International Tea Day May 21, 2024

There"s nothing quite like a nice cup of tea. Whether you like Darjeeling, Earl Grey, oolong, matcha or English breakfast, today"s the day to celebrate this beloved brew: May 21 is International Tea Day. People have been drinking tea for at least 5,000 years. The drink originated in China, but in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was introduced to Western merchants, who helped to spread it around the world. It is now the second most consumed drink in the world after water.

© alex cheong/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A bridge that holds up history
Cascade in the City of Waterfalls
May 21, 2025International Tea Day
May 21, 2026International Tea Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep. 1, 2024River Thames, London, England
Jun 1, 2026Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Dec. 16, 2023Guild houses of Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium
Jun 23, 2026Mount Fuji on Honshu Island, Japan
The ‘potato chip bird’
Jun 18, 2026Aerial view of the ruins of Sacsayhuamán, Cusco, Peru
Season of light in the City of Light
A day for giving
Jul. 23, 2024Methoni Castle, Messinia, Greece
A gem in the Rockies
May 7, 2026Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, United States
Small but mighty
Dec. 22, 2024Christmas tree at Crystal Pier, San Diego, California, United States
A view that’s out of this world
Desert daggers?
Feb. 12, 2026Darwin Day
Jan. 13, 2024Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii, United States
Amber waves of grain
Nov. 29, 2025Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands
May 10, 2024Canadian Tulip Festival
Sep 1, 2026Horsehair parachute fungus, Belarus
Apr. 26, 2026Pink apple blossoms, Avila Beach, California, United States
Sep. 22, 2023World Rhinoceros Day
Aug. 22, 2025Rolling hills of the Palouse, Washington, United States
Aug. 18, 2025Avalanche Lake Trail at Adirondack High Peaks, New York, United States
Is a hug really that magical?
Mar. 2, 2024Modica, Sicily, Italy
Sep. 27, 2023Via Krupp, Capri, Italy
May 16, 2026Smith Rock State Park, Oregon, United States
Feb. 5, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland