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Kathleen Ferrier (22 April 1912 – 8 October 1953) was an English contralto who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist. During the Second World War she performed regularly with the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts. In 1946 she made her stage debut as Lucretia in the world premiere of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, and a year later she appeared as Orfeo in Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. As a recitalist, Ferrier's repertoire included works by Bach, Brahms, Mahler and Elgar. Forming working relationships with the conductors John Barbirolli and Bruno Walter and the accompanist Gerald Moore, she became known internationally through her three tours of the United States and her many visits to continental Europe. She continued to perform and record after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1951. Among her many memorials, the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship Fund makes annual awards to aspiring young singers. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Stanley Cup rioter in Vancouver

... that the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot (rioter pictured) was the second time a riot broke out in Vancouver after a Stanley Cup loss?
... that Animal Crossing: New Horizons sparked a boom in the popularity of cozy games?
... that before becoming a voice actress, Miyuki Ichijo left the NHK music variety show Stage 101 in protest over the removal of its director?
... that the 1818 Akure–Benin War led to the Akure Kingdom becoming a vassal state of the Benin Kingdom?
... that Albert Gumble and Owen Murphy's music score for the Broadway musical Red Pepper was dismissed by one critic as not "real music" because of its embrace of jazz?
... that the 1994 Pacific hurricane season was the first to produce three hurricanes that attained Category 5 intensity, the highest rating on the Saffir–Simpson scale?
... that the vocals of To See the Next Part of the Dream were recorded on a Samsung Galaxy S5?
... that Paul Huff Parkway is named after a U.S. Army soldier who won the Medal of Honor while serving in World War II?
... that Jenna Ortega almost quit acting to play soccer?

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Ichthyotitan, the largest known marine reptile (size comparison shown), is formally described.
Flooding in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula leaves more than thirty people dead.
The historic Børsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, is severely damaged by a fire.
A knife attack in Sydney, Australia, leaves seven people dead.
In retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Iran conducts missile and drone strikes against Israel.

On this day

April 22

Pedro Álvares Cabral

1500 – A fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral (pictured) anchored off present-day Brazil; he later claimed the land for the Portuguese Empire.
1885 – The first meeting of the Colonial Defence Committee, a standing committee of the British Colonial Office, was held to discuss the defence of Barbados.
1918 – The short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic was established on territory formerly part of the Russian Empire.
1951 – Korean War: The Chinese People's Volunteer Army attacked positions occupied mainly by Australian and Canadian forces, starting the Battle of Kapyong.
2016 – The Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change, opened for signature and was signed by 175 parties.

Philip of Poitou (d. 1208)
Robert Ludwig Kahn (b. 1923)
Regine Velasquez (b. 1970)

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From today's featured list

Linda G. Mills

Seventeen people have held the office of President and Chancellor of New York University (NYU), a private research university in New York City. The president of New York University is its chief executive officer and is elected by the university's board of trustees, of which the president is a member ex officio. From NYU's foundation by Albert Gallatin in 1831 until 1956, the head of NYU was the chancellor. That year, the office became known as "president and chancellor", or "president" for short. The president recommends persons to fill senior offices, including the provost, executive vice president, general counsel, and deans, who are then appointed by the board. The president also presides over the university senate and confers all degrees, with the board's authorization and upon certification of a student by the faculty. The incumbent president, Linda G. Mills (pictured), assumed office on July 1, 2023 and became NYU's first female president. (Full list...)

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Pelophylax cypriensis, commonly known as the Cyprus water frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, the true frogs. It is endemic to Cyprus. It is a medium-sized frog, with females (body length up to 75 mm, 3.0 in) being larger than males (up to 65 mm, 2.6 in). The skin is rather warty and colouration varies widely. There are four unwebbed toes on the front legs and five webbed toes on the hindlegs. Males have paired external vocal sacs. This Cyprus water frog was photographed under the Elia Bridge in Limassol District, Cyprus.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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