. George became a heroic figure of legend who was declared Patron Saint of England in 1348. Today’s Doodle by London-based guest artist Alice Pattullo celebrates St. George’s Day, which became an English feast day in 1415.

April 23 is also the day when the Order of the Garter, England’s highest honor of knighthood, is awarded by the English monarch with a medal bearing an image of St. George in battle with the mythical dragon. In fact, the Order of the Garter banners displayed in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle were a source of inspiration for Alice’s final Doodle concept: "I love the simple applique graphics and the bold heraldic colours," she notes.

St. George’s valor has always held a special significance for the people of England. His flag [[a red cross on a field of white) will fly all across the country today and many English people will wear a red rose on their lapel, inspired by the legend that a red bloom grew on the martyr’s grave. Traditional celebrations include parades, dancing, and gatherings at historic sites featuring hog roasts and all manner of medieval-themed merriment.

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Jan 10, 2020
Vicente Huidobro's 127th Birthday







Today’s Doodle, illustrated by London-based guest artist Luisa Rivera, celebrates avant-garde Chilean poet and writer Vicente Huidobro on his 127th birthday. Widely known as the “father of the Creacionismo [Creationism] literary movement,” Huidobro refused to be confined by literary orthodoxy. Instead, he used the written word to push the limits of creativity.

Vicente García-Huidobro Fernández was born in 1893 in Santiago, Chile. He became a poet like his mother, first published at the early age of 12, and went on to study literature at the University of Chile.
Gradually, he began to feel confined by traditional poetic standards, and in 1914 he rejected them in his manifesto, Non Serviam [“I Will Not Serve”].

Huidobro moved to Paris to collaborate with surrealist poets Guillaume Apollinaire and Pierre Reverdy on the literary magazine they founded, Nord-sud [North-South]. In Paris, he invented Creacionismo, the idea that poets should create their own imaginary worlds instead of writing about nature in traditional styles with traditional language. Poemas árticos [“Arctic Poems,” 1918] and Saisons Choisies [“Chosen Seasons,” 1921] are some examples, but the 1931 long-form poem Altazor is Huidobro’s definitive Creacionismo work.

His well-known lines from his poem Arte Poetica [Poetic Art], “Let the verse be like a key / That opens a thousand doors,” represents his style and inspired today’s Doodle art, which infuses different images that appear in his poetry.

Huidobro wrote over 40 books, including plays, novels, manifestos, and poetry. He constantly encouraged literary experimentation and influenced many Latin American poets who succeeded him.

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Jan 23, 2020
Luis Alberto Spinetta's 70th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates the 70th birthday of Argentine singer, composer, guitarist, and poet Luis Alberto Spinetta. Also known as El Flaco [“Skinny”], he is often regarded as the father of Spanish-language rock and roll and a Latin American music icon. The Doodle artwork features the color green as an homage to Spinetta’s iconic and irregularly-shaped album cover of Artaud, as well as his famous red and white guitar.

Born on this day in Buenos Aires in 1950, Spinetta learned how to play guitar and sing at a young age. He continued to develop his musical skills, and at age 17 Spinetta formed one of the most influential rock bands in Argentine history, named Almendra, with two of his former high school classmates. Almendra’s self-titled debut studio album revolutionized the genre as the first band to combine Spanish-language lyrics with progressive rock.

During the 1970s and 80s, Spinetta formed and led several impactful bands that inspired the international “Rock en Español” movement, including Pescado Rabioso, Invisible, and Spinetta Jade. In addition to these group projects, he released over twenty albums as a solo artist. In 2016, his latest record Los Amigo won one of the highest honors in Argentinian music, the Gold Gardel Album of the Year award.

His music struck a major chord throughout the world and continues to impact listeners to this day. For instance, in April 2019 it inspired University of Buenos Aires informatics engineer Alex Ingberg to create an artificial intelligence program to generate song lyrics in Spinetta’s style. And in 2014, in honor of Spinetta’s birthday, Argentina moved Día Nacional del Músico [National Musician’s Day] from November to January 23rd.

