Sissinghurst Castle Garden, at Sissinghurst in the Weald of Kent in England, was created by Vita Sackville-West, poet and writer, and her husband Harold Nicolson, author and diplomat. Designated Grade I on Historic England's register of historic parks and gardens, it had nearly 200,000 visitors in 2017. It was bought by Sackville-West in 1930, and over the next thirty years, working with, and later succeeded by, a series of notable head gardeners, she and Nicolson transformed a farmstead of "squalor and slovenly disorder" into one of the world's most influential gardens. The garden design is based on axial walks that open onto enclosed gardens, termed "garden rooms", one of the earliest examples of this gardening style. Following Sackville-West's death in 1962, the estate was gifted to the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty. It is one of the Trust's most popular properties. (Full article...)

Superbloom in California

• ... that California deserts are experiencing the second wildflower superbloom (pictured) in three years?


• ... that Bambang Dwi Hartono championed bus rapid transit in Surabaya as mayor, but his plans were overridden by the next mayor?


• ... that "Christus, der uns selig macht", a translation by Michael Weiße of a Latin Passion hymn, begins with Jesus arrested like a thief?


• ... that the dire whelk sometimes shares the prey of the ochre sea star while it is being eaten?


• ... that Ivorian special advisor Euphrasie Kouassi Yao has worked as a UNESCO chair for Water, Women and Decision-making, and has been honoured by the Global Platform for Enterprising Women?


• ... that the Mayan Train was approved in a public referendum that garnered only a one percent voter turnout?


• ... that geneticist Muntaser Ibrahim, described by Science as "one of Sudan's most distinguished living scholars", was imprisoned in February 2019 after participating in peaceful protests?


• ... that Hillary and Clinton is the first Broadway play to feature Hillary Clinton as a lead character?

Worknesh Degefa

• At the Boston Marathon, Lawrence Cherono and Worknesh Degefa (pictured) win the men's and women's foot races, respectively.


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  A fire heavily damages Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.


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  Tiger Woods wins the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, United States.


• The Scaled Composites Stratolaunch, the largest aircraft by wingspan, makes its maiden flight.


• 
  Beresheet becomes the first private mission to reach the Moon, but crashes during an attempted landing.

April 18

Roland Garros

• 
  1738 – By royal decree, Philip V of Spain established the Real Academia de la Historia.


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  1847 – Mexican–American War: Winfield Scott's United States troops out-flanked and drove Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position in the Battle of Cerro Gordo.


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  1915 – World War I: French aviator Roland Garros (pictured) landed his aircraft behind enemy lines and was taken prisoner.


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  1949 – Ireland officially left the British Commonwealth and became a republic.


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  1955 – Representatives from 29 African and Asian countries met in the inaugural Bandung Conference in Indonesia to promote economic and cultural cooperation.

Theobald of Bec (d. 1161) · Clara Elsene Peck (b. 1883) · Universo 2000 (b. 1963)