Royal Maundy is a religious service in the Church of England held on Maundy Thursday. At the service, the British monarch or a royal official distributes small silver coins known as "Maundy money". The name "Maundy" and the ceremony derive from the instruction of Jesus at the Last Supper that his followers should love one another. English monarchs washed the feet of beggars in imitation of Jesus, and gave to the poor; the latter custom survives through the Maundy gifts. Recipients were once chosen for their poverty, but are now chosen for service to their churches or communities. At the 2024 service at Worcester Cathedral, the distribution was made by Queen Camilla in place of her husband, Charles III, following his diagnosis of cancer. The coins' obverse design features the reigning monarch, while the reverse design features a crowned numeral enclosed by a wreath. In most years there are fewer than 2,000 complete sets of Maundy money; they are highly sought after by collectors. (Full article...)
...that the influential Armenian merchants Petik and Sanos expanded the Armenian Church of the Forty Martyrs in Aleppo, in spite of Ottoman laws that banned new construction and expansion of churches?
... that Canadian surgeon Robin McLeod advocated for post-operative patients to get back on their feet and move around immediately, against the prevailing guidance that they should stay in bed?
... that Velma Whitman had "one of the largest and most elaborate wardrobes" for a vaudeville performer thanks to her collection of designer-made English and French gowns?
... that Institutiones rei herbariae, published in 1700, sought to give a unique name to every plant based on their "essence"?
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Lou Henry Hoover (March 29, 1874 – January 7, 1944) was the first lady of the United States from 1929 to 1933 as the wife of Herbert Hoover. She was active in community groups, including the Girl Scouts of the USA, which she led from 1922 to 1925 and from 1935 to 1937. She was the first woman to earn a geology degree from Stanford. In the first twenty years of their marriage, the Hoovers lived in several countries; during World War I, they led efforts to assist war refugees. Beginning in 1917, they lived in Washington, D.C., as Herbert became a high government official. In the White House, Lou Hoover dedicated her time as first lady to her volunteer work, though she did not publicize it. Her invitation of Jessie De Priest to the White House for tea was controversial in the South. After Herbert's defeat for re-election in 1932, Lou Hoover continued her work, helping provide refugee support with her husband during World War II, and died suddenly of a heart attack in 1944. (Full article...)
Crepidotus is a genus of fungus in the family Crepidotaceae. Species of Crepidotus all have small, convex to fan-shaped sessile caps and grow on wood or plant debris. The species are cosmopolitan in distribution, and are well-documented from the northern temperate to the South American regions. This Crepidotus variabilis cap growing on a branch was photographed in De Famberhorst, a nature reserve near Joure in Friesland, Netherlands. The photograph was focus-stacked from 42 separate images.
Head of Christ is a painting in oil on panel by the Italian Renaissance painter Antonio da Correggio, dated 1521. It depicts the head of Christ, wearing the crown of thorns. In the background there is a white cloth showing that the image represents the Veil of Veronica, but Christ's head is given volume through alternate use of light and dark shadows. The painting is in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, Los Angeles. Correggio was known for creating some of the most sumptuous religious paintings of the period. The Getty Museum considers this artwork as one of the masterpieces of painting held by the museum.
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