1st April
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The Elephant Celebes or Celebes (1921) – Max Ernst, who died 01/04/1976 Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor and graphic artist and a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism. This painting is among the most famous of Ernst's early surrealist works and has been referred to as ‘undoubtedly the first masterpiece of Surrealist painting in the De Chirico tradition’. It combines the vivid dreamlike atmosphere of Surrealism with the collage aspects of Dada. The painting has been in the collection of the Tate Gallery, London since 1975 and is displayed in the Tate Modern. On this day … 1700 English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools' Day by playing practical jokes on each other. 1929 Franco-Czech writer Milan Kundera was born. Quote of the day If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else. Marvin Gaye, American singer/songwriter shot dead by his father 01/04/1984. Did you know …? Milan Kundera’s books were banned by the Communist regimes of Czechoslovakia until the downfall of the regime in the Velvet Revolution of 1989. He has lived in exile in France since 1975, and lives virtually incognito, rarely speaking to the media. |
2nd April
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L’Ange du Foyer (1937) – Max Ernst, who was born 02/04/1891 The title of this painting literally translates to The Angel From Home. It is one of Ernst’s rare yet political commentaries, depicting a fiery monster that represents the wave of fascism that overtook Europe in the 1930s. Ernst was a soldier in World War I, and emerged deeply traumatized and highly critical of western culture. These strong feelings directly fed into his vision of the modern world as irrational, an idea that became the basis of his artwork. He had a thorough knowledge of European art history but attacked the conventions and traditions of art. He questioned the sanctity of art by creating non-representational works without clear narratives, by making fun of religious icons, and by formulating new means of creating artworks to express the modern condition. On this day … 1805 Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen was born. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Quote of the day If you shut up truth, and bury it underground, it will but grow. Emile Zola, French writer born 02/04/1840 Did you know …? According to Forbes magazine, the most valuable five brands in the world for the year 2013 were Apple, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, IBM and Google. |
3rd April
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Moai, (13th – 15th century), Ahu Akivi, Easter Island – The Rapa Nui people Easter Island (Isla de Pascua in Spanish) is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site. The statues were carved between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and positioned around the island's perimeter. Though moai are whole-body statues, they are commonly referred to as "Easter Island heads". This is partly because of the disproportionate size of the heads, and partly because when the standing statues were first found they were buried up to the shoulders. With the exception of the seven at Ahu Akivi, the statues always faced away from the ocean. On this day … 1924 American actor Marlon Brando was born. 1963 Italian film Mondo Cane (A Dog's World) was released in the United States. The film consists of a series of travelogue vignettes that provide glimpses into cultural practices around the world with the intention to shock or surprise Western film audiences. Did you know …? Dragonflies can fly at about 56km/h, and many only live for 24 hours. 
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4th April
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Beware of God (1996) – Scott Grieger Scott Grieger (born 1946) is an American artist based in Los Angeles whose work has been exhibited internationally for over 40 years. On his website he says: ‘My work always questions authority, orthodoxy and all dominant positions, either implied or stated outright’. On this day … 1929 Inventor of the first car powered by an internal combustion engine Karl Benz died. 1965 American actor Robert Downey Jr was born. 1580 Francis Drake returned to England having circumnavigated the world in the Golden Hind. Queen Elizabeth I knighted him on board his ship. Did you know …? The koala is the only bear that doesn’t hibernate, because it has to eat bamboo for 12 hours a day to get enough nutrients. Quote of the day The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr, American Civil Rights leader who was assassinated at the age of 39 in Memphis, Tennessee on 04/04/1968. 
