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Happy holidays!
Happy holidays!
The practice of decorating a home with pine boughs predates the more modern idea of the Christmas tree by centuries. By the 1600s, the Protestant population of Germany embraced the idea of bringing a tree into the home and decorating it, setting in motion the development of a grand Western tradition that has spread beyond Europe and North America, and fuels an entire industry of tree farms and the manufacture of artificial trees. If you’re celebrating Christmas today, we wish you a merry one.Desktop Version
Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
We’re in London’s West End for Boxing Day, a holiday that originated in the UK. It’s said the event takes its name from the historic practice of employers giving their servants and tradespeople boxes of gifts on the day after Christmas (since the servants had to work on Christmas Day). These days, the holiday shopping deals rival those on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, particularly in the UK, Australia, and Canada, but increasingly in other countries as well. Are you celebrating Boxing Day?Desktop Version
A wonderland in winter
A wonderland in winter
There’s no shortage of activities in New York’s Central Park, even when winter covers the park in snow. Here in the uh, central part of Central Park is the Bethesda Terrace, and in the center of that, the Bethesda Fountain. A fresh coat of snow highlights details on the fountain’s Angel of the Waters sculpture—the only statue that was part of the park’s original design. Beyond the terrace is the Ramble and Lake—a great stretch of park to have a snowball fight in if you ask us. Do you have a favorite park for winter activities?Desktop Version
A species no longer at risk
A species no longer at risk
This magnificent bird of prey flies over Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming. The bald eagle is part of a conservation success story, for our national bird was once headed toward extinction. A rapid decline in bald eagle populations was one of the motivating factors in establishing the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The chemical pesticide DDT, previously thought to be safe, was causing high mortality rates for bald eagle chicks, as well as many other birds exposed to the chemical. DDT was banned, and the eagles’ numbers began to rise again.Desktop Version
When science looks like magic
When science looks like magic
The mechanics of the northern lights are still not fully understood, as there are multiple influences and atmospheric conditions that create these photogenic ripples of colored light in the sky. Scientists agree that solar winds—big pulses of energy from our sun—interfere with the Earth’s magnetic fields, especially at the polar regions. The result is a ghostly light show in the sky—like the one in our photo today, captured in Norway.Desktop Version
Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
Perhaps you can understand why this tiny sea slug is sometimes called the ‘sea sheep’ or ‘leaf sheep’? It grazes on algae just as a sheep grazes on grass, and it bears more than a little resemblance to an actual sheep. Sea sheep don’t digest the chloroplasts in the algae they eat—instead, they absorb the energy-producing cells. As a result, the leaf-like fins all over the sea sheep’s back are loaded with working chloroplasts, making the sea sheep one of the only non-plant life forms on Earth with the ability to photosynthesize—that is, produce its own energy using sunlight and water. Who knew an evolutionary advancement could be so cute?Desktop Version
A new tradition in London
A new tradition in London
The large-scale New Year’s Eve fireworks display in London didn’t begin until 1999, but the extravaganza has been going strong ever since. Our photo today shows the celebration in 2017, as fireworks over the London Eye (the large Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the Thames) explode with color. And even though Big Ben’s chime has been silenced until maintenance on the tower is completed in 2021, the bell will ring for the New Year. Whether you’re out on the streets of a major urban area, or quietly celebrating at home, we hope you have a fun New Year’s Eve.Desktop Version
New Year’s Day in the land of the rising sun
New Year’s Day in the land of the rising sun
Watching the first sunrise of a new year is a tradition for some, and in Japan, it’s an event. Crowds gather on mountaintops or beaches to get beautiful, unobstructed views of the new year’s first daybreak. The hikers in this photo are gathered on Japan’s Mount Fuji to watch the sunrise, but in a warmer time of year. Highly skilled mountaineers have been known to summit Mount Fuji on New Year’s Day, but dangerously high winds and bitterly cold temperatures make the peak of Mount Fuji on January 1 off limits to most of us. Of course, you don’t have to get to Japan and climb Fuji or any other mountain to watch the new year sun peek over the horizon. Maybe you are still awake from your New Year’s Eve celebration and can enjoy the sunrise just before you retire for the first official nap of 2019. Let’s make it a good one!Desktop Version
Tesla, the visionary
Tesla, the visionary
We approach today’s observance of National Science Fiction Day through a route of science fact. Our photo shows Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla with his magnifying transmitter—an experimental power generator that used his Tesla coils to demonstrate the possibility of a safe, wireless electrical grid. While Tesla’s vision for an electrical system never materialized, many of his concepts and designs would shape various technologies to come, including radio transmission, and even some fundamentals of the internet.Desktop Version
How do ladybugs winter?
How do ladybugs winter?
