J.R.R. Tolkien Day Jan. 3, 2026

J.R.R. Tolkien Day

Our picture of the day takes us to the Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen, where the Staubbach Falls shimmers in the distance beyond a quiet alpine valley. This is the landscape a young traveller, J.R.R. Tolkien, crossed during a hiking trip in 1911, long before he became the storyteller behind "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit." Its soaring cliffs, silver waterfalls and crisp mountain air left a lasting impression and are believed to have inspired his vision of Rivendell, the elven refuge hidden deep in Middle-earth.

© pongnathee kluaythong/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Who’s snoozing?
Jan. 3, 2024J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Jan. 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb. 6, 2024Lake Tahoe
Jul. 7, 2025Northern gannets, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Oct. 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
Angry bird, doting dad
Hiding in the woods
God’s Own Country
Alps of the sea
Sep 5, 2026Green-crowned brilliant hummingbirds in Costa Rica
Jun. 21, 2025World Giraffe Day
Sep 4, 2026Westerheversand Lighthouse, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Oct. 16, 2024Fossils of belemnites and ammonites, Jurassic Coast, UK
Sep 6, 2026Lake Fyans, Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia
Jun. 9, 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
May 16, 2024International Day of Light
Jun. 14, 2024Peggys Point Lighthouse
Mar. 2, 2026Harbour and longtail boats at Ko Samui, Thailand
Sep. 2, 2025Camel thorn trees, Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia
Aug 10, 2026Joshua Tree National Park in California, United States
Oct. 9, 2024Aspens near Marble, Colorado, USA
Jan. 28, 2025Short-eared owl
Apr. 28, 2024El Capitan in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas, USA
May 25, 2025Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Aug 15, 2026Ah Shi Sle Pah Wilderness, New Mexico, United States
Jul 20, 2026International Moon Day
Oct. 29, 2024Great horned owl
Sep 7, 2026Old Town Hall, Bamberg, Germany
Dec. 31, 2024New Years Eve in Ottawa
Jun. 24, 2025Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah, United States
Oct. 11, 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon
Nov. 9, 2023Birch trees, Drammen, Norway