Google doodles

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15 Sept 2014
Honduras Independence Day 2014







Our doodle in Honduras depicts the country’s national animal, the white-tailed deer, for Honduran Independence Day.

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15 Sept 2014
Guatemala Independence Day 2014





We’re having a feast of Latino dishes to mark Independence Day in three different countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. All three celebrate the holiday on September 15. Viva Centroamérica!

[9A]

15 Sept 2014
Respect for the Aged Day 2014





It’s Respect for the Aged Day in Japan. On this holiday, Japanese people take the time to show appreciation for their elders and hold a ceremonial lunch or dinner to express their gratitude.

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12 Sept 2014
Ernesto Carneiro Ribeiro's 175th Birthday






Fellow grammarians, today you meet your hero on our homepage in Brazil. We’re celebrating the 175th birthday of linguist, educator and physician Ernesto Carneiro Ribeiro, who worked to revise Brazil’s official grammar code to include conversational speech.

[9A]

9 Oct 2015
605th Anniversary of Prague astronomical clock










Check out the Prague Astronomical Clock on Google Street View, from both the outsideand the inside [and try taking the stairs!]


The hands of Prague’s astronomical clock have measured a staggering amount of history. It predates Shakespeare by over a century, and had been operational for two years by the time Joan of Arc was born. Despite over a half a millennium of wear and a brush with disaster in WWII, much of its original machinery remains intact, making it the oldest functioning clock of its kind in the world. Today’s Doodle honors a magnificent achievement in medieval engineering and a cultural landmark whose symbolism, design, and intermittent repairs are a remarkable catalogue of Europe’s past.

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1 Oct 2015
Nigeria National Day 2015







A country of enormous diversity where over 500 languages are spoken, Nigeria is home to Africa’s largest population and a dizzying array of ancient cultural traditions. Drawing inspiration from the Nigerian coat of arms, today’s Doodle features the mighty Niger and Benue rivers that wind across the country’s fertile plains before merging and flowing into the Atlantic. Symbolic of resoluteness and strength, an eagle cuts across a vast Nigerian sky at the center of today’s logo, which Doodler Robinson Wood has washed in the colors of the Nigerian flag.

[9A]

9 October 2012
Uganda Independence Day 2012







Independence Day in Uganda is a state holiday celebrated on October 9 every year. It celebrates Uganda's independence from the United Kingdom in 1962.
...

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7 Oct 2012
Janusz Korczak's Year






Janusz Korczak, the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit [22 July 1878 or 1879 – 7 August 1942], was a Polish Jewish educator, children's author and pedagogue known as Pan Doktor ["Mr. Doctor"] or Stary Doktor ["Old Doctor"]. After spending many years working as a principal of an orphanage in Warsaw, he refused sanctuary repeatedly and stayed with his orphans when the entire population of the institution was sent from the Ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp by the Nazis, during the Grossaktion Warschau of 1942.

[9A]

6 Oct 2012
Francisco Gabilondo Soler's 105th Birthday







Francisco Gabilondo Soler [October 6, 1907, Orizaba, Veracruz Mexico – December 14, 1990, Texcoco, State of Mexico] was a Mexican composer and performer of children's songs. He recorded and performed those songs under the name of Cri-Cri: El Grillito Cantor ["Cri-Cri: The Little Singing Cricket"].

[9A]

5 Oct 2012
Brian Ó Nualláin's 101st Birthday






Brian O'Nolan, better known by his pen name Flann O'Brien, was an Irish novelist, playwright and satirist, considered a major figure in twentieth century Irish literature. Born in Strabane, County Tyrone, he is regarded as a key figure in modernist and postmodern literature. His English language novels, such as At Swim-Two-Birds and The Third Policeman, were written under the O’Brien pen name. His many satirical columns in The Irish Times and an Irish language novel An Béal Bocht were written under the name Myles na gCopaleen.

[9A]

23 Sept 2012
Solomiya Krushelnytska's 140th Birthday





Solomiya Amvrosiivna Krushelnytska was a Ukrainian soprano, considered to be one of the brightest opera stars of the first half of the 20th century.

During her life, Solomiya Krushelnytska was recognized as the most outstanding singer in the world. Among her numerous awards and distinctions, in particular, the title of "Wagner's diva" of the XX century. Singing with her on the same stage was considered an honor for Enrico Caruso, Titta Ruffo, Fedor Chaliapin. Italian composer Giacomo Puccini presented the singer with his portrait with the inscription "The most beautiful and charming Butterfly".

