Google Doodles

[Gopher Gary]

I missed out on posting an awesome doodle.

Thursday's Google Doodle was Summer Solstice 2018 (Northern Hemisphere)



To-do list filling up? Been putting off that pesky task for far too long? Well, today’s the day to finally get it done — June 21 marks this year’s summer solstice: the longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere.

Each year on the summer solstice, the sun hits its annual altitudinal peak directly over the Tropic of Cancer. This year, that moment occurs at exactly 10:07 am UTC. When it happens, the tilt of the earth’s North Pole is at its closest to the sun, marking the first day of summer on the astronomical calendar.

Throughout history, the summer solstice has been the impetus for numerous cultural celebrations, many of which we see variations of today. From Astrofest in Croatia, to Midsommar in Sweden, to the Summer Solstice Celebration in Santa Barbara, U.S.A., the summer solstice remains a day of celebration around the world.

As you enjoy today’s extra bit of sunlight, check out what our neighbors to the South are up to on their shortest day of the year.

Happy Summer!

[Gopher Gary]

Yesterday's Google Doodle was Octavia E. Butler's 71st Birthday



Octavia E. Butler’s legacy calls to mind the age old question of whether life imitates art, or vice versa.

Born in Pasadena in 1947, her extreme shyness, tall build, and mild dyslexia all contributed to young Butler’s social anxiety, which led to her spending a significant amount of time in the local library. There, she discovered her love for science fiction. When her mother bought her a typewriter at the age of ten, Butler also discovered her passion and talent for writing.

In a genre historically populated by only white male protagonists, Butler created characters that she, and millions of others, could identify with. She considered herself to have three central audiences — black readers, feminists, and fans of science fiction — and challenged herself to create a body of work that was accessible to all of them. While Butler faced institutional racism and segregation throughout her life, these experiences influenced her writing and thus shone a light on critical social issues

Stories including Bloodchild (1984) and the Parable series (1993-1998) resonated so strongly with readers of all backgrounds that Butler was the recipient of multiple Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995 she became the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, a prize which invests in those with “extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits.”

Today’s Doodle honors the author’s immense contribution to the genre of science fiction, including the diverse worlds and characters she brought to life.

Happy 71st birthday, Octavia!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's 372nd Birthday



Google has no comment for this doodle. 

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Fourth of July 2018



Brave, bold, and beautiful: words paired equally well to describe the United States of America and your Great Aunt Rita’s coleslaw. The 4th of July is the USA’s most scrumptious summer celebration: a time when friends and family get together to celebrate the nation’s independence by cooking, boiling, frying, baking, grilling, or blackening their favorite regional dishes.

In celebration of the holiday, feast your eyes on today’s delicious Doodle, which we launched a day early to encourage exploration as well as your own 4th of July menus! The interactive map “Foodle” features highly searched recipes over the last 12 months for each state/territory based on Google Trends data. Tap on your state or territory to find one of your top searched recipes, but also a fun fact about the delectable dish.

Some samples to savor:

⭐ Grab the ingredients to make gooey goulash like our fellow Michiganders

⭐Salivate over succulent spaghetti squash like our fellow Coloradans

⭐Jump for Johnny Cake joy like our fellow U.S Virgin Islanders

⭐Guarantee happy stomachs with glorious gumbo like our fellow Lousianans

⭐Add all-American apple pie to your plate like our fellow Mainers

 

You can also check out July 4th specific search trends on Google Trends.

If today’s Doodle doesn’t inspire a new culinary tradition for your Independence Day celebration, we’ll eat our hats! Happy 4th!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Helen Rodríguez Trías’ 89th Birthday.



Today’s Doodle pays tribute to Helen Rodríguez Trías, a physician, educator, and outspoken advocate for women and children’s right to healthcare. 

Born in New York City on this day in 1929,  Rodríguez Trias moved to Puerto Rico with her family and later enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico’s medical school, graduating with highest honors.  She was inspired to pursue a career in medicine because, she said, it "combined the things I loved the most, science and people.”

Upon moving her practice from Puerto Rico to NYC, she became a staunch supporter of grassroots efforts to improve the quality of life for the community served by Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx, where she worked as director of the Department of Pediatrics.  She developed programs to help abused children and families affected by HIV and AIDS.

Over time Dr. Rodríguez Trias expanded her efforts on an international scale, working tirelessly to improve health care for families in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.  "I hope I'll see in my lifetime a growing realization that we are one world,” she said. “No one is going to have quality of life unless we support everyone's quality of life… Not on a basis of do-goodism, but because of a real commitment...it's our collective and personal health that's at stake."

A founder of the New York Latino Commission on AIDS, she became the first Hispanic American woman to serve as president of the American Public Health Association.  In 2001, she was honored her with the Presidential Citizens Medal as an ''outstanding educator and dynamic leader in public health.''

Happy Birthday Dr. Rodríguez Trías!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is 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. 

Happy 91st birthday, Maestro!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is 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.

