20.06.2022 22:30 Date: June 21, 2022 Today’s Doodle celebrates the life of Dr. Lim Boo Liat, a renowned Malaysian zoologist and leading authority on all things related to Malaysia’s biological diversity. He helped start Malaysia’s national zoo and wrote more than 300 scientific publications about mammalogy and parasitology. On this day in 2003, Dr. Lim became the first Southeast Asian and fourth Asian to be awarded an Honorary Membership to the American Society of Mammalogists. While attending high school in Klang, Selangor, Dr. Lim frequented the school garden to observe the life of small animals and insects found there. He was only 16 when World War II came to Malaysia, and had to pause his studies to support his family. In 1947, after the war, he applied for a temporary Lab Assistant job at the Institute of Medical Research . In 1952, he was promoted as a permanent Lab Assistant and was involved in a number of scientific expeditions. Dr. Lim conducted research and attended conferences regarding parasitic effects on wildlife behavior. From 1955 to 1969, he published more than 80 scientific papers on vertebrate animals and was asked to head a newly founded Medical Ecology Division at the IMR. Seeing his potential and expertise in the field, a few professors from European universities paved the way for him to pursue his Master’s Degree, despite his lack of a formal education. In fact, Dr. Lim did not even receive his Bachelor’s Degree before his sponsorship to the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He returned to Malaysia in 1972 and continued running the Medical Ecology Division, this time as a full-fledged zoologist. Dr. Lim received his PhD in Zoology at the Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1977 and was invited to help run the Vector Biology Control Research Unit at the World Health Organization. His contributions to the field of zoology and biodiversity have inspired the next generation of scientists from Malaysia. From a temporary lab assistant to an honorary member of the American Society of Mammalogists, Dr. Lim is a shining example of immense expertise. He has a number of species of parasites and animals named after him, and is a 2013 recipient of the Merdeka Award. Pictured: Dr. Lim Boo Liat Courtesy of Chiz Lim Location: Tags: , , , , , , , ,
20.06.2022 04:02 Date: June 20, 2022 Today’s Doodle, illustrated by father-son artist duo , commemorates Juneteenth, an annual federal holiday that celebrates the liberation of Black enslaved people in the United States. On this day in 1865, over 250,000 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas received news of their freedom, marking the official end of the Civil War. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in early 1863, many Black Americans were kept enslaved in the western-most Confederate states like Texas. General Granger, and his Union troops, marched to Texas and issued General Order No. 3, which announced the news of the Proclamation. Upon hearing the news, former slaves became free Americans by executive decree, and many migrated north in search of new lives and in hopes of reuniting their families torn apart by slavery. In 1866, thousands traveled back to Galveston on June 19 in recognition of their newfound freedom, calling the gathering Jubilee Day. In 1872, when faced with backlash for their pilgrimage back to the island city, a group of Black Americans purchased 10 acres of land in Houston and named it Emancipation Park. It was devoted specifically as a Juneteenth celebration site and is still around to this day. Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas in 1980. When Juneteenth was officially named a national federal holiday in June 2021, the city of Galveston dedicated a 5,000 square-foot mural titled “Absolute Equality” near the location where General Granger announced the news of freedom. All throughout the country, Black Americans celebrate Juneteenth with parades, gatherings, and marches that honor the struggles of those who came before and the futures of those who continue to pave the way forward. This year, Juneteenth falls on Father’s Day in the U.S. and today’s Doodle artwork pays homage to this bridge between multiple generations, exploring education, joy, community, and the meaning of emancipation. Juneteenth is a holiday meant for remembrance and resilience, and a call-to-action for progress towards a more just, unified and equitable nation. Happy Juneteenth! Guest Artist Q&A with Jerome and Jeromyah Jones Today’s Doodle was illustrated by guest artists a father-son duo based in Virginia. Below, they share their thoughts behind the making of this Doodle: Q. Why is working on the Juneteenth Doodle meaningful to you? A. Working on the topic of Juneteenth means a lot to us because it’s a great milestone in the African American struggle for liberation. This notification that our ancestors received 157 years ago is an essential catalyst for contemplating what freedom looks like for us today as a people. The celebration is a special commemoration because it highlights good news for a change that was given to a people who were once in chains. Q. What is it like working together as father-and-son on projects like this? A. When we work on pieces like this together our initial sketching is not on the canvas but in our conversations. In a case where we both love the theme it’s exciting having each other on the team. Once we conceive the vision, then there’s the decision on which one of us will paint what images with the brush. Q. What was your creative process for this artwork? A. When it comes to the style we used, it was important to us that various age groups feel connected to the way the images are projected. Acrylic and oil paint were our mediums for executing this piece. We used a form of silhouette for the faces so that many could see themselves in these spaces. Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? A. We were inspired by the unity we have witnessed at cultural events over the years, the Sankofa Adinkra symbol of Ghana, the history of the griots, the significance of Father’s Day, and the commonalities we see during this year that the two holidays coincide. The hand in the background symbolizes the descendants of those who were emancipated on June 19, 1865 and the children of fathers in the generations that follow. The brush is a metaphoric representation of the bridge that connects the roots to their fruits. If we were to give our Google Doodle a title we would call it “Painting in The Footsteps of Our Freedom.” Painting in the footsteps means we are giving color to the past so that the legacy will be visible to every child in class. The red, black, and green Sankofa bird looking back is symbolic of opening the history book in our laps to close the generational gap. Pictured left-to-right: Jerome and Jeromyah painting today’s Juneteenth Doodle Location: Tags: , , ,
19.06.2022 09:46 Date: June 19, 2022 Location: Tags: , , , ,
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18.06.2022 15:46 Date: June 18, 2022 Location: Tags: , , ,
17.06.2022 22:15 Date: June 18, 2022 Ștefania Mărăcineanu was one of the pioneering women in the discovery and research of radioactivity. Today’s Doodle celebrates the Romanian physicist’s 140th Birthday. Mărăcineanu graduated with a physical and chemical science degree in 1910, starting her career as a teacher at the Central School for Girls in Bucharest. While there, Mărăcineanu earned a scholarship from the Romanian Ministry of Science. She decided to pursue graduate research at the Radium Institute in Paris. The Radium Institute was quickly becoming a worldwide center for the study of radioactivity under the direction of physicist Marie Curie. Mărăcineanu began working on her PhD thesis on polonium, an element that Curie discovered. During her research on the half-life of polonium, Mărăcineanu noticed that the half-life seemed dependent on the type of metal it was placed on. This got her wondering if the alpha rays from the polonium had transferred some atoms of the metal into radioactive isotopes. Her research led to what is most likely the first example of artificial radioactivity. Mărăcineanu enrolled at Sorbonne University in Paris to finish her PhD in physics, which she earned in just two years! After working for four years at the Astronomical Observatory in Meudon, she returned to Romania and founded her homeland’s first laboratory for the study of Radioactivity. Mărăcineanu dedicated her time to researching artificial rain, which included a trip to Algeria to test her results. She also studied the link between earthquakes and rainfall, becoming the first to report that there is significant increase of radioactivity in the epicenter leading up to an earthquake. In 1935, Irène Currie, daughter of Marie Curie, and her husband received a joint Nobel prize for their discovery of artificial radioactivity. Mărăcineanu didn’t contest the Nobel prize, but asked that her role in the discovery be recognized. Mărăcineanu’s work was recognized by the Academy of Sciences of Romania in 1936 where she was elected to serve as a Director of research, but she never received global recognition for the discovery. The Curie Museum in Paris contains the original chemical laboratory in the Radium Institute, where Mărăcineanu worked. Today’s Doodle honors Ștefania Mărăcineanu’s 140th birthday and pays tribute to her legacy. Location: , , , , , , , , Tags: , , , , , ,
17.06.2022 13:01 Date: June 17, 2022 Location: , Tags: , , ,
17.06.2022 04:15 Date: June 17, 2022 Today’s Doodle celebrates Iceland National Day, or Þjóðhátíðardagur Íslands in Icelandic. Europe’s westernmost country officially became a republic on this day in 1944 after Icelanders voted in favor of independence from Denmark. June 17th is the birthday of Jón Sigurðsson, an iconic leader and scholar in Icelandic history who led Iceland’s 19th century Independence movement. Each Icelandic National Day, one woman is selected to be the ‘Lady of the Mountain’ or Fjallkona. She serves as a symbol of Iceland’s fight for independence from Denmark, which was regarded as the “father” of their country. The ‘Lady of the Mountain’ dresses in the Icelandic national costume and leads a parade before reciting a poem at the statue of Jón Sigurðsson. Each town commemorates the day in their own unique way. Common celebrations include traditional musical acts, speeches, and bouncy houses for children. Icelanders may eat national dishes like Skyr or Hákarl . And of course, the blue, red and white Icelandic flag, featured in today’s artwork, flies high throughout the country. Gleðilegan þjóðhátíðardag, Ísland! Location: Tags: , , , ,
