Google doodles

[9A]

Sep 4, 2010
25th Anniversary of Buckyball





Who doesn't like the buckyball? They're super strong, compact, nerdy, and fun! Named after Buckminster Fuller, the buckyball is a bit of science gold that all nerds can get behind-- buckyballs are cool. The structure is so strong it appears in architecture around the world, athletes also deemed it a sound shape for the football [[or American soccer ball). Science, however, sees its potential in display technology, medicine, and security!

[9A]

Aug 19, 2010
Anniversary of Belka and Strelka Space Flight






During the 1950s and 1960s the Soviet space program used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. In this period, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at least 57 dogs. The number of dogs in space is smaller, as some dogs flew more than once. Most survived; the few that died were lost mostly through technical failures, according to the parameters of the test.

A notable exception is Laika, the first dog to be sent into orbit, whose death during the 3 November, 1957 Sputnik 2 mission was expected from its outset.^[

[9A]

Jul 15, 2010
Josef Frank's 125th Birthday





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

[9A]

Jun 29, 2010
Antoine de Saint-Exupery's 110th Birthday





I've always loved the imagery from The Little Prince, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, but I must confess that until I was assigned this doodle, I had never actually read the book. This was pretty much sacrilege on my part, as I come from working in kids books! My mother-in-law was quick to set me on the right path, lending me her translated copy [[claiming it was the best, most poetic translation), and warned me to read the book with a pack of tissue. I followed her advice, finding a very quiet spot on the Google campus to read the book with a pair of sunglasses.

Cover to cover and an empty tissue pack later, I felt an even greater sense of responsibility to portray this beloved character as genuinely as possible. I painted the character in watercolor and ink, knowing there was no way the digital medium could capture the innocent, naive quality of Mr. Saint-Exupery's artwork. When the doodle finally launched, I was able to read user comments about how this doodle brought them joy, or how they recalled a passage from the book with a tear. It was such a wonderful feeling to emotionally connect with so many people at once and is probably one of the most rewarding experiences I've had as a doodler and illustrator.

[9A]

Jun 13, 2010
Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa Returns




Hayabusa was a robotic spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [[JAXA) to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa to Earth for further analysis.

[9A]

Jun 11, 2010
Jacques Cousteau's 100th Birthday



Jacques-Yves Cousteau, was a French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqua-Lung, pioneered marine conservation and was a member of the Académie Française.

Cousteau described his underwater world research in a series of books, perhaps the most successful being his first book, The Silent World: A Story of Undersea Discovery and Adventure, published in 1953. Cousteau also directed films, most notably the documentary adaptation of the book, The Silent World, which won a Palme d'or at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. He remained the only person to win a Palme d'Or for a documentary film, until Michael Moore won the award in 2004 for Fahrenheit 9/11.

[9A]

May 9, 2010
J.M. Barrie's 150th Birthday





Sir James Matthew Barrie, was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan.

[9A]

Apr 2, 2010
Hans Christian Andersen's 205th Birthday




Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales sparked the imaginations of generations of children. For this series, one of the first multi-part narrative doodles we created, I had the privilege to interpret Andersen's famous work, Thumbelina.

[9A]

Mar 31, 2015
126th Anniversary of the public opening of the Eiffel Tower




On this day 126 years ago, construction of the Eiffel Tower came to an end–marking the arrival of one of the most famous and recognized landmarks on the planet. Guest doodler Floriane Marchix depicts this anniversary on our homepage today.

[9A]

Dec 5, 2014
Lina Bo Bardi's 100th Birthday





Pioneering modernist architect Lina Bo Bardi was born in Italy in 1914 but spent much of her life in Brazil. She graduated from the University of Rome in 1939 and worked as an illustrator during World War II. Shortly after the war, she traveled to South America and decided to establish an architecture firm in Brazil. There, she designed many iconic buildings, including one of her most famous works, the São Paulo Museum of Art. The local legislature was worried that the museum would block views of the city, so Bo Bardi suspended the building high above a public square.

Beyond her career as an architect, Bo Bardi was also a publisher, teacher, and politically activist in both Italy and Brazil. She saw architecture as an expression of people's lives.

[9A]

Nov 24, 2014
Henri de Toulouse Lautrec's 150th Birthday




French painter Henri de Toulouse Lautrec was a man who immersed himself in the color and theatrics of life. True to his spirit, Lautrec’s artwork portrayed the grandeur and excitement of the world he lived in.

When doodler Jennifer Hom was tasked with making a doodle for the renowned artist’s 150th birthday, she immediately looked to his work for inspiration.

Wanting to capture what essentially was the Golden Age of Paris, Jennifer focused her design around the iconic imagery of the Can-can Dancers and the lithograph style, symbols that best embodied the lively spirit of the “La Belle Époque” [[“The Beautiful Era”). The fluid-like forms of the dancers revealed the sense of joy and freedom that was characteristic of the time period.

[9A]

Nov 18, 2014
Amalia Eriksson's 190th Birthday




Excited because it’s candy cane season? We’ll send your regards to Swedish entrepreneur Amalia Eriksson. Eriksson was the first person to manufacture the peppermint treats, becoming one of Sweden’s first women to own a business. Happy 190th birthday to Amalia!

