ThursdayThu, April 25th Edition Change
Today in the World Countries
- Anzac Day is being celebrated in Australia, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Tonga
- Chosun People's Army Foundation Day is being celebrated in North Korea
- First Day of Summer is being celebrated in Iceland
- Flag Day is being celebrated in Faroe Islands
- Liberation Day is being celebrated in Italy, Portugal
- National Flag Day is being celebrated in Eswatini
- Sinai Liberation Day is being celebrated in Egypt, Egypt
- People born on this day are Taurus as their zodiac sign.
Today in History United States of America
On this day in 2023
- EVENTS
- Japanese M1 spacecraft crashes on the moon, in its attempt to become the first privately-owned spacecraft to land on the Moon.
- DEATHS
- Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia (née Duchess Alexandra Frederica Wilhelmina of Oldenburg), German-Russian noblewoman and philanthropist, who died at 61.
- Paul van Vliet, Dutch comedian and singer, who died at 87.
- Vera Krepkina, Russian athlete (Olympic gold USSR long jump 1960; WR 4×100m relay 1956, tied WR 100m 11.3s 1958), who died at 90.
- TV SERIES
- John Mulaney: Baby J is released. The third Netflix stand-up comedy special from John Mulaney was filmed in February at Boston's Symphony Hall.
- GAMING: PC
- Afterimage for PC is released. One of the supreme deities created this vast world called Engardin, upon which natural wonders lie everywhere: gigantic volcanoes, steep canyons, deep seas and a tower that soars into the clouds...Encounter fantastic creatures during your journey: giant beasts wandering in fire, and spirits lurking in the depth of complicated labyrinths... Learn about your new friends, get to know their pasts and the agendas they hold.Engardin is alive with unknown secrets. Venture forth and feel free to explore wherever you like as a brave adventurer. Find out the stories that link each area, discover a concealed history and the truth of the world.
- Stranded: Alien Dawn for PC is released. Brave a new world in Stranded: Alien Dawn, a planet survival sim placing the fate of a small marooned group in your hands. Forge your story through compelling and immersive strategic gameplay as you make vital decisions to protect your survivors from starvation, disease, extreme weather and more. From basic camps to fortified bases, create a stronghold to defend the survivors from attacks by alien creatures that roam an expansive and deadly alien world.Experience an epic and unpredictable journey.
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 5
- Strayed Lights for PlayStation 5 is released. Strayed Lights is an atmospheric action-adventure with fluid combat and an intricate world imbued with mystery. You are a tiny, growing light seeking transcendence. Explore a land of otherworldly ruins and glowing trees, where entities of flickering lights and luminescent shadows reside.Challenge rogue shadow creatures in fast-paced, rewarding combat. Use a fluid mix of parries and dodges to absorb their energy levels until you can unleash an ultra energy attack. Shift your light from blue to orange in sync with enemies using timed parries, then push energy back at them in vivid finishers.
- R-Type Final 3 Evolved for PlayStation 5 is released. R-Type Final 3 Evolved, the ultimate side-scrolling shooter, is now available on PlayStation 5.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Trinity Trigger for Switch is released. Trinity Trigger is an all-new action role-playing game combining the look and feel of iconic RPGs of the '90s with an emphasis on fast-paced, customizable combat.Players take control of three young heroes as they attempt to defy fate and save the continent of Trinitia. Accompanying them are the Triggers, strange creatures with the unique ability to transform into eight types of weapons that players must master if they hope to be successful on their quest.Whether playing alone or with up to two friends via local co-op, explore diverse biomes and dungeons, strategize to exploit enemy weaknesses, and change your destiny!
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Expansion Pass Wave 4 - Future Redeemed for Switch is released. Set before the events of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, join a cast of new and familiar characters in this original story scenario that connects all three instalments in the Xenoblade Chronicles series. Future Redeemed also features new battle mechanics, such as Unity Combo, where two characters can attack in unison.
On this day in 2022
- EVENTS
- Twitter announces a deal to sell itself to Elon Musk for $44 billion.
- Royalties from live performances of music in the UK fell almost 30% in 2021, despite concerts resuming in the summer. Concert revenues were just £8m, down from £11.3m in 2020 and £54m in 2019, said PRS for Music, the body that collects royalties for songwriters. Only 19,300 setlists were reported last year, it added, marking a huge decline from the 124,000 reported pre-pandemic..
