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Sep 3, 2021Welcome to the Alien Egg Hatchery

The otherworldly rock formations in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness inspired some creative names—such as the "Alien Egg Hatchery" seen in this photo. More than 70 million years ago, this desert was a tidal swamp along the shore of the long-evaporated Western Interior Seaway that once bisected North America. A diverse array of sediment and rock was deposited by the waters, and after the seaway retreated, the rocks remained.Desktop Version

Jan 26, 2022India Republic Day

You might never guess that this ornate, skylit building, with an exterior covered in intricate carvings and artwork, was once a military base. Perched high on a hill above the city of Jodhpur, the colossal Mehrangarh Fort—aka the Citadel of the Sun—was built nearly five centuries before its home country became a democratic republic.Desktop Version

Aug 24, 2018A new park with a new mission

St. Louis’ Gateway Arch has been open to visitors since 1967 and became part of a national park on Feb 22, 2018. With that new status come new reflections on what the arch represents. Originally it symbolized a ‘gateway to the West’—marking the starting point of the Lewis and Clark expedition and celebrating the westward expansion of the US. But history has many stories to tell and the Gateway Arch, with its new national park status, includes many more perspectives on our nation’s westward growth. The arch and surrounding grounds are now literally more accessible as well, with redesigned grounds that have better integrated the park into the city’s landscape.Desktop Version

Nov 23, 2018Let the holiday shopping commence

Were you among the crowds camped outside retail stores early this morning, hoping to cash in on Black Friday deals? Perhaps you can even see yourself reflected in these Christmas ornaments hanging in New York City’s Macy’s department store. The day after Thanksgiving is big business for retailers. Last year, 174 million Americans shopped on Black Friday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation, presumably moving retailers’ balance sheets from red (losses) to black (profits). But the term ‘Black Friday’ has a darker history. It was originally used to describe a financial crisis in 1869, and later adopted by Philadelphia police to describe post-Thanksgiving chaos at department stores in their city. Retailers later co-opted the phrase ‘Black Friday,’ giving it more positive connotations–a shift toward profitability at the start of the crucial holiday shopping season.Desktop Version

Nov 30, 2022Old Town of Rovinj, Croatia

Beautiful, historic Rovinj dips into the Adriatic like a toe testing the water. The 200-foot-tall bell tower of the Church of St. Euphemia overlooks Rovinj"s historic center. The church, which was built in the early 1700s over the remains of older Christian holy structures, acts as a beacon that welcomes home the town"s fleet of fishing boats each evening.Desktop Version

Aug 3, 2021A reflection of Europe s past

Today we"re in the central German state of Thuringia to visit Wachsenburg Castle. It"s the most famous of a trio of medieval hilltop castles collectively referred to as "Drei Gleichen" (Three of a Kind) because of their close resemblance. Wachsenburg was originally built by the Hersfeld Monastery sometime in the early 10th century as a fortified castle, but it underwent significant changes over the centuries.Desktop Version

May 26, 2020It s tree-climbing season

These cheetah cubs in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania are playing and chasing each other. While doing this, they"re also developing the skills they"ll need to protect themselves and hunt for food. Cheetahs are born with all their spots, but at birth those spots are closer together, giving the cubs a darker appearance that helps them hide from predators. They also have a strip of long fur down the center of their backs called a mantle that helps them blend into the grass. June is an optimal month for wildlife viewing in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area since it"s the start of the dry season. In addition to cheetahs, visitors can spot lions, hyenas, leopards, jackals, and other animals.Desktop Version

Mar 4, 2023Mount Pico, Portugal

At almost 8,000 feet above sea level, Mount Pico is the highest point in the Azores, a collection of volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean that are an autonomous region of Portugal. Back in 1562, an eruption here on Pico Island lasted for more than two years, but this stratovolcano has been lying dormant since 1720.Desktop Version

May 11, 2023Henningsvær Stadion, Norway

If you want to take in a soccer game and the grandiose beauty of the Norwegian Sea at the same time, this place is pitch perfect. Squeezed into a small Norwegian fishing village, it"s fair to say that Henningsvær Stadion"s grounds will probably never host a UEFA Champions League. But, while it lacks stands for spectators, there"s still plenty of atmosphere to soak up in this striking location. Those who play here do so surrounded by the sound of waves, seabirds, and the smells of salt air and cod, drying on the racks surrounding the pitch.Desktop Version

May 19, 2019High trekking season in Upper Mustang

If you’re lucky enough to be one of the thousand or so tourists allowed into Upper Mustang each year, spring and autumn are the best times for trekking through this incredibly dramatic landscape. Tucked into a remote region of Nepal, it’s geographically part of the Tibetan Plateau. The area is surrounded by the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Massifs and marked with deep gorges, terraced fields, and colorfully stratified rock formations. But perhaps most fascinating of all are the sky caves, 10,000 or so caves dug into the sheer walls of valleys in several areas of the district. Some of these man-made caves are thought to be ancient burial chambers; others are richly decorated with valuable Buddhist paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from the 8th to the 14th centuries. Perched over 150 feet above the valley floor, no one is entirely sure how the caves were built, what they were used for, or even how people accessed them.Desktop Version

Jul 24, 2019Can you see the family resemblance?

