Apr 01, 2013: Opening day at Target Field during the national anthem as the Minnesota Twins take on the Detroit Tigers in Minneapolis, MN. Brad Rempel/Icon SMI CFI/Brad Rempel/Icon SMI/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: iconphotosthree510722
You know when it’s finally starting to feel like spring when you’ve got your hot dog slathered in ketchup and sauerkraut, and box of Cracker Jacks nearby to satisfy your sweet tooth! Kicking off the month, Major League Baseball celebrated all over the U.S. with Opening Day, bringing in thousands of excited fans ready for some home run action. And, nothing says spring, and perhaps even April, more than spring sports.
This month definitely brought some firsts in golf: Adam Scott, was the first Australian to win the 2013 Masters Championship, and Tianlang Guan, was the youngest competitor at only 14 years old!
Not all was so sunny though, as April also brought us quite terrible events like the Boston Marathon bombing, the West Texas fertilizer explosion, and earthquakes in Iran and China. Luckily though, good things did finish off the month of April. Earth Day, as always, celebrated support for environmental protection around the world, and the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, Texas, was dedicated to the public. The dedication pictures are truly great, because when would you ever think you’d see George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama all laughing with each other?
Scroll down to see our highlights from this month, and don’t miss all of our April favorites back at Newscom.
A young Arizona Diamondbacks fan waits for the start of a MLB Opening Day National League baseball game between the Diamondbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals in Phoenix, Arizona April 1, 2013. RALPH D. FRESO/REUTERS/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: rtrlfive820222
Sandstone formations at sunset in Bryce Canyon. Bryan Mullennix Tetra Images/Newscom. License it from Newscom.com: tiphotos072375
A Palestinian demonstrator throws a petrol bomb towards Israeli security forces during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron on April 4, 2013. Clashes rocked the West Bank as thousands attended the funerals of a prisoner and two teenagers shot dead by Israeli troops and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the killings jeopardised US efforts to rekindle peace talks. MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: afplivefive027166
A topless demonstrator with a message on her back walks towards Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) during their visit of the Hanover industrial Fair in Hanover, central Germany, on April 8, 213. Four bare-breated demonstrators shouted “fuck dictator”at Russian President Vladimir Putin as he was visiting the Volkswagen stand. JOCHEN LÜBKE/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: afplivefive031946
This agile polar bear shows off his acrobatic skills as he hurls himself backwards into the water, then blows bubbles. The huge animal leapt from beneath the water before smacking down on to the surface again with his massive plate-sized paws. Named Nikita, the seven-year-old male polar bear splashed around in his exhibit and also posed while underwater for photographer Jeff Rumans. In one of the remarkable underwater shots the 1,000lbs mammal blew bubbles from his nose while staring at Jeffs camera. Nikita then got out of the water for a moment to take in his surroundings and this provided Jeff with the opportunity to capture the sheer size of the animal. The professional photographer took the images at Kansas City Zoo in Kansas, Missouri, US. Jeff said ” He loved swimming right up to the glass and then pushing off with his enormous paws, before doing a lap of his exhibit and doing it all over again. Nikita didnt even touch his toys, he just seemed content doing laps around his pool and working on his back stroke.” Solent News / Splash News/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: spnphotosfour352908
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde attends a meeting with the Economic Club of New York in New York, April 10, 2013. BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: rtrlfive833685
Ian Poulter of England during the first round of the 77th Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2013 in Augusta, Georgia. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: afplivefive037267
New York Police Department officers stand in the Times Square district of New York underneath a news ticker displaying details from fatal explosions in Boston, April 15, 2013. Two explosions hit the Boston Marathon as runners crossed the finish line on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring 23 on a day when tens of thousands of people pack the streets to watch one of the world’s best known marathons. LUCAS JACKSON/REUTERS/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: rtrlfive840939
Pope Francis salutes a young girl as he arrives for his weekly general audience at St Peter’s square on April 24, 2013 at the Vatican. ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. License this image from newscom.com: afplivefive057131
A red panda rests on the branch of a tree at the zoo in Nuremberg, Germany, 25 April 2013. Daniel Karmann/dpa/picture-alliance/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: dpaphotos890665
Guards parade on April 5, 2013 in Zakouma National Park, 800 kms east of N’Djamena in Chad. 90 percent of the elephants of the park have been poached in the last decade. Since 2011, the new direction of the park has taken the military way to protect them. JEAN LIOU/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: afplivefive060329
A boy collects plastic bottles at Suchitlan lake in Suchitoto, El Salvador, on 22 April 2013. Earth day is celebrates on 22 April. Roberto Escobar/EPA/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: epaphotos832576
US First Lady Michelle Obama (L), US President Barack Obama (C) and first lady Barbara Bush (R) share a laugh at the ceremonial dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, USA, 25 April 2013. All the living former United States Presidents, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and current United States President Barack Obama attended the ceremony. RALPH LAUER/EPA/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: epaphotos835039
Don’t miss our next Best of the Month roundup! Until then, check out other interesting posts featuring some of the photos above and more, back at FocalPoint:
Best Photos of March 2013 at Newscom
