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Severance in 2015

When Megan Went Away is a 1979 children's picture book written by Jane Severance (pictured) and illustrated by Tea Schook. The book, featuring lesbian parents, was the first picture book to include any LGBT characters. Published by Lollipop Power, an American independent press, the book depicts a child named Shannon dealing with the separation of her mother and her mother's partner, Megan. As a lesbian working in a feminist bookstore in Denver in her early twenties, Severance sought to rectify the lack of picture book content for children with lesbian parents in her community. When Megan Went Away was not widely distributed upon publication, although the text of the story was republished by the magazine Ms. in 1986 under the pen name R. Minta Day. The work proved divisive among critics. Some praised the story for being an anti-sexist example of lesbian life. Others found its depiction of same-sex separation poorly timed, arriving at a moment when lesbian motherhood was on the rise. (Full article...)

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Maya (left) and Yehuda Devir

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In the news

Kelvin Kiptum

In the London Marathon, Sifan Hassan wins the women's race, while Kelvin Kiptum (pictured) wins the men's event and breaks the course record.
The wreckage of the Montevideo Maru, a Japanese vessel sunk by the US during World War II with over 1,000 captive Australian nationals onboard, is discovered in the South China Sea.
SpaceX Starship, the most powerful rocket to date, is launched from Texas and destroyed almost four minutes into the flight.

On this day

April 26: Administrative Professionals Day in various countries (2022), Independence Day in Israel (2023)

Lorenzo de' Medici

1478 – In a conspiracy to replace the Medici family as rulers of the Republic of Florence, the Pazzi family attacked Lorenzo de' Medici (pictured) and killed his brother Giuliano at Florence Cathedral.
1915 – First World War: Britain, France and Russia signed a secret treaty promising territory to Italy if it joined the war on their side.
1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, was established.
1989 – A tornado struck the Manikganj District of Bangladesh and killed an estimated 1,300 people, making it the deadliest tornado in history.
1994 – Just before landing at Nagoya Airport, Japan, the copilot of China Airlines Flight 140 inadvertently triggered the takeoff/go-around switch, causing the aircraft to crash and killing 264 of the 271 people on board.

Marcus Aurelius (b. 121)
Alice Ayres (d. 1885)
S. J. V. Chelvanayakam (d. 1977)

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Today's featured picture

Azurite is a soft, deep-blue mineral produced by the weathering of copper-ore deposits. It is a basic carbonate with the chemical formula Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂, and has been known since ancient times, being mentioned in Pliny the Elder's Natural History under the Greek name kuanos and the Latin name caeruleum. These azurite crystals, covering a 4.0 cm × 3.0 cm × 2.0 cm (1.57 in × 1.18 in × 0.79 in) matrix with a little malachite, were found in a lode in La Sal, Utah. This photograph was focus-stacked from 55 separate images.

Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus

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