Google doodles

[9A]

5 Jul 2014
Venezuela Independence Day 2014





For Venezuelan Independence Day, we’re dining on hallacas, a traditional dish made of meat wrapped in cornmeal and then folded within plantain leaves.

[9A]

4 June 2017
Nutan’s 81st Birthday






The conflicted murderess [Bandini]. The anguished untouchable [Sujata]. The hell-raising orphan [Seema]. All memorable characters played by Nutan, a celebrated Indian film actress known for communicating complex emotions using only facial expressions and body language rather than dialogue. An icon of Indian cinema for over four decades, Nutan pioneered powerful women-centric films in an age when male actors dominated the silver screen.

Over her career, her distinct, groundbreaking style helped solidify an award-winning legacy. She won the Padma Shri in 1974 for her contribution to the Arts and a total of six Filmfare Awards, five of which were for Best Actress. She remains the oldest Indian actress to win a Filmfare award.

Today’s Doodle reflects Nutan’s expressive acting style on what would have been her 81st birthday. It was hard to sum up her genius in a single portrait, and so we depicted four distinct expressions.

Happy Birthday, Nutan!

[9A]

4 June 2008
First Hot Air Balloon Flight

[9A]

4 June 2014
Alejandro Obregon's 93rd Birthday





Our doodle in Colombie today draws inspiration from the work of painter Alejandro Obregon for what would be his 93rd birthday. Recognized as one of Colombia’s top painters, Obregon’s style is noted for its use of color and geometric forms.

[9A]

6 Jun 2014
Honinbo Shusaku's 185th Birthday






Today in Japan and other countries, we’re marking the 185th birthday of Honinbo Shusaku, widely considered to be one of the greatest players of the ancient Chinese board game Go. Shusaku rose to prominence during Go’s golden age in the 19th century and is known for his perfection of the Shusaku opening, which is depicted in our doodle.

[9A]

17 June 2015
130th Anniversary of France delivering the Statue of Liberty to the United States






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

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

Today, the Statue of Liberty is more than just a symbol of solidarity. It’s a reminder that all countries thrive on the exchange of ideas and culture. The National Park Service's dedication to maintaining and restoring the statue ensures that message will live on.

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

[9A]

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







Today’s Doodle honors the life and legacy of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte [1865-1915], 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.

Happy 152nd birthday to “Dr. Sue,” as her patients called her – a true American heroine.

[9A]

21 Jun 2017
Machado de Assis’ 178th Birthday





In 1839, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis was born to a simple family in Morro do Livramento, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was the grandson of freed slaves, in a country where slavery wouldn't be fully abolished until 49 years later. Machado faced the many challenges of being of mixed race in the 19th century, including limited access to formal education. But none of that stopped him from studying literature. While working as a typographer, he experimented with poems, romances, novels and plays.

Machado's work shaped the realism movement in Brazil. He became known for his wit and his eye-opening critiques of society. Today's Doodle features some scenes from his novels — Quincas Borba, Dom Casmurro, and The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas are considered masterpieces to this day. Machado was also a founder and the first president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

Happy 178th birthday to a literary genius!

Doodle by Pedro Vergani

[9A]

21 June 2010
First Day of Summer 2010

[9A]

1 July 2011
Dorothea MacKellar's 126th Birthday





As a poet, Dorothea MacKellar is best known for her vivid and loving descriptions of the Australian landscape. As such, I did my best to capture the brightness of her words, but also keep the doodle a little bit “sketchy” to portray the brevity of her verses.

[9A]

14 July 2020
Bastille Day 2020







Today’s animated Doodle, illustratedby Asnières-sur-Seine-based guest artist François Maumont, celebrates Bastille Day on the 231st anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. On this day in 1789, French revolutionaries charged the Bastille military fortress turned prison on the edge of Paris, an event considered the spark of the French Revolution.

Built in the 1300s as a medieval fortification to guard Paris’s eastern border, by 1789 the Bastille had come to represent the tyranny of the French monarchy. On July 14, a crowd of disaffected citizens besieged the stronghold, and with assistance from a group of sympathetic French Guards, forced the Bastille’s military governor to surrender. Soon, the rallying cry of “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” [“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”] was embraced by the French people, and it remains the country’s official motto to this day.

Known in France as la Fête Nationale [the National Holiday] or le 14 Juillet [July 14], Bastille Day was made an official holiday in 1880 and today serves as a worldwide celebration of all things French.
Vive le 14 Juillet! Long live the 14th of July!

