Ambassadors of the airwaves Aug 21, 2021

Ambassadors of the airwaves

Today we"re visiting the Petit Minou Lighthouse on the coast of northwest France to mark the relationship between lighthouses and the 20th-century technology of amateur radio, commonly known as "ham" radio. The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW) is an event set up every August by a group of amateur radio operators from nearly 100 countries. Activities for this ILLW weekend are organized online with individual events held at various lighthouses around the world, where ham radio operators gather to broadcast and engage with fellow enthusiasts. The aim of these gatherings is to not only foster goodwill for ham radio around the world, but also to promote awareness of lighthouse preservation and restoration, and to honor the legacy these solitary structures have had on our collective maritime heritage.

© Mathieu Rivrin/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Aug 21, 2018Ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier
Aug 21, 2019Look before you leap
Aug 21, 2020Lobster tales
Aug 21, 2022International Lighthouse Weekend
Aug 21, 2023Discovery Day in Yukon, Canada
Aug 21, 2024Nazca boobies, Wolf Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Aug 21, 2025A wheatear in Peak District National Park, England

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 4, 2024Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Apr 17, 2019Happy birthday to the Peak!
Feb 12, 2024Darwin Day
Dec 10, 2025Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain
Mar 13, 2021All hail the king of shrubs
Oct 14, 2023Ring of fire solar eclipse
Dec 4, 2022World Wildlife Conservation Day
Jan 9, 2022Rice processing in Bangladesh
Jun 1, 2025World Reef Awareness Day
Mar 20, 2024National Cherry Blossom Festival
May 30, 2018‘The memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever’
Jul 5, 2021How green is my valley
Dec 8, 2025Christmas lights in Domaso, Lake Como, Italy
Mar 28, 2024Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
Mar 7, 2022Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Oct 31, 2020Twas a night just like tonight
Oct 18, 2024Autumn in Central Park, New York
Mar 19, 2025A black heron canopy feeding in Botswana
Feb 8, 2021A hero for the 21st century
Jun 11, 2024Southern gemsbok in the savannah, Botswana
Nov 23, 2022Fibonacci Day
Mar 28, 2018Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, Utah
Nov 22, 2022Red fox in the Netherlands
Nov 4, 2020Caribou on the move
Sep 25, 2021Autumn comes to the Porcupines
Jan 31, 2021A glittering diamond in the rough
Apr 11, 2024Churún Merú waterfall in Venezuela
Feb 14, 2025Happy Valentines Day!
Jan 4, 2021Sparkling ice diamonds on a black sandy beach
Apr 2, 2019Books for children of all ages