[9A]

Nov 13, 2014
Seok Joo-myung's 106th Birthday





In Korea, our doodle features a butterfly in honor of entomologist Seok Joo-myung's 106th birthday. Seok dedicated his life to the study of butterflies and made important contributions to the species’ taxonomy.

[9A]

June 1, 2017
ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Begins!



https://www.google.com/doodles/icc-c...hy-2017-begins [[interactive)

Ah, summer: the sound of leather on willow, and the spectacle of cricket ... cricket! As the tournament begins in the Oval cricket ground, something buzzes outside. A team of crickets sans tickets have set up their own wickets for a game of pest cricket! As they face their arch rivals, the snails, it’s sure to be a match for the centuries. Don’t be fooled by their sluggish looks — these fielders can be fast on their feet!


To celebrate the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, we’re inviting everyone to tap/click and take a swing at our pocket-size game!


We know that cricket is loved worldwide, so we wanted to make sure our Doodle works for everyone, including those on slower mobile networks. We kept the file size fly-sized, and the result is our smallest interactive Doodle ever — even snail networks can load it in seconds.

[9A]

December 6, 2017
Elvia Carrillo Puerto's 139th Birthday





Born on this day in Yucatán in 1878, Elvia Carrillo Puerto, known as The Red Nun, or La monja roja, helped propel feminism to the forefront of Mexican politics in the early 20th century. Poet and early feminist Rita Cetina Gutiérrez taught the young Puerto ideas of equality between the sexes, which would form the framework for Puerto’s lifelong work as a socialist and a feminist.

As Puerto grew up, she dedicated her life to fixing the injustices caused by gender inequality, founding feminist resistance organizations like the Rita Cetina Gutiérrez League [[named for her former teacher and mentor). These leagues would deliver lectures to the public about women's health and the need for women in government.

Puerto helped get women the right to vote and be elected in the state of Yucatán. She was elected to the legislature in 1923, continuing to fight for women's rights long after serving in that post. Her work would be influential in the introduction of Mexican women’s suffrage nationally in 1953.

[9A]

July 31, 2020
Celebrating Pacita Abad






Today’s Doodle celebrates Philippine artist, feminist, and activist Pacita Abad, renowned for her bold use of color and mixed media as well as her use of art to address global themes. On this day in 1984, Abad made history as the first woman to receive the Philippines’ prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men award.

Pacita Abad was born on October 5th, 1946 in Basco, in the northern province of Batanes, the Philippines. She pursued graduate studies in San Francisco, California in the U.S. in 1970 and became very involved in the city’s artistic community. Abad went on to study painting and then traveled the world with her art supplies, from Bangladesh to Sudan, and the cultures she encountered had a profound influence on her ever-evolving artistic style. Dedicated to improving the world through art, she used pieces like her 1979 series “Portraits of Cambodia” to raise awareness of societal issues.

[9A]

Jul 27, 2020
Jeanne Baret's 280th Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates French botanist and explorer Jeanne Baret on her 280th birthday. In 1766, Baret departed France aboard the ship Étoile [[Star) as part of an exploratory expedition and upon her return made history as the first woman to circle the globe.

Jeanne Baret was born on this day in 1740 in the historic town of Autun in central France. Thanks to a rural upbringing, she became adept at identifying plants and earned recognition as a local specialist in plant medicine. In the early 1760s, she began working for the noted botanist Philibert Commerson.
When France organized its first circumnavigation of the globe in 1765, Commerson was invited along as the group’s botanist. French laws barred women from navy ships, so in order to serve as his assistant, Baret dressed to appear as a man. The pair collected over 6,000 plant specimens during the voyage.

Today, many credit Baret alone for the European discovery of the now-famous bougainvillea vine while the crew was stopped in Brazil. Depicted in the Doodle artwork is a bougainvillea vine in bloom, wrapping around an inquisitive Baret aboard the Étoile.

Eventually, crewmembers discovered Baret had been dressing as a man in Tahiti, and she and Commerson ended their journey early on the island of Mauritius in 1768. Baret remained there for years before she finally returned to France, which marked the official completion of her circumnavigation.

In 2012, Baret was finally given a botanical honor that eluded her during her lifetime, when a newly discovered plant from the Solanum genus–which includes potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants–was given the species name baretiae.

[9A]

May 31, 2020
Celebrating the Galápagos Islands




http://www.google.com/doodles/celebr...apagos-islands [[interactive)

Today’s slideshow Doodle celebrates Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands, first made famous as a source of inspiration for Charles Darwin’s seminal theories of natural selection. Home to hundreds of unique species of plants and animals from green turtles to fur seals, the islands were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on this date in 1978.


The Galápagos archipelago, which straddles the equator some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, consists of 19 mostly uninhabited islands and countless islets, formed through volcanic and seismic activity over many millennia. Due to their unique geology and isolation, these Pacific islands are home to flora and fauna that can be found nowhere else on the planet, including the giant tortoise depicted first in today’s Doodle—the galápago is the largest living species of tortoise—along with the only penguin species that lives north of the Equator.

The islands are closely associated with British naturalist Charles Darwin, who arrived on the HMS Beagle in 1835 as part of a fateful journey around the world. Here, Darwin observed closely related but highly specialized species of wildlife, like finches with distinctive beaks specialized to their diets—memorialized today with the name “Darwin’s finches.”

