Google Canada’s home page marked the 140th anniversary of the formation of the North-West Mounted Police Thursday with a Google Doodle featuring a saluting Mountie.
Clicking on the icon takes you to search results for “North West Mounted Police RCMP.”
The force was created May 23, 1873, by the Dominion Parliament to police the Northwest Territories, which at the time were much larger than they are today, and encompassed much of what today would be the northern halves of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The force was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1920, when it merged with the Dominion Police to become a fully national police force. In 1949, the Newfoundland Ranger Force would be amalgamated into the RCMP, with that dominion’s joining Confederation.
Google has paid tribute to Canadian icons and history before.
It celebrated last year’s Canada Day with a beaver wearing a crown, made a big deal out of the 31st anniversary of the Canadarm, and even paid homage to Canadian children’s TV icon Mr. Dressup.
Check out some of the most memorable Google doodles over the years:
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