Today on Google's home page is a special logo for Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Today would be his 126th birthday. He was a well respected German architect who lived half his life in Germany and the other half in America.
This may be one of the widest static Google logos on the home page ever, reaching 638 pixels wide.
He was born on March 27, 1886 in Prussia and died at the age of 83 in Chicago on August 17, 1969. Some of his more well known buildings include Barcelona Pavilion, Tugendhat House, Crown Hall, Farnsworth House, 860–880 Lake Shore Drive, Seagram Building, New National Gallery, Toronto-Dominion Centre and Westmount Square.
He was most well known for creating a new style of architecture that was modern and traditional at the same time. The Google logo resembles that look of clear long lines (i.e. wide Google logo), many windows and so on.
For more on Mies, as he was commonly referred to, see Wikipedia.
Forum discussion at Google Web Search Help.