Modern Singapore is commemorating its 200th Founding Anniversary Monday (January 28) and Google is celebrating it with a simple yet emblematic special doodle on its search browser. By tradition, Google normally revises the logo on its homepages to echo or remind people of special events, achievements, and holidays.
January 28 is a significant milestone in Singapore’s contemporary history as it marked the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles in Singapore 200 years ago.
For its Singapore Bicentennial Google Doodle, the search engine monolith showed a dominating red Google logo, and featured major Singapore landmarks like the Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Flyer.
Stephanie Davis, country director for Google Singapore said, “Singapore has been a wonderful home to our Asia-Pacific headquarters since 2007 and we have witnessed its growth as a regional hub for ideas and people from various communities and cultures.”
She further explained that since the Bicentennial is an “important milestone” for Singapore, Google wanted to remember the occasion with a special doodle of the “iconic Singapore city skyline that represents the modernization of Singapore over the past 700 years.”
“We hope it will help Singaporeans meaningfully reflect on the country’s history, as they use Search to learn and embark on the commemorative activities lined up for the year ahead.”
Executive Director of the Singapore Bicentennial Office Gene Tan welcomed Google’s efforts by saying “We are pleased to have our very own Google Doodle commemorate the important milestone and the stories of the people who came before us……We hope that these stories will help Singaporeans connect with our country’s history and the development of our country into a nation and a people with a unique Singaporean DNA over the centuries.”
A wide variety of events have been planned to celebrate the Bicentennial. To get kick off the event, the annual i Light Singapore event and Light to Night Festival will run from Monday to Feb 24 and will feature specially curated works.