Gothic boxwood miniatures are very small religious wood sculptures produced during the 15th and 16th centuries, mostly in today's Low Countries. They were formed from intricate layers of reliefs often rendered at nearly microscopic levels, with around 150 examples extant today. The majority are spherical beads known as prayer nuts, statuettes, skulls, or coffins; some 20 are in the form of polyptychs including triptych and diptych altarpieces, tabernacles, and monstrances. Typically imagery includes scenes from the Crucifixion of Jesus and extensive vistas of Heaven and Hell. Each miniature required exceptional craftsmanship and may have taken decades to complete. Important collections are in the Art Gallery of Ontario, the British Museum, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. (Full article...)

Depiction of Jesus after his resurrection

• ... that the 1862 Easter hymn "Christ Is Risen! Christ Is Risen!" (visual depiction shown) by Gurney was virtually unknown until two revised versions were sent to the United States?


• ... that Indian folklorist Joravarsinh Jadav has written and edited more than 90 works?


• ... that HMS Splendid attacked a heavy German merchant ship, but instead sank an Italian destroyer?


• ... that prospector John Beaton triggered an Alaskan gold rush by a discovery his team made on Christmas Day 1908?


• ... that some insect populations have declined dramatically?


• ... that Margit Schramm appeared as Hanna Glawari, the "merry widow" in Lehár's operetta, more than 500 times?


• ... that Church Fathers such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, and Lactantius accepted the association of the angelic descent myth with the "sons of God" passage in Genesis 6?


• ... that Barry Sage has earned US$22,000 for clapping his hands in 1981?

NGC 7027

• Scientists announce the discovery of naturally occurring helium hydride ions, believed to be the first compound to have formed in the universe, in the planetary nebula NGC 7027 (pictured).


• The former President of Peru Alan García commits suicide after a warrant is issued for his arrest.


• At the Boston Marathon, Lawrence Cherono and Worknesh Degefa win the men's and women's foot races, respectively.

April 21: First day of Ridván (Bahá'í Faith, 2019); Easter (Western Christianity, 2019); Mid-Sha'ban (Islam, 2019); Grounation Day in the Rastafari movement

Wignacourt Aqueduct

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  43 BC – Forces led by Mark Antony fought the Battle of Mutina against those of Decimus Brutus, one of Julius Caesar's assassins.


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  1615 – The Wignacourt Aqueduct (pictured) in Malta was inaugurated and was used to carry water to Valletta for about 300 years.


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  1914 – Mexican Revolution: The United States detained a German steamer carrying materiel for the Mexican federal government.


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  1934 – The "Surgeon's Photograph", purportedly showing the Loch Ness Monster (later revealed to be a hoax), was published in the Daily Mail.


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  1970 – In response to a dispute over wheat production quotas, the Principality of Hutt River proclaimed its secession from Western Australia.

Bardas (d. 866) · Petrus Apianus (d. 1552) · Cheryl Gillan (b. 1952)