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In 1886, a young doctor stepped off a ship from America, eager to take up the role of physician in charge of the female ward at Kolhapur’s Albert Edward Hospital. Not only was she India’s first female doctor, but she was only 19 years old at the time. Her name was Anandi Gopal Joshi, and her story is one of courage and perseverance. Joshi was married at the age of nine, as was the custom in 19th century India. Her husband encouraged her to continue her education and her interest in medicine. At sixteen, battling ill-health but determined to succeed, Joshi set sail for America. She earned her medical degree from the  Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (now known as Drexel University College of Medicine) and returned to India with dreams of opening a medical college for women. Joshi’s young life was tragically cut short when she died of tuberculosis before her 22nd birthday. However, her legacy and the path she paved for generations of women continues today. Interesting...

    If the thought of Yorkshire pudding and gooseberry fool makes your mouth water, you have Hannah Glasse to thank for making these two delectable dishes staples in English cuisine. Born on this day in 1708, Glasse was a pioneering English cook and author of the most popular cookbook of the 18th century. Published in 1747,   The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy   was unique; it was one of the first cookbooks written in a simple and conversational style, which meant that any English speaker and reader – regardless of their class – could learn how to cook. Glasse’s cookbook was popular not only because it was easy to read, but also because of its massive scope. It included a whopping 972 recipes, covering everything from puddings and soups, to what to serve at Lent, to preparing food for the sick. Today’s Doodle features Glasse whipping up a batch of classic Yorkshire puddings. Her recipe for Yorkshire pudding, among many others, is one of the ...

Born on this day in 1948, actor Farouque Shaikh grew up in Mumbai, in a simple, middle-class household. Though he studied law at college, he continued to dabble in theater on the side, and eventually decided to give acting a go. Starting with  Garam Hawa  in 1973, Farouque Shaikh essayed agonizing heartbreak and light-hearted comedy with equal ease. If moviegoers fell in love with his shy smile in  Chashme Buddoor,  they marveled at his comedic timing in  Kissi Se Na Kehna,  and ached for his helplessness and loss in  Bazaar . Beyond the silver screen, Shaikh was integral to Indian theater, and his epistolary play, ‘Tumhari Amrita’  with Shabana Azmi delighted audiences for over two decades. TV audiences also loved him, be it for his humility in  Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai , or for his comic wit in  Chamatkar . Today’s Doodle by  Nimit Malavia  is a tribute to Farouque Shaikh’s cinematic career in a style evocative of h...

Today we celebrate the birthday of Ustad Bismillah Khan, shehnai maestro and one of India’s most beloved musicians. Born in Bhirung Raut Ki Gali, Bihar to a family of court musicians, it is said that his grandfather exclaimed “Bismillah!” upon seeing his grandson, and the name stuck. In subsequent years, as his mastery over the shenai grew, the public added the honorific, Ustad (master) to his name. Both India’s declaration of independence from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 1947 and the creation of the Indian republic three years later in 1950 were heralded by Ustad Bismillah Khan’s shehnai . To this day, Republic Day celebrations are broadcast to the opening notes of his music. Though he started playing in public at the age of 14, Ustad ji ’s performance at the All India Music Conference at Kolkata in 1937 became a defining moment in his career. Three decades later, when he performed at the Edinburgh Music Festival, the shehnai acquired a global audience...

Welcome to Day 8 of the Doodle Snow Games and a very happy Lunar New Year to many around the world! On this brrr-eezy day in PyeongChang, we're joined by athletes from all over the world hoping to prove themselves best in class (or species). Let’s follow Magpie to the slopes for a fluttering glimpse of today’s action… The new moon peeks out over the Doodle Snow Games as our athletes take a much needed break to hot-dog and monkey around, shedding their game-faces to enjoy the sights from the ski lift. After all the action, it’s a pleasant pick-me-up for our doggone tired competitors. Dog, who’s been pawsitively crushing it over the course of the games (some might say it’s as if it’s the year of the Dog!), scouts the fireworks. Talk about a treat to start your year off right. It’s a chilly one tonight. Good thing everyone on the lift has coats. Stop by every day for the next few weeks to keep up with all the action from the Doodle Snow Games!   ...

  Here’s an easy, yes-or-no question: Is the universe complex? YES, of course, you could say; it would be crazy to think otherwise! But on the other hand, British mathematician   George Boole   taught us that NO, things can be seen as relatively simple; any values can be pared down to yes or no, true or false, or 0 or 1 (which, here at Google, is our personal favorite). In 1849, Boole was appointed as the first Professor of Mathematics at   University College Cork , where he pioneered developments in logic and mathematics. His beautiful binary “Boolean” system was detailed in   An Investigation of the Laws of Thought   in 1854, which inevitably enabled revolutionary thinking in not just logic and math, but also engineering and computer science. As one of the most important scientists to have ever worked in Ireland, Boole effectively laid the foundations of the entire Information Age while working from UCC. So it’s fair to say that without Geo...