Google honours Samuel Johnson with Doodle

Grabbing a dictionary to know the meaning a word may now have become a thing of the past in the online world, but Google Doodle on Monday decided to honour Samuel Johnson, the man who compiled a mammoth dictionary of the English language 150 years before the Oxford English Dictionary appeared.

Son of a bookseller, Johnson published "A Dictionary of the English Language" in 1755 after nine years of work.

On what would have been his 308th birthday, Google Doodle paid homage to Johnson for being a "pioneer lexicographer who dedicated years to his craft."

Johnson dictionary was described as "one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship," and had a far-reaching effect on modern English.

It was described as the premier English dictionary until the publication of the Oxford English Dictionary 150 years later.Johnson was also a poet, essayist, critic, biographer and editor.

"Johnson's dictionary was more than just a word list: his work provided a vast understanding of 18th century's language and culture. His lasting contributions guaranteed him a place in literary history," Google said.

Google honours Samuel Johnson with Doodle on Business Standard. Grabbing a dictionary to know the meaning a word may now have become a thing of the past in the online world, but Google Doodle on Monday decided to honour Samuel Johnson, the man who compiled a mammoth dictionary of the English language 150 years

Google on Tuesday paid tribute to Ferdinand Monoyer, a French ophthalmologist who showed us the way to measure eye sight.

Born in 1836, Monoyer developed the diopter, the unit of measurement for vision that is still used today.

The diopter measures the distance you would have to be from text to read it.

Most notably, Monoyer devised an eye chart where every row represents a different diopter, from smallest to largest.

"Ferdinand Monoyer, born on this date in 1836, rose to prominence as one of France's most famous ophthalmologists," Google said.

"If you look closely at today's Doodle, you might be able to spot a tribute to another of Monoyer's signatures: his name, hidden in the chart," Google added.