[9A]

14 July 2015
New Horizons Pluto flyby






Earth is getting its first chance for an up close and personal peek at Pluto, the ball of rock and ice orbiting at the furthest edge of our solar system.

It’s all thanks to New Horizons, a thousand-pound space probe NASA sent spinning through space at 31,000 miles per hour. The probe’s interstellar jaunt spanned more than 9 years and 3 billion miles. That’s one heck of a commute!

The pictures New Horizons will send back to Earth are the first of their kind, painting scientists a more vivid picture of the far-off dwarf planet. Armed with these new insights, we’ll be able to pave a path for the next milestone in mankind’s journey of cosmic discovery.

Today’s Doodle was created by Kevin Laughlin in honor of New Horizons’ intrepid voyage to Pluto’s distant corner of the solar system. Celebrate this scientific breakthrough on NASA’s New Horizons YouTube page, where you’ll find videos detailing the extraordinary discoveries the space probe uncovers.

[9A]

19 Jul 2015
Children's Day 2015 [Panama]





Today, around three hundred and fifty thousand children will open their eyes for the very first time.

They’ll arrive from all over, but will eventually learn a universal language: one of surprise, fascination, fear, joy and hope. And as they grow, they’ll use these emotions to teach us how to live, and to see our lives through newer, fresher eyes. This is why we honor Children’s Day – to raise awareness about the possibilities within each and every young person, and how they can improve our world, and ourselves. The potential of children is limitless. Let’s help them achieve their best, so that we, as a society, can achieve ours.

[9A]

20 Jul 2015
Colombia National Day 2015






Today’s Doodle by Robinson Wood includes the country’s national flower, the endangered yet enduring Flor de Mayo orchid. With 4,270 species nationwide, Colombia is home to the greatest diversity of orchids in the world; an incredible 1,752 of them are unique to the country.

[9A]

29 February 2020
NH Dini’s 84th birthday






“Literature is actually nutritious food for humans’ souls and minds. It is the basic foundation of humanity, a reflection of society, reality, knowledge, and wisdom,” said Indonesian novelist NH Dini, whose life and work are celebrated in today’s Doodle, illustrated by Jakarta-guest artist Kathrin Honesta.

Born in Semarang, Indonesia, on this day in 1936, Nurhayati Sri Hardinia Siti Nukatin [known by her pen name NH Dini] grew up listening to her mother read stories from local magazines and went on to become a prolific author. Resisting the traditional role of women established by Javanese patriarchy, much of Dini’s work focused on gender issues and her belief that “a woman, wherever she lives, deserves to be treated equally and respectfully.”

In the 1950s, while Dini was working as a flight attendant for an Indonesian airline, she met her husband, a French consul to Japan. Throughout their marriage, the two moved around the globe and lived in Cambodia, Japan, France, the Philippines, and the U.S.

Inspired by her international travels and relentless pursuit for women’s rights, Dini devoted her life to writing and published dozens of novels, short stories, and poems over her 60-year career. Through works such as “Pada Sebuah Kapal” [“On a Ship,” 1985], and “Namaku Hiroko” [“My Name Is Hiroko,” 1986], Dini’s fiction continues to empower women today.

Here’s to a writer whose words live on in the hearts and minds of readers around the world.

[9A]

1 March 2013
Ryunosuke Akutagawa's 121st Birthday





Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, art name Chōkōdō Shujin was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him.

[9A]

1 March 2012
Quinquela Martín's 122nd Birthday





Benito Quinquela Martín was an Argentine painter. Quinquela Martín is considered the port painter-par-excellence and one of the most popular Argentine painters. His paintings of port scenes show the activity, vigor and roughness of the daily life in the port of La Boca.

Among his most famous works are: Tormenta en el Astillero [Musée du Luxembourg, Paris], Puente de la Boca [St. James's Palace, London] and Crepúsculo en el astillero [Museo de Bellas Artes de la Boca Quinquela Martín, Buenos Aires].

[9A]

2 Mar 2012
János Arany's 195th birthday







János Arany was a Hungarian poet, writer, translator and journalist. He is often said to be the "Shakespeare of ballads" – he wrote more than 102 ballads that have been translated into over 50 languages, as well as the Toldi trilogy.

