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These featured pictures, as scheduled below, appeared as the picture of the day (POTD) on the English Wikipedia's Main Page in April 2018. Individual sections for each day on this page can be linked to with the day number as the anchor name (e.g. [[Wikipedia:Picture of the day/April 2018#1]] for April 1).
You can add an automatically updating POTD template to your user page using {{Pic of the day}} (version with blurb) or {{POTD}} (version without blurb). For instructions on how to make custom POTD layouts, see Wikipedia:Picture of the day.Purge server cache
April 1
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The Crowning with Thorns is a painting completed by the Italian painter Caravaggio in the first decade of the 17th century. Thought to have been commissioned by Caravaggio's patron Vincenzo Giustiniani, the work depicts Jesus, just before his crucifixion, being forced to wear a crown of thorns in mockery of his title "King of Jews". The painting is now located in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Painting: Caravaggio
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April 2
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Eugen Sandow (1867–1925) was a pioneering German bodybuilder. Born in Königsberg, Prussia, he joined a circus to avoid military service. Fellow strongman Ludwig Durlacher urged Sandow to travel to London and take part in a strongman competition, which he handily won. Sandow rose rapidly to fame and was soon touring Europe and the United States, being featured in a short film series that depicted him flexing. After a bout of ill health, Sandow focused on opening public gyms, inventing or improving exercise equipment, and training would-be military recruits as well as King George V. Sandow is now known as the "father of modern bodybuilding". Photograph: D. Bernard & Co; restoration: Adam Cuerden
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April 3
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Portrait of Henriette Mayer van den Bergh, an oil painting on canvas completed by the Belgian painter Jozef Van Lerius (1823–1876) in 1857. Van Lerius, a student of Gustaf Wappers, was a teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp from age 31. He was known primarily for his mythological and biblical scenes, as well as his portraits and genre pictures. The subject, Henriette Mayer van den Bergh, was the mother of the art collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh; after his death, she founded the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp to house his collection. Painting: Jozef Van Lerius
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April 4
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Two yellow-billed oxpeckers (Buphagus africanus africanus) perched atop a zebra in Senegal. This bird is native to the savannah of Sub-Saharan Africa, where it feeds on insects and ticks, including the arthropod parasites found on large mammals, as well as blood. The species nests in tree holes lined with hair plucked from livestock, where it lays 2–3 eggs. Photograph: Charles J. Sharp
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April 5
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The character Cepot depicted as a wayang golek, a three-rod puppet associated with the Sundanese people of West Java. Commonly found in local retellings of the Mahabharata or Ramayana, Cepot is depicted as the son of Semar. Together with his father and brothers, Cepot is one of the punokawan, the clown servants of the hero. Photograph: Chris Woodrich
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April 6
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A Swiss franc note issued in 1914, featuring engravings of William Tell (as visualized by Richard Kissling) and the Rütli Mountain. The currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the franc was introduced by the Helvetic Republic in 1798. In 1907, the Swiss National Bank's first notes were issued in four denominations. The five franc note depicted here is from the second series, which was issued in Switzerland's three most widely spoken languages. Banknote: Swiss National Bank (image courtesy of the National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History)
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April 7
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The winding tower of Shaft 12 at the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, a large former industrial site in the city of Essen, Germany. Mining activities took place from 1851 until 1986, and over this period twelve shafts were opened. The last of these, built in the New Objectivity style, began operations in 1932. It has been considered an architectural and technical masterpiece, being termed the "most beautiful coal mine in the world". The Zollverein Complex was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001. Photograph: Thomas Wolf
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April 8
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Jeeves is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse, in which he is depicted as the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie Wooster. First appearing in the short story "Extricating Young Gussie" in 1915, Jeeves continued to feature in Wodehouse's work until his last completed novel, Aunts Aren't Gentlemen (1974). He also appeared in numerous films and television series, portrayed by such actors as Arthur Treacher, Michael Aldridge, and Dennis Price. The name and character of Jeeves have come to be identified with the quintessential valet or butler. Illustration: Unknown; restoration: Adam Cuerden
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April 9
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Abraxas sylvata is a moth of the family Geometridae that was named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763. It is found on deciduous trees in forests, thickets, and sometimes parks from Europe through Japan. Photograph: Ivar Leidus
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April 10
