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Program for an 1886 lecture on Lincoln by Whitman

The American poet Walt Whitman spoke publicly many times on Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. A series of at least eleven lectures on Lincoln's life and his assassination began in Steck Hall in New York City on April 14, 1879, and concluded in Philadelphia on April 14, 1890, two years before Whitman's death. They were generally well received, and cemented the poet's public image as an authority on Lincoln. Whitman greatly admired Lincoln and was moved by his assassination in 1865 to write several poems honoring him, including "O Captain! My Captain!", which Whitman recited during some of the talks. The lecture in 1887 at Madison Square Theatre in New York City is considered the most successful of the series, and was attended by many prominent members of American society. Whitman later described its reception as "the culminating hour" of his life. (This article is part of a featured topic: Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln.)

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Look from The Girl Who Lived in the Tree

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In the news

Peter Higgs

In retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Iran conducts missile and drone strikes against Israel.
Nobel Prize–winning theoretical physicist Peter Higgs (pictured) dies at the age of 94.
A total solar eclipse appears across parts of North America.
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In NCAA Division I basketball, the South Carolina Gamecocks win the women's championship and the UConn Huskies win the men's championship.

On this day

April 14: Tamil New Year and other New Year festivals in South and Southeast Asia (2024); Day of the Georgian Language (1978)

"Houston, we've had a problem here"

43 BC – War of Mutina: Despite initial success, troops loyal to Mark Antony were defeated near the Via Aemilia in northern Italy by legions loyal to the Roman Senate.
1944 – The freighter Fort Stikine, carrying cotton bales, gold and ammunition, exploded in the harbour of Bombay, India, sinking surrounding ships and causing about 800 deaths.
1970 – After an oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 exploded, disabling the spacecraft's electrical and life-support systems, astronaut Jack Swigert reported: "Houston, we've had a problem here" (audio featured).
1983 – Let's Dance, English musician David Bowie's best-selling album, was released.
1994 – Iraqi no-fly zones conflict: In a friendly-fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort, two U.S. Air Force aircraft mistakenly shot down two U.S. Army helicopters over northern Iraq, killing 26 people.

Anne Sullivan (b. 1866)
John Gielgud (b. 1904)
Yakov Dzhugashvili (d. 1943)

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Today's featured picture

Nassarius arcularia, commonly known as the casket nassa or the little box dog whelk, is a species of sea snail in the Nassa mud snail or dog whelk family, Nassariidae. It is found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters across the world, inhabiting muddy areas close to the shoreline. The shell, which is very common, has a thickness of up to 3 centimetres (1.2 inches) and varies in form – for example, in the elongation of the whorls and the longitudinal folds – as well as in color, with some specimens entirely white while others have brown bands. The young of this species have folds and striae that are much more prominent. This composite photograph shows five different views of a N. arcularia shell, with a length of 2.2 centimetres (0.87 inches), that was collected in Madagascar.

Photograph credit: H. Zell

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