Google Doodle celebrates Karl Landsteiner, discoverer of blood groups

Everyday, Google uses space on its home page to publish doodles that celebrate various events, important days and even personalities. Today, it celebrated the 148th birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the discoverer of blood groups in 1901. The discovery of blood groups has saved millions of lives around us, if not more in the 20th century. He discovered the existence of blood types A, B, AB and O in 1901 and that people of the same or compatible types can receive transfusions from each other. The first successful blood transfusion was conducted in 1907 which in turn led to advances in medicine, surgery, and therapies. [caption id=“attachment_320559” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Image Credits: Google Doodle Page[/caption] In the doodle, Karl is standing by his most significant discovery – the blood types A, AB, B and O with his laboratory suit on. He is also credited with the groundwork, together with fellow scientist Erwin Pooper, that led to the discovery of Polio virus, the same virus that was affecting millions of children worldwide at that time. In an indirect way, most of us are alive and healthy because of the work he did a century ago as every one of us was pulled to Polio vaccination station as kids.