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An 1860 lithograph showing the assassination of Riccardo, the Earl of Warwick, in the climactic scene of the opera Un ballo in maschera. Composed by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Antonio Somma, it was based on the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden and initially intended to be performed as Gustavo III. However, after extensive censorship, the play was reset in the colonial United States and rewritten to center around a British governor in Boston. First performed in 1859, Un ballo in maschera has been widely staged, with many productions since the 1930s restoring the Swedish setting. Lithograph: Francesco Corbetta; restoration: Adam Cuerden
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April 11
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Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son is an oil-on-canvas painting by Claude Monet from 1875. The Impressionist work depicts his wife Camille and their son Jean during a stroll on a windy summer's day in Argenteuil. It has been held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., since 1983. Painting: Claude Monet
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April 12
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A female and a juvenile guinea baboon (Papio papio) at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, England. This species is native to dry forests, gallery forests, and adjoining bush savannas in western Africa. This diurnal animal is primarily terrestrial, but sleeps in trees at night. More than 200 individuals may be in the same troop, which is limited in size by the number of suitable sleeping trees. Photograph: William Warby
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April 13
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A gold 20-stater depicting Eucratides I, the Greco-Bactrian King who reigned from c. 171 to 145 BC. The largest known gold coin from antiquity, it weighs 169.2 grams and has a diameter of 58 mm. Originally found in Bukhara, and later acquired by Napoleon III, it is now held at the Cabinet des Médailles, Paris. Photograph: National Library of France
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April 14
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Old Woman Frying Eggs is a genre painting by Diego Velázquez. Its date of production is not definitively known, but is thought to have been completed around 1618, before his definitive move from Seville to Madrid in 1623. Velázquez frequently used working-class characters in early paintings like this one, in many cases using his family as models; the old woman here also appears in his Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (1618). The painting is in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. Painting: Diego Velázquez
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April 15
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The Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small passerine bird in the tit family. Easily recognisable by its blue and yellow plumage and small size, the species is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia. It feeds primarily on insects and spiders, but may consume seeds and other vegetable-based foods outside of the breeding season. Photograph: Francis Franklin
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April 16
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The interior of St Etheldreda's Church, a Catholic church in Ely Place, London. One of the oldest Catholic churches in England, it was built as the chapel for the Bishop of Ely during the reign of Edward I (r. 1272–1307). Beginning in the sixteenth century, following the English Reformation and prohibition of Mass, it was used by a number of Anglican groups. The church was acquired by the Catholic Church, which had experienced a revival, in 1874. Today part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, St Etheldreda's was classified as a Grade I listed building in 1951. Photograph: David Iliff
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April 17
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The jettisoned Service Module of the Apollo 13 spacecraft, photographed as the beleaguered Command Module was preparing for reentry. The seventh manned mission in the Apollo space program, Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970. It was commanded by James A. Lovell, with John L. "Jack" Swigert and Fred W. Haise as crew. After an oxygen tank exploded on April 13, the Service Module was crippled and a planned lunar landing was aborted. Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water, and the critical need to make makeshift repairs to the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely to Earth on April 17, 1970. Photograph: NASA
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April 18
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The Doolittle Raid was an April 18, 1942, air raid by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on the island of Honshu. It was the first air operation during World War II to strike the Japanese home islands, demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack. As a symbolic retaliation for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it provided an important boost to American morale. The raid was planned and led by Lieutenant Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle of the United States Army Air Forces, and involved 16 B-25B Mitchells, each with a crew of five. Of these eighty men, seven died during the raid or after being captured. The raid caused more than 450 casualties, including about 50 deaths, but minimal material damage. Film: Castle Films
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April 19
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Both sides of a 1910s advertisement for Hudson's Soap, a product developed by Robert Spear Hudson. This folded, diecut card depicts four policemen standing in a row, holding a banner with ten panels proclaiming the virtues of the product, with a further four slogans (such as "Arrest all dirt") on their own backs. Through intense advertising such as this, Hudson's grew from a single shop in 1837 to a company employing more than 1,000 people. The brand was sold by Hudson's son to Lever Brothers (now part of Unilever) in 1908. Today, it is sold under the brand name Rinso. Advertisement: Anonymous; restoration: Adam Cuerden
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April 20
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NGC 1427A is an irregular galaxy in the constellation Eridanus. It is estimated to be some 52 million light years from Earth. Photograph: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team