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5th April
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ArcelorMittal Orbit (re-opened 05/04/2014) – Anish Kapoor Anish Kapoor, is an Indian sculptor. Born in Bombay, Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s when he moved there to study art. The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a 114.5 metre tall sculpture and observation tower in the Olympic Park in Stratford, London. It is Britain's largest piece of public art. The project cost £22.7 million, with £16 million coming from Britain's richest man, the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal . On this day … 1614 In Virginia, native American Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe. 1994 Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the American band Nirvana Kurt Cobain died from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head at the age of 27. Quote of the day We don't have a monopoly. Anyone who wants to dig a well without a Hughes bit can always use a pick and shovel. Howard Hughes, American business tycoon, investor, aviator who died 05/04/1976 Did you know …? The word ‘time’ is the most commonly used noun in English. |
6th April
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Sistine Madonna (1512) – Raphael, who died 06/04/1520 Sistine Madonna was one of the last Madonnas painted by Raphael. In the painting the Madonna, holding the Christ Child and flanked by Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara, stands on clouds while two distinctive winged cherubs rest on their elbows beneath her. These winged angels beneath Mary are famous in their own right; they have been heavily marketed, and have been featured in stamps, postcards, T-shirts, and wrapping paper. On this day … 1909 On his 6th attempt in 15 years, Robert Peary with his servant and 4 Eskimos became the first man to reach the North Pole. 1925 The first in-flight movie was shown. It was a silent film called The Lost World and appeared on a Deutsche Lufthansa flight. 1965 Mary Poppins won 5 Oscars, including Best Actress for Julie Andrews, while My Fair Lady won 8 awards, its veteran star Rex Harrison winning the award for Best Actor. Did you know …? Velcro was invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral. The name comes from the two French words velours (velvet), and crochet (hook). 
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7th April
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Opening of the Fifth Seal (1608 – 14) – El Greco, who died 07/04/1614 El Greco was born in Crete, which was at that time part of the Republic of Venice, and the centre of Post-Byzantine art. He trained and became a master within that tradition before moving to Rome, where he opened a workshop and executed a series of works. In 1577 he moved to Toledo in Spain, where he lived and worked until his death. It was there that El Greco received several major commissions and produced his best-known paintings. The Opening of the Fifth Seal was painted in the last years of his life for the church of Saint John the Baptist outside the walls of Toledo. The subject is taken from the Book of Revelation, where the souls of persecuted martyrs cry out to God for justice upon their persecutors on earth. It has been suggested that the Opening of the Fifth Seal served as an inspiration for the early Cubist works of Pablo Picasso, especially Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, which mirrors the expressionistic angularity of the painting. On this day … 1915 American jazz singer Billy Holiday was born. 1939 American film director Francis Ford Coppola was born. 1970 An estimated 26 million British viewers watched the splashdown of Apollo 13 after its near-disaster in orbit. 1994 Former lead singer of the band Dr Feelgood Lee Brilleaux died, age 41. Did you know …? At the time The Godfather (1972) was being made the Paramount studio was very unhappy with Francis Ford Coppola’s cast and the way he was shooting it. It now appears on any list of the greatest movies of all time. 
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8th April
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Venus De Milo (130 BC – 100 BC) – Alexandros of Antioch Aphrodite of Milos, better known as the Venus de Milo, is one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. It is believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty (Venus to the Romans). The statue is named after the Greek island of Milos, where it was discovered. It is currently on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. On this day … 1820 A peasant farmer named Yorgos Kentrotas discovered the Venus De Milo. 1973 Spanish painter Pablo Picasso died at the age of 91. Paul McCartney wrote 'Picasso's Last Words' after actor Dustin Hoffman asked him if he could write a song about anything, for example the death of the painter which had just been reported. Quote of the day I only drink to make other people seem more interesting. George Jean Nathan, American drama critic who died 08/04/1958 Did you know …? A French naval officer recognised the value of the Venus De Milo and arranged its purchase for France. |
9th April
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Executioner’s block and axe, White Tower, Tower of London. Lord Lovat was convicted of treason and has the distinction of being the last man to be beheaded on Tower Hill. On the day of his execution, 9 April 1747, much to his amusement, one of the scaffolds built for spectators collapsed resulting in the deaths of twenty onlookers. The execution block displayed in the White Tower is said to have been used in Lovat’s beheading. It is formed from a solid piece of oak and weighs 57kg. On this day … 1806 English mechanical and civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born. 1882 English painter and co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Dante Gabriel Rossetti died. 1967 American philosopher, neuroscientist and author of The End of Faith Sam Harris was born. Click here to watch/listen to him. Quote of the day Be careful not to do your good deeds when there’s no one watching you. Tom Lehrer American singer-songwriter and mathematician born 09/04/1928 Did you know …? When his wife died of an overdose of laudanum in 1862 Dante Gabriel Rossetti buried most of his unpublished poems with her; he later had them dug up, and published them in 1870. |
10th April
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Beata Beatrix (1864 – 70) – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who died 09/04/1882 Dante Gabriel Rossetti was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brother-hood. The group’s intention of the was to reform English art by rejecting the formal training regime introduced by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Their approach was to return to the abundant detail, intense colours and complex compositions of 15th century Italian and Flemish art. In Beata Beatrix Rossetti modelled Beatrice after his deceased wife and frequent model, Elizabeth Siddal, who died in 1862. The painting was created from the numerous drawings that Rossetti had made of Siddal during their time together. The symbolism in the painting of a red dove, a messenger of love, relates back to Rossetti's love for Siddal with the white poppy representing laudanum and the means of her death. On this day … 1633 Bananas appeared in British shops for the first time. Did you know …? To tell if an egg is raw or cooked, just spin it. If the egg wobbles then it is still raw. If it spins easily it is cooked. 
