On the surface, the Google Doodle is just a cute little trick that one of the world’s biggest companies likes to pull. However, going back to the first Doodle back in 1998, it has been a signature part of what makes Google the kind of tech company it is.
There are plenty of reasons for people to be creeped out or just plain dislike the all-knowing tech behemoth. However, there is also something quite special about a company this large giving employees the freedom to pursue passions and see where they go. That’s something a lot of companies could use some more of.
So we decided to take a look into the past and collect our 50 favorite Google Doodles of all time.
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August 30, 1998 - Predating Google's incorporation as a company, this Doodle was created as an "Out of Office" when Larry Page and Sergey Brin took off for the Burning Man Festival
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November 26, 1998 - Thanksgiving 1998, shortly after the launch of Google
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October 31, 1999 - Nearly a year later and with a new logo, Google replaced letters in their own logo to create a doodle for Halloween
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July 14, 2000 - Working with Google staff in France, Bastille Day was the first time a Google Doodle was made to run exclusively outside the United States
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September 15-26, 2000 - Google ran a series of eleven Olympic-related doodles through the first week of the Sydney Games
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November 15, 2000 - The second international doodle - and the first for Japan - celebrates the Shichi-go-san festival
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July 1, 2001 - Starting with Canada Day, Google began running doodles celebrating national holidays in other countries including Switzerland and South Korea
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November 14, 2001 - The first time an artist's style is used to create a doodle celebrating his or her work celebrated Claude Monet's 161st Birthday
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May 20-24, 2002 - A series of five doodles appeared with Dilbert discussing rebranding ideas with the Pointy-haired Boss
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March 14, 2003 - Google marks the birthday of Albert Einstein, the first of many scientists whose work is celebrated through doodles