Google has honored the birthday of Tanaka Hisashige, a Japanese engineer and inventor, born 213 years ago. He can be considered the father of what is now the Toshiba corporation.
He was a gifted inventor and by age 20 he had already created automated karakuri dolls, with hydraulic systems and clockwork mechanisms, which would perform simple tasks.
He quickly became known for his creations, which were in high demand among the Japanese aristocracy.
It's these dolls that are represented in Google's animated doodle, which was only shown in Japan. The karakuri doll paints the letter G in the Google logo. The animated version is
here.
Tanaka Hisashige then started studying science more thoroughly and went on to work on various creations, from a the complex Myriad year
clock, to steam engines. He designed and built the first Japanese locomotive.
Later in his life, he set up the first telegraph equipment company in his country, the company evolved to what is now Toshiba.