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11th April
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Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) – Pablo Picasso This painting portrays five nude female prostitutes from a brothel in Barcelona. None of the figures are conventionally feminine and in using a flat, two-dimensional picture plane, Picasso makes a radical departure from traditional European painting. The painting is widely considered to be seminal in the early development of both Cubism and Modern art. Les Demoiselles was revolutionary and controversial, and led to wide anger and disagreement, even amongst his closest associates and friends. Matisse considered the work something of a bad joke, and at the time of its first exhibition in 1916, the painting was deemed immoral. On this day … 1915 Charlie Chaplin’s film The Tramp is released. 1972 Paul McCartney was fined for importing cannabis into Sweden. Quote of the day Virtue may be its own reward, but most people are looking for a better deal. Sam Ewing, American baseball player born 09/04/1949 Did you know …? In 1915 Charlie Chaplin’s contract with the Mutual Film Corporation paid him $670,000 a year, making him, at 26 years old, one of the highest paid people in the world. |
12th April
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Zebra (1937) – Victor Vasarely, who was born 09/04/1906 Vaserly was a Hungarian–French artist, who is widely accepted as a ‘grand-father’ and leader of the short-lived Op-Art movement. His works entitled Zebra, created in the 1930s, are considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of op art. By augmenting basic geometric forms and combining them with principles of colour theory, Vasarely destabilized the pictorial surface creating the illusion of depth and movement. His work went on to influence a generation of young artists in the 1960s and created a lasting impact on poster and fabric design. On this day … 1961 Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space. 1988 The National People's Congress of China voted in favour of allowing capitalistic free-enterprise. Quote of the day Morality, it could be argued, represents the way that people would like the world to work, whereas economics represents how it actually does work. From Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, published 12/04/2005. Did you know …? The name of the Wetherspoon pub chain in Britain is the name of one of founder Tim Martin's teachers who told him that he would never succeed in business. |
13th April
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The dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence (1461) – Filippo Brunelleschi, who died 15/04/1446 Brunelleschi was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. He is perhaps most famous for his development of linear perspective and for engineering the dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence. When the cathedral was designed in the previous century, no one had any idea how such a dome was to be built, given that it was to be even larger than the Pantheon's dome in Rome and that no dome of that size had been built since antiquity. Brunelleschi's success can be attributed, in no small degree, to his technical and mathematical genius. The dome occupied most of his life. He used more than 4 million bricks in its construction and kept his workers up in the building during their breaks and brought food and diluted wine up to them. He felt the trip up and down the hundreds of stairs would exhaust them and reduce their productivity. Fittingly Brunelleschi's body lies in the crypt of the cathedral. On this day … 1906 Irish novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett was born. 1963 Russian chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov was born. Did you know …? Approximately 100,000 people get married in Las Vegas each year. 