It took Darwin over 20 years after he first observed the islands’ marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies to synthesize his observations into his groundbreaking theories of natural selection, published in “On the Origin of Species” in 1859.The fundamentals of his work remain a cornerstone of biological science to this day.

[9A]

Jun 18, 2019
Celebrating Falafel





Today’s Doodle celebrates falafel, the best thing that ever happened to chickpeas—with the possible exception of hummus, of course.

Although the exact origins of this spicy street food have been lost to the mists of time, falafel has been enjoyed for centuries in many different cultures. India produces the vast majority of the world’s chickpea crop, which currently is in high season. In Egypt, fava beans are ground to make these delicious, crispy balls of fried plant protein, known in Egypt as “ta'amiya.” Israel has a song to celebrate its love affair with the tried-and-true treat, entitled And We Have Falafel.

Over time, more eclectic toppings has been introduced all over the world, ranging from German sauerkraut, to Iraqi fried eggplant, to Indian mango sauce, to Yemeni hot sauce. Even newer variations such as the red falafel—made with jalapeños roasted peppers, tomatoes, and spicy yogurt—or the orange falafel—made with sweet potatoes, cabbage, honey, and ginger tahini—preserve the basic formula of ground legumes, seasoned and fried in oil. The world’s largest falafel, weighing 74.8 kilograms [[164.8 pounds) and reaching 152 centimeters [[59.8 inches) in height, was fried for 25 minutes at the Landmark Hotel in Amman, Jordan.

[9A]

January 13, 2018
5th African Nations Championship





Today we’re celebrating the start of the 5th African Nations Championship, a football tournament drawing in teams from across Africa to compete for the coveted title. The first tournament was held in Ivory Coast in 2009, designed to showcase the football talent amongst the best African national teams. The Confederation of African Football organizes the competition every two years and only allows footballers playing for their country’s domestic team to participate. As a result, the best African talent will be on display - you won’t want to miss it!

All the action is taking place in Morocco as the first games of the 2018 tournament kick off today. Sixteen teams will descend upon various stadiums across Morocco, but only one will be crowned the champion, during the final game on February 4, played in Casablanca.

Today’s doodle features players wearing each of the flags of the countries represented. They’re practicing their skills, just like each of the African Nations have done all year.

[9A]

May 24, 2019
Semiha Berksoy’s 109th Birthday






Remembered as the first lady of Turkish opera, Semiha Berksoy was the first Muslim woman to sing opera professionally in Turkey. Born in Çengelköy, Istanbul on this day in 1910, Berksoy was also an accomplished painter who became a major cultural figure in the early years of the Turkish Republic.
Artistically inclined since her youth, Berksoy studied music, drama, and the visual arts in Istanbul. When her father tried to convince her to leave the conservatory, she answered him with a passionate letter stating, "I have found something to light me on fire and make my spirit soar, that is the love of art.”

Berksoy was 21 years old when she starred in the first Turkish sound movie, Istanbul Sokaklari [[The Streets of Istanbul.) She was also invited to sing in the first Turkish opera “Ozsoy,” which was attended by Atatürk himself, who was said to be stunned by her voice.

Winning a scholarship to the Berlin Music Academy, Berksoy studied in Germany and appeared as the lead in Richard Strauss’s “Ariadne Auf Naxos,” making her the first Turkish opera singer to star in Europe. Despite her international success, she returned home to help establish Ankara’s first opera house.

Known for her signature makeup, Berksoy became an icon of Turkish culture. She was also renowned for pushing the envelope with her fashion choices, once performing in a transparent self-painted costume. Her paintings, which were shown in such renowned exhibitions as the 2003 Venice Biennale, often depicted a little girl which was said to personify the artist herself.

[9A]

January 22, 2018
Sergei Eisenstein’s 120th Birthday





Born this day in 1898, Sergei Eisenstein was a Soviet artist and avantgarde director of several groundbreaking films, including Battleship Potemkin, Strike, and The General Line.


Known as the father of montage — the film technique of editing a fast-paced sequence of short shots to transcend time or suggest thematic juxtapositions — Eisenstein deployed arresting images in sequences of psychological precision. His films were also revolutionary in another sense, as he often depicted the struggle of downtrodden workers against the ruling class.

[9A]

Nov 14, 2017
131st Anniversary of the Hole Puncher





It’s a familiar scene with a familiar tool: the gentle rat-tat-tat on the table as you square up a dangerously thick stack of papers, still warm from the printer. The quiet anticipation and heady uncertainty as you ask yourself the ultimate question: can it cut through all this? The satisfying, dull “click!” of the blade as it punches through the sheets. The series of crisp, identical holes it produces, creating a calming sense of unity among an otherwise unbound pile of loose leaf. And finally, the delightful surprise of the colorful confetti byproduct – an accidental collection of colorful, circular leftovers.

Today we celebrate 131 years of the hole puncher, an understated – but essential – artifact of German engineering. As modern workplaces trek further into the digital frontier, this centuries-old tool remains largely, wonderfully, the same.

[9A]

Nov 7, 2017
Celebrating Pad Thai


https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-pad-thai [[interactive)

Soak rice noodles in water for a few hours. Fry some eggs with tofu. Throw in lots of vegetables. Toss everything around in a sauce of tamarind, fish, and shrimp. Top it all off with roasted peanuts. Stick a fork in, make it messy, and slurp it all up!

