Google Doodle honors philanthropist George Peabody

Google is paying tribute Friday to "the father of modern philanthropy."

On March 16, 1867, George Peabody received the Congressional Gold Medal after donating $2 million to education initiatives.

Born in 1795, Peabody stopped attending school at age 11 before working at a general store, according to a biography on the website for Yale University's Peabody Museum of Natural History.

Peabody eventually became partner in a wholesale dry goods business, conducting most of his business out of Baltimore. He settled in London in 1837 and became a banker, which is where he amassed most of his wealth.

During his lifetime, Peabody gave away more than $8 million to causes such as education. In 1866, Peabody gave $150,000 to help establish the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale, where his nephew attended college.

Friday's doodle was created as part of a volunteer art mural project. The mural sits inside the student cafeteria at George Peabody Elementary School in San Francisco.

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