Aldwych tube station is a closed station on the London Underground, in the City of Westminster in central London. The station building, near the junction of Strand and Surrey Street, opened in 1907 as the only other station on the Piccadilly line's short branch from Holborn. Suffering from low passenger numbers, the station and branch were considered for closure several times. Service was offered only during weekday peak hours from 1962 and finally discontinued altogether in 1994, when the cost of replacing the lifts was considered too high compared to the income generated. Disused parts of the station and the running tunnels were used to shelter artworks from the National Gallery during the First World War, and from the British Museum during the Second World War. The station has long been popular as a filming location, appearing as itself and as other London Underground stations. In recognition of its historical significance, it is a Grade II listed building. ( Full article...)

Recently featured: Vernon Sturdee – Andrew Johnson – Taiko

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

• ... that the female figures depicted in The Exaltation of the Flower (pictured) are wearing the tubular peplos garment and the kekryphalos hairnet typical for women in Ancient Greece?
• ... that when Jill Knight succeeded Edith Pitt, it was the first time in the UK that a female Member of Parliament was succeeded by another?
• ... that Zlatan Ibrahimović scored three goals in a semi-final to help Paris Saint-Germain reach the 2015 Coupe de France Final, starting with a penalty kick which was his 100th goal for the club?
• ... that the Press Association won a court case stating that it was within the public interest to know that five girls who had been given travel bans attended the same school as three who had recently joined ISIL?
• ... that currently in-production film Joy is about inventor and entrepreneur Joy Mangano?
• ... that Elvira Dolinar is regarded as the first Slovenian feminist?
• ... that Tygerberg Zoo sought to breed look-alikes to South Africa's Cape lions, extinct since the 1850s, with two cubs from Novosibirsk Zoo in Siberia?

• United States President Barack Obama moves to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list amid diplomatic efforts to improve relations between the two countries.
• Wildfires in Southern Siberia, Russia, kill at least 33 people and damage more than 1,400 homes.
• Günter Grass (pictured), Nobel laureate and author of The Tin Drum and Dog Years, dies at the age of 87.
• In basketball, USK Praha beat UMMC Ekaterinburg to win the EuroLeague Women title.
• In golf, American Jordan Spieth wins the Masters Tournament.
• In rowing, Oxford's men's crew and women's crew defeat the respective Cambridge crews in the 161st Boat Race and the first Women's Boat Race held on the Tideway.

Ongoing: Yemeni Civil War – Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Recent deaths: Percy Sledge – Eduardo Galeano – Richie Benaud

April 17: Evacuation Day in Syria ( 1946)

• 1080 – On the death of his brother Harald III, Canute IV, who later became the first Dane to be canonized, became King of Denmark.
• 1907 – Brazil became the third country in the world to start construction on a dreadnought battleship (pictured), sparking a vastly expensive South American naval arms race.
• 1951 – The Peak District was designated the first national park in the United Kingdom.
• 1975 – The Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot captured Phnom Penh, ending the Cambodian Civil War, and established Democratic Kampuchea.
• 2013 – An ammonium nitrate explosion occurred at a fertilizer company facility in West, Texas, US, killing 15 people and injuring 160 others.

More anniversaries: April 16 – April 17 – April 18

The largest volcanic eruptions on Earth can have a major regional or even global impact; some affect the climate and contribute to mass extinctions. In a volcanic eruption, lava, tephra ( volcanic bombs, lapilli, and ash), and various gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure. Volcanic eruptions can generally be characterized as either explosive eruptions, sudden ejections of rock and ash, or effusive eruptions, relatively gentle outpourings of lava. Numerous eruptions have produced at least 1,000 km³ (240 cu mi) of lava and tephra; for explosive eruptions, this corresponds to a Volcanic Explosivity Index (or VEI) of 8, at least a thousand times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, which produced only 1 km³ (0.2 cu mi) of material, and at least six times larger than the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, the largest eruption in recent history, which produced 160 km³ (38 cu mi) of volcanic deposits. There have probably been many such eruptions during Earth's history beyond those shown in these lists. However, erosion and plate tectonics have taken their toll, and many eruptions have not left enough evidence for geologists to establish their size. ( Full list...)

The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae, which is found through much of the world. Measuring about 20 cm (8 in) in length, these starlings are a noisy bird in communal roosts and other gregarious situations. This species is omnivorous, taking a wide range of invertebrates, as well as seeds and fruit. Photograph: Pierre Selim Recently featured: Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg – Sleeping Venus – Jalovec Archive – More featured pictures...