These are the basics of Pad Thai, the uniquely sweet-salty noodle dish that is a signature street food of Thailand, and a heartwarming favorite for foodies around the world. In fact, it was today in 1945 that the tasty dish was announced the national cuisine of Thailand!

During the Second World War, Thailand faced an acute shortage of rice, a staple for the Thai people until that point. Rice noodles however happened to be cheap, filling, and plentiful. Coupled with vegetables and cheap sources of protein such as shrimp and prawns, rice noodles could provide a well-balanced, nutritious meal. An age-old recipe [[thought to be introduced by Chinese traders) was popularized amongst vendors and began to be hawked widely on the streets. Overnight, a national favorite was born.

[9A]

Nov 3, 2017
Loy Krathong 2017





On this night of the full moon, lotus baskets adorned with candles and incense float along rivers, lakes, and ponds across Thailand. For centuries, people have gathered on this day of the twelfth lunar month that marks an end to the rainy season. In some provinces, thousands of paper lanterns are released up into the sky. It is believed that floating away one’s bad luck [[loy) on these flower baskets [[krathong) brings blessings and good luck.

The sight of thousands of softly glowing flower baskets floating up and down the country against the backdrop of a moonlit horizon makes this a picturesque and magical Thai festival.

[9A]

Jul 27, 2018
Lyudmila Rudenko’s 114th Birthday





On this day in 1904, one of the world’s most influential chess players was born in Lubny, Ukraine. Twenty-four years later, Lyudmila Rudenko achieved the first major check[[mate) in her storied career when she won the 1928 Moscow Women’s Championship. This championship was just one of the many prestigious titles she’d earn in her lifetime. As an International Master in the World Chess Federation [[FIDE) and later Woman Grandmaster, Rudenko made a career paving the way for women to come.

Rudenko was first introduced to chess by her father at just ten years old. Initially interested in swimming, she placed first at a local competition in Odessa, Ukraine in the 400-meter breaststroke before moving to Moscow in 1925 and refining her gift for chess.

In 1950, Rudenko became the second woman ever to win the Women’s World Chess Championship—a title she held until 1953. In 2015, she was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. In fact, despite her major accomplishments in the game, she considered her life’s most important achievement to be organizing the evacuation of children during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II.

Today’s Doodle—which draws artistic inspiration from 1960s graphic art and posters—reimagines a focused Rudenko’s determination during the world championship game.

[9A]

Jul 18, 2018
Kurt Masur’s 91st Birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates Maestro Kurt Masur, world-renowned German conductor and humanitarian.
Born in the Prussian town of Brieg [[now in Poland), Masur studied music and trained as a pianist, organist, cellist, and percussionist in East Germany. A damaged tendon in his right hand at the age of 16 ended his playing career, but propelled Masur to concentrate on conducting.

Beyond numerous musical distinctions and titles, Mazur received global cultural and humanitarian honors including Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor from the French government, New York City Cultural Ambassador, Commander Cross of Merit of the Polish Republic, Honorary Citizen of Brieg, the Leo Baeck Medal for promoting tolerance and social justice, and a Goldene Henne award for public policy work.

The maestro is remembered for his belief in the power of music to “bring humanity closer together,” especially when he led the New York Philharmonic in a performance of Brahm’s German Requiem in a nationally televised memorial for the 9/11 attacks.

Masur was instrumental in leading worldwide orchestras and orchestrating peace around the world. Today’s Doodle depicts the maestro’s robust conducting style, notably baton-less due to his childhood hand injury.

[9A]

May 29, 2018
Celebrating S.P.L. Sørensen




https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-spl-srensen [[interactive)

Søren Peter Lauritz Sørensen was a Danish chemist, famous for the introduction of the concept of pH, a scale for measuring acidity and alkalinity. The article in which he introduced the scale [[using the notation p_H) described two methods for measuring acidity which Sørensen and his students had refined.The first method was based on electrodes, whereas the second involved comparing the colours of samples and a preselected set of indicators.

[9A]

September 7, 2019
Celebrating Marcelle Ferron





Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and work of the renowned Canadian painter, sculptor, and glassmaker, whose famous installation in Montreal’s Vendôme station was unveiled on this day in 1981. Marcelle Ferron’s striking design combined colorful stained glass with a spiraling stainless steel sculpture, a unique style that inspired the Doodle’s art.

Born in 1924, Ferron studied at the École des beaux-arts de Québec, but left upon realizing she was unable to find answers to her questions about modern art. Upon meeting Québec abstract painter Paul-Émile Borduas, she joined his Automatiste group and became one of the youngest artists to sign their 1948 manifesto Refus global. Ferron went on to spend 13 years painting in Paris, exhibiting her work at the 1961 São Paulo Biennial in Brazil, where she won a silver medal.

Her meeting with glassmaker Michel Blum sparked an interest in glass as an art medium. Over time, she devised her own methods, building “walls of light” connected by invisible joints that allowed her to create large planes of color. These innovative techniques can be seen in her mural for Expo 67 and public commissions in the Champ-de-Mars train station, Sainte-Justine Hospital, and the Granby courthouse.

