Celebrating the Appalachian Trail

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Today’s slideshow Doodle celebrates the Appalachian Trail — click the Doodle to explore the 2,190-mile footpath that spans across 14 U.S. states! The Appalachian trail is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, and has served sightseeing hikers for nearly 100 years. It traverses through dense forests, across rushing rivers, and over mountain summits along the east coast. On this day in 1968 The National Trails System Act established the Appalachian Trail as one of the country’s first National Scenic Trails.

Benton MacKaye, a forester, conservationist, and lifelong outdoorsman, first proposed the idea in 1921. His original plan, titled An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning, outlined a stretch of several self-sustaining agricultural camps along the way. Many like-minded people started joining his cause, and the community eventually became known as the Appalachian Trail Conference.

In 1937, thanks to combined efforts of many trailblazers, the Appalachian Trail became fully connected from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Ten years later, a hiker named Earl Shaffer reported the first thru-hike from end-to-end and ignited a wave of interest. Over fourteen thousand people have completed the trek since.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Trails System Act in 1968, which declared the Appalachian Trail as one of the first national scenic trails and recognized it as federal land. Finally, in 2014, the last major stretch of land was acquired, turning initial dreams for the trail into reality.

Nowadays, in a collaborative effort to conserve its natural glory, the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and many volunteers maintain and manage the historic footpath. Thousands of pathfinders visit the route each year with the intention of completing the four- to six-month long thru-hike.

Happy trails!

Celebrating Diana Sacayán

 

Today’s Doodle honors Indigenous Argentine human rights activist Amancay Diana Sacayán. On this day in 2012, Sacayán became the first Argentine trans woman to receive a national identity card affirming her gender. The Doodle artwork, illustrated by Buenos Aires-based guest artist Juan Dellacha, depicts Sacayán as a joyful activist whose persistence, in spite of all the violence she suffered throughout her whole life, left a huge legacy.

A proud descendant of the Diaguita people, Sacayán was born in Tucumán, Argentina, on December 31, 1975. She and her 15 siblings moved to Buenos Aires, where she would spend most of her life. Sacayán enjoyed school until she was expelled as a result of coming out as transgender. She faced police persecution quickly and was arrested multiple times for her clothing choice and trans identity. 

Sacayán fought tirelessly for LGBTQ+ rights during her life. She was involved with many activist groups, notably a member of the National Front for the Gender Identity Law and a leader of the International Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Association. She founded the Movimiento Antidiscriminatorio de Liberación (Anti-Discriminatory Liberation Movement), which was dedicated to improving human rights for the queer community, focusing on inclusion within schools, workplaces, and hospitals. Today, because of her activism, trans people can have their name and gender respected when they access health care. 

1% of public sector employees in Buenos Aires are in the trans community, thanks to the Trans Labor Quota Law that Sacayán promoted. This law was expanded to the national level in 2020, but tragically, Sacayán was not around to see it. She was killed in a hate crime in 2015, and her murderer is considered the first person in Argentina to be convicted of a hate crime against the trans community.

Her resilience and accomplishments continue to inspire. She persuaded the public sector to include trans people, advocated for hospitals to use people's correct names, and set an example by being the first legally recognized trans person in her country. Thank you for dedicating your life to vastly improve trans rights, Amancay Diana Sacayán.

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Guest Artist Q&A with Juan Dellacha

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Buenos Aires-based guest artist Juan Dellacha. Below, he shares his thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q. Why was this topic meaningful to you personally? 

A: As part of the LGBT+ community, I felt very touched with the opportunity to illustrate Diana, who was such an important person to us and whose activism I admire. It is so important to see the faces of the people who have fought so long and so hard to have the rights we have today. I think of her as a heroine, she was an example to follow. 

Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?

A: When I received the proposal to work on a Doodle I was already excited, but when I was told that it was to celebrate Diana Sacayán, it was even more thrilling! I felt a lot of responsibility, but most of all, I felt very honored to illustrate a portrait that celebrated her. 

The first ideas I had were about representing her joy and her legacy. The first image that comes to my mind when I think of her is her peaceful glance and her beautiful smile. I think that the joy she transmitted and her tireless activism, despite all the violence she went through, was revolutionary. 
 

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?  

A: I googled pictures to capture her smile and joy and I also watched interviews. When you see her speaking, you can see she conveyed a lot of calm and wisdom, she had a quiet but firm way of speaking. Those subtleties can say a lot about a person and were a source of inspiration. 