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April 21
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A runway is a strip of aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft. It may use an artificial surface (asphalt, concrete, or a mixture) or a natural one (grass, dirt, gravel, ice, or salt). The runway shown here is one of two at Palm Springs International Airport, outside of Palm Springs, California. Photograph: D Ramey Logan
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April 22
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Madonna of the Rose Garden is an International Gothic painting attributed to Michelino da Besozzo. Dating to c. 1420–1435, it depicts the Madonna and Christ Child within an enclosure of roses, in the presence of St. Catherine of Alexandria. It has been interpreted as symbolizing Mary's virginity through the roses and Jesus' immortality through the peacocks. The work is currently housed in the Castelvecchio Museum of Verona, Italy. Painting: Attributed to Michelino da Besozzo
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April 23
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The Apple Bandai Pippin is a multimedia technology console designed by Apple Computer based on the Apple Pippin platform, and produced by Bandai. Only 100,000 of the consoles were produced between its 1996 release and 1997 discontinuation. The Bandai Pippin was intended to create an inexpensive computer aimed mostly at playing CD-based multimedia software, especially games, but also functioning as a thin client. Photograph: Evan Amos
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April 24
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Marvel Science Stories was an American pulp magazine that ran for a total of fifteen issues in two separate runs, both edited by Robert O. Erisman. The first issue was dated August 1938, and carried stories with more sexual content than was usual for the genre. The magazine was canceled after the April 1941 issue, but when a boom in science fiction magazines began in 1950, the publishers revived it. The first issue of the new series was dated November 1950; a further six issues appeared, the last dated May 1952. Contributors to the first run included Henry Kuttner, Arthur J. Burks, and Jack Williamson; the second run published stories by Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Jack Vance, and L. Sprague de Camp, among others. Illustration: Norman Saunders; restoration: Adam Cuerden
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April 25
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This Leica I camera was produced in 1927. Intended as a compact camera for landscape photography, the Leica I was the first practical 35 mm camera that used standard cinema 35 mm film. In the 1930s, the company began producing lenses to support its interchangeable models of the Leica I. Photograph: Kameraprojekt Graz 2015
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April 26
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The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius is an altarpiece by Italian artist Carlo Crivelli showing an artistic adaptation of the Annunciation. The altarpiece was painted for the Church of SS. Annunziata in the Italian town of Ascoli Piceno, in the region of Marche, to celebrate the self-government granted to the town in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV. The painting was removed to the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan in 1811, but passed to Auguste-Louis de Sivry in 1820, and had reached England by the mid-19th century. It has been housed in the National Gallery in London since it was donated by Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton in 1864. Painting: Carlo Crivelli
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April 27
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Finnish soldiers raising the flag at the three-country cairn between Norway, Sweden and Finland on 27 April 1945, following the end of the Lapland War and thus, the end of World War II in Finland. Taken by Colonel V.J. Oinonen, this photograph became an iconic symbol of the war in Finland and was compared to the American Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima and the Soviet Raising a Flag over the Reichstag. Photograph: Colonel V.J. Oinonen
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April 28
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James Monroe (1758–1831) was an American statesman and Founding Father who served as the fifth President of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Monroe was the last president of the Virginia dynasty, and his presidency ushered in what is known as the Era of Good Feelings. An anti-federalist, Monroe had opposed ratification of the United States Constitution, claiming it gave too much power to the central government. After time as a senator in the first United States Congress and as Governor of Virginia, Monroe was easily elected president in 1816, winning over 80 percent of the electoral vote and becoming the last president during the First Party System era of American politics. During his presidency, he sought to ease partisan tensions and extend the country's reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He also supported the founding of colonies in Africa for freed slaves, and his declaration of the Monroe Doctrine became a landmark in American foreign policy. Engraving: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; restoration: Andrew Shiva |
April 29
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An adult and a juvenile olive baboon (Papio anubis) at Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. The most wide-ranging of all baboons, the olive baboon inhabits savannas, steppes, and forests in 25 countries throughout Africa. This highly adaptable species is omnivorous, feeding on a large variety of plants, invertebrates, small mammals, and birds. Photograph: Charles J. Sharp |
April 30
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The gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) is a diurnal species of gecko. Endemic to northern Madagascar and the Comoros, it has been introduced to Hawaii and other Pacific islands. It typically inhabits trees and houses, and feeds on insects and nectar. Photograph: Steevven1
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