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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.

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Jan 26, 2020
India Republic Day 2020





On the 71st Republic Day of India, today’s Doodle, illustrated by Singapore-based guest artist Meroo Seth, highlights the rich cultural heritage that permeates and unites the diverse Asian subcontinent—from its world-famous landmarks like the Taj Mahal and India Gate; to the wide array of fauna such as its national bird [the Indian peafowl]; to classical arts, textiles, and dances—all coming together to find harmony amongst their differences.

Republic Day marks the completion of India’s transition from the British Raj to an independent republic. It also represents the anniversary of the declaration of Purna Swaraj, which translates to “complete freedom,” by the Indian National Congress in 1929.

Festivities embody the essence of diversity found in one of the world’s most populous nations, celebrated over a three-day period with cultural events displaying national pride.

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Mar 26, 2018
45th Anniversary of the Chipko Movement

Embrace the trees and
Save them from being felled;
The property of our hills,
Save them from being loote


Embrace the trees andSave them from being felled;The property of our hills,Save them from being looted.

These words are from a poem by Ghanasyam Raturi, an Indian poet writing about the Chipko movement in the 1970s to protect the regional forests in Uttar Pradesh [Uttrakhand]. The success of this nonviolent, grassroots resistance was felt around the globe, serving as the inspiration for future environmental movements. The Chipko Andolan also stands out as an eco-feminist movement. Women formed the nucleus of the movement, as the group most directly affected by the lack of firewood and drinking water caused by deforestation.

The original Chipko movement dates back to the 18th century, when a group of 363 people from 84 different villages, led by Amrita Devi, laid down their lives to protect a group of khejri trees that were to be cut down at the order of the maharaja, or king, of Jodhpur. After this event, the maharaja decreed that the trees were to be left standing. The original movement was called "angalwaltha", the Garhwali word for "embrace," as the protesters protected the trees by surrounding them and linking hands, physically preventing the loggers from touching the plants. The movement was later named for the Hindi word “chipko,” which means “to stick.”

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March 26, 2020
Bangladesh Independence Day 2020




Home to the Sundarbans [the world’s largest mangrove forest], as well as Cox’s Bazar [the world’s longest stretch of beach], the People’s Republic of Bangladesh celebrates its independence today.
An autonomous republic, the nation formerly known as East Pakistan, became Bangladesh 49 years ago. The country then adopted the Shapla or water lily, depicted in the Doodle artwork, as its national emblem and flower.

In honor of the country’s freedom, the Bangladeshi flag proudly flies atop many of its buildings. Featuring a red disk against a green backdrop, the flag of Bangladesh represents the sun rising across the nation’s abundant flora and natural beauty.

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May 4, 2016
Jane Jacobs’ 100th birthday




Jane Jacobs was a self-taught journalist and community organizer that supported keeping the city of New York diverse in shape and function. She stood by beloved neighborhoods that were unjustly slated for "renewal" and revealed political biases in the permit process for new projects. In Jacob's opinion, cities are for the people, and they're safest when residents mingle on the street and in local businesses.

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May 5, 2016
Father's Day 2016 [Germany]

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May 6, 2016
Sigmund Freud's 160th Birthday









Did you wonder what your dream meant this morning? The idea that dreams "mean" anything or that we have an active subconscious mind, is a concept we owe to Sigmund Freud, who was born 160 years ago today. Freud is best known as the father of psychoanalysis, the method of resolving mental illness through a dialogue between a doctor and patient. The Freudian method of interpretation – looking for meaning beyond the surface of things – now extends far beyond the sphere of psychotherapy. Freudian terms like "narcissism," "sibling rivalry," "free association," and "death wish" are part of our vernacular, and Freud's theories continue to fuel heated debate among academics.

A dimpled leather couch might be the typical visual associated with Freud and other therapists, but Doodler Kevin Laughlin instead created this iceberg. With a vast hidden base, the iceberg references the murky depths of the unconscious mind. More importantly, the design draws our eye to the horizon, reminding us how the genius of Freud's practice rests in the space between doctor and patient, reader and text, human and world.

