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 is being 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.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Maundy

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1942:

Second World War: The port of Saint-Nazaire in German-occupied France was disabled by British naval forces (ship pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Nazaire_Raid

1946:

The US Department of State released the Acheson–Lilienthal Report, a proposal for the international control of nuclear weapons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acheson%E2%80%93Lilienthal_Report

1979:

British prime minister James Callaghan was defeated by one vote in a vote of no confidence after his government struggled to cope with widespread strikes during the Winter of Discontent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_vote_of_no_confidence_in_the_Callaghan_ministry

1999:

Kosovo War: Serbian police and special forces killed around 93 Kosovo Albanians in the village of Izbica. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izbica_massacre

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

lumpish: 1. Having an ill-defined or rough form or shape like a lump; lumplike. 2. (figurative) 3. Awkward and ungainly in appearance or movement; clumsy, inelegant. 4. Dull and slow in acting, thinking, etc.; without energy; cloddish, lethargic, slow-witted, sluggish. 5. Of sound: dull, heavy. 6. (obsolete) 7. Full of lumps; lumpy. 8. Of a thing: having a shape and/or weight which makes it inconvenient to move; cumbersome, unwieldy. 9. (figurative) Miserable, sad. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lumpish

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I will not hesitate to tell my friends when I think they're wrong and to tell my opponents when I think they're right.   --Joe Lieberman https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joe_Lieberman