On May 21, Google commemorated the 215th birthday of Mary Anning, a British fossil collector.
Internet users who visited Google's homepage were shown a Doodle that featured Anning looking for fossils, with the bones of the animals making up the word Google.
While the Doodle of Anning is not interactive, unlike the latest Google Doodle celebrating the 40th birthday of the Rubik's Cube, it shows Anning's love and dedication to the craft that made her a popular figure.
Anning was born on May 21, 1799, to a carpenter who also hunted and sold fossils. She is best remembered for her contributions to the paleontological world through her collection of fossils from the Jurassic period, which she obtained near her family's home in Lyme Regis in Dorset along the southern coast. During her lifetime, Anning was instrumental in creating fundamental changes toward the scientific understanding of prehistoric life, as she studied the many marine fossils that she unearthed and sold.
Anning made her first fossil discovery when she was just 12. Along with her brother, Joseph, they were able to dig up a skull. Among her many succeeding discoveries, her most significant ones were the Ichthyosaurs, the Plesiosaurs, the Pterosaurs and fossil fish.
The species of fossil fish Acrodus anningiae and Belenostomus anningiae were named after Anning while she was living, with other species and two genus being named after her posthumously.
Despite her popularity in both Europe and America, Anning was not invited into the Geological Society of London because she was a female.
Anning succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 47 on March 9, 1847.
In 2010, the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, more commonly known as the Royal Society, named Anning as one of the 10 British women who have had the most influence on the history of science.
Google has released more than 2,000 Doodles for its homepages around the world, created by a team of illustrators and engineers.
"Doodles are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists," according to Google's Doodle page.
Previous Google Doodles include the aforementioned Rubik's Cube on May 19, Norway's 200th Year of Independence on May 17, Maria Gaetana Agnesi's 296th Birthday on May 16, India Counting Day on May 16, Teacher's Day in Mexico on May 15, Dorothy Hodgkin's 104th Birthday on May 12 and Mother's Day on May 11.