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May 8, 2016
Mother's Day 2016

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May 8, 2019
Parents' Day 2019

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May 10, 2019
Minarni Soedarjanto’s 75th Birthday






Today’s Doodle salutes international badminton champion Minarni Soedarjanto, hailed in her Indonesian homeland as "Queen of all badminton queens."

Born in Pasuruan, East Java, on this day in 1944, Soedarjanto began competing at the age of 13 and went on to win her first title at the 1959 National Championship in Malang at the age of 15. That same year, she was chosen for the Indonesian national team, competing in the world’s top badminton tournament for women, the Uber Cup.

Although Indonesia was defeated in 1960, Soedarjanto won singles and doubles titles for many years, including a historic win in the sport’s oldest tournament, the All-England. Teaming up with Retno Koestijah, Soedarjanto won Indonesia’s first All England title in 1968. She also went on to victory at the 1969 U.S. Open and Canada Open that same year.

Soedarjanto was part of Indonesian teams that competed for the Uber Cup trophy in 1963, 1966, and 1969—but unfortunately came up short every time. "It's hard to just leave, considering it's been 23 years playing badminton," she said in a 1972 interview. By 1975 she was a player-coach and mother of three, but refused to retire without fulfilling her goal. Finally, she beat perennial powerhouse Japan, winning Indonesia’s first Uber cup which was the last title of her illustrious career.

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May 10, 2009
Mother's Day 2009

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May 10, 2017
Mother's Day 2017 [Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador]

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May 12, 2017
Por Intalapalit’s 107th Birthday







Tireless Thai writer Por Intalapalit was born on this date in 1910. Famous for Sam Kler [or SamGler], a novel series that spanned more than 1,000 books, Intalapalit was nothing short of prolific.

Popular in the 1960s and 1970s, Sam Kler ["The Three Buddies"] revolved around the comic adventures and antics of three main characters: Pol, Nikorn, and Kim-nguan [with the later addition of the scientist Dr. Direk]. Together the pals sparred in boxing matches, trekked through jungles, wrangled with monsters, and encountered UFOs. Several of the stories were also developed into well-known TV shows and movies, including Sam Kler Jer Long Hon, a Cold War-themed film starring legendary Thai actor Mitr Chaibancha.

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May 22, 2017
Richard Oakes’ 75th Birthday






Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Richard Oakes made a stand for the rights of American Indians. Over his time as an activist, he fought peacefully for freedom, justice, and the right of American Indians to have control over their lands.

Oakes grew up on the Mohawk Indian reservation in Akwesasne, on the Canadian / New York border. When he was 18, he moved to San Francisco, and enrolled in San Francisco State University shortly after. There, his passion for empowerment through education led him to play an integral role in creating one of the first American Indian studies programs in the nation.

Oakes went on to be a champion for social justice in his community. His most powerful protest happened in 1969 when he led a group of activists occupying Alcatraz Island. The aim was not only to set up a community, complete with a university, museum and cultural center, but also for the government to acknowledge the rights of American Indians to claim the out-of-use federal land as their own.

Although Richard didn't succeed in gaining the deeds to Alcatraz for his people, he brought their issues into the media spotlight and made a substantial impact on the treatment of American Indians in the US. He also went on to assist the Pit River Tribe in their claim for land in Northern California.

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May 25, 2017
Father's Day 2017 [Germany]

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May 26, 2017
Mother's Day 2017 [Poland]

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June 1, 2020
Celebrating Anna Molka Ahmed







Today’s Doodle honors acclaimed Pakistani artist and educator Anna Molka Ahmed, the country’s first art teacher to bring her students out of the classroom to paint outdoors. On this day in 1940, Ahmed established the Fine Arts Department, now the University College of Arts & Design, at the University of the Punjab in Lahore, laying the foundation for decades of arts education in the country.

Anna Molka Bridger was born on August 13th, 1917, in London, England. She was determined to become an artist from a young age, and despite her parents’ disapproval, eventually enrolled at the Royal College of Art in London. There she met her husband, and the pair soon moved to Lahore.