[9A]

3 Mar 2012
Girls' Day 2012

[9A]

3 March 2013
Bulgaria Liberation Day 2013





It was celebrated for the first time on 19 February 1880 as the Day of the Emperor Alexander II's Assassination and the Conclusion of the San Stefano Peace Treaty. It was officially designated as Liberation Day on its 10th anniversary in 1888 by the Principality of Bulgaria.

[9A]

7 January 2017
Sandford Fleming’s 190th Birthday




It was Ireland in 1876 when a mistake printed in a timetable caused Sandford Fleming to miss his train but alter time as we know it.

Historically, regions used solar time to set their own clocks. It worked well enough until trains came along and the need for standardized time arose, which brings us back to Fleming.

Following his missed train, Fleming—a Canadian inventor and engineer of Scottish birth—proposed a worldwide standard time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute on February, 8, 1879. He advocated for dividing the world into 24 time zones beginning at the Greenwich Meridian and spaced at 15 degree intervals. His proposal gave way to the International Prime Meridian Conference which convened in 1884 and was attended by 25 nations. It was here that Fleming’s system of international standard time was adopted.

Fleming was also known for helping build the Intercontinental Railway, serving as chief engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and designing Canada’s first postage stamp. Today’s Doodle reflects Fleming’s legacy on this, the 190th anniversary of his birth.

Doodle by Sophie Diao

[9A]

19 February 2020
Jaan Kross’ 100th birthday

"Kross introduced new themes to our poetry of galaxies, electrons, Milton, Homer [[and of course sputniks).”
—Estonian writer Jaan Kaplinski on Kross

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Tallinn, Estonia-based guest artist Mirjam Laater, celebrates Estonian poet and writer Jaan Kross on what would have been his 100th birthday. Widely considered one of the nation’s most internationally recognized and translated writers, his work was critical in illuminating the realities of Soviet occupation in Eastern Europe.

Born in the capital city of Tallinn on this day in 1920, Kross studied at the distinguished Tartu University and eventually became an assistant professor of international law. In 1946, like many of his intellectual compatriots, Kross unexpectedly caught the attention of Soviet security forces and was sent to Siberia. Throughout this eight-year exile, Kross wrote numerous poems and translated published pieces, sowing the seeds for his later success.

In the 1970s, Kross began to write historical fiction to mask his political criticism. “Kolme katku vahel” [“Between Three Plagues,” 1970] and “Keisri hull” [“The Czar’s Madman,” 1978] are often considered his masterworks, with the latter selling over 30,000 copies. These novels highlight themes of censorship and state-led repression and served to foster a sense of solidarity among Europe’s Soviet Bloc writers.

In 1990, Kross won the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, France’s foreign book award, for “Keisri hull,” as well as the Amnesty International Golden Flame Prize. In 1992, Kross helped draft Estonia’s new constitution following their independence from the Soviet Union.

Palju õnne sünnipäevaks, Jaan Kross!

[9A]

19 February 2015
Lunar New Year 2015 [Vietnam]

[9A]

19 February 2014
Gabriele Münter's 137th Birthday






Gabriele Münter was a German expressionist painter who was at the forefront of the Munich avant-garde in the early 20th century. She studied and lived with the painter Wassily Kandinsky and was a founding member of the expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter.

[9A]

19 February 2013
Nicolaus Copernicus' 540th Birthday





An astronomer and mathematician, Nicolaus Copernicus is a shining star of the Renaissance. His major contribution to science is his heliocentric theory, which asserts that the sun is the center of our solar system. As the Earth was popularly assumed the center of the universe, his heliocentric theory rocked convention. Though the mechanics of this theory has mathematical underpinnings, its radical nature still gave Copernicus some pause. It was, therefore, not until his final year that he published his findings in De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium.

We wanted to celebrate Copernicus and his contributions to the world with a subtly animated doodle. Though revolutionary at the time, the heliocentric model is beautiful in its simplicity. The resulting doodle is zen-like and unassuming. Its actions need not scream for attention, much like the slow publication of De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium. The orbits of the solar system are steady and true.

Posted by Jennifer Hom

[9A]

8 June 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 [“French Academy”], 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” [“Memoirs of Hadrian” 1951], a fictionalized account of the titular Roman emperor that is widely considered her masterpiece.

Yourcenar was honored with many accolades, including two Prix Femina [“Femina Prizes”], as well as the Grand Prix de Littérature [Grand Prize for Literature] awarded in 1977 bythe Académie Française, which she historically joined three years later.