Throughout her 50-year career, Ferron became one of Canada’s most important contemporary artists and was made a Knight of the National Order of Québec in 1985, then promoted to Grand Officer in 2000. This restless visionary’s achievements blazed a trail for women aspiring to make a mark in what was a traditionally male-dominated space.

[9A]

Aug 15, 2019
Ignacio Anaya García’s 124th Birthday





On this day in 1895, Mexican culinary innovator Ignacio Anaya García was born, whose proper name is not as familiar as his nickname: “Nacho,” a common abbreviation for Ignacio. As shown in today’s Doodle, illustrated by Mexico City-based guest artist Alfonso de Anda, this particular Nacho revolutionized world cuisine by melting grated Wisconsin cheese over some jalapeno slices and totopos [[tortilla chips), thus inventing the dish he dubbed Nachos especiales.

The year was 1943, and García was working as Maître d' at Club Victoria, a popular restaurant in the border town of Piedras Negras, Coahuila. A group of American women, wives of soldiers stationed at nearby Eagle Pass Army Airbase, stopped in asking for a snack. Unable to find a chef, García took matters into his own hands, improvising the tasty treat much to his customers’ delight.

Word soon spread about the Nachos especiales, which were added to the Club Victoria menu, imitated around town, and written up in an American cookbook as early as 1949. By 1960, García had opened his own restaurant, El Nacho.

In the 76 years since their invention, nachos have spread all over the world. A mass-produced version was introduced in 1976 at Arlington Stadium in Texas, with liquefied cheese sauce pumped out of large cans. Stadiums were quickly selling more nachos than popcorn.

[9A]

Apr 14, 2017
First Day of Bengali Calendar Pohela Boishakh





Today's doodle marks Pohela Boishakh, the first day of the Bengali Calendar. While Pohela Boishakh is a lively festival today, its origins are less fanciful. The Bengali calendar year was developed over 400 years ago by the Emperor Akbar as a way to collect taxes on a specific date every year. When the new year begins, accountants can close their books on the previous year and start fresh.

On this day in Bangladesh, the country comes alive with colorful celebrations and parades. Cities and towns gather together to sing traditional songs like "Esho, he Boishakh". They eat Bengali food such as Panta bhaat [[a dish of rice soaked in water), and Illish Maas [[fried hilsa fish). The main attraction in the capital city of Dhaka is the large Mangal Shobhajatra procession. The streets fill up with a parade of huge masks and creatures, each with its own symbolism, but many meant to drive away evil spirits or inspire courag e and peace. The masks are often vibrant and imaginative representations of animals native to Bangladesh, like the owl and tiger you see in today's doodle.

[9A]

Mar 6, 2017
37th Anniversary of Komodo National Park




https://www.google.com/doodles/37th-...-national-park [[interactive)

Today’s Doodle celebrates the 37th anniversary of Komodo National Park with an interactive quiz to test your knowledge about Its main, reptilian inhabitant: the Komodo dragon!

Komodo National Park in Indonesia sits at the center of an archipelago and consists mainly of 3 volcanic islands. The landscape is unlike any other, ranging from dry savanna conditions to lush forests, all surrounded by white-sand beaches and bright blue water.

Although Komodo National Park was created to protect the life of the 5700 Komodo dragons who call it home, the park's scope has now expanded to other native wildlife. In addition to the Timor deer, which is the main source of food for the Komodo dragon, the islands are also the habitat for 72 species of birds, such as the yellow-crested cockatoo. Thousands of fish species swim in the surrounding waters, as well as sea turtles, dolphins, and whales.

[9A]

Nov 29, 2016
Louisa May Alcott’s 184th Birthday





"I like good strong words that mean something," says Jo March in Little Women. The same could be said of that beloved novel's author, Louisa May Alcott, who was born on this day in 1832. In addition to being a writer, Alcott was a suffragist, abolitionist, and feminist. She grew up in the company of luminaries like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau, who fostered in her a strong sense of civic duty. Alcott volunteered as a nurse during the American Civil War, and her family's home was a station on the Underground Railroad. She was active in the women's suffrage movement and became the first woman to register to vote in Concord, Massachusetts. Through it all, she wrote novels and short stories tirelessly, sometimes working 14 hours a day.

Today's Doodle portrays Beth, Jo, Amy, and Meg March, as well as Jo's best friend Laurie, their neighbor. The March family of Little Women was based on Alcott's own, and the coltish Jo was Louisa's vision of herself: strewing manuscript pages in her wake, charging ahead with the courage of her convictions, and cherishing her family above all.

[9A]

Sep 23, 2016
358th Anniversary of Tea in the UK





Tea drinking is a thoroughly British pastime, whether it’s a mug of steaming builder’s tea or a delicate cup and saucer served with cucumber sandwiches. It’s not known when the first cuppa was enjoyed in the UK, but we do know that the first advert for tea in England appeared on this date in a publication from 1658 describing it simply as a “China Drink.” A couple of years later, English Naval Administrator Samuel Pepys wrote about drinking tea in his diary entry from 1660.

Chinese tea was reportedly drunk by Europeans as early as the 16th century, a trend spearheaded by Dutch and Portuguese traders. British coffee shops were selling tea in the 17th century, though drinking it was considered an expensive, upper-class privilege. By the 19th century, The East India Company was using fast ships called tea clippers to transport leaves from India and China to England’s docks. The Cutty Sark is the only surviving clipper of its kind and can still be visited in Greenwich.

