New Delhi: Kitty O’Neil, an American stunt artist once dubbed “the fastest woman in the world,” was honored with a Google Doodle on Friday. Google honored the rocket-powered vehicle driver, who has been deaf since childhood, on the occasion of her 77th birthday.
The Doodle, created by deaf guest artist Meeya Tjiang of Washington, DC, depicted Neil’s life by placing her in front of a rocket-powered car as she looked confident and joyful.
New Google Doodle has been released: “Kitty O’Neil’s 77th Birthday” 🙂#google #doodle #designhttps://t.co/EDdjIKGHh6 pic.twitter.com/jcx5ljrDvA
— Google Doodles EN (@Doodle123_EN) March 23, 2023
Who was Kitty O’Neil?
Kitty was born in 1946 in Corpus Christi, Texas, to a Cherokee Native American mother and an Irish father. She suffered a big setback in life when she contracted numerous infections shortly after birth, which caused her to become deaf. Neil, on the other hand, never allowed it to become a hindrance for her.
To overcome her challenges, she mastered many communication techniques and considered her deafness as a plus, according to Google. Her passion for driving was hampered by a wrist injury and illness, which cut short her driving career, but Neil remained determined to pursue her dream of being a professional athlete.
She experimented with high-speed activities such as water skiing and motorbike racing, as well as acts such as plunging from terrifying heights while being set on fire.
In the 1970s, she began her career as a stunt double for major motion pictures. She became the very first woman to join Stunts Unlimited, an organization for Hollywood’s finest stunt performers, after appearing in The Bionic Woman (1976) and Wonder Woman (1977-1979), according to Google. In 2018, she said her final goodbyes to the world.
