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

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:

Best views tower
The Coast of Death
Feb. 20, 2024Kinder Scout, Peak District National Park, UK
Feb. 26, 2025Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland
Dec. 29, 2023Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sep. 23, 2025Keel-billed toucan, Costa Rica
Nov. 4, 2024Grasmere, Lake District, Cumbria, England
Stretching out in the Everglades
Sep. 21, 2024Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Feb. 1, 2024Polar bear, Churchill, Manitoba
Apr. 21, 2024Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
Aug. 24, 2024Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Maine, USA
See-through cephalopod
Sequoias of the sea
How can we help at-risk animals?
A scented sea of purple
Frosty Finland
Rebels of the owl world
Part science experiment, part public park
Jun. 22, 2025World Rainforest Day
Jun. 13, 2025Canadian Grand Prix 2025
Red rock country
Dec. 9, 2025National Llama Day
Dec. 27, 2025Plate ice along Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States
Lest we forget
Nov. 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Jul. 20, 2025Moon Day
Nov. 28, 2025Val Brandet, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
Sep. 11, 2023French River, Ontario
Apr. 18, 2025International Day for Monuments and Sites