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14th April
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Kinetoscope (1894) – Thomas Edison The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device. It was designed for films to be viewed by one individual at a time through a peephole viewer window at the top of the device. The Kinetoscope was not a movie projector but introduced the basic approach that would become the standard for all cinematic projection before the advent of video, by creating the illusion of movement by conveying a strip of perforated film with a sequence of images over a light source with a high-speed shutter. Film projection, which Edison initially believed was not viable due to cost, soon superseded the Kinetoscope's individual exhibition model. Many of the projection systems developed by Edison's firm in later years would use the Kinetoscope name. On this day … 1945 Guitarist in the rock group Deep Purple Ritchie Blackmore was born. 1977 American actress Sarah Michelle Gellar was born. Quote of the day Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house. Steven Seagal, American actor born 10/04/1952 Did you know …? In one night, an adult hippopotamus eats approximately 75 kg pounds of grass. |
15th April
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Vitruvian Man (c.1490) – Leonardo Da Vinci, who was born 15/04/1452. The Vitruvian Man is a pen and ink drawing accompanied by notes based on the work of the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius and is named in his honour. The drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human proportions with geometry described by Vitruvius. He described the human figure as being the principal source of proportion among the classical orders of architecture and determined that the ideal body should be eight heads high. This image demonstrates the blend of art and science during the Renaissance and provides the perfect example of Leonardo's deep understanding of proportion. On this day … 1446 Italian Renaissance architect and engineer Filippo Brunelleschi died. 1912 On her maiden voyage, the allegedly unsinkable Titanic hit an iceberg and sank with the loss of 1,513 lives. 1965 American singer/songwriter Linda Perry born. 1980 French philosopher and novelist Jean-Paul Sartre died. Quote of the day Better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the U.S. who was assassinated on 15/04/1865 Did you know …? Da Vinci’s famous drawing Vitruvian Man is held at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice. Like most works on paper, it is only displayed occasionally. |
16th April
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El Tres de Mayo de 1808 en Madrid (1814) – Francisco Goya, who died 16/04/1828 In the work, Goya sought to commemorate Spanish resistance to Napoleon's armies during the occupation of 1808 in the Peninsular War. The painting's content, presentation, and emotional force secure its status as a groundbreaking, archetypal image of the horrors of war. Although it draws on many sources from both high and popular art, the painting marks a clear break from convention. Diverging from the traditions of Christian art and traditional depictions of war, it has no distinct precedent, and is acknowledged as one of the first paintings of the modern era. On this day … 1850 Founder of London’s wax museum Madam Tussaud died. 1889 Silent film star Charlie Chaplin was born in London. 1939 English singer Dusty Springfield was born. 1947 Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty was born. 1953 The Royal Yacht Britannia was launched. Quote of the day If fifty million people say a foolish thing it is still a foolish thing. Anatole France, French novelist and poet who was born 16/04/1844 Did you know …? The laundry on the Royal Yacht Britannia ran 24/7 because staff changed uniforms six times a day. If a member of staff encountered a member of the Royal Family on board he or she had to stand to attention and look straight ahead. |
17th April
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Country-Rock (Wing-Mirror) (1999) – Peter Doig born 17/04/1959 This painting sold at Sotheby's in London in June 2014 for more than £8.4 million. It is one of three depicting a landmark rainbow tunnel in Toronto, Canada, which is a recurring feature of Doig's work. The tunnel was repainted by an anonymous artist more than 40 times in 20 years as the authorities tried to remove it. Many of Doig's paintings are landscapes, somewhat abstract, and he is influences by various historical artists such as Munch, Friedrich, Monet and Klimt. His works are frequently based on found (and sometimes his own) photographs they are not painted in a photorealist style. Instead he uses the photographs simply for reference. On this day … 1960 American singer Eddie Cochran died in a car accident, age 21. 1969 The eligible voting age in the UK was dropped from 21 to 18, the first change since 1928. Quote of the day I have no further use for America. I wouldn’t go back there if Jesus Christ was President. Charlie Chaplin, English film star, announcing on 17/04/1953 he would never return to America, having been threatened with proceedings to bar him entry on the grounds of being a Communist. Did you know …? When Charlie Chaplin was allowed to return to the U.S. in 1972 to accept an honorary Oscar, he received a 12-minute standing ovation, the longest in the history of the Motion Picture Academy. |
18th April
