Happy New Year! Jan. 1, 2024

Welcome to 2024! Did you stay up late last night to ring in the new year? If so, we wouldn"t blame you for sleeping in like this red fox in Abruzzo, Italy. Whenever you wake up, New Year"s Day is a great opportunity for reflection, planning and a sense of renewal for the year that stretches out before us. January 1 has been a big day since the Julian calendar was widely adopted in 45 BCE, and as its use spread across the world—eventually modified in 1582 by the Gregorian calendar to better calculate leap years. Whether you"re taking the day to watch a parade, attend a sports game, take a chilly dip or write resolutions, we hope it"s the beginning of a great year to come.

© marco vancini/500px/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Napping near the North Pole
Jan. 1, 2025Happy New Year!
Jan. 1, 2026Happy New Year!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan. 6, 2026Nuuk, Greenland
Jun. 9, 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
Go hug a mountain, if you can
Nov. 3, 2024International Day for Biosphere Reserves
Jun. 23, 2025Elbe river in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Mar. 30, 2025Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
Spanning the soft sunlight
A grizzly bear sanctuary
An archaelogical treasure
Nov. 8, 2023West Indian manatees, Crystal River
A glimpse of the grandest of canyons
Dec. 27, 2025Plate ice along Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States
Oct. 19, 2024International Archaeology Day
May 12, 2025An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
May 8, 2025World Donkey Day
Apr. 16, 2024Union Square, Manhattan, New York, USA
Jan. 31, 2026International Zebra Day
Check out these ‘sea cows’
Aug. 14, 2024World Lizard Day
Jul. 12, 2025Thomsons gazelles, Maasai Mara, Kenya
An island park for everyone
Spring is the time for billing
Jun. 30, 2025Asteroid Day
Sep. 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
So fresh, so clean
It’s time for the Calgary Stampede!
Sep. 12, 2024World Dolphin Day
Oct. 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
Aug. 7, 2025Monoliths of the Mingan Archipelago, Quebec
A very public display of affection