[9A]

1 Jun 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.

Thank you, Anna Molka Ahmed, for inspiring generations of Pakistani artists.

[9A]

7 December 2020
Kateryna Bilokur's 120th birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates the 120th birthday of Ukrainian painter Kateryna Bilokur, a self-taught virtuoso who earned international renown for her detailed and vivid paintings, especially those featuring her signature focus on flowers. Through a courageous devotion to her craft, Bilokur overcame great adversity to earn recognition alongside the master artists of her time.

Kateryna Bilokur was born on this day in 1900 in Bohdanivka, a village in Ukraine’s Kyiv region. She was denied a primary education and spent her days as a farm worker, but she refused to let this stand in her way. She crafted brushes out of raw materials and paints out of foods like beets and elderberries to pursue her artistic passion in her free time, with nature as her muse.

Then when she was nearly 40, her life took a fortuitous turn. Inspired by a song on the radio, Bilokur wrote a letter of admiration to the Ukrainian singer Oksana Petrusenko with an original work attached. Petrusenko was so impressed that she helped pave the way for the first exhibitions of Bilokur’s work.

Over the next two decades, her unique depictions of transcendent natural beauty reached an international audience, notably earning huge praise from the Spanish master Pablo Picasso at a 1954 exhibition in Paris.

For her lifetime achievements, Bilokur was named a People’s Artist of Ukraine, the highest arts award for Ukrainian citizens.

Happy birthday to an artist who proved it’s never too late to blossom into your potential.

[9A]

7 December 2014
250th Anniversary of the Hermitage Museum





The State Hermitage Museumis a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The second-largest art museum in the world, it was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, Saint Catherine's Day. It has been open to the public since 1852. It attracted 968,604 visitors in 2020, a drop of eighty percent from 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 it ranked eleventh on the List of most visited art museums in the world.

[9A]

7 December 2015
Matilde Pérez's 99th Birthday







Borrowing ideas from the kinetic style that made Matilde Pérez an internationally recognized artist, Nate Swinehart added some movement to today’s homepage. Born in 1916, Pérez painted and sculpted into her nineties, using the interplay of abstract shapes and sharp colors to create optical and aesthetic effects of motion. Today would have been her 99th birthday. Feliz cumpleaños, Matilde.

[9A]

6 Dec 2015
Finland National Day 2015




Today is itsenäisyyspäivä, Finland's Independence Day. Doodler Alyssa Winans and her colleague in Helsinki illustrated today's design with a cozy-looking home flying the siniristilippu [blue-cross flag].

Many Finns do indeed stay indoors for this holiday: they gather around televisions to watch a national broadcast of Tuntematon sotilas [The Unknown Soldier], a film based on the novel by Väinö Linna. They're also entertained by live coverage of the Independence Day Reception, an annual event at the Presidential Palace that honors veterans and attracts glamorous guests. This year, the chosen theme for the party was "culture". And to that, we raise our glasses. Kippis!

[9A]

30 Nov 2015
Saint Andrew's Day 2015






Every 30th of November, Scottish pride, ever-present and known worldwide for its fervor and zeal, culminates in glorious fashion.

Saint Andrew’s Day is a time to celebrate all things Scottish, with parties, kilts, and of course, the flying of the iconic blue-and-white Saltire. We went in search of one of Scotland's most reclusive citizens this year and even they have come out to play today, as seen in our animated Doodle by Sophie Diao.

[9A]

28 February 2017
Carnaval 2017 [Brazil]




Brazil Carnaval is a week-long affair of parades, samba music, themed costumes, and dancing that celebrates a time of fun and indulgence before Lent begins. Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval is considered to be the largest, with up to 2 million people taking part!

Today’s animated Doodle - by Doodler and Brazil native Pedro Vergani - gives us a glimpse of Carnaval through the ages, depicting the traditional and colorful attire spanning from the 1910s to the 2000s.
Happy Carnaval 2017!

[9A]

30 April 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.

[9A]

2 June 2015
Tapio Wirkkala’s 100th Birthday





What do Finnish banknotes and vodka bottles have in common? Both can be traced back to a common Finnish designer: Tapio Wirkkala.

Born in Hanko, Finland, on this day in 1915, Wirkkala is one of Finland’s most versatile and perhaps most internationally famous designers. Known as one of the pioneers of industrial Finnish art, Wirkkala had enormous artistic range, studying sculpture and graphic design and making furniture, vases, glassware and jewelry. Outside of the artist’s studio, his work can be found on a number of everyday items, including utensils, stamps, and even ketchup bottles.