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Munich City Hall (1914) – Adolf Hitler, born 20/04/1889 Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party in Germany in the years leading up to and during World War II was also a painter. In his youth he wanted to become a professional artist, but he was unable to fulfil his ambition because he failed the entrance exam of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. A number of Hitler's paintings were seized by the U.S. Army at the end of World War II. They were taken to the United States with other captured materials and are still held by the U.S. government, which has declined to allow them to be exhibited. Other paintings were kept by private individuals. In the 2000s, a number of these works began to be sold at auction. This watercolour of Munich's city hall was put up for sale by two elderly sisters; their grandfather had bought the painting in 1916. It was sold for £103,000, bought by a private buyer from the Middle East who wished to remain anonymous. On this day … 1881 The Natural History Museum opened in London. 1912 The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brought 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic to New York City. 1,503 people died. 1955 German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein died. Quote of the day I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with a lot of pleasure. Clarence Darrow, American lawyer, born 18/04/1857 Did you know …? Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined. |
19th April
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The Thames and the City – Canaletto, who died 19/04/1768 Giovanni Antonio Canal or ‘Canaletto’ was an Italian landscape painter born in Venice. In his later work he painted grand scenes of the canals of Venice and the Doge's Palace. Many of his pictures were sold to Englishmen on their Grand Tour, but in the 1740s war in Europe led to a reduction in the number of British visitors to Venice, so in 1746 Canaletto moved to London, to be closer to his market. He remained in England until 1755, producing views of London (including several of the new Westminster Bridge, which was completed during his stay) and of his patrons' castles and houses. The record price paid at auction for a Canaletto is £18.6 million for View of the Grand Canal from Palazzo Balbi to the Rialto, set at Sotheby’s in London in July 2005. On this day … 1587 Francis Drake sank the Spanish fleet in Cádiz harbour. 1770 Captain James Cook sighted Australia. 1882 English naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin died. Quote of the day I want to share something with you: the three little sentences that will get you through life. Number 1: Cover for me. Number 2: Oh, good idea, boss! Number 3: It was like that when I got here. Homer Simpson, American cartoon character ‘born’ 19/04/1987 Did you know …? Before proposing to his wife Darwin weighed up the pros and cons of marriage. He wrote two columns headed ‘Marry’ and ‘Not Marry’. Advantages included ‘constant companion and a friend in old age ... better than a dog anyhow’, against points such as ‘less money for books’ and ‘terrible loss of time’. |
20th April
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Twickenham Streaker – On 20th April 1974 Michael O’Brien became the first streaker at a mass public event when he ran naked across the rugby pitch at Twickenham. This was LIFE magazine’s ‘Picture of the Year’, but People Magazine named it ‘Picture of The Decade’. The photo was taken an England-France rugby match at Twickenham. At half-time Michael O’Brien, an Australian accountant, dashed naked before a crowd of 53,000. Constable Bruce Perry took off his helmet to cover O’Brien’s private parts. The next day he was fined the exact sum (£10) he had won in the bet, and he subsequently lost his job with a London stockbroking firm. On this day … 1889 Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler was born. 1912 Irish author of Dracula Bram Stoker died. 1991 Ex-frontman of the band the Small Faces Steve Marriott died in a fire at his home. 2003 American singer Nina Simone died. Quote of the day Mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Lady Caroline Lamb’s description of English aristocrat and romantic poet Lord Byron, who died 20/04/1824 Did you know …? Adolf Hitler was voted Time Magazine’s ‘Man of the Year’ in 1938. |
21st April
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Embankment (2005) – Rachel Whiteread, born 20/04/1963 Rachel Whiteread is an English artist who primarily produces sculptures, which typically take the form of casts. Many of her works are casts of ordinary domestic objects and, in numerous cases, their so-called negative space. For example, she is known for making solid casts of the open space in and around pieces of furniture such as tables and chairs, architectural details and even entire rooms and buildings. She was the first woman to win the annual Turner Prize in 1993. Embankment was commissioned for Tate Modern’s vast Turbine Hall, and consists of some 14,000 translucent, white polyethene boxes (themselves casts of the inside of cardboard boxes) stacked in various ways; some in very tall mountain-like peaks and others in lower (though still over human height), rectangular, more levelled arrangements. They are fixed in position with adhesive. On this day … 753 BC The Roman Empire was founded. This date is celebrated in Italy as the Birthday of Rome. 1816 English novelist Charlotte Brontë was born. 1910 American author and humourist Mark Twain died. 1926 Queen Elizabeth II was born in Mayfair, London. 1958 American actress Andie McDowell was born. 1963 The Rolling Stones and The Beatles met for the first time at London's Crawdaddy Club. Quote of the day You can’t reason someone out of something they weren’t reasoned into. Mark Twain Did you know …? Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was the first novel written on a typewriter. |
22nd April