I also wanted to represent her native roots and environmental consciousness, so I included flowers and plants that are native from Argentina, for which I had to do some research, too. And what was a huge inspiration in particular was a poem that she wrote. It is called Cuando yo me vaya (When I leave). It talks about her after death and funeral, and it has all the things I wanted to communicate: her identity, her class consciousness, her native roots, her ideals, her humor and her joy. 

Q. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A: Diana believed that the fight for LGBT+ rights also needed to have social, environmental, native and class consciousness too. It couldn’t be one without the other. I deeply agree with that and I think it’s very important to have that in mind, especially in the times we are living in. That’s why I was very interested in showing her intersectional activism, mixing all these different elements in one image that celebrated her, with Diana’s joyful smile in the middle.

 

Celebrating Alan Rickman

• Today’s Doodle celebrates English actor Alan Rickman. With a deep, magnetic voice and endless charm, he’s known for his magical performances in films like Harry Potter and Die Hard. On this day in 1987, Rickman performed in 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses', a Broadway play that was instrumental in launching his career. 

  Alan Rickman was born on February 21, 1946 in West London, England. A natural painter, Rickman became interested in different art forms after being encouraged by his teachers and family. He was especially taken with acting. After starring in school plays, he earned a scholarship to continue pursuing this interest at Latymer Upper School in London. 

  After secondary school, Rickman studied graphic design at Chelsea College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art. After graduating, he started a design company with close college friends while participating in the amateur Group Court Drama Club. At age 26, Rickman left his company and decided to seriously pursue acting, earning a spot at RADA, one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world.

  A few years later, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he appeared in The Tempest and Love’s Labour’s Lost. He struck gold in 1985 when he starred as anti-hero Le Vicomte de Valmont in the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons). After earning a Tony nomination for his performance, he began receiving offers to act in films.

  In 1988, Rickman starred as criminal mastermind Hans Gruber in the film Die Hard. The character is now considered one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history. The film’s success led to Rickman playing similar antagonist roles in films like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. His career trajectory continued throughout the 1990s with roles in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), the latter of which he received an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for.

  In 2001, Rickman starred in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the scene-stealing Severus Snape. His intimidating, scary, and captivating performance saw him star in the following seven Harry Potter films, becoming an international sensation.

  Over the course of his career, Rickman received numerous acting nominations and awards and even directed three plays and two films. He’s remembered for his iconic roles on-screen, his philanthropy, and his kind and sensitive nature off-screen. 

  Happy Birthday, Alan Rickman!

 

Celebrating Mickey Chen

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Taiwan-based guest artist Dyin Li, celebrates Taiwanese filmmaker and activist Mickey Chen, who focused on telling stories from people that belonged to disenfranchised communities. On this day in 1999, her film Boys for Beauty became the first LGBTQ-themed documentary to be screened at a movie theater in Taiwan.

Chen, fascinated by cameras from a young age, started creating movies in college. At 30, she made her directorial debut with Not Simply a Wedding Banquet (1997), a documentary about the first gay couple to have a public wedding in Taipei. It explored the struggles that members of the LGBTQ+ community faced in Taiwan.

In 1999, Chen released Boys for Beauty, an eye-opening exposé that followed the lives of three gay teenagers from Taipei. The film took a bold stance against gender norms and showcased the societal pressures each subjects’ relatives endured. It was a box office success and a pivotal achievement for Taiwanese cinema.

Boys for Beauty won countless awards and film festival placements, most notably the Audience Award at the 2000 Taiwan International Documentary Festival. Chen gave an inspiring acceptance speech that praised the LGBTQ+ movement and invited several directors to join her on stage in an act of solidarity.

Chen wrote and directed many more documentaries such as Memorandum on Happiness (2003), Scars on Memory (2005), and Fragile in Love (2007). She also published Taipei Father, New York Mother in 2011, a book about family tragedies that occurred during her youth. Throughout her career, Chen documented significant moments of LGBTQ+ history in Taiwan and opened the eyes of the public to them and Taiwan’s progressive LGBTQ+ societal views are a result of trailblazers like her.

 

Celebrating Sương Nguyệt Anh

 

Today’s Doodle celebrates Sương Nguyệt Anh, the first female newspaper editor of the first women’s newspaper in Vietnam. On this day in 1918, the first publication of Nu Gioi Chung  (Women's Bell) was published — the newspaper where Nguyệt Anh was editor in chief. Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Hanoi-based guest artist, Camelia Phạm.