To honor Wirkkala’s 100th birthday, today’s Doodle reflects his famous design work in glassware and vases.

[9A]

23 June 2013
Mt Fuji becomes a World Heritage site




Mount Fuji, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, standing 3,776.24 m [12,389.2 ft]. It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia [after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra], and seventh-highest peak of an island on Earth. Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano that last erupted from 1707 to 1708. The mountain is located about 100 km [62 mi] southwest of Tokyo and is visible from there on clear days. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is covered in snow for about five months of the year, is commonly used as a cultural icon of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photography, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

Mount Fuji is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku. It is a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan's Historic Sites. It was added to the World Heritage List as a Cultural Site on June 22, 2013. According to UNESCO, Mount Fuji has "inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimage for centuries". UNESCO recognizes 25 sites of cultural interest within the Mount Fuji locality. These 25 locations include the mountain and the Shinto shrine, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha, as well as the Buddhist Taisekiji Head Temple founded in 1290, later depicted by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai.

[9A]

30 December 2017
Etab's 70th Birthday




A Saudi Arabian musical pioneer, Tarfa Abdel-Kheir Adam was one of the first female singers from the Gulf to perform publicly. Her talent, first discovered when she was 13 years old, spread worldwide—and she became known by the stage name "Etab."

Etab's strong personality helped kick-start her career in the 1960s, later launching her to international pop stardom. With more than 15 albums to her name, Etab mixed traditional and contemporary Arab songs to create a style of her own, collaborating with top poets and singers from around the region.

She used her distinctive, husky voice not just for singing, but also for advocating for female equality within her field. Etab was a prominent member of the Union of Arab Artists and the Egyptian Music Syndicate.

Today’s Doodle celebrates the cultural legacy of Etab, who would've been 70 years old today.

Happy Birthday, Etab!

[9A]

12 Dec 2017
Kenya Independence Day 2017




Kenyans across the world have double the reason to celebrate December 12th.

On this day in 1963, Kenya became an independent country. Exactly one year later, it was admitted into the Commonwealth as a republic or Jamhuri [Swahili for ‘republic’]. For this reason, December 12th is known as Independence Day and also as Jamhuri Day.

Celebrations traditionally include a presidential speech at Nyayo Stadium in the capital city of Nairobi, in addition to parades and dances showcasing the country’s unique culture. Kenyans at home and abroad dress in colorful kikoys and kitenges, and feast on ugali [a popular cornmeal dish] and irio [a homey mash of potatoes and peas].

Today’s Doodle depicts the majestic Mount Kenya against the colors of the nation’s flag, which itself tells the story of Kenya’s journey to freedom. Black, red and green, along with the shield and spears of the Maasai warrior, represent the people, their fight for independence, and the country’s vast natural resources. Together, the mountain and the flag symbolize Kenya’s strength and resilience on this important day.

Hongera Kenya! Happy Independence Day!

[9A]

24 December 2020
Aliye Berger’s 117th birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates Turkish artist Aliye Berger, widely credited as one of the country’s pioneers in the art of engraving. While also known for her paintings and drawings, Berger earned great renown for her expressive and joyful black-and-white carvings. Her work often utilized unconventional materials to provide a unique window into both Turkish life and her inner psychological world.

Aliye Berger was born into a family of artists on this day in 1903 on the island of Büyükada off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey. Although she was fascinated with painting from a young age, Berger instead learned to play the violin as a child. It wasn’t until 1947, after she followed her sister to London, that she first began to study engraving under the mentorship of the artist John Buckland-Wright.

Berger returned to Turkey in 1951 with over a hundred original art pieces and held her first exhibition that year in Istanbul. She soon earned huge critical acclaim when her oil painting “Güneşin Doğuşu” [[“Sun Rising”) won a prestigious international competition in 1954. Despite the late start of her artistic career, Berger produced a prolific body of work over the following decades, and her rare gift has been showcased in solo and group exhibitions around the world.

In honor of her contributions to the arts, a large posthumous retrospective of Berger’s work was held at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts in 1975.

Happy birthday, Aliye Berger. You’ve carved out a special place in the hearts of those from Turkey and beyond.