Ahmed’s path took a fortuitous turn when she responded to an ad from the University of the Punjab seeking an artist to open a women's art department at the school. In 1940, she became the first head of the university’s Fine Arts Department, and over more than thirty years, she was instrumental in fostering a culture of arts education in Pakistan.

She organized the first art exhibitions ever held in the country, and many of her students went on to establish their own university arts programs throughout Pakistan. Meanwhile, Ahmed never stopped painting, her expressionist work often combining European influences with inspiration from her adopted home country.

In honor of her pioneering achievements in the world of fine arts education, Ahmed was honored in 1963 with the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz [Medal of Excellence], one of the highest awards for a citizen in Pakistan.

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Jun 7, 2020
Father's Day 2020 [June 07]

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Jun 8, 2020
Marguerite Yourcenar's 117th Birthday








Today’s Doodle, illustrated by London-based guest artist Marguerite Dumans, celebrates the 117th birthday of French writer Marguerite Yourcenar, widely admired for her masterful use of historical settings to explore modern issues and universal themes. Yourcenar’s literary accomplishments positioned her to become the first woman elected to the prestigious Académie Française, an organization founded in 1635 dedicated to the preservation of the French language with a membership limited to only 40 linguistic scholars.

On this day in 1903, Marguerite de Crayencour was born into a wealthy family in Brussels, Belgium. She moved to Paris as a child with her father, who eschewed public education in favor of private tutors, books, and museums. In 1921, she published her first book of poetry, assuming the pen name “Yourcenar,” a close anagram of her surname “Crayencour.”

Considered one of the first notable openly lesbian writers, Yourcenar received critical acclaim for her first novella, “Alexis” [1929], which centered around a title character who comes out as gay to his wife. During the ’30s, she traveled Europe amid a bohemian artistic scene, but with the outbreak of World War II, she settled in the United States with her long-time partner and translator, Grace Frick. There she completed “Mémoires d’Hadrien”, a fictionalized account of the titular Roman emperor that is widely considered her masterpiece.

Yourcenar was honored with many accolades, including two Prix Femina, as well as the Grand Prix de Littérature awarded in 1977 bythe Académie Française, which she historically joined three years later.

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Jun 12, 2020
Russia National Day 2020








Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Olesya Shchukina, commemorates Russia National Day, known locally as Den Rossii. On this day in 1990, Russia became an independent nation following the official adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation, which was then followed by the establishment of the national anthem and flag.

From the Bering Sea in the country’s Asian east, to the shores of the Baltic Sea in the European west, Russia has celebrated June 12th as a public holiday and a time to pay tribute to the country’s identity and heritage since 1992.

Today, Russia’s widely varied cultures and ethnicities are symbolized by historical customs, such as the playing of the country’s many traditional folk instruments. These unique musical instruments include Iozhkis [spoons], buben [tambourines], and accordions, as depicted in today’s Doodle.

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June 17, 2017
Susan La Flesche Picotte’s 152nd Birthday








Today’s Doodle honors the life and legacy of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first American Indian to earn a medical degree.

Picotte grew up in Nebraska on the Omaha reservation, where her father urged her to “be somebody in the world.” She left her village and made her way east, eventually attending the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania [[featured in today’s Doodle on the left), where she graduated at the top of her class. Despite receiving numerous prestigious job offers, Picotte chose to return to the reservation to provide the medical care that her tribe badly needed – tending to patients across 1,350 square miles on foot and horseback, in wind, snow, and rain.

Picotte was also a fierce public health advocate and social reformer. She promoted life-saving hygiene practices, such as the elimination of communal drinking cups and the installation of screen doors to keep out disease-carrying insects. Most notably, in 1913, she personally raised the funds to build a modern hospital in her hometown, which you can see pictured to the right of today’s Doodle.

Picotte’s remarkable career as a physician and health advocate just scratches the surface of her legacy. She was more than the reservation’s doctor – she was also an advisor, confidant, and symbol of hope for the Omaha.