Our photo shows a single ladybug taking a winter’s nap near Tewin, England. That’s right, many species of ladybug hibernate over the winter. In Redwood Regional Park near San Francisco, this time of year is ‘ladybug season’—when hikers in the cool, damp woods may spot a large group of ladybugs—called a ‘loveliness’—huddled for warmth and safety, snoozing until spring. They’ll wake up, and get back to eating more crop-killing aphids—seems reason enough to let that loveliness of ladybugs into your yard.Desktop Version
Observing World Braille Day in Bavaria
Observing World Braille Day in Bavaria
This is not just a model; it’s also a tactile map of Landshut, Germany, and it’s meant to be explored with your fingertips. By touch alone, travelers with visual impairments can orient themselves among the real city’s streets and buildings. The miniature representation of this Bavarian town includes local landmarks like towering St. Martin’s Church, which is the tallest church in Bavaria and the second tallest brick structure in the world. The map is also embossed with the raised dots used in the Braille writing system, employed here to identify important parts of town. We’re showing this tactile visual aid today in honor of World Braille Day, an event observed each year on the birthday of Louis Braille, who created Braille in 1824.Desktop Version
Art abounds at the Palais Garnier
Art abounds at the Palais Garnier
Fancy opera houses like the Palais Garnier were designed for more than just watching a performance. The open balconies and winding staircases were meant to encourage people-watching, especially among the upper class. Commissioned by Napoleon III as part of his grand, transformative renovation of Paris, the Palais Garnier first opened on this day in 1875. Immediately upon opening its doors, it became the place to see and be seen—and to be surrounded by opulence. The domed ceiling shown here was painted by Marc Chagall in 1964, covering the original ceiling paintings by artist Jules Lenepveu. Chagall’s colorful, dreamlike work stretches nearly 2,600 square feet and depicts scenes from operas by 14 different composers, including Beethoven and Debussy.Desktop Version
A winter wonderland in Northeast China
A winter wonderland in Northeast China
The annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is considered the largest such event in the world. It’s home to record-breaking ice sculptures, including a 101-foot-tall tower installed just this year and shaped like the dress of a flamenco dancer. Here you can meander through entire villages made of ice and built to scale. You can also see ice replicas of famous landmarks like the Sphinx and the Great Wall of China. Last year’s event attracted more than 18 million visitors to this chilly destination, aptly nicknamed ‘Ice City.’Desktop Version
An avian predator built for the snow
An avian predator built for the snow
This striking snowy owl makes its home in the Arctic tundra, but the species is known to migrate as far south as the northern part of the contiguous United States in search of food. If you’re in snowy owl territory, keep a lookout for its signature wintry white plumage. While adult male snowy owls are almost entirely white, young owls and adult females like this one have patterns of black feathers among the snow-white plumage. All snowy owls have unmistakably golden eyes, and like other owls, they can rotate their heads about 270 degrees.Desktop Version
A stunning national park in winter white
A stunning national park in winter white
Most of us visit our national parks when the weather is warm and comfortable. But winter’s snowy landscapes and cold solitude can lend a striking beauty to the scenery and wildlife of many public lands. For example, winter is a great time to enjoy recreational snow activities at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state, pictured here peeking through the clouds at sunrise. An added winter bonus is that visitors can experience public treasures like Mount Rainier without the summertime crowds. Other parks also have distinct charms when the snow falls. Check out dramatic steaming geyser action in the brisk winter air at Yellowstone. Easily spot herds of elk and other wildlife in the snow blanket of the Grand Tetons. Or walk among the snow-capped hoodoos (towering red-rock spires) of Bryce Canyon. You may decide wintertime is the right time to visit your national parks.Desktop Version
What, no escalator?
What, no escalator?
On Take the Stairs Day, take some inspiration from this mountain path in the Ninh Bình province of Vietnam. Or just be glad you don’t have to climb it. The stone path next to the entrance of the Mua Caves zigzags up 486 steps that were designed in the style of the Great Wall of China. At the top, you’ll find a small pagoda and panoramic views of the countryside. Plus, a feeling of achievement.Desktop Version
‘You should see the one that got away!’
‘You should see the one that got away!’
