Google explains logo mystery, just in time for 143rd birthday of H.G. Wells

A series of “Google doodles” and cryptic tweets by the geeks at Google set the internet off on one of its favorite pastimes, speculating and concocting wacky theories.

Crop circles, strange geographic coordinates, a decoded “all your base are belong to us” message fueled discussion and guesses as to what Google was marking or hinting at with the seemingly connected elements. Last night, Google finally gave users the answer, and I’m not sure it’s one anyone would have guessed- H.G. Wells 143rd birthday.

Herbert George Wells was a prolific sci-fi author, with notable works such as The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. Google expressed delight at the flurry of debate and interest in the logo change, and on their blog, explained the choice to honor Wells on the internet’s most trafficked webpage:

Inspiration for innovation in technology and design can come from lots of places; we wanted to celebrate H.G. Wells as an author who encouraged fantastical thinking about what is possible, on this planet and beyond. And maybe have some fun while we were doing it.

The invasion of the logo by alien crafts and pods makes our series complete, but you’ll have to read the book to find out how Wells’ story really ends.