The Hats of the Kentucky Derby

For more photos of this year’s Kentucky Derby, browse the #kentuckyderby and #kyderby hashtags and visit the Churchill Downs location page. Also be sure to follow @kentuckyderby on Instagram.

On the first Saturday of May each year, thousands of people descend on Louisville, Kentucky, for the legendary Kentucky Derby horse race. While many turn out to Churchill Downs to watch the race, the main event generally lasts only about 2 minutes. Others come for the fanfare and traditions, which include eating burgoo and drinking mint juleps.

But perhaps the most recognizable and photogenic Kentucky Derby tradition is the donning of big, extravagant hats. Browse the location page for Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, to see this year’s elaborate fashions.

The Netherlands Celebrates Koninginnedag

Browse more Koninginnedag photos under the hashtags #koninginnedag, #troonswisseling and #queensday, and browse the Leidseplein, Dam, and Museumplein location pages.

This year’s Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day) is a special one for the Netherlands. Revelers have celebrated Queen Juliana and her successor Queen Beatrix on April 30 every year since 1948 with orange costumes, parties, concerts and local gatherings like flea markets. This year, however, will mark the last Koninginnedag for a while, as Queen Beatrix celebrated the holiday by abdicating her throne and ceding it to her son, Prince Willem-Alexander. Today, Willem-Alexander ascended to the throne, and next year the holiday will be renamed Koningsdag (King’s Day) and celebrated on his birthday, April 27.

Festivities began last night with Koninginnenach (Queen’s Night) and the Queen’s national farewell address beneath Rembrandt van Rijn’s “Night Watch” at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. This morning, Beatrix signed official papers at Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam to enact the change of royal titles. More than a million people are expected in Amsterdam for the celebration, including royal guests from 18 countries.

Follow the 2013 NFL Draft on Instagram

Later today, the National Football League (@nfl) Draft will kick off at Radio City Music Hall. The annual event is the main opportunity for teams to select eligible college football players for their rosters. Follow all of the action live on Instagram via the hashtags #nfldraft2013 and #nfldraft, or through Instagram photos from projected top draft picks and NFL teams:

Teams

• Kansas City Chiefs - @kcchiefs
• Jacksonville Jaguars - @jaguars
• Oakland Raiders - @raiders
• Philadelphia Eagles - @philadelphiaeagles
• Detroit Lions - @detroitlionsnfl

Players

• Dion Jordan, DE (Oregon) - @dionj96
• Sharrif Floyd, DT (Florida) - @humble_hungry_73
• Tyler Eifert, TE (Notre Dame) - @eiferty80
• Barkevious Mingo, LB (Louisiana State) - @bmingo49
• Kenny Vaccaro, S (Texas) - @kennyvaccaro
• Chance Warmack, G (Alabama) - @warmackin

Australia and New Zealand Observe Anzac Day

For more photos from Anzac Day, check out the #anzacday hashtag.

In Australia and New Zealand, April 25th marks Anzac Day, a day set aside to honor veterans and remember those who lost their lives during military conflicts and peacekeeping expeditions.

The date of Anzac Day, which takes its name from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), falls on the anniversary of the first major ANZAC conflict. During the First World War, troops took on the Ottoman Empire in an attempt to clear the way to the Black Sea for Allied navies. The reports of heavy casualties had a profoundly sobering impact on the Australian and New Zealand mindset.

Now, Anzac Day commemorates those who fought in all conflicts and is observed by holding parades and events, such as the Dawn Ceremony at the Hobart Cenotaph in Tasmania, spending quality time with family veterans and baking Anzac biscuits.

Celebrating the Life of William Shakespeare

“Blessed be the man that spares these stones, / And cursed be he that moves my bones.” -Shakespeare’s Grave

Of all the authors in the history of English literature, few can hope to have a legacy as lasting as that of William Shakespeare. Though many details of Shakespeare’s personal life are hazy, it is thought that he was born in late April during the year 1564 in his father’s house in the small English village of Stratford-upon-Avon. He married his wife Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 before relocating to London to pursue a career as an actor and dramatist.

During the course of his life, Shakespeare drafted what have become some of the most famous works in the English language. Many of his poems and plays, including Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and Hamlet, are still considered foundational parts of modern education—and his poetry are still considered foundational parts of modern education and continue to see new interpretations onstage, in literature and in pop culture. Shakespeare is also believed to have contributed nearly 2,000 words to the English language.

Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon where he is buried in Trinity Church alongside his wife and eldest daughter, Susanna. To this day, the town continues to be a cultural center for Shakespearian history and the site of a full day of events in late April of each year.

For more photos from the sites of William’s Shakespeare life, explore the following location pages:

• Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon
• The Globe Theater (reconstructed), London
• Shakespeare’s Grave at Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon

The World Celebrates Earth Day

Are you participating in any Earth Day activities today? Share photos of how you’re helping to raise awareness with the Earth Day Network’s #faceofclimate hashtag.

Today, billions of people around the world observe Earth Day, a holiday set aside to celebrate the planet and raise awareness and support for environmental protection. Earth Day first began in 1970 after a United States senator called for a nation-wide day of environmental education after seeing the damages from an oil spill the year before. Over 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day, and since then it has become a United Nations official holiday with communities participating from nearly 200 countries.

This year the Earth Day Network is emphasizing the positive side of climate change—those working to change it for the better—by asking people to share photos of themselves on Earth Day with the #faceofclimate hashtag and tell the stories of how they’re helping protect the environment.

Instagrammers Capture Coachella 2013

Want to see more photos? Check out Coachella’s location pages: Coachella, Coachella Music Festival Car Camping, Main Stage, Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival.

Last weekend and again this weekend, music lovers will flock to Indio, California, for three sunny days of music and art at the Coachella Valley Festival (@coachella). This 14-year-old festival draws upwards of 75,000 people to the desert each weekend with a large number of attendees camping on site. To follow along with this weekend’s performances and events, be sure to follow a few of the bands and singers who will be performing:

• Sigur Rós — @sigurros
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs — @yeahyeahyeahs
• Dave Rowntree (Blur) — @davidrowntree
• Pretty Lights — @prettylights
• Hardwell — @hardwell
• Tegan and Sara— @teganandsara
• Theophilus London — @theophiluslondon
• The Lumineers — @thelumineers
• Poliça — @thisispolica
• Major Lazer — @majorlazer

Instagrammers Capture Margaret Thatcher’s Funerary Procession

To explore more photos from Margaret Thatcher’s funeral procession, visit the St. Paul’s Cathedral location page and browse the #thatcherfuneral hashtag.

Today, Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister, was laid to rest in London.

Thatcher was an influential—and controversial—figure in British and world politics during her tenure as prime minister, which spanned over a decade and ended in 1990. Thousands of people, protesters and supporters alike, lined the streets of central London as Thatcher was carried to St. Paul Cathedral in a military honors procession normally reserved for members of the royal family.

She died of a stroke on April 8.

The 2013 MTV Movie Awards on Instagram

For more photos from the 2013 MTV Awards, be sure to follow @MTV and the nominees below and browse the #movieawards hashtag.

MTV (@MTV) takes on the silver screen tonight at 9 PM during the 2013 MTV Movie Awards. Fans everywhere have been sharing their themed photos to cast their votes for Best Hero, so be sure to cast your vote if you haven’t already and tune in to see who the community chooses.

Weren’t able to score a ticket to the event? Follow your favorite performers and the nominees from Pitch Perfect on Instagram for live updates right from the red carpet and all throughout the night.

Performers:

• Macklemore (@macklemore)
• Ryan Lewis (@ryanlewis)

Nominees:

• Anna Kendrick (@annakendrick47)
• Skyler Astin (@skylarastin)
• Adam DeVine (@andybovine)
• Ben Platt (@bensplatt)
• Brittany Snow (@brittsnowhuh)
• Alexis Knapp (@alexisknapp)
• Ester Dean (@esterdean)
• Hana Mae Lee (@hanamaelee)

Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah)

For more photos from the observation of Yom HaShoah, see the #YomHaShoah and #יוםהשואה hashtags and the a href=”Yad Vashem location page.

From sunset today to sunset tomorrow marks Yom HaShoah (יום השואה), a day to honor the memory of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust.

Yom HaShoah is a national holiday in Israel, commemorated by speeches by the President and Prime Minister at Yad Vashem, the lighting of six torches by Holocaust survivors, prayers by the chief rabbis and two minutes of silence across the nation. While other countries have their own Holocaust days as well, many Jews around the world also observe the day at home and at important historical sites.