As tea became more readily available, dedicated tea shops began popping up throughout the UK, becoming favorite spots for daytime socialising. Tea was well on its way to becoming a British tradition.

[9A]

Oct 3, 2014
Kenojuak Ashevak's 87th Birthday





Our doodle in Canada pays tribute to Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak, who would have been 87 today. Ashevak’s work brought national attention to indigenous art and thrusted the ever-humble artist into the spotlight. For her contribution to art and Canadian culture, Ashevak was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

[9A]

Oct 2, 2014
National Batik Day 2014




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

[9A]

Oct 10, 2009
Giuseppe Verdi's Birthday



Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian opera composer. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, and developed a musical education with the help of a local patron. Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera scene after the era of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioachino Rossini, whose works significantly influenced him.

His operas remain extremely popular, especially the three peaks of his 'middle period': Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata, and the 2013 bicentenary of his birth was widely celebrated in broadcasts and performances.

[9A]

March 11, 2021
Astor Piazzolla's 100th Birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Buenos Aires-based guest artist José Saccone, celebrates Argentine composer and virtuosic bandoneón player Astor Piazzolla, who revolutionized traditional tango to create a hybrid genre known as “nuevo tango.”

Astor Piazzolla was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1921 and moved with his family to New York City at a young age. When his father bought him a bandoneón, an Argentine accordion-like instrument that is essential to the tango sound, he quickly became known as a child prodigy and wrote his first tango at 11.

[9A]

Jul 30, 2020
Turhan Selçuk’s 98th Birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Istanbul-based guest artist M.K. Perker, commemorates the 98th birthday of iconic Turkish cartoonist, artist, and satirist Turhan Selçuk, a celebrated pioneer of the contemporary Turkish comic strip. Wielding a minimalist style of line art infused with acute wit, Selçuk masterminded one of the country’s first and most famous original comic book characters, Abdülcanbaz, who is depicted riding a bike in today’s Doodle artwork.

Turhan Selçuk was born on this day in 1922 in the ancient Turkish city of Milas. While still a high school student in 1941, he published some of his first illustrations in the newspaper Türk Sözü [[The Turkish Word) and saw continued success with his work throughout the decade.

As the chief illustrator for the Yeni Istanbul [[New Istanbul), he honed his artistic style and championed the belief that cartoons were a universal medium of storytelling. In 1954, he took the same position at Milliyet, an Istanbul-based daily national newspaper that three years later became the home for Selçuk’s definitive, postmodern comic series “The Adventures of Abdülcanbaz.” Across a nearly three-decade run, the angular hero Abdülcanbaz, also known as the “Istanbul Gentleman,” traveled around the world and even through time to fight injustice and help the powerless.

[9A]

December 9, 2019
Celebrating Lotería!



http://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-loteria [[interactive game)


Today’s interactive game Doodle celebrates the traditional Mexican card game, Lotería! It’s also our second-ever multiplayer experience: Play the game with friends in a private match, or match with users around the globe at random.

A smile instantly comes to my face every time I think of Lotería. I think of being with my extended family in Mexico for the holidays, scattering around my Tia Cruz’s house, anxiously waiting for a round to start. I think of us tossing beans at each other in attempts to distract the other from our boards. Most importantly, I think of the laughter, the excitement, and how all the worries of the world melted away as this game brought us together, even if just for a few hours.

Today, Lotería’s iconic imagery and the shared experience it fosters across people of any generation has become a source of pride and celebration for Mexican culture. Whether you play today with your familia or a new amig@ around the world, we hope today’s Doodle inspires fun, curiosity, and a healthy dose of competencia ;

[9A]

April 30, 2018
Dadasaheb Phalke’s 148th Birthday




Almost 150 years ago on this date, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke was born in Trimbak in present-day Maharashtra.

The son of a scholar, Phalke developed a keen interest in the arts and studied at various points, photography, lithography, architecture, engineering, and even magic. After stints as a painter, draftsman, theatrical set designer, and lithographer, he chanced upon Alice Guy's silent film, The Life of Christ [[1910).

Already deeply influenced by the works of painter, Raja Ravi Varma, Phalke resolved to bring Indian culture to the silver screen. He traveled to London to learn filmmaking from Cecil Hepworth.
In 1913, India’s first silent film, Raja Harishchandra was released. Phalke’s magic touch with special effects and mythology made it a huge hit, and it was followed by a dozen more.

In 1969, the Government of India paid homage to this visionary filmmaker by establishing the Dadasaheb Phalke award recognizing lifetime contributions to Indian cinema.

[9A]

August 15, 2018
Carmen Conde’s 111th Birthday




Poet, teacher, novelist, playwright, author of over 100 books, and cofounder of Cartagena’s Popular University, Carmen Conde Abellán was a pioneer in multiple fields. Born in 1907 on Cartagena’s southeast coast, Conde used to read and write under her bed as a child since her parents didn't appreciate her literary aspirations. Her gift with words became evident early as she saw her first writings published in the national press when she was 15 and published her first book, La Lectura, in 1929.