17.06.2022 04:15 Date: June 17, 2022 Today’s Doodle celebrates British composer, teacher and opera singer Amanda Aldridge. She released over thirty songs and dozens of instrumental tracks under the pseudonym Montague Ring.On this day in 1911, Amanda Aldridge gave a piano recital at London's pre-war principal concert venue, Queens Small Hall, the original home of the BBC Symphony and London Philharmonic Orchestras. Amanda was born the daughter of Ira Aldridge, a Black American Shakespearean actor and Swedish opera singer in 1866, London. Showing her own musical prowess at a young age, Aldridge pursued a career as a vocalist at London’s Royal Conservatory of Music, where she studied under eminent Swedish soprano Jenny Lind. Aldridge’s singing career was soon cut short by a throat injury, but her talents only continued to grow as a vocal teacher, piano player and composer. Exploring her mixed ethnic heritage through the lens of music, Aldridge combined various rhythmic influences and genres together with poetry from Black American authors to create romantic Parlour music, a popular genre performed in the livingrooms of middle-class homes. Aldridge’s 1913 piano composition “Three African Dances,” inspired by West African drumming, became her most famous piece. In addition to her compositions, she taught civil rights activist Paul Robeson and one of America’s first great opera singers, Marian Anderson. Aldridge composed love songs, sambas, and orchestral pieces into her old age, garnering international attention for her fusion of musical styles. At 88, Aldridge appeared for the first time on television on the British show “Music for You,” introducing a new generation to her classic compositions. Early drafts of the Doodle Location: , , , Tags: , , , , , , ,
12.06.2022 03:00 Date: June 12, 2022 On this day in 1898, the Philippines declared independence after more than 300 years under Spanish rule. Every June 12th, Filipinos celebrate their freedom by flying their national flag high in the sky, just like the one waving in today’s Doodle. While there were many who fought for Filipino independence, there are a few people who are honored and remembered as heros for their contributions in securing the country’s independence. José Rizal was a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement and inspired a wave of nationalism through his writings. Andrés Bonifacio, “The Father of the Philippine Revolution”, formed a secret society called the Katipunan and led a number of successful campaigns against the Spanish. General Emilio Aguinaldo was another notable figure who fought alongside the United States during the Spanish-American War. It was he who, on June 12, proclaimed the Philippine Republic as an independent country, demanding a “dignified place in the concert of free nations.” Alongside celebrating the heroes mentioned above, Filipinos also attend parades, speeches and a 21-gun salute in the capital city of Manila. The national anthem is sung far and wide throughout the archipelago, and people usually enjoy the day off at parks and malls. It wouldn’t be a holiday without some famous foods like kare-kare and halo-halo . Happy Araw ng Kasarinlán, or Independence Day, to the Philippines! Location: Tags: , , , ,
11.06.2022 08:30 Date: June 11, 2022 Today’s Doodle celebrates the 306th birthday of Donna Francesca Sanna Sulis. She was an Italian fashion designer who defied gender stereotypes in the 18th century by building a highly successful business. Known as the Mulberry Woman, she used mulberry silk to design exquisite dresses for notable women across Europe. Sulis was born on this day in 1716 in southern Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Growing up on her family’s farms, she learned how to manage a business. At age 19, she married her husband and they moved to his family’s estate on a mulberry tree farm that cultivated silkworms. Pretty soon, Sulis was overseeing the entire silk production chain — from ensuring the worms had enough mulberry leaves to eat, to extracting silk threads from cocoons. As Sulis took over the business, she invested in modern looms and transformed the estate into an advanced silk manufacturing site. Little did she know, her business would revolutionize the entire fashion industry. Before Sulis started designing dresses, society expected noble women to wear traditional gowns that were rigid and heavy. If women refused to wear such uncomfortable dresses, they risked being outcasts. Refusing to let women suffer in painful dresses, Sulis challenged oppressive fashion trends by designing mulberry silk gowns that were both elegant and comfortable. Her designs became so popular that the princesses from the House of Savoy, Italy’s last royal family, and Catherine the Great became her customers. When she wasn’t designing gowns for royalty, she dedicated her free time to empowering women in her community. She ran a vocational school that taught hundreds of women the lucrative arts of spinning, weaving, tailoring and even botany. Upon completing the courses, women received a free loom and financial independence. Today, you can find Sulis’s historic dresses on display at the Donna Francesca Sanna Sulis Museum in Muravera and at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where there is a portrait of Catherine the Great donned in one of Sulis’s gowns. Happy birthday, Donna Francesca Sanna Sulis! Early drafts of the Doodle below Location: Tags: , , , , ,