Nguyệt Anh was born on March 8, 1864 in An Binh Dong village of the Ben Tre province. Her father, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, was a poet and teacher who taught her how to read and write in both Chinese and Chữ Nôm, a form of Vietnamese language that uses Chinese characters. Nguyệt Anh started writing her own poetry. In honor of one of her most well known poems centered around apricot blossoms, the Doodle artwork incorporates apricot blossoms and an apricot color palette.

The next few decades were a tragic time for Nguyệt Anh. Her father died when she was 24, and she and her brother took over his school to teach the locals. She then moved to Rach Mieu in My Tho City, married, and gave birth to a daughter. Two years later, her husband passed.

She became the first female editor in chief in Vietnam when she started writing for the Nu Gioi Chung newspaper in Saigon under the pen name Sương Nguyệt Anh, meaning “Widowed Nguyệt Anh.” Many of the newspaper’s issues spoke about women’s roles in Vietnamese culture and society.

Sương Nguyệt Anh is remembered for her bright mind and personality, as well as her resilience through adversity. She was a pioneer for women writers and editors in Vietnam and paved the way for generations to come. She had connections with people from all walks of life and treated everyone with respect. There are several streets named after Nguyệt Anh in cities like Ho Chi Minh, Da Lat and Vung Tau.

 

 

Celebrating Indigenous North American Stickball

 

Celebrating Hulusi Kentmen

 

Celebrating Pétanque

 

Today’s interactive Doodle game celebrates Pétanque, a beloved French outdoor game played around the world. Just click the Doodle to play a random match or challenge your friends!

Long before Pétanque became France’s go-to afternoon activity, Ancient Greeks played games tossing flat stones and eventually stone balls. After modifying the game by adding a target ball, Ancient Roman soldiers and sailors brought the game to France. 

The modern game of Pétanque originated in 1907 in Provence, France when a local cafe owner adjusted the rules to accommodate a player whose rheumatism prevented him from running. With a reduced length of the field and a stationary toss, Pétanque spread quickly across the country. 

The rules of the game are fairly simple: throw, toss, or roll your team’s metal boules closer to the target boule than the other team. Over a series of rounds, the first player or team to score thirteen points wins! The goal might sound simple, but players can use a number of tactics to gain an advantage over their opponent. “Shooting” is a popular strategy, often used at competitive levels, where players attempt to knock away an opponent's boule from the target. 

Nowadays, Pétanque is more than just a leisure activity with friends—the game is played competitively at regional, national and international levels throughout the world. The best players attend showcase events like the Mondial La Marseillaise in France and the La British Open in England. 

Click today’s Doodle and get the boules rolling!

Celebrating José de Almada Negreiros

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• Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Melissa Crowton, celebrates the life, works and creative legacy of José de Almada Negreiros. He was a multi-faceted artist, writer and choreographer of Futurism, and widely considered one of the most influential Portuguese and European artists of the 20th century. On this day in 1911, Almada Negreiros made his artistic debut at the age of 18 by publishing a cartoon titled “A Weighty Reason” in the 4th issue of A Sátira, a Lisbon magazine.

  He was born on the island of São Tomé and Príncipe in 1893, and began his creative journey as a caricaturist. What started off with satirical sketches turned into a self-taught love for all things art. At just 20 years old, Almada Negreiros hosted his first exhibition in Lisbon. A year later, in 1914, he published his first poem and, in 1915, started a progressive literary magazine called Orpheu, which promoted Portuguese Modernism.

  In the 1920’s, Almada Negreiros lived in Paris and Madrid, honing his craft and skills through collaboration and sometimes even isolation. When he returned to Portugal in 1932, he expanded his artistic repertoire to include stained-glass pieces, mosaic panels, theater plays, ballets, graphic designs and more.

  Almada Negreiros was awarded the Columbano Prize by the National Secretariat of Propaganda in 1942 and the Domingos Sequeira Award in 1946, as well as numerous other honors and decorations throughout his lifetime. His works are displayed far and wide around Europe, most notably in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, the port terminals of Alcântara and Rocha do Conde de Óbidos, and in the lounge bar of the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon.

