Banff, Alberta, Canada Feb 16, 2026

Banff in Alberta, Canada, didn"t grow quietly. It arrived with railways, hot springs and a vision: to protect places of rare beauty. In 1883, railway workers stumbled upon warm mineral water bubbling from Sulphur Mountain—an unlikely surprise in the cold sweep of the Rockies. The discovery drew attention quickly. By 1885, the surrounding land has been set aside as a protected reserve. What did that lead to? The beginnings of Banff National Park, Canada"s first, and a blueprint the country would return to again and again.

© Herbert Rong/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Feb 16, 2024Pyrrhuloxia bird
Feb 16, 2025Humpback whale mother and calf

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 9, 2026Skradinski Buk Waterfall, Krka National Park, Croatia
Sep 11, 2024Eltz Castle, Germany
Mar 13, 2024Lesser flamingos, Lake Magadi, Kenya
Nov 16, 2023Athens and the Acropolis, Greece
Nov 25, 2024Maasai giraffes
Oct 14, 2025Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece
Sep 16, 2024Wallabies at sunrise, Australia
Feb 13, 2025Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, Australia
May 15, 2024The Blue City of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Oct 12, 2023Palouse region, Idaho, USA
Dec 13, 2025Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Jun 30, 2025Wolfe Creek Crater, Australia
Apr 27, 2025Coastal redwoods in Redwood National and State Parks, California, United States
Oct 3, 2025Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Oct 7, 2023Grizzly bears, Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA
Aug 10, 2024Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
Apr 1, 2024Mer de Glace, Chamonix, France
Apr 23, 2026Common chiffchaff, Germany
Nov 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California, USA
Oct 29, 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
Sep 29, 2025Rainbow houses, Netherlands
Nov 10, 2024Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
May 12, 2025An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
Jan 12, 2026Eurasian otters
Jan 6, 2024A male chaffinch in a crab apple tree
Nov 27, 2025Eastbourne Pier, England
Feb 23, 2024Haghartsin Monastery, Armenia
Jan 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Dec 2, 2024Moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
Dec 28, 2023Humpback whale