Honestly, we"re not sure who decided that July 24 was Cousins Day, but we"re all for it—and these meerkats look like they are too. A clan (also called a mob, gang, or manor) usually contains about 20 or 30 meerkats, but some extended families have 50 or more. Females can detect the odor of their kin and use it to avoid inbreeding. They’re native to southern Africa, including the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, which is where this clan was photographed.Desktop Version

Jan 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

An iconic feat of engineering, the Golden Gate Bridge stands like a sentinel at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Pictured here blanketed by fog above the waters of the Golden Gate Strait, its towers, adorned with Art Deco elements, reach a height of 746 feet. The bridge opened in 1937, thanks to the efforts of engineer Joseph Strauss, architect Irving Morrow, and others who wanted to connect San Francisco to Marin County. It wasn"t an easy vision to accomplish during the Great Depression, but the investment paid off as its construction created thousands of jobs and boosted growth. It was Morrow who picked the striking color, International Orange, an unusual choice at the time when many bridges were gray or black. He felt it would contrast well with the surrounding hills, sky, ocean, and fog. The Golden Gate Bridge, a testament to human innovation, is a timeless masterpiece blending functionality with beauty.Desktop Version

Sep 8, 2020Victory Day in Valletta

Today we"re visiting Valletta, the capital of Malta, where the Maltese people are celebrating Victory Day. The national holiday commemorates the end of three historic sieges made on the Maltese archipelago—the Great Siege of Malta, which took place in 1565; the Siege of Valletta by the French, which ended in 1800; and the Siege of Malta during the Second World War by German and Italian forces. The WWII Siege of Malta ended in 1942, after nearly two and a half years of devastating air attacks. King George VI of the United Kingdom, which then ruled the island, awarded Malta the George Cross "for the heroism and devotion of its people" during the great siege. The George Cross was incorporated into the flag of Malta in 1943 and remains there today.Desktop Version

May 21, 2021Whoopin it up!

For Endangered Species Day, celebrated annually on the third Friday of May, we"re featuring the whooping crane, one of only two crane species found in North America. Once seen throughout midwestern North America, whooping cranes were driven perilously close to extinction by the early 1940s, with fewer than two dozen birds in the wild. Thanks to conservation efforts, their numbers have now risen to more than 600. While that"s good news, this limited recovery is still fragile, and these incredible creatures remain imperiled, particularly by the loss of their wetland habitat.Desktop Version

Mar 1, 2020Casting a vote for women s history

This historical photo commemorates a group of women who came to Washington, DC, to march alongside thousands in the Woman Suffrage Procession on March 3, 1913. Organizers scheduled the protest on the day before President Woodrow Wilson"s inauguration to draw maximum publicity to their cause—voting rights for women. But it would be another eight years before American women would finally be guaranteed the vote. That came on August 18, 1920, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, after a century of protest and activism.Desktop Version

Jan 19, 2023Sundance Film Festival opens in Park City

As beautiful as this vista is, most of today"s visitors to Park City are there to spend the day inside. Sundance Film Festival, the nation"s biggest celebration of independent cinema, opens today and runs through January 29. The careers of Hollywood directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh were launched here, and every year a new crop of greenhorns arrives in this mountain enclave with the dream that they"ll leave with a distribution deal.Desktop Version

Nov 1, 2019The National Museum of the American Indian

Today, on the first day of Native American Heritage Month, we’re visiting the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, DC. It"s part of the large network of the Smithsonian Institution, and has branches in New York and Maryland. Together, the three museums share one of the world"s largest collections of Western Hemisphere Native artifacts, "from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego."Desktop Version

Jun 16, 2022Seonam Temple, South Korea

The Seonam Temple, or Seonamsa, in Jogyesan Provincial Park, South Korea, is famed for expressing calm serenity. Just downstream, Buddhist monks built this gently arched bridge by hand centuries ago. Stones around the base record the names of visitors for posterity. Called the Seungseon Bridge ("the Ascending Immortals"), it"s fitting to approach the temple itself on foot, at one with nature. The site is hidden away in ancient trees, with tranquil ponds and streams, gentle hiking trails, and gorgeous pagodas. The temple still ekes out its day in the traditional way, with mellow bells and meditation. The monks also cultivate wild tea plants and are happy to share the benefits of the harvest. You are at peace as soon as you arrive at Seonamsa, and there"s little to distract you from the present moment.Desktop Version

