In honor of author Jules Verne's 183rd birthday, Google on Tuesday added an interactive doodle to its homepage that allows visitors to navigate underwater scenes straight out of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."
Today on Google.com, the letters in the Google logo are shaped like portholes on a submarine, and a lever on the right side of the page allows users to shift up, down, left, and right for a glimpse of the deep seas.
"Using CSS3 (and with help from our resident tech wizards Marcin Wichary and Kris Hom), the doodle enables anyone to navigate the Nautilus (nearly) 20,000 leagues with the simple pull of a lever," Google doodler Jennifer Hom wrote in a blog post. "And for those using devices with built-in accelerometers and the latest versions of Google Chrome or Firefox, it's even simpler—just tilt your device in the direction you want to explore and the Nautilus will follow."
Hom said she has been fascinated by one of Verne's more popular novels, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" since childhood.
"Looking back, I realize that what fascinated me most was the unknown: a creative spark and the imaginative exploration that followed," she wrote. "Since then, I've become more familiar with his work and still believe that exploration is the essence of Verne's novels. His stories pull the readers into a world filled with infinite potential—be it in the clouds, on land or under the sea."
Verne was born February 8, 1828 in France. Other famous literary works include "Journey to the Center of the Earth," published in 1864, and "Around the World in 80 Days," published in 1873. He died in 1905.
In November, Google also honored author Robert Louis Stevenson's 160th birthday with a doodle that featured a pirate, pirate ship, the coveted chest of gold, and the always ominous skull and crossbones flag.
Last month, Google kicked off its fourth annual "Doodle 4 Google" contest, a competition that calls on students from K-12 to design a Google homepage doodle in exchange for scholarship funds and a technology grant.
Update: On Tuesday night, Google announced a standalone version of the Jules Verne doodle, available on the Web.
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 1:30pm with the correct spelling of Hom's last name.