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June 19, 2019
José Rizal’s 158th Birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates Filipino author and physician José Rizal, whose passionate writings and selfless devotion inspired the Philippine nationalist movement. Born in Calamba on this day in 1861, Rizal learned to read and write by age five and grew up to become a Filipino national hero.

Educated in Manila, Rizal traveled overseas to study philosophy and medicine at the University of Madrid, the University of Paris, and the University of Heidelberg. Inspired by his mother's failing eyesight, he trained under prominent European ophthalmologists Louis de Wecker and Otto Becker and became an accomplished eye surgeon.

While living in Europe for a decade, he began publishing a series of works—including Noli Me Tangere [Touch Me Not] and El filibusterismo [The Reign of Greed]—that established him as a leading voice for reform in his homeland. His translation of Antonio De Morga’s 1609 Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas highlighted the achievements of Filipino society prior to Spanish colonization.

A frequent contributor to La Solidaridad, a newspaper published in Barcelona, Rizal advocated for the Philippines to be integrated as a province of Spain, represented in the Spanish parliament, and for its citizens to be granted such basic rights as freedom of assembly and expression, and equality under the law.

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June 19, 2004
Father's Day 2004

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June 6, 2011
Dragon Boat Festival 2011

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May 1, 2010
World Expo Opens in Shanghai

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May 1, 2010
Labour Day 2010

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May 1, 2019
Labour Day 2019

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May 1, 2019
Celebrating the New Era







Today’s Doodle celebrates the dawning of a new era in Japan as the Reiwa period begins! The name of the nation’s 248th era consists of two Japanese kanji characters that can be translated into English as “beautiful harmony.”

Historically, each gengō — as the names of eras are known – has been inspired by classical Confucian texts and debated by high-ranking officials of the imperial court in a time-honored process known as nanchin. The gengō aims to express a vision for the future and speak to the hopes and dreams of the Japanese people.

The previous Heisei era [which means “achieving peace”] began when Emperor Akihito succeeded his father, Emperor Hirohito, on January 8, 1989. Emperor Akihito announced plans to step down in 2016, a departure from the tradition that emperors reign throughout their life.

The name Reiwa was taken from the Man'yōshū [“Collection of 10,000 Leaves”], which is the oldest surviving collection of Japanese poetry. The specific passage reads “It is now the choice month of early spring, the weather is fine, the wind is soft. The plum blossom opens...”

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Apr 30, 2019
Last Day of The Heisei Period









Today’s Doodle honors the end of an era in Japan—literally—as the sun sets on the Heisei period, whose name translates to “achieving peace.” The nation’s 247th gengō, or era name, began with the ascension of Emperor Akihito in January 8, 1989, and comes to an end as the emperor steps down to make way for his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito.

The tradition of naming eras dates back to 645 A.D. when Japan’s Emperor Kōtoku took the throne, ushering in a series of reforms to bring about a fair system of government. To emphasize what he hoped would be a fresh start for Japan he adapted the Chinese practice of giving his era a name. Emperor Kōtoku chose Taika meaning “great change.”

Historically, era names have often been inspired by classical Confucian texts and debated by high-ranking officials of the imperial court in a time-honored process of deliberation known as nanchin. Specifically, the gengō aims to express a vision for the future and speaks to the hopes and dreams of the Japanese people.

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March 12, 2012
Chinese Arbor Day 2012

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Mar 7, 2012
Alessandro Manzoni's 227th Birthday









Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni was an Italian poet, novelist and philosopher. He is famous for the novel The Betrothed, generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature. The novel is also a symbol of the Italian Risorgimento, both for its patriotic message and because it was a fundamental milestone in the development of the modern, unified Italian language. Manzoni also contributed to the stabilization of the modern Italian language and helped to ensure linguistic unity throughout Italy. He was an influential proponent of Liberal Catholicism in Italy. His work and thinking has often been contrasted with that of his younger contemporary Giacomo Leopardi by critics.

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Mar 6, 2012
Ghana Independence Day 2012