The first woman elected to the Royal Spanish Academy in 1978, Conde is celebrated in literary circles for her poetry. Yet her restless creativity found other outlets as well. Writing under the pseudonym Florentina del Mar, she produced 20 volumes of children’s literature and went on to premiere children’s plays on the radio.

[9A]

Aug 8, 2018
Dilip Sardesai’s 78th Birthday





There are no Test cricket grounds approved for national matches in Goa, the former Portuguese colony on India’s western coast where Dilip Sardesai was born on August 8, 1940. Nevertheless Sardesai would go on to become a legendary batsman for India.

Considered one of the best batsmen ever to play the game, Sardesai was especially effective against spin bowling. He would play 30 Test matches for India, earning the title “Renaissance Man of Indian cricket.” Between 1961 and 1972, he scored 2,001 runs.

Sardesai's greatest feat came in 1971 when he helped defeat the mighty West Indies side in their own backyard. The Indian team had lost to Barbados and struggled against Guyana, but Sardesai became a national hero in India for his 642 runs in the series, including a score of 212 in the Test match at Kingston, Jamaica. To boost his team’s spirits, he declared the match a “Popatwadi attack”—a term he coined himself to poke fun at opponents.

[9A]

Aug 5, 2018
Talal Maddah’s 78th Birthday





The western region of Saudi Arabia is known as the Hijaz—which means “the barrier.” Ironically, this region was the birthplace of renowned singer Talal Maddah, who used his musical talent to break down walls.

A vibrant musical center since pre-Islamic times, the Hijaz contains the holy cities of Medina and Mecca, birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. Maddah sang Hijazi songs with intricate melodies dating back thousands of years to the days when musicians from Mecca would sing for the crowds in the marketplace. Born in this musical city in 1940, Maddah often accompanied himself on the oud, a Hijazi stringed instrument seen in today’s Doodle.

Radio broadcasted Maddah’s voice throughout the Arab world, from Egypt to Lebanon. The combination of his poetic lyrics, voice [[which earned him the nickname “Golden Throat”), and syncopated percussion excited listeners. The singer’s vocalizations were so powerful they seemed to come from the very earth itself, inspiring another nickname, “The Earth’s Voice.” His 1976 song “Maqadir” became the first Hijzai song to gain popularity throughout the region, at a time when no pan-Arab popular music existed given cultural and religious customs. But Maddah’s special talent—as well as his persistence and determination—allowed his voice to reach a new audience, bringing people together through the universal language of music.

Maddah went on to become a phenomenon throughout the Arab world, releasing numerous albums in Saudi Arabia. To this day, his recordings continue to reach new audiences, demonstrating the enduring power of music to open hearts and minds.

[9A]

Jul 21, 2018
Belgium National Day 2018




Today is Belgium National Day! July 21st commemorates Belgium’s anniversary of independence and is the perfect occasion to celebrate Belgian culture and food.

Today's Doodle features one of Belgium’s most distinctly delectable treats - the waffle! Depending on where you find yourself in Belgium, you’ll be treated to different types of waffles. In Brussels, waffles are traditionally rectangular and have deep, square pockets throughout. These waffles are typically light and crispy, and might be dusted with powdered sugar or topped with whipped cream and fruit. Should you order a waffle in Liege, you’ll be treated to a thicker waffle made of a dough similar to bread. The waffle may be rounder and have uneven edges, a signature of this style. Both waffles are a delicious treat and an excellent way to celebrate the holiday!

Whether in Brussels or Liege, or even at home whipping up homemade treats from family recipes passed down through generations, Belgians everywhere take today to celebrate their heritage and partake in the festivities.

[9A]

Jul 4, 2018
Hubert Cecil Booth’s 147th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates British engineer Hubert Cecil Booth, inventor and designer or many products we use to this day, most notably the first powered vacuum cleaner!

At the top of the 20th century, cutting-edge floor-cleaning technology involved blowing air to push debris away. Booth, however, was intrigued by the inverse idea: cleaning by suction. After seeing a demonstration of the “pneumatic carpet renovator” blowing dirt out of railway cars, Booth tried an experiment. Laying his handkerchief on a restaurant chair, he put his mouth on the table cloth and sucked air through it. Inspired by the results, he set to work on his first design—nicknamed “Puffing Billy”—which was powered by an engine so big it had to be housed outside and pulled around by horses!

Booth started the British Vacuum Cleaner Company in 1903, and his flagship product—a somewhat smaller electric device—was soon embraced by fashionable households, including the British royal family. Watching the “Puffing Billy” suck dust out the window of your home even became a fun afternoon activity, lending housework a certain social cachet.

Although the vacuum cleaner is a critical component of Booth’s legacy, it didn’t stop there. He o built bridges,designed engines for Royal Navy battleships, and also contributed to the design of ferris wheels across England, France, and Austria - which you can also spot in today’s Doodle .

[9A]

Nov 7, 2017
Nellie Campobello’s 117th Birthday





The early part of the 20th century was a time of great political and cultural change in Mexico. Nellie Campobello [[born María Francisca Moya Luna) bore witness to the Revolution as it overtook every aspect of ordinary life in her native Chihuahua and across the country.

