For the past couple of years, Google has managed to wow us with some interesting and interactive Google Doodles. Some of the notable ones worth checking out from the past include the 30th anniversary of PAC-MAN (21-May-2010), the interactive Les Paul's 96th birthday (9-Jun-2011), and the total lunar eclipse (15-Jun-2011). Let's take a look at the creations that deserve a special mention this year.

5. The Largest Snowflake
The Guinness Book of World Records attributes the title of the world's largest snowflake to a 15" wide and 8" thick piece that fell to the earth at Fort Keogh, Montana on 28th Jan, 1887. Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, Google's doodle featured a huge snowflake that ascended on the second "o" of the logo, setting the birds sitting on the "e" in flight, with a mooing cow in the foreground. The doodle appeared only for users in the US, Canada, and UK. Not the best of the lot, but quite interesting, especially if considering the amount of detail that the doodle has.

4. Love Is In The Air
The first impressive animated doodle of the year appeared on 14th Feb, which happens to be Valentine's Day. Apart from an interesting story that runs through the video, you can listen to Cold, Cold Heart by Tony Bennett playing in the background. Interestingly, the video talks about perfect love, which doesn't limit itself to gifts. It ends with snapshots of all kinds of couples; same gender ones, the fairytale frog princess, cats and dogs, and even milk and cookies.
 

3. The Horse In Motion
British photographer Eadweard J. Muybridge, widely considered the pioneer of motion picture technology, was born on 9th April, 1830. To commemorate his 182nd birthday, Google put up a video depicting a galloping horse. Muybridge developed this as a study to determine if all four feet of a horse lose contact with the ground when running at full speed. The study is popularly known as Sallie Gardner at a Gallop, and this clip was shown on a Zoopraxiscope, a motion picture device developed by the photographer himself.
 

2. Earth Day 2012
The world celebrates Earth Day on 22nd April, and this year Google pitched in with an interactive doodle on its homepage. This was probably the least impressive animated doodle this year, but it's interactive nonetheless. Instead of computer-generated graphics, the doodle comprised of snapshots of a real garden, with the logo resembling a barren garden that eventually sprouts flowers.
 

1. Zip Up Your Curiosity
The most impressive doodle for the year till date has to be the one celebrating Gideon Sundbäck's 132nd birthday, which went live on 24th April. The interactive doodle celebrated the birthday of the Swedish-American electrical engineer, famous for inventing the zipper. The doodle was literally a huge zipper running across the screen that when unzipped, revealed more about Sundbäck. This is by far the most innovative doodle till date, which makes me even more curious to find out what the search giant has in store for us over the next four months.

Which of the Google doodles this year did you like best?

Tags : Internet, Culture, Movies, Environment, Science, Google, Kamakshi