[9A]

25 April 2018
Hung Kings Commemoration Day





On the 10th day of the third lunar month, Vietnam celebrates Hùng Kings Commemoration Day [also known as Hùng King Temple Festival day]. An official holiday since 2007, the celebration pays tribute to the Hùng Kings, the 18 emperors of Vietnam who, according to legend, ruled from 2879-258 BC and founded Văn Lang [the former name of Vietnam]. Immortalizing the Vietnamese proverb “when drinking water, think of its source” [uống nước nhớ nguồn], Hùng Kings Commemoration Day is a joyous way for young people to learn about their country’s ancestors and ancient rituals.

Today, celebrants from near and far make the pilgrimage to the Nghĩa Lĩnh Mountain near Việt Trì, where, as the story goes, the first Hùng King, Kinh Dương Vương, is said to have established his kingdom.

While some gather at the foot of the mountain with sticks of incense and food, others make the procession to the High Temple at the summit, preparing palanquins and sacred offerings, carrying wreaths from the country’s leaders, or dressing in colorful costumes, all accompanied by the sound of bronze drums. Activities like Chèo singing, games of chess, and rice cooking add to the fun.

Today's Doodle captures the spirit of this vibrant, culturally significant holiday with a depiction of the dragon dance and the colorful banners that lead the march to the temple relic site.

Happy Hùng Kings Commemoration Day!

[9A]

25 October 2019
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s 119th Birthday






“As for the charges against me, I am unconcerned,” said Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the Nigerian educator and activist who fearlessly campaigned for women’s rights and the liberation of Africa from colonial rule. Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Nigerian-Italian guest artist Diana Ejaita, celebrates a formidable leader who founded what many refer to as one of the most important social movements of the twentieth century.​

Born on this day in 1900 in Abeokuta, the current capital of Nigeria’s Ogun state, the former Frances Abigail Olufunmilayo Thomas grew up witnessing Great Britain consolidating control over Nigeria. As the grandchild of a slave, she became one of the first girls to enroll in Abeokuta Grammar School, before traveling to Cheshire in England to continue her education. By the time she returned home, she’d dropped her birth names and preferred to speak Yoruba.

In 1932, Ransome-Kuti established the Abeokuta Ladies Club [ALC], fostering unity between educated women and poor market workers and setting up the first adult education programs for Nigerian women. Renamed the Abeokuta Women’s Union in 1946, the organization boasted a membership of some 20,000 and pushed for healthcare, social services, and economic opportunity. Imprisoned in 1947 for protesting against unfair treatment towards women, Ransome-Kuti and her followers also led the charge to abdicate a corrupt local leader.

A trailblazer in many ways, Ransome-Kuti was also the first Nigerian woman to drive a car. She was also the only woman in Nigeria’s 1947 delegation to London, which lodged a protest and set the nation on the path toward self-government. As one of the few women elected to Nigeria’s house of chiefs, she was recognized for her advocacy work on behalf of women's rights and education, and revered as the “Lioness of Lisabi” and the “Mother of Africa.”

Her daughter—Dolupo—and three sons—Beko, Olikoye, and Fela—likewise became leaders in education, healthcare, and music, continuing their mother’s legacy of activism and advocacy.

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25 October 2002
Pablo Picasso's 121st Birthday






Pablo Ruiz Picasso^[was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. Regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon [1907], and Guernica [1937], a dramatic portrayal of the bombing of Guernica by German and Italian air forces during the Spanish Civil War.

Picasso demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent in his early years, painting in a naturalistic manner through his childhood and adolescence. During the first decade of the 20th century, his style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. After 1906, the Fauvist work of the slightly older artist Henri Matisse motivated Picasso to explore more radical styles, beginning a fruitful rivalry between the two artists, who subsequently were often paired by critics as the leaders of modern art.

Picasso's work is often categorized into periods. While the names of many of his later periods are debated, the most commonly accepted periods in his work are the Blue Period [1901–1904], the Rose Period [1904–1906], the African-influenced Period [1907–1909], Analytic Cubism [1909–1912], and Synthetic Cubism [1912–1919], also referred to as the Crystal period. Much of Picasso's work of the late 1910s and early 1920s is in a neoclassical style, and his work in the mid-1920s often has characteristics of Surrealism. His later work often combines elements of his earlier styles.

Exceptionally prolific throughout the course of his long life, Picasso achieved universal renown and immense fortune for his revolutionary artistic accomplishments, and became one of the best-known figures in 20th-century art.