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Pulp Fiction (2007) – Banksy The image depicted a scene from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, with Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta clutching bananas instead of guns. It had become one of the most famous graffiti paintings by the artist. Transport for London said a tough line had to be taken on graffiti because it created an atmosphere of social decay. The Pulp Fiction mural was visible near Old Street tube station. George Thomas, who owns a barber's shop near the site, said "People used to come from all over to see it and photograph it," he said. "There is no way it could have been mistaken for graffiti. Whoever destroyed it is an idiot." On this day … 1870 Russian communist revolutionary and politician Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (aka Lenin) was born. 1899 Russian/American writer and author of Lolita Vladimir Nabokov was born. 1937 American actor Jack Nicholson was born. 2007 Transport For London paint over a Banksy painting thought to be worth £300,000. Quote of the day The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It's people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages. Banksy Did you know …? Graham Greene called Lolita one of the three best books of 1955, while the editor of the Sunday Express called it ‘the filthiest book I have ever read’. British Customs officers were then instructed to seize all copies entering the United Kingdom. |
23rd April
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A view of Lambeth Palace (1790) - J. M. W. Turner, born 23/04/1775 J. M. W. Turner is widely considered to be the greatest British painter of all time. He is best known for his landscape paintings in oil, but he is also one of the greatest masters of British water-colour landscape painting. He is particularly famous for the way he depicted light in his paintings. In his will Turner left more than 19,000 watercolours, drawings and oils to the British nation. Most of these works are in the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery in London. This watercolour was Turner's first to be accepted for the Royal Academy's annual exhibition in April 1790, the month he turned 15. The image is a technical presentation of Turner's strong grasp of the elements of perspective with several buildings at sharp angles to each other. On this day … St George’s Day – the National Day for England. 1968 The first decimal coins were issued in Britain. 1992 McDonalds opened its first fast-food restaurant in China. 1996 A 4-day auction of things owned by Jackie Onassis began at Sotheby’s. The total raised was $34.5 million. Quotes of the day Your abilities are too infant-like for doing much alone. Coriolanus (II.i.36) More of your conversation would infect my brain. Coriolanus (II.i.91) William Shakespeare, English playwright who died 23/04/1616 Did you know …? Shakespeare has no living descendants. |
24th April
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Movement in Squares (1961) – Bridget Riley, born 24/04/1931 Bridget Riley burst onto the British art scene in the 1960s with her striking and original paintings based on optical illusions – this style later became known as Op Art. She was particularly interested in the way that the brain can create the appearance of movement between shapes and lines, and used this effect in her paintings. She began working only in black and white and using simple geometric shapes – squares, lines and ovals. From 1967 onwards Riley increasingly began to use colour, although this was something she was cautious of. This was because the black and white paintings depended on the disruption of stable elements, but no such stable basis could be found for colour as the perception of colour is relative – each colour affects and is affected by the colours next to it. On this day … 1731 Author of Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe died. 1815 English novelist Anthony Trollope was born. 1945 Designer of the Rolling Stones’ logo John Pasche was born (see image for 25th April). 1949 Sweet rationing ended in Britain. 1975 Welsh singer-songwriter Peter Ham committed suicide at the age of 27. He co-wrote the power ballad Without You, which has been recorded by over 180 artists. Listen to it here. Quote of the day Alcohol is necessary for a man so that he can have a good opinion of himself, undisturbed by the facts. Finley Peter Dunne, American humourist who died 24/04/1936 Did you know …? Anthony Trollope’s literary output was enormous – he wrote 47 novels, dozens of short stories and a few books on travel. |
25th April
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Rolling Stones logo (1971) – John Pasche, who was born 24/04/1945 John Pasche designed this iconic logo in 1971, and it was originally reproduced on the Sticky Fingers album. Mick Jagger approached the Royal College of Art in London in 1969 looking to commission images for the band - the Stones had been frustrated by the bland designs offered by their record label Decca Records. Pasche designed the logo and ended up working for the Stones from 1970 to 1974. ‘Face to face with him (Mick Jagger), the first thing you were aware of was the size of his lips and his mouth,’ Pasche said. In August 2008 the design was voted the greatest band logo of all time in an online poll. The work is now at V&A Museum in London after it was bought at auction in the United States for $92,500. On this day … 1792 The guillotine was used for the first time, to execute a highwayman named Pelleiter at the Place de Greve in Paris. 1874 Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi was born. 1940 American actor Al Pacino was born. 1969 American actress Renee Zellweger was born. Quote of the day I'm not religious. In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before they enter the pitch. If it works all matches must therefore end in a draw. Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer and manager who was born on this day 1947 Did you know …? The best man at Marconi’s second wedding in 1927 was Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. |