Don’t be fooled by the modest size of these ice-fishing shanties near the village of L"Anse-Saint-Jean, Quebec. Modern day ice huts are often tricked out with big-screen TVs, underwater cameras, sonar fish-finders, and even bathrooms with hot showers. Some fishermen and women spend entire weekends out on the lake, warm and dry. Here in the Saguenay region of Quebec, they may be fishing for walleye, redfish, cod, or black turbot, which are reeled in after drilling a hole in the ice and casting a line in the frigid waters. Brrrr!Desktop Version
Life in a North African town
Life in a North African town
The nearly hidden valley town called Tafraout (sometimes spelled Tafraoute) and smaller settlement, Aguerd Oudad, are surrounded by the red hills of the Anti-Atlas Mountains, far from the larger cities in Morocco. The area is frequently visited by climbers who come to scale the nearby peaks, like this one, called Napoleon’s Hat (it’s thought to resemble the bicorne hat that Napoleon Bonaparte memorably wore sideways). The town is remote enough that tourists must make an effort to get there, but as many travel writers note, it’s well worth it. The villagers here lead a quieter, slower-paced life than those in Morocco’s bustling urban centers such as Marrakesh.Desktop Version
Sailing across the ice
Sailing across the ice
These snowkiters are competing at a tournament in Novosibirsk, Russia. Like kiteboarding on liquid water, the sport of snowkiting uses a parachute-like foil kite, which catches the wind and pulls the boarder along a frozen, snowy landscape. The sport wasn’t invented here in Siberia, but when January sends the mercury plunging, the freezing temperatures create ideal conditions for the sport.Desktop Version
On the hunt
On the hunt
Historians believe that falconry may have begun in Mesopotamia as long as 4,000 years ago, but this particular style of hunting with eagles on horseback dates back roughly 1,000 years. Various nomadic tribes from the Middle East and Western Asia trained golden eagles, falcons, and hawks to ride out to the mountains with them, and when the bird spotted a hare or fox, it flew out, caught the animal, and brought it back to the rider on the horse. Many people in Mongolia continue to hunt in this traditional fashion today. Our photo of an eagle hunter was taken in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, where many ethnic Kazakh eagle hunters fled during the communist era of Kazakhstan.Desktop Version
An island oasis in the Indian Ocean
An island oasis in the Indian Ocean
Ah, what it must be like to feel the sand under your feet on the beaches of La Digue, one of the islands of the Republic of Seychelles. The islands that make up the Seychelles lay far out in the western waters of the Indian Ocean—the closest mainland is the east coast of Africa, more than 900 miles to the west, and the island nation of Madagascar lies nearly as far to the south. But why go anywhere else when you can wander the beach and romp in the surf in the Seychelles—and perhaps even see an Aldabra giant tortoise in its natural habitat. You know what? We’re going to start packing right now…Desktop Version
A personal collection becomes an institution
A personal collection becomes an institution
That blue expanse on the left of today"s homepage image is the roof of the British Museum"s Great Court and Reading Room in London. The oculus at the top of the dome is made of glass, and the ceilings within are papier-mâché. The Great Court opened in 2000, a new addition to a storied institution. Irish physician Sir Hans Sloane sold his personal collection of antiquities and books to Great Britain in the early 18th century. Sloane’s items included many books, rare manuscripts, and artifacts from around the globe, and he wanted them preserved and exhibited in public. This led to the creation of the British Museum, the world’s first national public museum, which opened this day in 1759. The collection has grown and changed significantly since then, but one detail remains: Admission to this London attraction is still free.Desktop Version
Up on the glacier
Up on the glacier
The Athabasca is the most-visited glacier in North America. Located in Canada’s Jasper National Park, it’s one of the six ‘toes’ of the Columbia Icefield, a natural feature of the Canadian Rockies. The Athabasca has receded by nearly a mile in the past 125 years, losing about 16 feet of ice each year. And that"s not all that"s moving in the Columbia Icefield—there"s also an icefall that travels downslope (the way a waterfall would) between 50 and 400 feet per year.Desktop Version
A wassailing we go
A wassailing we go
Somewhere under that dense fog, the people of Somerset county in southwest England may be marching from house to house, singing songs and dancing, and asking for a drink or snack in return. If that sounds like Christmas caroling, you’re right. But it’s the English tradition of wassailing—a practice that usually takes place on Twelfth Night, which marks the coming of the Epiphany and takes place on January 5th or 6th. So why do the people living in this farmland moor wassail on January 17? Because in Somerset, the locals observe the pre-Gregorian calendar Twelfth Night, which falls on January 17. They may even stage an ‘apple wassail’ with a trip to a local cider orchard, to sing and make noise for a good harvest in the new year.Desktop Version
An opulent backdrop for a historic event
An opulent backdrop for a historic event
We’re at the Palace of Versailles for the 100th anniversary of the Paris Peace Conference, which convened here in January 1919, marking the end of World War I. Diplomats from 32 countries and nationalities attended to negotiate terms of peace. They ultimately signed five treaties, including the Treaty of Versailles, which ordered Germany to take responsibility for losses and damages in the war and to pay reparations. The conference also established the League of Nations, the first intergovernmental organization dedicated to preserving world peace. The organization was later succeeded by the United Nations.Desktop Version