Friday, October 2, 2009

Google Doodle: Mahatma Gandhi tribute on 140th birthday

Gandhi google: Google Doodle: Mahatma Gandhi tribute on 140th birthday
Mahatma Gandhi on today's Google homepage

The face of the Indian independence movement leader replaces the letter "G" in Google 's home page.

He joins an elite band including Michael Jackson, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and Confucius by appearing on the 'Google Doodle'.

The 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing of 1969, and the 50th of James Watson and Francis Crick’s discovery of the shape of DNA, are among other events recently marked by Google's doodle designer Dennis Hwang.

Last week Google released a special misspelt version of its own name – as "Googlle" – to mark the company's 11th birthday and it recently sparked fevered speculation with a series of UFO themed doodles to mark the anniversary of the birth of the War of the Worlds author, HG Wells.

The images - which included a of light from a flying saucer beam lifting the second O in an apparent abduction, linking to a search page for “unexplained phenomenon”, crop circles and walkers in the Surrey countryside - initially helped fuel internet conspiracy theories.

As well as being celebrated in India as a national holiday known as "Gandhi Jayanti" – October 2 is marked around the world as International day of Non Violence.

Born on October 2 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is celebrated for his ideas on non violent passive resistance.

He is known around the world as the "Mahatma" from the Sanskrit word meaning "Great Soul".

In a tribute to mark the anniversary, Barack Obama praised Gandhi for his influence on modern America through his influence on figures including Martin Luther King the civil rights leader.

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