- Charlotte Brontë’s "A Book of Ryhmes" (10cm x 6cm), written when she was 13, sells at auction in New York for $1.25 million to Friends of the National Libraries for the Brontë Parsonage Museum.
- BIRTHS
- Cohen Fisher, Family Member, born in United States.
- TV SERIES
- We Own This City: Season 1 is released. The limited series co-created by David Simon and George Pelecanos centers on members of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force that robbed and extorted citizens for several years before a federal investigation uncovered their crimes in this adaptation of Justin Fenton's non-fiction book.
- POLITICS
- J. Roy Rowland, American politician (Rep-D-GA,1983-95), who died at 96.
On this day in 2021
- EVENTS
- 93rd Academy Awards: "Nomadland" wins best film, director (Chloé Zhao), and lead actress (Frances McDormand); Anthony Hopkins best actor.
- DEATHS
- Rajan Mishra, Indian classical music vocalist, who died of COVID-19 pandemic complications at 69.
- John Konrads, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 1500m freestyle, bronze 400m freestyle,4x200m freestyle 1960; 26 individual world records), who died at 78.
- Toshiro Kandagawa, Chef.
On this day in 2020
- DEATHS
- Per Olov Enquist, Playwright.
- Richard Divila, Brazilian motorsports designer (Fittipaldi Automotive; Ligier, Nissan), who died at 74.
- MOVIES: TVMA
- Bad Education is released. Long Island school superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and his assistant superintendent for business, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), are credited with bringing Roslyn School District unprecedented prestige. Frank, always immaculately groomed and tailored, is a master of positive messaging, whether before an audience of community leaders or in an office with a concerned student or parent. In short, it seems Frank can do no wrong. That is, until a plucky student reporter (Geraldine Viswanathan) decides to dig deep into some expense reports and begins to uncover an embezzlement scheme of epic proportions, prompting Frank to devise an elaborate cover-up — by any means necessary. [TIFF]
- SPORTS
- Marino H. Casem, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Alabama State, Alcorn State, Southern) and athletic administrator (Alcorn State, Southern), who died at 85.
On this day in 2019
- EVENTS
- Microsoft becomes the third US firm to be listed with a market worth of 1 trillion, after Apple and Amazon.
- More than 1,600 civilians were killed in US-led coalition air and land strikes on Raqqa in 2017, according to Amnesty International and monitoring group Airwars.
- Thousands march in Khartoum, Sudan calling for civilian rule.
- Cyclone Kenneth strikes Mozambique with winds of 220km/h (140mph) killing at least38 people and damaging nearly 35,000 homes.
- GAMING: PC
- Dark Devotion for PC is released. Explore the secrets of a mysterious fallen temple and put your Templar faith to the test in Dark Devotion, where no sacrifice is too great in praise of your God.
- Imperator: Rome for PC is released. Imperator: Rome is the newest grand strategy title from Paradox Development Studio. Set in the tumultuous centuries from Alexander’s Successor Empires in the East to the foundation of the Roman Empire.
- Yuppie Psycho for PC is released. Join Brian Pasternack on his first day at one of the world’s largest companies, Sintracorp. Uncertain, unprepared, and massively unqualified, will Pasternack have what it takes to shine in Sintracorp’s hierarchy? It all depends on how he performs on his first assignment… and whether he survives it.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Cytus Alpha for Switch is released. Cytus Alpha is the evolutionary version of the popular mobile game, Cytus. The Switch version features new visuals and over 200 songs, including newly written songs and collaboration tracks. A new leaderboard mode is added where players can post scores against other players online.
- SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech for Switch is released. SteamWorld Quest is the roleplaying card game you’ve been waiting for! Lead a party of aspiring heroes through a beautifully hand-drawn world and intense battles using only your wits and a handful of cards. Take on whatever threat comes your way by crafting your own deck choosing from over 100 unique punch-cards. What awaits you is a luscious treasure chest filled with gold, dragons, vivid worlds, magic, knights in shining armor as well as XP, turn-based battles and all that good RPG stuff! The game’s humorous mix of traditional fantasy and steampunk robots makes for an unforgettable experience with lots of laughs
- POLITICS
- Former US Vice President Joe Biden announces his campaign for president via video.
- Manuel Lujan Jr., American politician (Rep-R-NM,1969-89), who died at 90.