Feb 22, 2020It s not always sunny in Abu Simbel…

…but when it is, it"s pretty spectacular. This tiny lakeside settlement"s Great Temple of Ramesses II was positioned on the orders of that powerful pharaoh so the inner sanctum (in this picture, that"s the small room at the very back) is lit by the sun only twice a year. On February 22 and October 22 (thought to be Ramesses" coronation and birth dates, respectively), the first light of dawn illuminates the sanctuary and three statues within: one of Ramesses, one of the sun god Ra, and one of the chief god Amun. A fourth statue depicting the underworld figure Ptah is permanently shrouded in shadow.Desktop Version

Oct 26, 2018A notorious gunfight that was incorrectly named

The gunfight that occurred here in Tombstone, Arizona, on this day in 1881 has become the stuff of legend. In a 30-second shootout known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, lawmen Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday faced off against a band of outlaws known as the Cochise County Cowboys. Justice was harsh in the Old West. When the dust had settled, three were dead and several others wounded. But most accounts of the event are wrong about one key detail—the location. The shootout actually took place near C. S. Fly’s Photographic Studio, about six doors west of the corral"s rear entrance. We suppose ‘Gunfight near C. S. Fly’s’ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.Desktop Version

Nov 3, 2019It s time to fall back

While today"s image may look like a scene from the "Doctor Who" TV show, it actually shows workers maintaining Big Ben"s clock face. But like the Doctor, the show"s main character, today we"re all time travelers. This morning we fell back (or will fall back for night owls and insomniacs reading this before 2 AM) in time an hour for the end of daylight saving time. And like changes to "Doctor Who," this shift isn"t without controversy. Since the 1970s, many studies have tried to quantify the advantages or disadvantages that come with falling back and springing forward, but as yet there"s no definitive answer.Desktop Version

Nov 2, 2019A national icon

If ever there was an animal that deserved some recognition, it"s the bison. Since 2012, National Bison Day has been observed on the first Saturday of November to acknowledge the animal"s cultural, historical, and economic significance—as well as its remarkable comeback. Bison were once plentiful in America. Tens of millions strong in the 1800s, they roamed in great herds, helping to diversify and maintain the prairie habitat. They also played an important spiritual role in Native American cultures. Settlement of the American West caused habitat loss and that, combined with overhunting, nearly wiped out the species altogether, until ranchers, conservationists, and politicians teamed up to save them. In 1907, 15 bison from the Bronx Zoo were shipped to a wildlife refuge in Oklahoma to revive the population. Fast forward to today, and around 20,000 bison roam on public lands in the United States. In 2016, President Obama named the bison the National Mammal of the United States.Desktop Version

Aug 26, 2018From pirate port to nature preserve

Barataria Preserve is one of six distinct locations that make up Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana. The wetlands and bay at Barataria are tied closely to the history of this portion of the Mississippi River Delta. In the late 1700s, Barataria Bay was where the well-dressed smuggler and occasional pirate Jean Lafitte and his brother Pierre built a port. Far from the nearest US naval base and the prying eyes of customs officials, Barataria offered the brothers a safe place to smuggle in goods they"d stolen from ships in the Caribbean, or sometimes bought on the black market. They then sold the merchandise, mainly to merchants in New Orleans. Jean Lafitte and his comrades also helped to defend New Orleans against the British in the final battle of the War of 1812. These days, he’s chiefly remembered for his heroism in the Battle of New Orleans and for the jobs and goods he provided in the region--the erstwhile pirate is a folk hero of a sort, and famous enough that a national historical park was named for him.Desktop Version

Mar 25, 2021There was gold in them there hills…

The red clay formations called Las Médulas owe their angular character not to the shaping hands of nature but to those of gold miners—and not grizzled "49ers in grubby flannel and overalls, but 1st-century excavators clad in tattered tunics. When gold seams were discovered here in what"s now northern Spain, the Romans who controlled the region created a clever system of tunnels and canals under the hills, through which they channeled water from nearby streams to build pressure that cracked away huge chunks of clay.Desktop Version

Jul 29, 2019A picture-perfect day on Trillium

Today we"re out on Trillium Lake, a manmade lake in the shadow of Mount Hood, Oregon"s tallest peak. Formed in 1960 by damming a tributary of the Salmon River, Trillium Lake"s a popular spot for fishing, camping, and boating. In springtime, the surrounding woods are filled with trilliums, the native flowering plants the lake"s named for. Take the flat, 1.9-mile loop trail around the lakeshore for stunning views of Mount Hood. But don"t stop there. Mount Hood National Forest has more than 1,200 miles of hiking trails, not to mention year-round skiing at higher elevations. Wrap up your day at the Timberline Lodge, built during the Great Depression by the WPA and now a National Historic Landmark. Bonus fact: Timberline Lodge was used for exterior shots of the Overlook Hotel in the horror movie "The Shining." But don"t let that scare you off visiting.Desktop Version

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