Stupid Guest Tricks

Total Solar Eclipse 2016



It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a total solar eclipse! A solar eclipse happens when the moon's orbit crosses between the Earth and the Sun, as Doodler Olivia Huynh shows in today's animation. Because the moon blocks the Sun's light, it casts a shadow on part of the world. In Hawaii, only about 63% of the Sun will be blocked, which is called a Partial Solar Eclipse.

Ratchanee Sripaiwan's 86th Birthday



Happy 86th Birthday Ratchanee Sripaiwan!

If you grew up in Thailand or learned Thai in primary school, chances are you've heard of Manee and her friends. In Sripaiwan's beautifully illustrated book "Manee, Mana, Piti, and Chujai," readers learned the อักษรไทย while exploring Manee's village and following her adventures.

Sripaiwan's exquisite mastery of the Thai language and passion for education guided students across the globe. Not only did readers learn basic Thai language, grammar, and sentence structure, they lived and loved Sripaiwan's tales. The textbooks were first approved for educational use in 1956 and were used for grades 1-6 from 1978 to 1994. When Sripaiwan passed away in 2014, these books were reprinted to honor her life's work — educating and delighting another generation.

80th Anniversary of Kasprowy Wierch cableway launch



The great beauty of the Tatra Mountains is rivaled only by the enthusiasm with which hikers and skiers mount its slopes. The panoramic vistas visible at nearly every stage of ascent up the Kasprowy Wierch summit are studded with meadows, streams, and rich pine forests. Snaking between Poland and Slovakia, the Tatra is a highly-protected national park, unreachable by traditional means, unless one is able to hike or ski 3 hours up the trail.

That all changed 80 years ago when a cableway was built in Zakopane to carry people up to the summit of Kasprowy Wierch. In Doodler Alyssa Winans' animation, you can see the cable car sway and swing in the frosty mountain air as it makes its ascent. The cable car was one of the first of its kind, and is still used today. This technological advancement made the grandeur of the mountains accessible to many more people.

80th Anniversary of Kasprowy Wierch cableway launch



The great beauty of the Tatra Mountains is rivaled only by the enthusiasm with which hikers and skiers mount its slopes. The panoramic vistas visible at nearly every stage of ascent up the Kasprowy Wierch summit are studded with meadows, streams, and rich pine forests. Snaking between Poland and Slovakia, the Tatra is a highly-protected national park, unreachable by traditional means, unless one is able to hike or ski 3 hours up the trail.

That all changed 80 years ago when a cableway was built in Zakopane to carry people up to the summit of Kasprowy Wierch. In Doodler Alyssa Winans' animation, you can see the cable car sway and swing in the frosty mountain air as it makes its ascent. The cable car was one of the first of its kind, and is still used today. This technological advancement made the grandeur of the mountains accessible to many more people.

Caroline Herschel’s 266th Birthday



Caroline Herschel was diminutive in stature--she stood only 4’3”—but her contributions to cosmological science were monumental. The late astronomer’s parents presumed she would spend her life as a housemaid, but her considerable musical talent and formidable intellect intervened. With the help of her brother Isaac, Herschel left Germany in 1772 for Bath, England, where she took work as a soprano in the Royal Court. Her brother—also a skilled musician—started a small business making telescopes in his spare time, and the two took a deep interest in astronomy and observational cosmology.

Herschel was a keen observer of the universe. She discovered hundreds of stars, eight comets (six of which still bear her name), and became the first female astronomer enlisted by the British monarchy. Today’s Doodle by Juliana Chen celebrates Herschel’s remarkable scientific achievements, which include the publication of Catalogue of Stars and a Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society. Today would have been her 266th birthday.

Caroline Herschel’s 266th Birthday



Caroline Herschel was diminutive in stature--she stood only 4’3”—but her contributions to cosmological science were monumental. The late astronomer’s parents presumed she would spend her life as a housemaid, but her considerable musical talent and formidable intellect intervened. With the help of her brother Isaac, Herschel left Germany in 1772 for Bath, England, where she took work as a soprano in the Royal Court. Her brother—also a skilled musician—started a small business making telescopes in his spare time, and the two took a deep interest in astronomy and observational cosmology.

Herschel was a keen observer of the universe. She discovered hundreds of stars, eight comets (six of which still bear her name), and became the first female astronomer enlisted by the British monarchy. Today’s Doodle by Juliana Chen celebrates Herschel’s remarkable scientific achievements, which include the publication of Catalogue of Stars and a Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society. Today would have been her 266th birthday.

St. Patrick's Day 2016



Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona!

Green is popping up everywhere today in honor of Saint Patrick's Day. From the Chicago River in the US to the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt—even the Sydney Opera House in Australia is dressed in this dashing shade. Today in Ireland, the home of this holiday, there will be singing, dancing, parades, and potentially pinches for those of us who forget to wear our green!

Has anyone ever had a Irish Car Bomb drink?

Xiaolüren’s 17th birthday



Today's Doodle celebrates the modern pedestrian's best friend: Xiaolüren, or "little green man." Back before this now-ubiquitous walking cue arrived on the scene, pedestrians couldn't know how much time they had to cross a busy intersection.

Enter Xiaolüren. The little green guy was first created in 1961 in East Berlin, Germany as a static traffic light design. Initially, a red figure facing forward meant "wait," and a green profile of a walking figure meant "go."

In 1998, the Taipei City Government made Xiaolüren even more effective by adding a numeric countdown to signal how much time was left. Then, they designed Xiaolüren to move at a different pace based on the time left to cross. When the counter ticks under 10, Xiaolüren picks up the pace. We hope today's animation by Doodler Olivia Huynh reflects the hustle of the all the groups who created Xiaolüren to keep pedestrians safer, the world over.

First Day of Spring 2016 (Northern Hemisphere)



First Day of Fall 2016 (Southern Hemisphere)

Nowruz 2016



A new day. A fresh start. The return of the sun. Nowruz or نوروز literally means "new day" in Persian, and is celebrated in countries around the world, including Iran, Iraq, India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Nowruz celebrates the Vernal Equinox when the day is evenly split between light and night.

Special pastries, nuts, fruit, and fresh flowers, are popular today with additional variations by region. In parts of Iran and Azerbaijan, colored eggs, bonfires, and red ribbons signal the coming of the sun and new birth.