Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands Apr. 30, 2026

Imagine a flower sparking a financial frenzy. Sounds unlikely, right? Yet in the 1630s, tulips did exactly that in the Netherlands. During tulip mania, rare bulbs became luxury items traded for astonishing sums—some valued at prices comparable to a house. Why so valuable? Unusual colours and striped patterns were scarce and unpredictable, and collectors wanted the rarest varieties they could find.

© Martin Ruegner/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A day of swing and celebration
Get in tune with International Jazz Day
Apr. 30, 2024Cheetah in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Apr. 30, 2025International Jazz Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep. 15, 2025Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia
Nov. 19, 2024Tasmans Arch, Tasman National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Dec. 27, 2025Plate ice along Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States
Jul. 14, 2024Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante, Italy
Sep. 17, 2024Mid-Autumn Festival
What are these predators doing?
Nov. 28, 2024Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia
Jun. 9, 2024Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Navarra, Spain
Oct. 11, 2024Celtic Colours International Festival
Oct. 4, 2024Nuit Blanche Toronto
Nov. 12, 2023Diwali
A chocolate lovers favourite fruit
Nov. 7, 2023Kirkilai lakes, Biržai Regional Park, Lithuania
A temple to treasure
Feb. 3, 2025Ribblehead Viaduct, North Yorkshire, England
Sep. 9, 2025A female Eurasian red squirrel, Switzerland
Dec. 22, 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
Butterfly, fly away
Jun. 16, 2024Happy Fathers Day!
Sep. 7, 2025Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława river, Poland
Jul. 1, 2024Canada Day
Feb. 23, 2024Haghartsin Monastery, Armenia
May 30, 2026Plains zebra foal in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Dec. 25, 2023Christmas Day
Sep. 23, 2024Sea Otter Awareness Week
A view that’s out of this world
A delightful day for donkeys
Apr. 22, 2026Earth Day
Tis the season for travel
Dec. 29, 2024Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia