Google Doodles

[Gopher Gary]

Yeah, back when I posted the spring one for the northern hemisphere, I also posted the fall one for the southern hemisphere in the same post. On the same day as this one, they were also showing the spring one for the southern hemisphere. 

[Gopher Gary]

OMG I missed Google's Birthday!

September 27 was Google's 19th Birthday.



They say life is full of surprises, and Google’s history is chock-full of them. In fact, we wouldn’t be here without them.

In 1997, one of Google’s co-founders, Larry Page, had just arrived at Stanford University to pursue his P.h.D in computer science. Of all the students on campus, Google’s other co-founder, Sergey Brin, was randomly assigned to show Page around. This chance encounter was the happy surprise that started it all.

From there, the two came together with a common goal in mind: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, a mantra that would go on to become Google’s mission statement. The two hunkered down in a garage - Google’s first office - and got to work.

Billions of searches later, perhaps the happiest happenstance has been how Google has grown throughout the past 19 years. Named for the number “googol” (a 1 followed by one hundred zeroes), Google inches closer to its namesake each year, currently serving more than 4.5 billion users in 160 countries speaking 123 languages worldwide.

Upon clicking today's Doodle, we invite you to explore 19 surprises we've launched over the past 19 years - including our brand new Search easter egg: Snake Game! So give it a spin and thanks for celebrating with us!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is 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.

Happy 156th Birthday, Fridtjof!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Celebrating Selena Quintanilla.



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]. 

Aside from incredible dance moves and how to belt some serious notes, watching Selena taught me that being Latina was a powerful thing, and that with hard work and focus I could do whatever I set my mind to. Watching her showed me that this hybrid cultural identity of mine was a valuable gift I should embrace. Watching her made me proud of being Mexicana.

It’s incredible that Selena’s legacy grows even larger with time. She continues to show Latinx, immigrants,  and bicultural communities around the world to be proud of who they are and to embrace their differences. Also, to work hard for your dreams because doing so makes your achievements that much more meaningful.

So the best thing I can say is thank you, Selena. Thank you for being a role model and a hero to a little Latina girl in Granbury, Texas. Thank you for teaching her that she could dream big and make it. And thank you for all the inspiration and joy your music and legacy continues to bring to the world.

Siempre Selena

-Perla Campos, Google Doodles Global Marketing Lead

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Celebrating Pad Thai.



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.

The recipe might be simple but each chef adds their own signature taste to the sauce, making it sweeter, spicier, or something in between. As with all street food, the messier and more social a meal, the better it tastes!

Today’s Doodle was inspired by Doodler Juliana's own research into cooking up Pad Thai with a friend. She wanted to be able to show all the delicious ingredients up close and invented some small pea-sized characters to be our culinary guides. Her lovely creation celebrates the process of cooking this unique dish and eating it with friends — warm, colorful, messy, social, and wonderfully Thai.

Kob khun mak, Pad Thai!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Veterans Day 2017.



In 1954, President Eisenhower changed Armistice Day - a holiday honoring WWI veterans - to Veterans Day, a day to honor all American Veterans. The day, which celebrates living U.S. Veterans as opposed to Memorial Day which honors Veterans who have passed, marks a special time of reflection, gratitude, and remembrance. 

Today's Doodle, developed in collaboration with VetNet (a network of Googler Veterans and Veteran family members and friends), incorporates silhouettes referencing the various uniforms and ranks throughout each branch of the military. From left to right these include: the Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, and Army.

In celebration of the day, feel free to explore some of the ways in which Google is honoring our Veterans:

Visit the Google Arts & Culture Veterans Day page to explore the National WWI Museum, works from the U.S. National Archives, and more.

Watch YouTube’s tribute to Veterans for their service. 

Learn more about the recently launched Grow with Google initiative, which awarded Student Veterans of America with a Google.org grant to provide full scholarships for Veterans wishing to participate in a first-of-its-kind IT Support Certificate program.

Check out “Bravo Tango,” the newly released meditation app specifically geared toward vets, created in partnership between Google, National Geographic, and 360i.

Today we honor and thank both Veterans and their families for their bravery and sacrifice for the Red, White and Blue.

Happy Veterans Day from Google!

