Today, Google is honouring Sir Ludwig ‘Poppa’ Guttmann. He was an eminent German neurologist. The tech giant celebrated him by dedicating a Doodle. On Saturday, 3rd July, Sir Ludwig’s 122nd birth anniversary was remembered by people all over the world. Subsequently, the illustration for Doodle was created by Ashanti Forston. Ashanti is a guest artist based in Baltimore.
Sir Guttmann founded the Paralympic movement. Hence, he is also known as the ‘Father of Paralympics’. The official account of Google Doodle tweeted-
‘Happy birthday to German-born, British neurologist Prof. Sir Ludwig Guttmann! An innovator who helped patients rehabilitate through sports, Guttmann is the founder of the Paralympic movement
by guest artist @ashantifortson → http://goo.gle/2SHa8mD
A Glimpse at The Life of Sir Ludwig Guttmann
He was born in Tost back then, Tost was a part of Germany. But today, it comes under Poland. Further, he went on to receive his MD in 1924. After that, he started working on his research work. His research was on spinal cord injuries. Eventually, by his early thirties, he was considered as “one of Germany’s top neurosurgeons.” Although, with the rise of Nazi dominance and the increasing persecution of Jews in Germany, so he escaped to England in 1939.
In the foreign land, he continually researched paraplegia and practically applied his approaches. Most importantly in 1948, he organized a 16-person archery contest. It is regarded as one of the first official competitive sporting events for wheelchair users. This event later came to be known as the “Stoke Mandeville Games”.
As a result of Guttmann’s efforts, the International Stoke Mandeville Games were observed in 1960. Shortly, in 1960 the first Paralympic Games were organised during the Summer Olympics. Hence, Sir Ludwig Guttmann got the Knighthood title in 1966 by Her Majesty the Queen. He has received various accolades for his works.
Today the Paralympics are simultaneously conducted during the Olympic events. Sir Ludwig has given a platform to many differently abled persons. Now, there are diversities among Paralympic games, giving more scope to everyone.