On what would’ve been her 114th birthday, we honor Rudenko’s achievements both on and off the board.

Cднем ​​рождения, Lyudmila!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is María Rebecca Latigo de Hernández’s 122nd Birthday.



Today’s Doodle celebrates what would have been the 122nd birthday of María Rebecca Latigo de Hernández, a civil rights leader integral to advancing Mexican American and Mexican immigrant rights.

Born in Garza García, near Monterrey, Mexico in 1896, Hernández later immigrated to San Antonio, Texas, where she became one of the leading voices speaking against economic discrimination and educational segregation that was faced primarily by women and children of Mexican descent. Among her many contributions, she co-founded the Orden Caballeros de America (Order of the Knights of America) - a benefit society dedicated to educating Mexican Americans about their rights. She also helped organize the Asociación Protectora de Madres (Association for the Protection of Mothers) which provided financial aid to expectant mothers and La Liga de Defensa Pro-Escolar (The School Defense League) which fought to replace segregated educational facilities.

In addition to being a powerful organizer, Hernández was also a talented orator: she became San Antonio’s first Mexican American female radio announcer, and spent much of the rest of her life speaking up against injustice and inequality across both the Mexican and African American communities.

Today’s Doodle illustrates Hernández doing what she did best – using her voice to elevate and benefit her community.

Happy 122nd birthday, María Rebecca Latigo de Hernández!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Gerda Taro’s 108th Birthday.



Though she was tiny in stature, Gerda Taro had the heart of a giant. Known as “the little red fox,” the ginger-haired photographer fearlessly turned her camera lens to capture sensitive and critical images of conflict around the world, producing powerful black-and-white images that informed readers of the newspaper Ce Soir. In fact, Taro is considered to be the first female journalist in the world to cover the front lines of conflict.

Born on this day in 1910 in Stuttgart, Germany, Taro moved to France shortly after Adolf hitler was appointed the chancellor of Germany 1933. In Paris she met Robert Capa, a fellow refugee three years her junior who taught her the basics of photography. They became friends, changed their names (she was originally named Gerta Pohorylle), and were enamored for a time. Capa would go on to co-found the Magnum Photo agency while Taro became known for her fearless reportage. “The troops loved her and she kept pushing,” said Taro’s biographer Jane Rogoyska. “Capa warned her not to take so many risks.”

During the last five months of Taro’s short career, she worked alone in Spain before tragically losing her life near El Escorial, northwest of Madrid, while capturing images on the front line of the Spanish Civil War in July 1937. By the age of 26, her searing battlefield images made her a household name, even though many of those images were misattributed to Capa.

Here’s to Gerda Taro, who had a photographer’s eye, a journalist’s soul, and a warrior’s courage.

[Gopher Gary]

Also today, in Switzerland, today's Google Doodle is Switzerland National Day 2018. 



Get out the cowbells! Today is Swiss National Day. Throughout Switzerland’s 26 cantons, the Swiss flag is displayed on everything from window boxes to loaves of bread. Children light paper lanterns and ring bells in commemoration of the oath of Swiss Confederation that was sworn in 1291. Bonfires in the hills remind one and all how word was spread of that ancient pledge of mutual support. The day is also filled with solemn speeches, fireworks, concerts, and parades of flower-bedecked cows, as shown in today’s Doodle.

In Basel, the celebrations begin in earnest the night of July 31 with food stands, music, and revelry on both sides of the Rhine until the early hours of the morning. Spectacular fireworks also light up the sky near the Rhine Falls.

For many Swiss, preparations for the holiday begin at least a week earlier, with citizens collecting wood for enormous bonfires. Friendly competitions urge neighbors to outbuild each others’ woodpiles. As it grows dark, the sounds of a traditional accordion or Schwiizerörgeli can be heard. And when the bonfire flames get just right, Swiss sausages known as Cervelats will go on the flames, growing plump and succulent till just right to eat. 

Happy Swiss National Day!

[renaeden]

My surname is Swiss. First and second names are French. 3 generations Australian.

Thank you for posting these doodles, Gary. They are a good read.

[Gopher Gary]

 

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Celebrating Mister Rogers.



“Through television we have a great chance to show and tell our children that they really matter, even when they’re very little…We have a chance to communicate the fact that childhood lies at the very basis of who people are and who they become.”  –Fred Rogers

On this date, September 21, 1967, 51 years ago, Fred Rogers walked into the television studio at WQED in Pittsburgh to tape the very first episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which would premiere nationally on PBS in February 1968. He became known as Mister Rogers, nationally beloved, sweater wearing, “television neighbor,” whose groundbreaking children’s series inspired and educated generations of young viewers with warmth, sensitivity, and honesty. 

Rogers grew up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a small town near Pittsburgh. Music was his first love, and he studied music composition at Rollins College. Just before graduating in 1951, he happened to watch some children’s television shows and described them as “a lot of nonsense, pies in faces.” He felt children deserved better and headed for New York, serving as an apprentice and floor manager for the music shows at NBC.