- SPORTS
- John Havlicek, Basketball Hall of Fame guard (8-time NBA champion, Boston Celtics; 13-time NBA All Star), who died of Parkinson's disease at 79.
On this day in 2018
- EVENTS
- Indian religious leader Asaram Bapu is sentenced to life for raping a 16-year old girl.
- Danish inventor Peter Madsen found guilty of killing and desecrating body of journalist Kim Wall aboard submarine, sentenced to life imprisonment.
- DEATHS
- Jeff Seidler, Race Car Driver.
- Johnny Bennett, TV Show Host.
- Michael Anderson, Director.
- Russ Truelove, Race Car Driver.
- TV SERIES
- The Handmaid's Tale: Season 2 is released. The second season expands to explores life on the colonies as Offred seeks freedom for her unborn child in the second season of the drama series based on Margaret Atwood’s best-selling novel.
- GAMING: PC
- 39 Days to Mars for PC is released. Embark on the 19th century's most unreliable spaceship in this 2 player couch co-op adventure. 39 Days to Mars is a unique game designed to be played with a friend, where both players have important roles in the expedition. Solo players are aided by the computer-controlled ship's cat.
- Bullet Witch for PC is released. This action adventure takes place in the exceedingly bleak near future of 2013. Civilization is on the brink of extinction after demons begin appearing on the earth, and the player wades into the fray as a witch named Alicia.
On this day in 2017
- EVENTS
- Sir Elton John suffered a potentially deadly bacterial infection during a tour, forcing him to spend two nights in intensive care and cancel concerts in the US. The singer became violently ill at the end of a tour of South America, requiring him to return to the UK for urgent treatment. Nine concerts that were due to be staged in Las Vegas and California were cancelled..
- TV SERIES
- Great News: Season 1 is released. News producer Katie (Briga Heelan) discovers her mother (Andrea Martin) has joined her TV station as an intern in this comedy from Tracey Wigfiel, Tina Fey, and Robert Carlock.
- Genius (2017): Season 1 is released. The first season of National Geographic's debut scripted anthology series from Brian Grazer and Ron Howard focuses on the life of Albert Einstein (Geoffrey Rush).
- GAMING: PC
- Immortal Redneck for PC is released. Immortal Redneck is a FPS set in Egypt with rogue-lite elements. Frantic gameplay, twitch controls and an arcade-style feel meet procedural dungeons, a complete skill tree, permanent death and 9 classes with different traits.
- Outlast 2 for PC is released. Outlast 2 introduces you to Sullivan Knoth and his followers, who left our wicked world behind to give birth to Temple Gate, a town, deep in the wilderness and hidden from civilization. Knoth and his flock are preparing for the tribulations of the end of times and you’re right in the thick of it.
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
- Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 for PlayStation 4 is released. Go behind enemy lines with the ultimate modern military shooter. Choose your missions across an unforgiven open world.Stay low and leave no traces in this third game of the tactical shooter franchise. Set in a modern day conflict based in Eastern Europe, players in Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 will be thrust into the role of a sniper caught between three warring factions, played out in a realistic and immersive environment. Dig deep into the Ghost Warrior DNA as you choose between taking out your targets up close or from a distance, while at the same time focusing on your survival through evasion and stealth. Non-linear, sandbox-style gameplay on large open-ended maps gives players the flexibility to play and replay the missions in a number of different ways. Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 will offer intriguing challenges for tactically-minded gamers, while still remaining accessible to first-person shooter fans.
- The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier Episode 4: Thicker than Water for PlayStation 4 is released. The latest chapter continues to follow Javier and Clementine’s journeys through the zombie apocalypse.
- Syberia 3 for PlayStation 4 is released. Join Kate Walker, a heroine beyond compare, in the unique world of Syberia. Dive into the story, puzzles, and mysteries of this fabulous adventure, conceived and drawn by Benoit Sokal, with music by Inon Zur. [Playstation.com]
- Symphony of the Machine for PlayStation 4 is released. In Symphony of the Machine players awaken in a lifeless sun-scorched desert. A strange tower looming in the distance harbours a powerful beam of light. When directed at glyphs on the tower, the light causes the weather outside to change from scenes like blistering heat to freezing snowstorms and everything in between. Creating the perfect climate for multiple forms of life is the key to cultivating a new world.