10.06.2022 04:45 Date: June 10, 2022 Happy Portugal Day or Dia de Camões! This holiday honors the country’s independence after decades of Spanish rule. Today's Doodle is a tribute to the Portuguese sobreiro which was recently labeled The National Tree of Portugal. Just like its people, the tree is resilient and brings great economic and environmental value to the country of Portugal. Because of the tree’s unique outer layer of cork, the country has become the world's largest producer of cork material. Interesting cork goods can be found in shops all over the country! The tree’s layers are protective and fire resistant—a great home for countless insects and animals. In the small village of Águas de Moura, in Portugal, The Sobreiro Monumental stands as the tallest cork oak tree in the world—its importance has been reflected in Portuguese literature and art. Although Libson is the capital, it's customary for the Portuguese President to choose a different city each year to host festivities. On the public holiday, joyous crowds parade up and down the city streets, dancing locals revel in their shared Portuguese heritage and fireworks light up the sky. No matter which city is selected to be the hub, the celebrations branch out nationwide. Happy Portugal Day! Location: Tags: , , , ,
10.06.2022 04:45 Date: June 10, 2022 Today’s Doodle celebrates the life of Dr. Saniya Habboub, a medical pioneer and amongst the first female doctors from Lebanon to study medicine abroad in the United States. Upon her arrival back to Beirut, she opened her own practice and inspired countless other Lebanese girls and women to seek an education. We celebrate Dr. Saniya today to commemorate her graduation from medical school on this day in 1931. In 1926, Habboub was one of the first three to graduate from the American Junior College for Women in Beirut . She then went on to study at the American University of Beirut . When she heard of a doctor from Damascus who went to study medicine in the United States and came back to open their own clinic, Habboub’s sights were set. She traveled to America and received her medical degree in gynecology and obstetrics from the Women’s Medical College in Pennsylvania in 1931. On her graduation day, in tribute to her success, the school invited a Lebanese historian and professor from Princeton University to give the commencement speech. Habboub showed her gratitude to the college by providing future students with a scholarship in her name. In 1933, she returned to Beirut and started a practice in her neighborhood, Bab Idriss. Her clients thought she was just a midwife at first, but they grew to acknowledge her as a skilled doctor. Habboub co-founded the Lebanese Red Cross Association and served as a board member for the Muslim Orphan’s Home, the Young Women’s Muslim Association and Maqassed Hospital. Dr. Saniya was an inspiring figure who paved the way for future generations of women to come. After 50 years of devoted medical service, the Lebanese government honored her with a Health Medal of Merit in 1982. There is also a street in Beirut named after her. Location: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Tags: , , , ,
06.06.2022 07:45 Date: June 6, 2022 Location: Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06.06.2022 07:45 Date: June 6, 2022 Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Hamburg-based guest artist , celebrates the 93rd birthday of Fasia Jansen—an influential Afro-German singer, songwriter and political activist who helped advance the post-war peace movement in West Germany. Jansen was born on this day in Hamburg in 1929, at a time when racism, inflation and economic depression plagued the country. Aspiring to become a dance star, Jansen joined a dance academy at age 11. But her dreams were thwarted two years later when the academy expelled her out of fear that the Nazis would punish the school for accepting Black students. Soon after, she was forced to cook for the Neuengamme concentration camp. Under the Nazis’ Dienstverpflichtung decree, which required people to perform a year of unpaid labor, most young girls could work easier jobs in domestic households. But as a Black girl, her only option was to toil in a concentration camp. It was in the Neuengamme concentration camp that Jansen began singing with political prisoners who worked tirelessly beside her. Singing together helped them survive this traumatic period. After the horrors of World War II, Jansen dedicated her life to creating powerful music to protest injustices everywhere — from the Vietnam War to labor violations in the Ruhr Valley. Jansen also became a strong advocate for the Women’s Rights Movements in Germany and beyond. She became famous in the 1960s, after performing Unser Marsch ist eine gute Sache alongside the renowned singer Dieter Süverkrüp during the Easter March in resistance to the nuclear arms race. Her song Verbrannte Erde in Deutschland , became an important anthem for the anti-nuclear movement in Europe. In 1991, the government awarded her the medal Verdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, recognizing her work to rebuild a more equitable Germany. Today, there is a street, a municipal school and an African education center named in her honor. Happy 93rd birthday, Fasia Jansen! No one could stop you from spreading hope. Your story and legacy give people a reason to sing. Location: , Tags: , , , , , , ,