Returning to Pittsburgh, Rogers eventually added the ministry and lifelong studies in child development to his talents, bringing them to WQED, where he produced Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He drew on all of his talents, including being a gifted communicator, to wear many hats, serving as creator, host, producer, script writer, composer, lyricist, and main puppeteer for almost 900 programs. 

Rogers’ reputation as a champion of high standards—for children’s programming and for television in general—was highlighted by his now-famous testimony before Congress in 1969 advocating against proposed budget cuts to public television. The committee was so moved by his simple, genuine, and powerful plea that the budget was increased for the following year.

Although production on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ended in 2000, many PBS stations continue to broadcast the series for a new generation of children to discover. Today, young viewers also get to “visit with” Daniel Tiger (son of the beloved puppet from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the animated spin-off, which delves into many of the same important topics Rogers did.

Today’s stop-motion, animated video Doodle celebrating Mister Rogers was created in collaboration with Fred Rogers Productions, The Fred Rogers Center, and BixPix Entertainment. Set to the iconic opening song of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor"), the Doodle aims to be a reminder of the nurturing, caring, and whimsy that made the show feel like a “television visit” between Mister Rogers and his young viewers. Everyone was welcome in this Neighborhood. Through his honest words, thoughtful songs, and imaginative Neighborhood of Make-Believe stories, Mister Rogers took us by the hand, helping us feel good about who we are. He encouraged us to find positive ways to deal with our feelings, to treat others with respect and kindness, and to appreciate the world around us.   

-Hedda Sharapan, Child Development Consultant, Fred Rogers Productions

---

Special thanks to Joanne Rogers, wife of Fred Rogers, for her support of this project. Below, Joanne shares her thoughts on the Doodle:

“I’m so thrilled that Google is celebrating Fred and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with this charming tribute.This stroll through the Neighborhood is delightful, and Fred’s gentle kindness is beautifully captured in the Doodle.”

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Fall Equinox 2018 (Northern Hemisphere)



Happy Fall Equinox!

Today marks the first day of autumn, astronomically speaking at least. The autumnal equinox — the celestial event in which the sun is directly above the equator — occurs around 1:54 AM UTC. That means night and day will be almost exactly equal in length, since the earth’s tilt and position in orbit render it parallel with the sun. Just following the equinox, the northern hemisphere will gradually begin to tilt away from the sun’s rays and usher in the cool, crisp autumn weather.

 This year’s seasonal Doodle series protagonist, Quinn, curiously follows the path of a falling leaf, waking up a new friend hidden in the deciduous mound. Surely as the trees begin to turn, many, like Quinn, will find warmth in the company of friends old and new, and fun in the potential of colorful, crunchy leaf piles!

Doodle by Sophie Diao, with coloring help from Vrinda Zaveri

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Tyrus Wong’s 108th Birthday.



Along the beach in Santa Monica, California, on the fourth Saturday of every month, an elderly gentleman could be found flying kites with his wife and three daughters. The panda bears, butterflies, and centipedes floating in the breeze were of his own design.

Today’s Doodle honors the life and legacy of Tyrus Wong (born Wong Gen Yeo) the Chinese-American artist responsible for some of the best-known images in American popular culture. Drawing inspiration from Chinese artists of the Song Dynasty, Wong applied his unique vision to paintings, prints, and even the Walt Disney film Bambi.

Born on this day in 1910 in a village in southern China’s Guangdong Province, ten-year-old Wong and his father traveled to America seeking a better life. After living a short time in Sacramento, they eventually settled in Los Angeles.

Although Wong’s father recognized his love of art from an early age, he could only afford for Wong to practice calligraphy using water and newspapers as well as study Chinese art at the Los Angeles Central Library. There, he was introduced to his favorite paintings, the spare landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD). In junior high school, Wong earned a scholarship to the Otis Art institute, supporting himself as a waiter in Chinatown. He and fellow artists like Benji Okubo and Hideo Date formed the Oriental Artists’ Group of Los Angeles, organizing shows of their work. In 1932, Wong’s work was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago along with works by Picasso, Matisse, and Paul Klee.

In 1938, Wong was hired by Walt Disney Studios as an "inbetweener" intern (illustrators who create the sketches between key animator sketches, forming the movement of a character or object), drawing thousands of illustrations that were photographed to make animated films. His most notable work was on the Disney film Bambi, where he served as a lead illustrator, profoundly influencing the art of the  beloved classic. Unfortunately, when Bambi hit theaters in 1942, Wong was only credited as one of many “background artists,” leading his major contributions to go unrecognized for years.

Wong went on to work for Warner Brothers, drawing and painting storyboards that shaped the look of other landmark Hollywood films like The Wild Bunch, Sands of Iwo Jima, and Rebel Without A Cause—all of which earned Academy Award nominations.

The artist’s contributions to Hollywood went largely unrecognized until 2001, when he was named a “Disney Legend.” Twelve years later, the Walt Disney Family Museum also staged a career retrospective “Water to Paper, Paint to Sky.”