In the modern Ukrainian tradition is included in the list of the most famous women of ancient and modern Ukraine.

[9A]

21 Sept 2012
Edgar Valter's 84th Birthday







Edgar Valter was an Estonian graphic artist, caricaturist, writer and illustrator of children's books, with over 250 books to his name, through 55 years of activity [1950–2005]. His most famous work is Pokuraamat [The Poku Book].

[9A]

18 Sept 2012
202nd anniversary of the First Government Assembly in Chile

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17 Sept 2012
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's 155th birthday




Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was a Russian and Soviet rocket scientist who pioneered astronautic theory. Along with the Frenchman Robert Esnault-Pelterie, the Transylvanian German Hermann Oberth and the American Robert H. Goddard, he is one of the founding fathers of modern rocketry and astronautics. His works later inspired leading Soviet rocket-engineers such as Sergei Korolev and Valentin Glushko and contributed to the success of the Soviet space-program.

Tsiolkovsky spent most of his life in a log house on the outskirts of Kaluga, about 200 km [120 mi] southwest of Moscow. A recluse by nature, his unusual habits made him seem bizarre to his fellow townsfolk.^[4]

[9A]

16 Sept 2012
Mexico Independence Day 2012

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15 Sept 2012
El Salvador Independence Day 2012






The difficult part of creating this doodle was not, as one might expect, fitting a drawing of a magnificent old church within a space the size of a postage stamp, but choosing exactly which magnificent old church to use, seeing that El Salvador has many. I ended up going with one in the city of San Miguel, characterized by its red steeples.

[9A]

15 Sept 2012
Honduras Independence Day 2012

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15 Sept 2012
Nicaragua Independence Day 2012






Despite a rather charming early sketch of a Jaguar, I chose to follow the theme of famous landmarks and buildings for this year’s Independence Day in Nicaragua. El Castillo de la Inmaculada Concepcion, built in the 16th century near the present-day village of El Castillo, was fitting.

Posted by Kevin Laughlin

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15 Sept 2012
Guatemala Independence Day 2012







When visiting Guatemala, it can almost seem like from any point you will have the most spectacular view of one of the country's many volcanoes. This is certainly true of the old capital, Antigua, a city rich in historical architecture and the aforementioned breathtaking vistas.

Posted by Kevin Laughlin

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15 Sept 2012
Costa Rica Independence Day 2012

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15 Sept 2012
Adolfo Bioy Casares' 98th Birthday







Adolfo Bioy Casares was an Argentine fiction writer, journalist, diarist, and translator. He was a friend and frequent collaborator with his fellow countryman Jorge Luis Borges, and is the author of the fantastic fiction novel The Invention of Morel.

[9A]

11 Sept 2012
Teachers’ Day 2012 [Argentina]

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8 Sept 2012
Macedonia Independence Day 2012





Independence Day in North Macedonia is celebrated on 8 September. It has been a national holiday since 1991, when a referendum for Independence took place. Then SR Macedonia gained its independence from Yugoslavia, where it was a federal state, and became a sovereign parliamentary democracy.

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7 Sept 2012
Brazil Independence Day 2012

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4 Sept 2012
Al-Biruni's Birthday





Abu Rayhan al-Biruni was an Iranian scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously the "founder of Indology", "Father of Comparative Religion", "Father of modern geodesy", and the first anthropologist.

In June 2009, Iran donated a pavilion to the United Nations Office in Vienna—placed in the central Memorial Plaza of the Vienna International Center. Named the Scholars Pavilion, it features the statues of four prominent Iranian scholars: Avicenna, Abu Rayhan Biruni, Zakariya Razi [Rhazes] and Omar Khayyam.

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3 Sept 2012
Chabuca Granda's 92nd Birthday





María Isabel Granda Larco [3 September 1920 – 8 March 1983], better known as Chabuca Granda, was a Peruvian singer and composer. She created and interpreted a vast number of Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms. Her best known song is "La flor de la canela" [The Cinnamon Flower].

[9A]

27 Aug 2012
Republic of Moldova Independence Day 2012

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24 Aug 2012
Ukraine Independence Day 2012

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23 Aug 2012
Alexander Grin's 132th Birthday




Aleksandr Stepanovich Grinevsky was a Russian writer, notable for his romantic novels and short stories, mostly set in an unnamed fantasy land with a European or Latin American flavor [Grin's fans often refer to this land as Grinlandia]. Most of his writings deal with sea, adventures, and love.

