On February 22, Google's homepage sports a colorful doodle that waves on endlessly. Simply click through the animation, and the story behind this stylized wave is revealed: It's a tribute to German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz's 155th birthday.
If you're a little rusty on your physics, here's a refresher: Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, born in Hamburg on February 22, 1857, was the first person to prove electromagnetic waves exist (hence the wavelength doodle) and that electricity can be carried through them. He even lends his name to a unit of measurement, the hertz, which is equal to one cycle per second and is used to gauge frequency.
The doodle's creator, Sophia Foster-Dimino is an illustrator and cartoonist based in the Bay Area of San Francisco, according to the Washington Post. Along with gathering input from Google's science-lovers, Dimino and her team made sure to take Hertz's extensive accomplishments into consideration when designing the logo.
"For this doodle, we chose to create a simple and elegant homage for Heinrich Hertz, whose research into electromagnetic waves contributed to the invention of the radio, television and radar," she told the Washington Post's Comic Riffs.
While this Google doodle is pretty simple, it's not without its hidden features. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the wavelength's repeating pattern outlines the shape of Google's usual logo -- a small example of the doodle team's keen eye for detail.
And, really, the intelligent Hertz doesn't deserve anything less after all the important work he has done. As the famous physicist's obituary so eloquently put it in an 1894 volume of The Electrical Engineer:
Great as has been the influence of his work in the short period which has elapsed since its promulgation, the importance of its ultimate results can scarcely be overestimated.
Check out the video (below) to see Hertz's Google doodle in action, and scroll down to see a slideshow of more of our favorite doodles!
Coolest Google Doodles ever.
