Google honors legendary swing dancer in doodle
The search giant honors Frankie Manning on his 102nd birthday with a couple of cool cats jumpin' and jivin' on all over the Google logo.
Google's doodle on May 26 honors Frankie Manning, the man who changed swing dancing forever, on his 102nd birthday.
Yes, I know it's not 1996, but the folks at Google still think that swing dancing is cool.
That's why Google is honoring the 102nd birthday of one of the great innovators in swing dancing, Frankie Manning. Today, Google has made its doodle, created by Nate Swinehart, one that celebrates Mannings' acrobatic style, showing dance partners jumping and spinning around the Google logo.
It all started one morning in 1929 when Frankie Manning, who was only 15 years old at the time, passed the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem on his way to Sunday school, according to Google's explanation of today's doodle. He decided to take dance lessons, and from there he changed swing dancing forever.
Manning, known as the Ambassador of the Lindy Hop, a popular dance started in Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s, put his own "spin" on the dance so to speak, as "the first person to take swing from the dancefloor to the air above it," Google explains.
Google frequently updates its "doodles," which are fun changes to the Google logo, to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists. The doodle has been around since Google's earliest days and the company now has a whole team of engineers and illustrators dedicated to creating them. More than 2,000 doodles have been created over the years, Google says. Google takes pitches for doodles from the public, so if you've got a good one, email proposals@google.com.