An iconic 19th century character received a whimsical and rare 21st century honor today when Google's homepage "doodle" marked the birthday of John James Audubon, the artist whose masterpiece was the majestic book, Birds of America.

Audubon, who was born April 26, 1785, came to the United States in his late teens. Living in Pennsylvania, he became obsessed with nature and particularly with birds. While failing at several business ventures, he found solace by venturing deep into the American wilderness, observing birds and painting them.

His great masterpiece, Birds of America, was published in London when American publishers didn't see the value in it. Printed on enormous pages, the volumes of Audubon's book eventually contained more than 1,000 individual paintings of birds. An original copy of Birds of America sold for a record $10 million at auction last December.

The life of John James Audubon resonates today, as he has become a symbol of conservation as well as an iconic American artist. And Google deserves credit for honoring him with a special doodle on his birthday.

Illustration: John James Audubon/Library of Congress

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He was known as "The Pathfinder," but John C. Frémont didn't do much original exploring. His expeditions became iconic because his official reports of travels far beyond the Mississippi became popular books which inspired countless Americans to head westward.

Frémont began his life embroiled in scandal, and had a peculiar knack for finding controversy. But at times his reckless nature proved valuable, such as when he climbed a high peak in the West and placed an American flag atop it in 1842.

At a time when foreign powers had their own claims to the distant West, Frémont, acting on his own impulse, seemed to claim it all for the United States.

Frémont wrote official government reports of his expeditions which largely consisted of dry geographical data he had calculated through astronomical observations in the field. But the narratives of his journeys, which he probably wrote with the assistance of his wife, had literary value and became hugely popular with the American public.

Until the 1840s, Americans had only vague notions of what might be found in the West. And the writings of John C. Frémont changed everything and helped make Manifest Destiny a major theme in American life.

Illustration: John C. Frémont/Library of Congress

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In the 1840s and 1850s vast numbers of Americans took up the task of leaving home and moving westward, across the plains and mountains to Oregon and California.

This mass migration was inspired in large measure by the publication of books which made people see moving west as a grand romantic notion that was also an attainable goal. Some of the actual books gobbled up by the public can be read by us today, for free, thanks to the digitizing efforts of Google Books.

The government reports of the expeditions of John C. Frémont helped to kick things off. Frémont's accounts had a lyrical quality not generally found in federal documents, and his vivid descriptions of exploring in the West were widely read by an enthusiastic public.

Other books gave the emigrants, as they were known, practical advice on what to bring, where to camp, and what to expect when arriving in Oregon or California.

Considering the great distances traveled and hardships endured along the Oregon Trail, it can be difficult to understand what possessed anyone to make the journey. Yet reading the guidebooks the emigrants read at the time, you can understand how the desire to move westward became a national preoccupation.

Illustration: Lithograph titled "Emigrant Party on the Road to California"/Library of Congress

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This week marks the birthday of John Muir, the man whose writings helped create the National Parks and whose life inspired the conservation movement. To mark the occasion, PBS is airing a new documentary, "John Muir in the New World."

The film, which was largely shot in California's spectacular Yosemite Valley, promises to be beautiful as well as fascinating.

John Muir was an astonishing character. Though he possessed great mechanical ability, and could have made a fortune in the increasingly industrial society of late 19th century America, he turned away from the business world. He would sometimes joke that he gave up millions of dollars to live as a tramp.

John Muir walked America, appreciating nature, and eventually came to the place he revered most, California's spectacular Yosemite Valley. His writings about Yosemite helped inspire the National Parks, and his concern for nature led to our own efforts at conserving natural resources today.

"John Muir in the New World" premieres tonight, April 18, on PBS stations.

Photograph: John Muir/Library of Congress

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