[9A]

23 Aug 2012
Chinese Valentine's Day 2012









The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in mythology. The festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunisolar month on the Chinese calendar.

The festival was derived from worship of the natural astrology. It is the birthday of the seventh elder sister in the traditional significance. It is called "Qixi Festival" because of the worship of the seventh elder sister held on the seventh night of the seventh lunar month. Gradually, people celebrated for the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinü and Niulang, who were the weaver girl and the cowherd, respectively. The tale of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han dynasty. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry. The Qixi festival inspired the Tanabata festival in Japan, Chilseok festival in Korea, and Thất Tịch festival in Vietnam.

The festival has variously been called the Double Seventh Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Night of Sevens, or the Magpie Festival.

[9A]

21 Aug 2012
Consuelo Velazquez's 96th Birthday



Consuelo Velázquez Torres was a Mexican concert pianist, songwriter and recording artist. She was the composer of famous Mexican ballads such as “Bésame mucho", "Amar y vivir", and "Cachito".

[9A]

17 Aug 2012
Indonesia Independence Day 2012







This is the 67th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia's independence in 1945. An archipelago that consists of over 17,000 islands, 33 provinces, hundreds of ethnic groups, dozens of dialects and a diverse culture that influences day-to-day life from dance to cuisine, the world's fourth most populous country is a growing global economic power.

Independence day celebrations call for a community gathering in village squares or city neighborhoods to partake in various games where children [and adults] compete in sack races, eating krupuk [an Indonesian cracker] or fruit hanging on a string and climbing a pinang tree to reach for a prize, to name a few. Today's Doodle showcases the traditions of this happy occasion.

[9A]

15 Aug 2012
India Independence Day 2012







Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a national holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the 1947 Indian Independence Act, transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly, came into effect. India attained independence following the Independence Movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience.

[9A]

15 Aug 2012
National Liberation Day of Korea 2012



As is true of many wildcats in cultures across the world, the tiger holds special significance in Korean myth and legend. [One of my favorite folktales is “The Tiger and the Persimmon”--read it if you have a chance!] This year we celebrated Korea’s National Liberation Day with an illustration of kids wearing traditional hanbok, gamboling with a large friendly tiger.

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15 Aug 2012
Julia Child's 100th Birthday









The scene in our living room in the early ‘60s will be familiar to many. I can picture my dad sitting in his chair, glued to the new black-and-white miracle of technology in our house, watching The French Chef...for the sheer fun of the show. Fast-forward nearly 15 years and I would find myself, as a young student at La Varenne cooking school in Paris, standing in front of Julia Child herself. At that first meeting, for a moment, I had Julia’s undivided attention and her intent interest in my goals and plans as a cook. [Happily, that encounter would lead to opportunities to work as a member of Julia’s team, to travel with her around the U.S. and in France, and to a treasured friendship until her death in 2004. I would even become executive director of that esteemed cooking school – due, in large measure, to her influence and support.] Countless times throughout the years that’s the scene which would became familiar to me – Julia engaging and encouraging both professional chefs and home cooks.

She would rarely leave a restaurant without a visit to the kitchen or exit a book signing without having communed with everyone in line; she was an active mentor to many of us. Julia was so approachable that people felt they knew her – no one hesitated to stride right up and start a conversation – and in fact, they did know her. After all, she’d been in our living rooms taking us by the hand in the kitchen for years. [Ever-embracing of new technologies, I believe Julia would be thrilled to know that she’s now literally inpeople’s hands, on digital devices.] But more than that, what people saw on camera was what they’d experience in person. It was all pure Julia. Especially on the occasion of what would have been her 100th birthday, it’s clear that Julia Child is simply someone we love to love. For good reason – there are many qualities that endear her to us. She came into her own later in life and helped to redefine age. [One of her secrets to aging, I discovered, is that she never saw herself as old.

After attending a Smith College reunion in her late 70s, she told me she’d never go to another. “Too many old people,” she said.] Julia loved hard and worked hard [more than anyone I have ever known] and accomplished great things that endure. [How many authors have a New York Times best seller nearly 50 years after publication?] She was opinionated, utterly authentic, and a self-professed ham. She managed to be both serious and a showman, making things look easy while never compromising her incredibly disciplined approach. She demystified and democratized French cooking [the gold standard and height of sophistication when she took the stage] and appeared to have a ball doing it.