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27 June 2021Tamio "Tommy" Kono's 91st Birthday







Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Los Angeles-based guest artist Shanti Rittgers, celebrates Japanese-American coach, Olympic gold-medalist athlete, and world-champion bodybuilder Tommy Kono, who is regarded as one of the greatest weightlifters in United States history.

Tamio “Tommy” Kono was born in Sacramento, California, on this day in 1930. During the onset of World War II, Kono and his family, all of Japanese descent, were among the over 120,000 Japanese-Americans forced by the U.S. government to be detained in prison camps [aka Japanese internment camps]. It was in one of these camps that Kono was introduced to weightlifting—which he practiced relentlessly in an effort to become healthier after experiencing severe asthma throughout his childhood.

When the fog of war lifted, Kono returned home to Sacramento, where he entered his first weightlifting competitions. By 1952, he was an invaluable member of the U.S. national weightlifting team, in part due to his rare ability to move between weight classes without losing his strength. Kono won his first Olympic gold medal in the lightweight division that same year at the Helsinki Summer Games. This began a winning streak that crescendoed at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games when he won the light-heavyweight competition—his final Olympic gold medal.

After his 1964 retirement from a career gilded by 26 world records, along with dozens of championship titles in weightlifting and several in bodybuilding, Kono shared his seasoned expertise throughout the 70s as an Olympic coach. In 1993, Kono was inducted into the Weightlifting Hall of Fame, and to this day, Kono remains the only weightlifter in history to hold world records in four different weight classes.

Happy birthday, Tommy Kono, and thank you for using your strength to lift not just weights, but those around you.

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7 August 2019
Panteleimon Kulish’s 200th Birthday







Today’s Doodle celebrates the renowned Ukrainian writer, historian, and translator Pateleimon Kulish, born on this day in 1819. Through his literary works, including the epic poem Ukraïna, and historical novels like Chorna Rada [[The Black Council), Kulish helped establish a cultural identity for his homeland, the second largest country on the European continent after Russia. Kulish was also the first person to translate the Bible into the Ukrainian language.

Raised in a poor family of Cossack descent, Kulish was not allowed to finish his studies at Kyiv University, since his family was not of the noble class. Nevertheless, he was able to hold various teaching positions, as well as become a prolific author. Inspired by the Cossacks, who were adventurous outdoorsmen who fought for a free Ukrainian state during the 17th century, Kulish and the poet Taras Shevchenko were at the forefront of a Ukrainian national revival.

Although the country was ruled by Russia during his lifetime, Kulish’s writing—heavily influenced by European Romantic literature and the Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott—championed the unique qualities of Ukrainian heritage and culture. He joined Shevchenko in the Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood, a secret society that sought independence for Ukraine. As a result, he was arrested by Tsarist police and imprisoned in 1847 before being exiled to the Russian city of Tula for three years.

He married the writer Hanna Barvinok, established his own printing press, and continued to publish and translate throughout his life. Notes on the Southern Rus, his collection of Ukrainian folklore, is still studied by many to this day.

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7 August 2013
Abebe Bikila's 81st Birthday






Shambel Abebe Bikilawas an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first black African Olympic gold medallist, 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.

Born in Shewa, Abebe moved to Addis Ababa around 1952 and joined the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, an elite infantry division that safeguarded the emperor of Ethiopia. Enlisting as a soldier before his athletic career, he rose to the rank of shambel [captain]. Abebe participated in a total of sixteen marathons. He placed second on his first marathon in Addis Ababa, won twelve other races, and finished fifth in the 1963 Boston Marathon. In July 1967, he sustained the first of several sports-related leg injuries that prevented him from finishing his last two marathons.

Abebe was a pioneer in long-distance running. Mamo Wolde, Juma Ikangaa, Tegla Loroupe, Paul Tergat, and Haile Gebrselassie—all recipients of the New York Road Runners' Abebe Bikila Award—are a few of the athletes who have followed in his footsteps to establish East Africa as a force in long-distance running.

On March 22, 1969, Abebe was paralysed due to a car accident. He regained some upper-body mobility, but he never walked again. While he was receiving medical treatment in England, Abebe competed in archery and table tennis at the 1970 Stoke Mandeville Games in London. Those games were an early predecessor of the Paralympic Games. He competed in both sports at a 1971 competition for the disabled in Norway and won its cross-country sleigh-riding event. Abebe died at age 41 on October 25, 1973, of a cerebral hemorrhage related to his accident four years earlier. He received a state funeral, and Emperor Haile Selassie declared a national day of mourning. Many schools, venues, and events, including Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa, are named after him.