[Walkie]

 Umm. How very partisan, and downright insensitive of Google.  Today is  (or was- since America has apparently shifted the emphasis to living vets) Remembrance Day for all the Allies. Not a good day to be flying the Stars and Stipes, internationally  and completely forgetting about all the other countries' War dead.    People are solemnly  laying out fields of poppies over here.

[Pyraxis]

It shows a different one in different countries. Here there is a poppy for Remembrance Day.

[Gopher Gary]

Umm. How very partisan, and downright insensitive of Google.  Today is  (or was- since America has apparently shifted the emphasis to living vets) Remembrance Day for all the Allies. Not a good day to be flying the Stars and Stipes, internationally  and completely forgetting about all the other countries' War dead.    People are solemnly  laying out fields of poppies over here.

Maybe not. Like the doodle text says, Veterans Day is about honoring all military service people, and Memorial Day is about honoring the dead. Google doesn't do a doodle for US Memorial Day either, and there's just a little ribbon under the Google search bar on Memorial day. This irritates some people, including me, but it makes sense they would avoid any potential of offending anyone with a doodle for a day devoted to honoring dead military service people.

[Gopher Gary]

It shows a different one in different countries. Here there is a poppy for Remembrance Day.

 

[Walkie]

It shows a different one in different countries. Here there is a poppy for Remembrance Day.

Oh! Thank goodness for that! I could see people getting really aggrieved.
Shoulda checked out Google before complaining, I guess. But I had no idea , til now, that Google displays different Doodles for different countries!

P.S. Yep, we have the little poppy, too.   

Ooh . So...it's actual;ly only Jack who's being partisan and insensitive  .   Damned yanks. 

[Gopher Gary]

But I had no idea , til now, that Google displays different Doodles for different countries!

Yeah, I only post the ones from the US, unless I happen to see one I really like from another country while I'm looking up the text for the ones in the US.

Today in Poland, the Google Doodle is Poland Independence Day 2017.



November 11th marks National Independence Day in Poland. Known as Narodowe Święto Niepodległości in its homeland, the holiday celebrates the anniversary of Poland regaining independence in 1918 after 123 years of partition. Although the restoration of Poland's sovereign state was gradual, the date November 11th was later chosen to commemorate the re-emergence of a Polish state and honor those who fought for it.

Today the holiday is celebrated with parades, special masses, and concerts. The center of the festivities is Piłsudski Square in Warsaw, Poland’s capital. Thousands participate in Warsaw’s yearly Race of Independence. At noon, a ceremonious change of the guards takes place before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers who gave their lives for Poland.

Happy Independence Day, Poland!

[Gopher Gary]

It shows a different one in different countries. Here there is a poppy for Remembrance Day.

Oh! Thank goodness for that! I could see people getting really aggrieved.
Shoulda checked out Google before complaining, I guess. But I had no idea , til now, that Google displays different Doodles for different countries!

P.S. Yep, we have the little poppy, too.   

Ooh . So...it's actual;ly only Jack who's being partisan and insensitive  .   Damned yanks. 

No I'm not being partisian or insensitive.  If you took the time to read the google text, or even my reply to you, you would understand today is Veterans day in the US, and it's not about honoring the dead. Memorial day is for the dead, and Goodle doesn't do a doodle for US memorial day either, just a little ribbon under the google search for Memorial Day, JUST LIKE THE POPPY!!

[Walkie]

keep going , Gopher! you've   got a lot more countries to get through yet.   

[Walkie]

[
Ooh . So...it's actual;ly only Jack who's being partisan and insensitive  .   Damned yanks. 

No I'm not being partisian or insensitive.  If you took the time to read the google text, or even my reply to you, you would understand today is Veterans day in the US, and it's not about honoring the dead. Memorial day is for the dead, and Goodle doesn't do a doodle for US memorial day either, just a little ribbon under the google search for Memorial Day, JUST LIKE THE POPPY!!

Oops our replies are seriously crossing.
But hey, my PS was supposed to be a joke. I thought I put enough silly smilies in there to make that clear? It just struck me that you'd inadvertertly done the very thing i was blaming on Google !  But given that you actually are American, and given this is just a teeny tiny little site, it's a whole lot more understandable, no biggie.   So, I tried to turn my misplaced bitch into a joke.