The Philippines is celebrating its national hero Jose Rizal’s 158th birthday today, and international tech company Google is not one to miss it!
Google has been known to make Doodles that commemorate special occasions in different countries around the world. In the Philippines, the tech company has never failed to celebrate important events such as the country’s Independence Day, national elections, and local festivals. Birthdays of renowned Filipinos such as National Artist Francisca Reyes Aquino, Girl Scout of the Philippines founder Josefa Llanes Escoda, and National Scientist Fe del Mundo were also celebrated by Google Doodle in the past.
Today, another renowned Filipino joins Google’s roster of commemorative Doodles as the Philippines celebrates national hero Jose Rizal’s 158th birthday.
In the Doodle, Rizal can be seen surrounded by the usual text that that spells out “Google” as well as three other mysterious objects: a quill, a magnifying glass, and two books. What do these three easter eggs represent? My Pope breaks them down for you.
According to Google, the quill, found on the left side of the Doodle, is “a powerful tool that Rizal used in his works and writings as he fought for the freedom of the Filipinos.”
As many Filipinos know, Rizal is the perfect embodiment of the popular saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” He used his passion in writing to fight for equal rights for his fellow Filipinos. He advocated that the Philippines be represented in the Spanish parliament and the Filipinos granted basic rights—such as freedom of assembly and expression.
The Magnifying Glass
Aside from being a respected writer, Rizal was also a known physician. According to Google, the magnifying glass in the right side of the Doodle expounds on Rizal’s experience in medicine and what inspired him to pursue ophthalmology as a profession.
“Educated in Manila, Rizal traveled overseas to study philosophy and medicine at the University of Madrid, the University of Paris, and the University of Heidelberg,” Google explains. “Inspired by his mother’s failing eyesight, he trained under prominent European ophthalmologists Louis de Wecker and Otto Becker and became an accomplished eye surgeon.”
The Two Books
At the bottom part of the doodle are two books that represent Rizal’s two novels that inspired national reform: Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed). “While living in Europe for a decade, he (Rizal) began publishing a series of works…that established him as a leading voice for reform in his homeland,” shares Google.
Up to this day, these two books are still being produced, continuing Jose Rizal’s legacy by igniting the fire of love for country in every Filipino they touch.
Want to see other Google Doodles that celebrate special events in the Philippines? You can access them all here!