Julia dedicated her support to the organizations and causes that mattered to her most, particularly those related to cooking and the pleasures of the table. In 1995, Julia created the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts [juliachildfoundation.org] for the purpose of continuing that support after she’d “slipped off the raft”, as she would often refer to dying. The Foundation is proud to help further Julia’s life’s work. Julia believed in all of us. She felt that if she could show us how to cook well, we’d do just that. She wanted us to experience the pleasures – in both life and work – that she had, and to revel in good food. “The thing about food,” she said in a 1966 Time Magazine cover story, “is you’re a much happier person if you eat well and treasure your meals.”

So to quote Julia once again – on the occasion of her 100th birthday – “Bon Appétit!”

Susy Davidson Executive Director, The Julia Child Foundation

[9A]

14 Aug 2012
Pakistan Independence Day 2012

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13 Aug 2012
Cassiano Branco's 115th Birthday




Cassiano Viriato Branco was a Portuguese architect. He is one of the most important architects of the first half of the 20th century in Portugal. Some of his projects include the Coliseu do Porto, Hotel Vitória and the Portugal dos Pequenitos theme park.

[9A]

25 Jul 2012
Jaakonpäivä








According to an old belief, Jaakko will throw a cold stone into the water on July 25 , Jaakko's name day. The throwing of the stone is rooted in the symbolic meaning of St. James's pilgrimage : the stone is a burden of sin that is thrown away from sins as a sign of deliverance.

The throwing of Jaakko's cold stone was believed to cause the waters to cool. The bathing season was coming to an end, the air was getting cooler and the fall summer was starting. The belief of Jim and a cold stone is born Julian calendar period, which was abandoned in Sweden and Finland in 1753. In the current calendar days corresponding to the Straits of James Day on August 5th , and just at the lake waters start to the Finnish Environment Institute statistics show that on average, to cool down. According to the old understanding, autumn summer begins on James Day .

In Helsinki , Jaakko Koskinen, Executive Director of the Finnish Non- Scientific Society , has been throwing stones at the Helsinki Cholera Basin since 1995 on Jaakko Day.

The water-cooled rock has been, among other things, a deep-frozen rock, a cosmic meteorite, a cobblestone borrowed from a street site, the Etna lava rock, the half of the runic stone , the Volga bend stone and soapstone. Whether an iron was once thrown into the pool instead of a stone, the purpose of which was to heat the bathing waters of a cold summer instead of cooling them and thus prolong the bathing season.

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24 Jul 2012
Amelia Earhart's 115th Birthday








The name Amelia Earhart conjures up feelings of admiration and respect in the minds of millions of people. But personally, Amelia Earhart is more than just a name in the footnotes of history. Her enduring legacy as one of the world’s most celebrated aviatrices embodies the true spirit of American adventure. This legend, born 115 years ago in Atchison, Kansas, is an American heroine and one of my favorite icons.

Representing Amelia Earhart’s family for the past 25 years has grown my appreciation for their beloved relative, who is a beacon of hope and a symbol of courage in our society. Today’s Google Doodle, celebrating her 115th birthday, is the perfect tribute to the woman who is remembered for her groundbreaking achievements in aviation and her fight for gender equality. She is truly an admirable role model. As the first female pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean, she was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross. Nicknamed “Lady Lindy”, Earhart set numerous aviation records before her disappearance over the Pacific Ocean on her final flight in 1937.

While her aviation achievements are legendary, her commitment to women’s rights is also noteworthy. Throughout her remarkable career she focused on proving that women were equal to men in “jobs requiring intelligence, coordination, speed, coolness, and willpower.”

Representing this was not an easy task during the Victorian Era. Earhart’s family has often told me about her competitive nature and inborn stubbornness. This, coupled with her strong convictions, routinely challenged the prejudicial barriers in her path. A fantastic example of this Victorian tomboy is how in the wintertime rather than daintily sitting on her sled she was instead a “belly-whopper”, flying down the hill head first on her stomach.

Even as an adventurous dreamer, Amelia still knew that making a lasting legacy involved an element of risk. In a letter to her husband, George Putnam, she wrote, "Please know I am quite aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." The message she leaves behind is especially evident to me: start living your life. Start setting aside your fears. Start believing it is acceptable to fail, knowing if you did not fail, you did not try. Without a doubt, her philosophy and lifetime accomplishments transcend time.

