At a quick glance, you might mistake these dunes for massive snowdrifts. Although they do make for great sledding, the tiny crystals that form the dunes at White Sands National Park are not snow or ice but gypsum, a soft mineral often used to make plaster and chalk. The dune field became a national monument on this day in 1933 with a proclamation by President Herbert Hoover, which set aside nearly 150,000 acres for preservation. Recently, on December 20, 2019, President Trump signed legislation making it the 62nd designated national park in the National Park System.
Sands of time
Today in History
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Sailing across the ice
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National Hummingbird Day
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High seas commerce
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Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
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Cold? What cold?
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Celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day
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Ready. Set. Snow.
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White trilliums blooming in Ontario, Canada
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Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
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Illuminated Uluru
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Black History Month
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Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia
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Cecil Brewer Staircase, London
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Sitka shines on Alaska Day
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A big birthday for Big Bend
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Rocky mountain pi
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Winter solstice
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National Moon Day
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Summer solstice
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European hedgehog in Sussex, England
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Asteroid Day
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Arrr, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day
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The Millennium at 20
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Pamukkale, Turkey
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Goðafoss waterfall, Iceland
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White Desert National Park, Egypt
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Bridge of Hillsborough County
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Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe
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All is silent for Big Ben’s musical milestone
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Heavens Gate Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Park, China