Teachers' Day (Ecuador) 2018

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177th Anniversary of Semper Opera House

One hundred seventy-seven years ago today, the Semper Opera House (or Semperoper) opened its doors for the first time. Originally designed by the famous German architect Gottfried Semper, it has served as the stage for opera, ballet, and performances of many kinds during its nearly 200-year-long history.

The Semperoper has newly opened its doors not once, but three times: first after its original construction in 1841, and twice more after rebuilding due to both a devastating fire in 1869 and the WWII firestorm in 1945. The architecture evolved from its first construction – an eclectic blend of early Renaissance, Baroque, and and Greek classical styles – to the familiar Neo-Renaissance elements seen today. Semper’s consideration of the audience is evident in the design, too; all tiers sit equidistant to the stage and no partitions exist between sections. Without much to block the performers, everyone gets a good seat!

The creator of today’s Doodle, Frederik Jurk, employed gentle colors and soft, flowing lines to capture the dreamy scenes and romantic characters so frequently featured on this famous stage. "Since the subject of the doodle is already about art," he says, "letting everything speak for itself felt very natural." All set against the backdrop of the iconic architecture, the image couples the art of the building’s construction with the creativity of the artists themselves.

Thanks to the dedication of Germany’s arts community, Semperoper stands today as a storied monument to some of the country’s most influential composers, conductors, and singers.

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Orhan Veli Kanık’s 104th Birthday

Orhan Veli Kanık cast off the conventions of traditional Turkish poetry in favor of a simpler, plainly human verse that was accessible to all.

Born in Istanbul on April 13th, 1914, Kanık grew up with a love for literature and the arts, but dropped out of university after a year to work as a civil servant and translator. Poetry remained his passion, and in 1936, four of his early works were published in Varlıkmagazine, including Oaristys and Düşüncelerimin Başucunda. From 1936-1942, he avidly penned poems for six literary magazines, many written under the nom de plume Mehmet Ali Sel.

The period of Kanık’s greatest contribution began in 1941, when he and two friends published a daring poetry manifesto called Garip, meaning “strange.” In the introduction, Kanık dismissed the rigidity of traditional poetic styles, breaking form with meter, word choice, and theme. He even considered rhyming and the use of metaphor to be amateur and unnecessary.

Kanık believed poetry belonged to, and could be appreciated by, all people. Garip advocated for the use of everyday language and unclouded emotion, rather than a separate “poetic language.” The position was considered avant-garde and was initially met with scorn; however, the eponymous Garip movement gained immense popularity and altered the future of Turkish poetry.

Garip was his most famous work, but Kanık created poetry, essays, and translations in a variety of styles until his death in 1950.

Today’s Doodle celebrates the transformative poet, who would have turned 104 today.

Doodle by Cynthia Yuan Cheng

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Songkran 2018

Songkran Day is one of the most significant holidays in Thailand. Typically celebrated between April 13th and 15th, it marks the beginning of the Thai New Year. There are many ways to celebrate Songkran Day, but most involve getting very, very wet. Water fights erupt throughout Thai streets, sparing no bystanders.

Today's Doodle depicts traditional bowls of water infused with flower petals, which are used by participants during various traditions, such as the pouring of water by younger generations into the hands of elders as a sign of respect. Several special guests even peek from under the surface to take part in the day's festivities. 

Happy Songkran, 2018!

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Children's Day (Bolivia) 2018

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K. L. Saigal’s 114th Birthday

K.L. Saigal left an indelible mark on the early days of Indian cinema, establishing himself as one of the first true Bollywood superstars with 36 films spanning three languages over fifteen years. Singing 185 songs over his career, Saigal’s distinct vocal style helped establish his legacy as an inspirational figure for many stars that came after him.

Due to his modest background, as a child Saigal earned his music education informally, singing along with people at a local shrine or at religious ceremonies with his mother. He dropped out of school and held odd jobs as a timekeeper, salesman, and manager, pursuing singing on the side.

His big break came in 1932 when he was cast in three movies by the film studio New Theatres. The very next year, the songs he sang in the film Puran Bhagat (1933) grew wildly popular in India, breaking him to the mainstream. New Theatres churned out Saigal-led hits through 1940, when he moved to Mumbai to work with Ranjit Movietone. After successful movies like Bhukt Surdas (1942) and Tansen (1943), Saigal returned to New Theatres for his final films. His final film Parwana (1947) was released posthumously.

Created by guest artist Vidhya Nagarajan, today’s Doodle celebrates Saigal’s illustrious career with a portrait of the singer doing what he does best.

Happy 114th Birthday, K.L. Saigal!

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Omar Sharif’s 86th Birthday

Actor Omar Sharif made his indelible mark on Hollywood cinema without uttering a word. Playing the Arab warrior Sherif Ali in the 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia, Sharif first appears as a tiny dot on the desert horizon, growing larger as his camel gallops into the frame with Peter O’Toole.  

From that point on, he continued on an incredible journey that made his indelible mark on Cinema in the arab world and beyond.

Born Michel Demitri Shalhoub in Alexandria, Egypt on this day in 1932, Sharif worked for his father’s lumber company before pursuing a movie career. Taking the name Omar El-Sharif, he starred in Egyptian hits including his first film in 1954, Struggle in the Valley (also known as The Blazing Sun, in which he co-starred with his future wife, actress Faten Hamama), A Rumor of Love (1960), and There is a Man in Our House (1961).

With Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Sharif expanded his orbit from Egyptian matinee idol to international heartthrob. During the 1960s, the charismatic, multilingual actor played, among other roles, a king of Armenia in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), a Mongol leader in Genghis Khan (1965), a Russian doctor in Doctor Zhivago (1965)—perhaps his most acclaimed part—and a big-time gambler in the box-office sensation Funny Girl(1968).

Sharif racked up two Golden Globes and an Oscar nomination for Lawrence of Arabia. He also received numerous other awards including a César for the 2003 film, Monsieur Ibrahim, and a UNESCO Einstein medal in 2005, acknowledging his contributions to cultural diversity.

While acting was his main occupation, Sharif was also an internationally renowned bridge player, writing a syndicated column on the topic for the Chicago Tribune.

Today’s animated Doodle shows Sharif in true dashing form.

Happy 86th birthday, Omar Sharif!

Doodle by Sophie Diao.

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