Celebrating Edmond Rostand

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Celebrating Jimmy Little

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Celebrating Elijah McCoy

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Celebrating Route 66

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Today’s video Doodle takes you on the ultimate American road trip, a journey along the historic Route 66. The iconic highway, known for its retro diners, quirky motels, eclectic art installations and extraordinary landscapes, connects Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. On this day in 1926, the name “U.S. 66” was first proposed for the cross-country route.

Built during the start of mass car ownership in 1926, U.S. Highway 66 made cross-country travel affordable for the first time ever. It also served as an escape route for displaced families during the Dust Bowl. When severe dust storms ravaged the Great Plains in the 1930s, more than 200,000 refugees got on Route 66 to pursue a better life out West. Among these drivers was John Steinbeck, who traveled along Route 66 during this time to seek inspiration for The Grapes of Wrath. 

When the American economy stabilized after World War II, Route 66’s popularity surged. Millions of travelers drove through the highway to witness awe-inspiring sites—like a 50,000-year-old meteor crater in northern Arizona, and graffiti-laden Cadillacs buried nose-down in Amarillo, Texas. 

Although Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, after five new interstate highways replaced it, many organizations campaigned to preserve the road to honor its historical significance. As a result, parts of Route 66 were preserved as State or National Scenic Byways. Travelers today can still find many original establishments from the heyday of the historic highway.

Today's video—set to the classic music track "Route 66" by Bobby Troup—celebrates the cultural significance of one of America’s first national highways, and how it became a symbol of a changing nation. 

Honk if you love Route 66!

Celebrating Naziha Salim

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Celebrating Sơn Đoòng Cave

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Celebrating Ladi Kwali

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Today’s Doodle celebrates the life of Nigerian educator, ceramicist, glassworker, and potter Ladi Kwali, who helped introduce the international community to the beauty of Nigerian art through intricately decorated earthenware designs. On this day in 2017, an exhibition of Ladi Kwali’s work at the Skoto Gallery in New York opened.  

Ladi Dosei Kwali was born around 1925 to a family of potters in Kwali, Abuja, Nigeria. Her aunt taught her the coil and pinch methods of pottery during her childhood, which Kwali later refined into her own style as she fabricated everyday containers ornamented with animal iconography. Local aristocrats soon showcased her masterful work as home decorations, and it was in a royal palace that Michael Cardew—the founder of Abuja’s first potter training facility—discovered her talent in 1950.

In 1954, Kwali joined the Abuja Pottery Center, where she made history as the first Nigerian woman to train in advanced pottery techniques. She fused her traditional style with these innovative methods to craft a hybrid collection of pottery stylized with zoomorphic illustration. Kwali continued to break the mold into the 60s with exhibitions across Europe and the Americas, achieving international acclaim.    

Later in her career, Kwali shared the secrets of her craft with the local community as a university lecturer. She received a doctorate from Ahmadu Bello University in 1977 and the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award in 1980, which is among the nation’s most distinguished academic awards, in honor of her contributions. Kwali is remembered today with each exchange of Nigeria’s twenty Naira note, the first and only Nigerian currency to feature a woman.

Here’s to you, Ladi Kwali! Thanks for putting your unique spin on a traditional craft and sculpting a place for future generations of women artisans.

Celebrating Dr. Maggie Lim

Today’s Doodle celebrates Singaporean physician, professor, and public health official Dr. Maggie Lim, the first young woman in Singapore and second Singaporean ever to win the prestigious Queen’s Scholarship in the 45 years of the award’s history. On this day in 2014, Dr. Lim was posthumously inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame.

Maggie Lim, née Tan, was born in January 1913 in Singapore. She began her studies at Raffles Girls’ School, where she excelled in academics with a record six distinctions in her Senior Cambridge examinations. In 1929, she entered the then all-men’s Raffles Institution in preparation for the Queen’s Scholarship examination. 

In 1930, Lim made history by winning the scholarship. She left home to attend the London School of Medicine for Women, one of the city’s only training hospitals that exclusively trained women. After years of dedicated study, Lim joined the Royal College of Surgeons and earned her physician's license. She returned to home in 1940 and served her community with a specialization in maternity and child health, helping to establish a system of specialized clinics across Singapore. 

In 1963, Dr. Lim contributed her experience from a lifetime of fieldwork as the head of the Ministry of Health's Maternity and Child Welfare Department before retiring from this position to teach epidemiology and public health at the University of Hawaii for the remainder of her career.

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Celebrating Toni Stone

 

Celebrating Lotfi Zadeh

 

Celebrating Isala Van Diest