Today is the birthday (and death day) of William Shakespeare. This short thread serves as a reflection on the passage of time, love, beauty, mortality and the meaning of life 🧵

1. Dame Judi Dench, Sonnet 29 2. Sir Laurence Olivier, Sonnet 116

"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

Thread on the beauty of our planet to celebrate Earth Day 🧵

1. Meteor over Mount Fuji by H. Manabe 2. Most of us only ever see a fraction of a full rainbow. Yet, from an airplane and in the perfect conditions, we can witness its true form—a complete circle.

Most surreal photos you'll ever see - thread 🧵

1. Eruption on Mount Etna gives the illusion of a Phoenix in the sky 2. This otherworldly photo was taken by Frans Lanting in Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia.

The morning sun's orange glow casts a tint over a majestic dune, setting the stage for the silhouettes of camel thorn trees.

Thread on the beauty of wildlife 🧵

1. When it’s cold enough to see the melody 2. When you suddenly get noticed

Four seasons in the same place - thread 🧵

1. Žabokreky, Slovakia by Jozef Morgos 2. Kotisaari island, Finland by Louis-Charles Buyck

The Genius of Leonardo Da Vinci, born 572 years ago on April 15, 1452 - thread 🧵

1. Château de La Rochefoucauld's staircase This magnificent spiral staircase was built in the Renaissance style by Anne de La Rochefoucauld in 1520, following Leonardo's designs which were given to her by the King of France.

Photos that don't look real but are - thread 🧵

1. Cranberry harvest by Kristina Makeeva 2. The hills of Tuscany look like someone laid a blanket over them

The beauty of spring around the world - a thread 🧵

1. A desert bloom in Utah by Emily Dickey This is a rare superbloom in the Utah desert where flowers grow between the cracks.

During the spring, when temperatures become milder and occasional rainfalls bless the landscape, dormant seeds in the desert soil begin to germinate.

Satisfying photos for perfectionists - thread 🧵

1. Crescent Moon bridge by Yier Wang 2. Wheat field next to a lavender field

Solar Eclipse 2024 - a thread 🧵

1. Cleveland by Gabe Wasylko 2. Montréal by Anaïs Remili

Places on Earth that don't look real - thread 🧵

1. Namibia, where the desert meets the ocean 2. Socotra, Yemen

Accidental art - a thread 🧵

1. A rock-created bird shaped chip on a car windshield 2. The wear and scuff-marks on this boat look like a painting of an island in the sea

People who accidentally found their doppelgängers in museums - a thread 🧵

Resurrection of Jesus in Christian art - a thread 🧵

1. Rubens (1612) 2. Raphael (1499–1502)

Photography firsts - a thread 🧵

1. The world's first selfie, 1839 Robert Cornelius' 1839 daguerreotype - the first publicly available photographic process - is widely accepted as the first known photographic self-portrait of a person ever taken.

Leonardo da Vinci's drawings - a thread 🧵

1. Vitruvian Man 2. Study of an Angel

The soul of this young girl seems almost visible in her eyes.

Even if da Vinci only produced about 20 paintings in his lifetime, we have over 13,000 pages of his notes and drawings.

Hyper realistic paintings that look like photos - a thread 🧵

1. Alyssa Monks 2. Fernando Saenz Pedrosa

One of the most beautiful cities in the world was founded 1603 years ago today - a thread 🧵

1. Venice at sunset 2. The Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs, built in 1600, marked convicts' last glimpse of Venice.

Its English name, coined by Lord Byron, translates from Italian "Ponte dei sospiri" suggesting prisoners sighed at Venice's beauty before being taken down to their cells.

Everyday photographs that turned into accidental masterpieces - a thread 🧵

1. Girl with a gray towel 2. After a rainy walk

The beauty of the Eternal City - a thread 🧵

1. Colosseum at sunset 2. The Trevi Fountain

Crafted by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and brought to life by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762, this 18th-century masterpiece is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world.

Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings come to life - a thread 🧵

1. Café Terrace at Night (1888) 2.  Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (1888)