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Sunčana Škrinjarić’s 84th Birthday

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BKS Iyengar’s 97th Birthday



B.K.S. Iyengar, it’s been said, could hold a headstand for nearly half an hour well into his eighties. He was instrumental in bringing yoga to the West, beloved by followers on nearly every continent (certainly a few of his techniques have reached a base camp somewhere in Antarctica, but we couldn’t be sure), and advised such aspiring yogis as Aldous Huxley, Sachin Tendulkar, and Queen Elizabeth of Belgium. His style--Iyengar Yoga--is characterized by tremendous control and discipline, which he exercised in ways not limited to confoundingly long headstands.

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Chihiro Iwasaki’s 97th Birthday



Today’s doodle celebrates Japanese illustrator Chihiro Iwasaki, who painted the magical worlds of boys and girls. Her whimsical style of watercoloring – replicated here by artist Jennifer Hom – captured the lightness of youth. And her prolific career (she painted thousands of pieces over several decades) helped pioneer the awareness of illustration throughout Japan.

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Chico Mendes’ 71st Birthday



Rubber tapping requires serious patience. You strip the bark, then wait — drip, drip, drip — as the liquid appears. Eventually, the waiting pays off, and the drops unite into a beautiful, valuable collection.

Chico Mendez’s life was similar. A second-generation tapper, he passed his days like most other workers: waiting. But inspiration struck — drip! — and he worked to unite his fellow tappers to fight for rainforest preservation. Then, he went global — drip! — bringing the National Council of Rubber Tappers to life, and speaking for human rights and environmentalism. He saw how his small efforts grew into a movement, saying: “At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now, I realize, I am fighting for humanity.”

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Remedios Varo’s 107th Birthday



One of the most accomplished surrealist painters of the 20th century, Remedios Varo is best known for striking oil paintings that blended together elements of science, magic and mysticism.

Varo was born in Spain and moved around a bit before ultimately settling in Mexico, where she created her finest works, including “La Llamada” (The Call), which is replicated in today’s celebratory Google Doodle. Varo lived during a time when male painters viewed their female counterparts as inferior, but she didn’t hesitate to make women the powerful centerpieces of her paintings. Today’s Google Doodle honors Varo on what would have been her 107th birthday, for her extraordinary imagination and complex paintings that allow her rare talent to live on.

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Celebrating Ludwig van Beethoven's 245th Year



[video]http://www.google.com/logos/2015/beethoven15/intro.mp4[/video]

Go to Videos for complete series of clips.

Help Beethoven's unfortunate journey to the symphony hall by arranging his masterpieces in time for the big crescendo!

Even when you’re the preeminent musical genius of your generation, sometimes you just step in it. So begins Beethoven’s trip to the symphony hall in today’s musical puzzle, which Leon Hong created in collaboration with artist Nate Swinehart and engineers Jonathan Shneier and Jordan Thompson. It happens that our story isn’t much of a stretch in the broader context of Ludwig van Beethoven’s life, which saw more than its share of rotten luck.

Ludwig’s father, a middling singer in the Elector’s court and a man too often in his cups, pulled the precocious child out of school at the age of ten in hopes of earning some money on the shoulders of his talent (as a result, his handwriting was so bad that musicologists still struggle to authenticate his signature). He lost two siblings prematurely, had to assume full responsibility for his family as a teenager, fell madly for unrequiting lovers twice, and, most famously, began losing his hearing at the peak of his career.

Despite all of this, Beethoven’s music prevailed. As Mozart reputedly said, “one day, [that boy] will give the world something to talk about.” That he certainly did. Sure, he may have raised his voice a few times, but he could overwhelm his friends with excessive kindness and generosity just the same. And while his romances brought him more anguish than happiness, would we have Für Elise or Moonlight Sonata if they hadn’t?

It’s unclear when Beethoven was actually born, but December 17th marks the 245th anniversary of his baptism. Today provided us a rare opportunity to construct a game in step with beautiful music, whose evocative moods, drama, lightness, and depth made conjuring visuals to match it rollickingly fun. Here’s to one of history’s greatest artists, and to hoping that, wherever you happen to be traveling this holiday, your life’s work isn’t eaten by a horse.

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Winter Solstice 2015 (Northern Hemisphere)

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Summer Solstice 2015 (Southern Hemisphere)

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Holidays 2015 (Day 1)

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Holidays 2015 (Day 2)