Amelia’s legacy is timeless and remains stronger than ever more than 75 years after her disappearance, assuring her a perpetual place in history. Her daring belly-slamming essence lives on and will continue to make lasting impressions by inspiring many, like me, to pursue their dreams.

[9A]

21 Jul 2012
Belgium National Day 2012

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14 Jul 2012
Bastille Day 2012

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14 Jul 2012
Gustav Klimt's 150th Birthday





The doodle team and I are especially excited to celebrate Gustav Klimt this year! An artist whose style ranges from graphic, to photorealistic, to florid, Klimt is as diverse in his works as he is expressive. His work is often emotional, mysterious, and narrative-- attracting viewers with both his fluid forms and intriguing figures. I, personally, have been a fan of his work for as long as I can remember.

The doodlers and I have waited for his big 150th birthday, so I knew that I had to brighten up the homepage in his iconic style. Using [[faux) gold leaf and oil paint, I wanted to pay homage to Klimt with his most famous painting, "The Kiss." I hope that our humble doodle does his brilliant legacy some justice!

[9A]

1 Jul 2012
Canada Day 2012

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29 Jun 2012
José Pablo Moncayo's 100th Birthday





José Pablo Moncayo García was a Mexican pianist, percussionist, music teacher, composer and conductor. "As composer, José Pablo Moncayo represents one of the most important legacies of the Mexican nationalism in art music, after Silvestre Revueltas and Carlos Chávez." He produced some of the masterworks that best symbolize the essence of the national aspirations and contradictions of Mexico in the 20th century.

[9A]

29 Jun 2012
Josef Ressel's 219th Birthday




Joseph Ludwig Franz Resselwas a forester and inventor of Czech-German descent, who designed one of the first working ship's propellers.

[9A]

28 Jun 2012
Sergiu Celibidache's 100th Birthday






Sergiu Celibidache was a Romanian conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over five decades, including tenures as principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Sicilian Symphony Orchestra and several other European orchestras. Later in life, he taught at Mainz University in Germany and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[9A]

5 June 2021
Alifa Rifaat's 91st birthday





Fatimah Rifaat, was an Egyptian author whose controversial short stories are renowned for their depictions of the dynamics of female sexuality, relationships, and loss in rural Egyptian culture. While taking on such controversial subjects, Fatimah Rifaat's protagonists remained religiously faithful with passive feelings towards their fate. Her stories did not attempt to undermine the patriarchal system; rather they were used to depict the problems inherent in a patriarchal society when men do not adhere to their religious teachings that advocate for the kind treatment of women. Fatimah Rifaat used the pseudonym Alifa to prevent embarrassment on the part of her family due to the themes of her stories and her writing career.

[9A]

5 June 2015
Denmark Constitution Day 2015

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2 Jun 2015
Republic Day Italy 2015





Today’s doodle is an homage to Festa Della Republica, which commemorates Italy’s transition to democratic rule 69 years ago. In the center - the emblema della Repubblica Italiana.

[9A]

13 May 2021
Zofia Stryjeńska's 130th birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Poland-based guest artist Dixie Leota, celebrates the 130th birthday of Polish painter, graphic designer, illustrator, and stage designer Zofia Stryjeńska, who is widely regarded as one of the most significant Polish art deco artists of the early 1900s. Across its countless mediums, Stryjeńska’s bold and adventurous work mirrors her personality as an uncompromising heroine of creativity and artistic expression.

Born Zofia Lubańska on this day in 1891 in Kraków, Poland, Zofia Stryjeńska began painting caricatures of her father’s customers in his glove shop, developing a talent that became her life’s passion. But gender barriers stood in the way of her artistic pursuits; barriers she was determined to break. As the Munich Academy of Fine Arts—her top choice of schools—was a traditionally all-male institution, Stryjeńska cut her hair and attended the university disguised as a man. But after a year in Munich, the pressure of keeping her identity hidden pushed her to return home to Kraków.

Inspired by the history of her national identity, Stryjeńska began her career at 21 with a series of paintings based on Polish folklore. This modern take on a traditional art form became her hallmark; a style that gained popularity as Poland had recently regained its independence in 1911 and its citizens cherished their historical iconography. Her 1917 series of surrealist lithographs entitled “Bożki Słowiańskie” [“Slavic Idols”] saw massive success and was printed on everything from postcards to chocolates.

An expert of folk costumes and Slavic mythology, Stryjeńska expressed the love of her heritage in work that ranged from wooden chess pieces to ballet costumes, like those designed for the 1930s Polish ballet “Harnasie.”