GooG DooD

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Lucy Wills’ 131st Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates English Haematologist Lucy Wills, the pioneering medical researcher whose analysis of prenatal anemia changed the face of preventive prenatal care for women everywhere.

Born on this day in 1888, Lucy Wills attended the Cheltenham College for Young Ladies, one of the first British boarding schools to train female students in science and mathematics. In 1911, she earned first honors in botany and geology at Cambridge University’s Newnham College, another institution at the forefront of educating women, followed by the London School of Medicine for Women, the first school in Britain to train female doctors.

Wills traveled to India to investigate a severe form of life-threatening anemia afflicting pregnant textile workers in Bombay. Suspecting that poor nutrition was the cause, she discovered what came to be known as the “Wills Factor” when a laboratory monkey’s health improved after being fed the British breakfast spread Marmite which is made of yeast extract. Later research proved the factor to be folic acid, which is now recommended to pregnant women all over the world.

Remembered for her wry sense of humor, Wills enjoyed mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, and rode a bicycle to work rather than driving in a car. She devoted much of her life to traveling the world and working to ensure the health of mothers-to-be.

Happy 131st Birthday, Lucy Wills!

10.05.2019-Friday-வெள்ளி-Doodle-Lucy Wills’ 131st Birthday-PNG

10.05.2019-Friday-வெள்ளி-Doodle-Lucy Wills’ 131st Birthday-JPEG

Yom Ha'atzmaut 2019

Today’s Doodle celebrates the 71st Anniversary of the day when David Ben-Gurion publicly read Israel’s Declaration of Independence and soon thereafter became prime minister of the newly formed nation. This historic event is commemorated each year on the Israeli national holiday of Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Blasts from the ancient shofar, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn, can be heard as Israel’s blue and white flag flies proudly both in Israel and in Jewish communities worldwide. The day ends with an evening parade at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem for the ceremonial lighting of 12 torches to represent the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Happy Yom Ha’atzmaut 2019!

09.05.2019-Thursday-வியாழன்-Doodle-Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel) 2019-GIF

South Africa Elections 2019

08.05.2019-Wednesday-புதன்-Doodle-South Africa Elections 2019-JPEG

Parents' Day 2019

South Korea

08.05.2019-Wednesday-புதன்-Doodle-Parents' Day 2019-PNG

Sunday, May 19, 2019

US Teacher Appreciation Week 2019 Begins!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week 2019 to teachers across the United States!

Throughout the week, Google is celebrating the classroom heroes supporting their students every day. Today’s Doodle was created in partnership with the 57 2019 US State Teachers of the Year who visited Google in January for their first group meeting and explores the theme “A day in the life of a teacher.”

Below, 2019 National Teacher of the Year, Rodney Robinson, shares his experiences in the classroom—as well as his experience working on today’s Doodle!:

My decision to go into teaching—and even the ways that I approach my students and classroom—was inspired by my mother, Sylvia Robinson. Growing up in rural Virginia, she dreamed of becoming an educator but was denied the chance due to poverty and segregation.

I’ve now been teaching for over 19 years, and today, I teach social studies in a juvenile detention facility in Virginia. When I was selected as Virginia Teacher of the Year, and eventually National Teacher of the Year, I was excited to have the opportunity to share my students’ stories and to advocate for them—and all students from underprivileged backgrounds—to get the great education they deserve.

I was also excited to connect with incredible teachers from across the country. Earlier this year, my fellow State Teachers of the Year and I flew in from every corner of the United States to meet in-person for the first time at Google headquarters. The week was full of workshops and activities, including one session in which every teacher was asked to dream up their own Doodles to show the world a day in the life of a teacher. When I thought about a day in my own life, my students—whose stories aren’t often told—rose to the forefront.

I often tell my students, “Sometimes in life, a temporary setback (detention) is what you need to refocus and dedicate yourself to achieving your dreams.” I kept that phrase—and my students—in mind as I created my Doodle, which I hoped would express the power of education for my students. In my Doodle, I drew some jail bars to represent detention, paired with a library book and couch to represent an opportunity for education, therapy, and healing. Finally, I drew a person flying away looking healed, educated, and happy.

I saw similar themes of hope and passion for students in my fellow teachers’ drawings and was excited to see the final Doodle: I always have said if you put a group of teachers in a room together, magic organically happens! That magic—partnered with the technological capabilities of Google—made creating this Doodle and my entire week at Google some of the most memorable moments in my teaching career.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to the educators everywhere inspiring the next generation!

– Rodney Robinson, 2019 National Teacher of the Year