The Google Doodle for June 19 celebrates the 158th birth anniversary of Filipino hero Jose Rizal.
The popular internet browser’s home page displays an image of Jose Rizal with his words that inspired the Philippine nationalist movement.
The Doodle featuring the 19th century author also includes a quill pen, described by Google as “a powerful tool that Rizal used in his works and writings as he fought for the freedom of the Filipinos.”
A magnifying glass is included in the Doodle to represent Rizal’s profession as a practicing ophthalmologist during his time.
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Jose Rizal was born in Calamba, Laguna on June 19, 1861. Rizal started to read and write poetry and stories from the age of 5 years old and went on to grow up into an acclaimed author “whose passionate writings and selfless devotion inspired the Philippine nationalist movement.”
Rizal was educated at the Ateneo and traveled overseas to Spain, France, and Germany to study philosophy and medicine. Historical records note Rizal became an accomplished eye surgeon to help his mother whose eyesight was failing.
While in Europe, Rizal published his works including the Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed). These works were credited with establishing Jose Rizal as a leading voice for reform in his homeland. These works also became the springboard for the revolutionary movement against the Spanish colonizers.
LEARN: Spain names Madrid street after Jose Rizal
The Filipino hero’s translation of Antonio De Morga’s 1609 Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas revealed the achievements of Filipino society prior to Spanish colonization.
Rizal contributed articles to Barcelona-based newspaper La Solidaridad and advocated for the Philippines to be integrated as a province of Spain, represented in the Spanish parliament, and for its citizens to be granted such basic rights as freedom of assembly and expression, and equality under the law.
Monuments in Jose Rizal’s honor stand in Manila’s Rizal Park and many parks in the Philippines, Asia, and Europe.
Google writes: Today, Rizal is remembered as a Filipino national hero whose expression of love and devotion for his nation in his novels, essays, and articles inspired a revolution.
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