- Dragon Quest Heroes II for PlayStation 4 is released. After a 1000 years of peace, the Seven Realms suddenly fall into conflict as if guided by a mysterious and malicious force. Now, you must lead a band of powerful heroes in a quest to defeat evil and save the war-torn world.
- What Remains of Edith Finch for PlayStation 4 is released. The game is a collection of short stories. Each of those stories focuses on the death of a different Finch family member and each is meant to look and feel different from the others, the way no two people in any family are alike. [Giant Sparrow]
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Puyo Puyo Tetris for Switch is released. Two puzzle game juggernauts collide as Tetris, one of the largest-selling and recognized brands in gaming history, and Puyo Puyo from SEGA have combined to create a fun-to-play, fast-paced, competitive party game like no other! The game has tons of different styles of gameplay from the single-player Adventure and Challenge modes to the ferocious competition of the up-to-four player Arcade modes. There's plenty of Tetris/Puyo variety, even an in-game Shop where players can unlock new characters, new skins for Puyos and Tetriminos, new backgrounds and more.Features:* Adventure Single-player mode offers ten unique acts, each with ten stages featuring different characters from the Puyo Puyo and Tetris universes. Each stage contains unique challenges players will need to overcome in order to win and move on!* Multiplayer Arcade For up to four local players, Multiplayer Arcade offers a wealth of variety that will bring out players' competitive nature!* Online Players can try their puzzle skills on a global scale by playing any of the multiplayer modes with up to four players online, in Puzzle League or Free Play modes.* Solo Arcade Play any of the Multiplayer Arcade modes against the CPU in Battle or Endurance matches, or try the single-player Challenges!
On this day in 2016
- EVENTS
- Motley Crue co-founder Nikki Sixx launched a campaign asking Google to pay musicians more money when their videos appeared on YouTube. The bass player was urging Google to remember its former slogan - "Don't be evil" - in its dealings with artists..
- DEATHS
- Martin Gray, Non-Fiction Author.
- Mei Baojiu, Chinese opera performer and director (Mei Lanfang Peking Opera), who died at 82.
- GAMING: PC
- Corpse Party for PC is released. Corpse Party is an adventure game that uses hand-drawn 2D sprite and tile art to tell the story of a group of Kisaragi Academy High School students who are trapped in a haunted elementary school filled with the decaying corpses and tormented souls of countless children whod mysteriously vanished from the Japanese countryside years, months or sometimes only days prior. Desperately trying to escape and survive, players will experience unnatural, unnerving and decidedly uncensored horrors through the eyes and ears -- of these frightened teenaged victims. Detailed 2D sprite animations and art stills show the bloody and unsettling fates that await those who enter, and full Japanese-language voice-acting combines with 3D audio support to create a simulated surround sound experience when playing with headphones, offering players a delightfully uncomfortable level of immersion.
On this day in 2015
- EVENTS
- 7.8-magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu in Nepal, killing 8000, leaving over 100,000 homeless, destroying many historic sites.
- 100 year anniversary of the Gallipoli Peninsula landings in Turkey by ANZAC forces during WWI.
- WEDDINGS
- Heart's lead singer Ann Wilson at the age of 64 weds multi-generational community developer Dean Wetter in her manager's California backyard.
On this day in 2014
- EVENTS
- Spotify removed a album of silence by American funk band Vulfpeck from its streaming site. The band's fourth record, Sleepify, was made up of 10 tracks of silence which they encouraged fans to stream on repeat overnight. The idea was aimed at generating money so that the band could go on tour and not charge admission fees..
- DEATHS
- Tito Vilanova, Soccer Coach.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- The Girl and Death is released. Nicolai, an aging Russian physician, returns to the old hotel where he first met his great love, Elise, half a century ago, and relives their tragic love.
- Next Goal Wins is released. In 2001, the tiny Pacific island of American Samoa suffered a world record 31-0 defeat at the hands of Australia, garnering headlines across the world as the worst soccer team on the planet. A decade after that humiliating night, they remain rooted to the bottom of FIFA's World rankings, having scored only twice in seventeen years. They have lost every competitive game they have ever played. Against this backdrop of serial underachievement, the team face the daunting prospect of a qualification campaign for the upcoming 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It would take a miracle-maker or a madman to turn the team's fortunes around - and in maverick Dutch coach Thomas Rongen the islanders somehow find both.