26th April
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The Escape Ladder (1940) - Joan Miró, born 20/04/1893 Miró was a Spanish-Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist. He was born in Barcelona but settled in France in the 1920s. This painting is one of a series that Miró began in 1939 as the Nazi forces were advancing into France. He was living in Normandy at that time and had begun the works as a kind of personal defence against what he knew to be the horrors to come. The series of paintings dwelt on his profound internal sense of connections between things, an entirely singular private universe that he called the Constellations. When he eventually fled with his wife and daughter on the last train out of Paris for Spain, the paintings were rolled under his arm. On this day … 1937 The Basque town of Guernica was bombed by the German and Italian air forces at the behest of the Spanish nationalist government. The bombing is considered one of the first raids on a defenceless civilian population by a modern air force. 1986 The world's worst nuclear disaster occurred when an explosion ripped the top from the Chernobyl power station in Russia. Quote of the day In time we hate that which we often fear. Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare, English playwright who was baptised on 26/04/1564 Did you know …? Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, but only 13 of them were set in Britain. |
27th April
Image of the day
Wonderbra advert (1994) – TBWA advertising agency In a 2011 poll by the Outdoor Media Centre (the trade body for outdoor advertising) Wonderbra’s ‘Hello Boys’ billboard advert was declared the most eye-catching advert of the past few decades. The ad caused a sensation when it was unveiled in 1994 and was blamed for stopping traffic and causing accidents as commuters stared at the huge roadside posters. The advertisement propelled Czech-born model Eva Herzigova to stardom around the world, making her a household name, but it also aroused the ire of feminists, many of whom described it as degrading. Herzigova, however, argued that rather than being degrading, it actually empowered women. On this day … 1667 John Milton sold the copyright to his masterpiece Paradise Lost (1667) for 10 pounds. 2005 The Superjumbo jet aircraft Airbus A380 made its first flight from Toulouse, France. Did you know …? Paradise Lost is among the greatest works ever to be written in English, and the feat is all the more remarkable because Milton was blind — he would compose verses at night in his head and then dictate them from memory to his aides in the morning. 
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28th April
Image of the day
Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969) - Francis Bacon, Irish-born British painter who died 28/04/1992. In November 2013 this painting set a new world record price for an art auction, after selling for $142.4 million at Christie’s in New York. The head of contemporary art for Christie’s Europe, described the work as a ‘true masterpiece that marks Bacon and Freud’s relationship’. The pair had been friends and rivals since the mid-1940s. On this day … 1967 Muhammed Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight boxing title for refusing to serve in the US forces. 1974 Spanish film actress and model Penélope Cruz was born. Quote of the day Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy. Benito Mussolini, Italian politician and leader of the National Fascist Party who was shot by Italian partisans on 28/04/1945 Did you know …? There were 58,220 U.S. casualties in the Vietnam War. |
29th April
Image of the day
The Luncheon on the Grass (1863) - Edouard Manet, who died 30/04/1883 Manet was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life and this is considered to be one of the paintings that marked the beginning of modern art. At the time this large oil on canvas painting was considered an affront to audiences' sense of decency as it featured a nude woman casually lunching with two fully dressed men in a rural setting. On this day … 1913 The modern-day zipper was patented by Swedish-born engineer Gideon Sundback from New Jersey, USA. 1970 American film actress Uma Thurman was born; she starred in Quentin Tarantino's cult classic Pulp Fiction. Quote of the day The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking. Prof. J. K. Galbraith, Canadian-American economist who died 29/04/2006 Did you know …? More pollution is emitted from the average home compared to the average car. |
30th April
Image of the day
Bow Wow Wow album cover See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah! City All Over, Go Ape Crazy!(1981) – Andy Earl This album cover is an homage to Manet’s Le déjeuner sur l’herbe (see 29th April). Just as the original painting did in 1863, the album cover caused quite a stir. For the location photographer Andy Earl spent one Sunday morning driving up and down English riverbanks trying to find a location. the eventual spot, a pond near Box Hill in surrey, was very similar to that in the Manet painting. Posing nude is lead singer Annabella Lwin, who was fifteen at the time of the album's release. The cover caused outrage that led to an investigation by Scotland Yard, instigated by Lwin's mother – it never appeared on US releases. On this day … 1883 French painter Edouard Manet died (see 29th April). 1789 George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the USA. Quote of the day Only constant repetition will finally succeed in imprinting an idea on the memory of the crowd. Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German dictator who committed suicide 30/04/1945 Did you know …? The fastest roller coaster ride is Superman The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, USA. Descending from 125m, the cars go from 0 to 160 km/h in only 7 seconds. |