He is the subject of biographies and films documenting his athletic career, and he is often featured in publications about the marathon and the Olympics.

1972 trading card of Abebe Bikila

Native name	ሻምበል አበበ ቢቂላ

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7 August 2008
Joachim Ringelnatz's Birthday



Joachim Ringelnatz is the pen name of the German author and painter Hans Bötticher [7 August 1883, Wurzen, Saxony – 17 November 1934, Berlin]. His pen name Ringelnatz is usually explained as a dialect expression for an animal, possibly a variant of Ringelnatter, German for Grass Snake or more probably the seahorse for winding ["ringeln"] its tail around objects. Seahorse is called Ringelnass [nass = wet] by mariners to whom he felt belonging. He was a sailor in his youth and spent the First World War in the Navy on a minesweeper.

In the 1920s and 1930s, he worked as a Kabarettist, i.e., a kind of satirical stand-up comedian. He is best known for his wry poems, often using word play and sometimes bordering on nonsense poetry. Some of these are similar to Christian Morgenstern's, but often more satirical in tone and occasionally subversive. His most popular creation is the anarchic sailor Kuddel Daddeldu with his drunken antics and disdain for authority.

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7 August 2009
Kenji Miyazawa's Birthday







Kenji Miyazawa [27 August 1896 – 21 September 1933] 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.

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29 May 2018
Alfonsina Storni’s 126th Birthday







Today’s Doodle celebrates renowned post-modern Latin American poet and feminist Alfonsina Storni. Also known by her pen-names Tao-Lao and Alfonsina, Storni was a prolific Argentine writer and top literary journalist who was dedicated to women’s rights and gender equality.

By age 27, Storni had authored six short stories, two novels, and a series of essays including La inquietud del rosal [The Restlessness of the Rosebush, 1916], El dulce daño [Sweet Pain, 1918], Irremediablemente [Irremediably, 1919], and Languidez [Languor, 1920], the latter winning first Municipal Poetry Prize and the second National Literature Prize. Her body of work subsequently led her to become known as one of Argentina’s most respected poets.

Active in women’s rights since she was 16, Storni was also a member of Comité Feminista de Santa Fé [Feminist Committee of Santa Fe], a leader of the Asociación pro Derechos de la Mujer [Association for the Rights of the Woman], and helped establish the Argentine Society of Writers. Today, Storni is featured as one of 999 women on The Heritage Floor, an artwork which displays names of women who have contributed to society and history, at the Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth Sackler Center for Feminist Art.

Storni’s poem La Loba [The She-Wolf, 1916] recounts her experience raising a son as a single mother while defying patriarchal norms of time.

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29 May 2014
Norman Frederick Hetherington's 93rd Birthday








Mr. Squiggle and Friends are up to their old tricks on our homepage in Australia for Norman Frederick Hetherington’s 93rd birthday. Hetherington was a cartoonist and puppeteer, best known for creating Mr. Squiggle, Australia's longest-running children's television series.

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9 August 2020
Celebrating Mekatilili wa Menza








Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Nairobi-based guest artist Wanjira Kinyua, celebrates legendary Kenyan activist Mekatilili wa Menza, known for inspiring the Giriama people to resist colonial rule in the early 20th century. Today on the Kenyan coast, the resilient legacy of Menza is commemorated during the festivities of the traditional Malindi Cultural Festival, an annual celebration of local history and pride.

Mnyazi wa Menza was born in the Giriama village of Matsara wa Tsatsu in coastal Kenya during the mid-19th century. By the early 20th century, British colonial rule had threatened the sovereignty and freedom of the Giriama people with forced labor and taxation. At a time when women’s power was limited within her society, Menza was compelled to organize her people against colonial control.

Today revered as one of Kenya’s first Mau Maus [freedom fighters], Menza traveled from village to village spreading messages of opposition, performing the ecstatic native dance of kifudu to draw large crowds and then unleashing her powerful oratory skills to garner support. Today’s Doodle artwork features a depiction of Menza leading the energetic kifudu dance that called so many to action.

Menza’s leadership contributed to uprisings by the Giriama against the British in 1913 and 1914, and despite her multiple arrests and imprisonments, her campaign of resistance proved successful. The British ultimately relaxed control of the region, effectively granting the demands for which Menza and the Giriama had fought tirelessly for.