- Bright Days Ahead is released. For recent retiree Caroline (Fanny Ardant) a new life of freedom and opportunity lies before her: time to take care of her children, her husband, and most of all, to finally take care of herself. But while her peers at the local seniors’ club pass the time with ceramics and amateur theater, she finds a new hobby of her own between the sheets with the center’s computer teacher Julien (Laurent Lafitte), a carefree ladies man decades her junior. The couple set rules for their affair, but Caroline seems to like courting danger, taking her lover to places she knows they might be seen and telling lies to her husband (Patrick Chesnais) that could easily be discovered. As Caroline finds herself in the midst a second youth – taking a new lover, living new experiences, breaking the rules, not doing what’s expected of her – will her retirement mark the beginning of the end for her marriage, or a new beginning? [Tribeca Film]
- Blue Ruin is released. A beach bum finds his quiet life upended by dreadful news and sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of revenge. Proving an inept assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.
- Young & Beautiful is released. The portrait of a 17 year-old girl (Marine Vacth), in 4 seasons and 4 songs.
- Walking with the Enemy is released. Set in Hungary during the final months of World War II, a young man (Jonas Armstrong) sets out to find his displaced family by using a stolen Nazi uniform to pose as an officer.
- MOVIES: PG13
- Brick Mansions is released. In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin, Tremaine (RZA) kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city.
- The Other Woman is released. After discovering her boyfriend is married, a woman (Cameron Diaz) tries to get her ruined life back on track. But when she accidentally meets the wife he’s been cheating on (Leslie Mann), she realizes they have much in common, and her sworn enemy becomes her greatest friend. When yet another affair is discovered (Kate Upton), all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on the cheating, lying, three-timing SOB. [Twentieth Century Fox]
- The Quiet Ones is released. An unorthodox professor (Jared Harris) uses controversial methods and leads his best students off the grid to take part in a dangerous experiment: to create a poltergeist. [Hammer Films]
- The German Doctor is released. Patagonia,1960. A German doctor (Alex Brendemühl) meets an Argentinean family and follows them on a long desert road to a small town where the family will be starting a new life. Eva (Natalia Oreiro), Enzo (Diego Peretti) and their three children welcome the doctor into their home and entrust their young daughter, Lilith (Florencia Bado), to his care, not knowing that they are harboring one of the most dangerous criminals in the world. At the same time, Israeli agents are desperately looking to bring th German doctor to justice. Based on filmmaker Lucía Puenzo's fifth novel, the story follows Josef Mengele, the "Angel of Death, "a German SS officer and a physician at the Auschwitz concentration camp, in the years he spent "hiding", along with many other Nazi's, in South America following his escape from Germany. Mengele was considered to be one of WWII's most heinous Nazi war criminals. [Samuel Goldwyn Films]
- MOVIES: R
- The Machine is released. Britain's Ministry of Defense is on the brink of developing a game-changing weapon. Lead scientist Vincent McCarthy (Toby Stephens) provides the answer with his creation, The Machine—an android with unrivaled physical and processing skills. When a programming glitch causes an early prototype to destroy his lab, McCarthy enlists artificial intelligence expert Ava (Caity Lotz) to help him harness the full potential of a truly conscious fighting machine.
- For No Good Reason is released. Made over the course of fifteen years, For No Good Reason explores the connection between art and life through the eyes of Ralph Steadman, the last of the original Gonzo visionaries. Insightful, humorous, and visually stunning, this is a study in honesty, friendship, and the ambition that drives an artist.
- Last Passenger is released. A small group of everyday passengers on a speeding London commuter train battle the sociopathic driver who has a dark plan for everyone on-board.
- Locke is released. Ivan Locke has worked hard to craft a good life for himself. With one phone call, that life will collapse around him.
- GAMING: PC
- Dark Souls II for PC is released. Dark Souls II brings the franchise’s renowned difficulty & gripping gameplay innovations to both single and multiplayer experiences.
- GAMING: WII U
- NES Remix 2 for Wii U is released. This second installment of the mashup of classic Nintendo games features challenges from later NES games like Super Mario Bros. 3, Kirby’s Adventure and Metroid. Just like NES Remix, the sequel includes stages from the original games with new challenges, as well as modified stages that introduce new elements.
- SPORTS
- Earl Morrall, American football player, who died from complications from Parkinson's disease at 79.