She also did something almost no other woman had done or would do about those tumultuous times: she remembered. In 1931, she published the Spanish novella Cartucho, a collection of 56 keenly observant vignettes about the Revolution. The book captured her experiences as a young girl caught up in a revolution, the stories told to her by her mother, the collective memories of strangers and friends impacted by the war, and the corridos [[ballads) of her hometown.

Cartucho was among the very few accounts of this important period of Mexican history narrated from a woman's perspective. It was also unique in its lyrical, almost poetic tone of voice.

[9A]

This is the one that they did for Selena in 2017:

https://www.google.com/doodles/celeb...na-quintanilla [[interactive)
[[Very nice video, with sound)

Today we celebrate Selena Quintanilla: Mexican-American music & entertainment icon, fashion trendsetter, passionate entrepreneur, community philanthropist, and one of the people who taught me growing up that no matter who you are or where you come from, anything is possible.

Born in Lake Jackson, Texas on April 16, 1971, Selena’s talent shone from an early age. Strumming Nat King Cole’s “I’m in the Mood for Love” on guitar, Selena’s Father listened to his daughter sing along, and immediately knew the bright future before her.

With encouragement from their father, nine year old Selena and her older siblings A.B. [[guitar) and Suzette [[drums) formed the beginnings of the Tejano sensation Selena y Los Dinos. Born in Texas, Tejano music [[or “Tex-Mex”) blends Mexican and American sub-genres like pop, polka, ranchera, and cumbia. Widely popular across the TX/Mexico border since the 1800s, Selena y Los Dinos’ infectious brand of Tejano music popularized the genre to audiences globally.

First playing at the family restaurant, quiceañeras, and fairs, the band’s humble beginnings - including sitting on equipment due to the lack of formal seating in their inaugural tour bus “Big Bertha - eventually led to high profile touring. But they also fought through hard times and adversity. In fact, Selena was frequently discriminated against in the male-dominated music genre, and some venues even refused to book the band for shows.

Despite all this, Selena’s talent, energy, and perseverance easily won the hearts of a rapidly growing fan base. In 1986 she was awarded the Tejano Music award for “Female Vocalist of the Year,” catapulting Selena y los Dinos to Tejano stardom. Other milestones followed, solidifying Selena’s legacy as “The Queen of Tejano.” She released her first studio album with Capitol EMI [[self-titled “Selena”) on this day in 1989, consistently straddled the top of the billboard charts, and won a Grammy for best Mexican/American album of 1993 -- the first female and youngest Tejano artist to win the award.

Selena was also much more than a talented musician. A fashionista and trendsetter, she often designed and created entire outfits for her performance wardrobe. In her free time, she was also active in community service, including being a strong advocate for education.
Most importantly, Selena became a beacon of inspiration and hope for the Latinx, immigrant, and bicultural communities around the globe. Her story of embracing and celebrating all parts of her cultural heritage and persevering in the face of adversity forged an emotional connection with millions.

As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant single mom living in a small [[primarily white) town in rural Texas, I was one of the people Selena and her legacy profoundly influenced. My love of music started with her. One of my dearest childhood memories is of my mom and I belting Bidi Bidi Bom Bom and Techno Cumbia in the family van during our annual road trips to Mexico. I even sang Selena classics in talent shows across northeast Texas [photo evidence below, courtesy of my Mom].

[9A]

Oct 16, 2017
Olaudah Equiano’s 272nd Birthday





Born in Nigeria, African writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano was sold into slavery as a boy. He braved the harsh conditions of the Middle Passage to the Caribbean and lived to tell his story.

Equiano was a seafarer, often working for captains and merchants. When given the chance to read and write, he learned swiftly. Equiano moved up the ranks, gaining rare promotions to seaman, then merchant. He carefully saved his earnings from side trades over the course of 3 years, eventually earning enough to buy his freedom.

Once a free man, Equiano published his memoir, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, which became one of the earliest bestsellers by an African author. The book detailed his life, travels, and the slave trade, helping to sway public opinion against slavery. He also founded Sons of Africa, an anti-slavery organization consisting of leaders in London’s black community, and gave lectures to the public and politicians.

Change due to Equiano’s efforts would come a decade after his death with the passing of Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807.

[9A]

Oct 10, 2017
Fridtjof Nansen’s 156th Birthday





Today we celebrate legendary adventurer Fridtjof Nansen, who explored the world’s unknown terrain and broke new ground as an international humanitarian.

Born in Oslo, Norway in 1861, Nansen was gripped by a sense of adventure from a young age. He learned to cross-country ski as many as 50 miles in one day with minimal supplies — and sometimes with just his dog! His love of the outdoors led him to study zoology at the Royal Frederick University. In 1888, he became the first person to lead an expedition across the snow-capped interior of Greenland. One icy adventure was not enough: just a few years later, Nansen attempted to become the first person to reach the North Pole. Although the expedition was unsuccessful, he did go farther north in latitude than any other explorer at that time.

As World War I took hold in 1914, Nansen was forced to halt his explorations and focus on research at home. However, by 1920, his interests shifted from understanding the landscape of the world to influencing the international political climate. Nansen worked to free hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war and repatriate refugees. He created the Nansen Passport, a travel document that allowed stateless refugees to emigrate and resettle. Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for helping those without a voice find a home.

Fridtjof Nansen began his career by shattering the boundaries of human exploration, and he brought the same courage and tenacity to his fight to support refugees.