One doesn’t have to be a history buff to understand the significance of June 6, 1944. The D-Day landings in Normandy, France, amounted to the largest amphibious assault ever executed in military history. It marked the start of the two-month-long Battle of Normandy and the eventual liberation of France from the German occupation.
Historians have calculated the number of confirmed Allied fatalities on that first day alone to be 4,415, according to the National D-Day Memorial. Total Allied casualties are estimated at nearly 10,000. Codenamed “Operation Overlord,” the D-Day landing involved “over 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes and over 150,000 service men,” the memorial notes.
The day is observed annually in the U.S. and by our European allies by honoring our veterans who sacrificed so much in the fight against Nazi Germany.
Although it happened long before many of us were even born, the gravity of what took place that day won’t soon be forgotten.
Unless, of course, you work for Google.
The search engine has a featured called google doodles. The company’s website defines them as “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.” The traditional google logo is changed to reflect significant events that occurred in history.
Given that Monday is June 6, it wouldn’t be crazy to expect the company to pay homage to the memory of the brave Allied soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom on the beaches of Normandy. It’s a no-brainer, right? Wrong.
For the wokesters over at Google, June 6 is a date to celebrate the birthday of Angelo Moriondo, “the Italian inventor who patented world’s first known espresso machine.”
Does Google’s June 6 google doodle really surprise you?
Yes: 10% (9 Votes)
No: 90% (79 Votes)
No, I’m not kidding.
Moriondo was born on June 6, 1851, patented his espresso machine in 1884 and died in 1914, so today’s celebration isn’t something special like his 200th birthday or the 200th year of espresso.
He is simply the primary individual whom the person in charge of doodles at Google decided to honor on June 6.
Monday morning coffee >>>>
Start off the week strong with today’s #GoogleDoodle celebrating the birthday of Angelo Moriondo, the Italian inventor who patented world’s first known espresso machine ☕
—> https://t.co/6N1ScTtD4a pic.twitter.com/0m5MOwwpeS
— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) June 6, 2022
The other google doodles for June 6 include the 185th birthday of Hon’inbō Shūsaku, a Japanese professional Go player from the 19th century, Teacher’s Day 2022, Sweden National Day 2022 and the 93rd birthday of Fasia Jansen, an influential Afro-German singer, songwriter and political activist.
D-Day didn’t even make Google’s short list!
We shouldn’t be surprised. Last year, President Joe Biden himself neglected to mention the momentous date at all. Instead, he chose to pay tribute to the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.
I met with survivors of the Tulsa Massacre this week to help fill the silence. Because in silence, wounds deepen. And, as painful as it is, only in remembrance do wounds heal. pic.twitter.com/0mLMRAhJiD
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 6, 2021
Then-President Donald Trump, on the other hand, delivered one of the most powerful speeches of his presidency on the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019. He hailed D-Day veterans as the greatest Americans and even drew praise from critics, such as MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and CNN’s Jim Acosta.
We’ll see what our current president does or doesn’t do to commemorate D-Day 2022, but one thing is clear: If you ask the folks at Google and an ordinary American about the significance of June 6, you’ll get two very different answers.
