Our photo highlights Tallinn’s Old Town, a portion of the city that has managed to preserve much of its medieval structures and distinctive charm. On Estonia’s Independence Day today, people will be celebrating in Old Town and across Estonia. They have much to celebrate—Estonian independence was hard-fought. Even though the capital’s origins stretch back 900 years, Estonia didn’t declare its independence until 1918. After centuries of successive rule by a variety of foreign powers, this Baltic state’s path to freedom began in the aftermath of World War I. Estonians resisted German occupation, then fought against invading Soviet forces, eventually earning de jure independence. The independent nation eventually fell back under Soviet power in the chaos of World War II, but regained its freedom after the USSR disbanded in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. But enough of this history lesson—let’s get to the parades!
A long path to freedom
Today in History
-
A red fox on the Swiss side of the Jura Mountain range
-
Wind horses carry wishes for a new year
-
Getting to the bottom of the underwater waterfall
-
Glacier cave in Iceland
-
Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
-
Almond trees in full bloom, California
-
Group of giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, South Australia
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
A misty morning in Brazil
-
Poinsettia Day
-
Penn Station
-
International Museum Day
-
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica
-
Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
-
National Hummingbird Day
-
Celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day
-
Islands of the Salish Sea
-
Let s get lost
-
Great Backyard Bird Count
-
Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada
-
Old Rock Day
-
Ready. Set. Snow.
-
A hit ballet, long after its debut
-
Frost-covered dunes on Mars
-
Waimea Canyon and Waipoo Falls, Kauai, Hawaii
-
It s Teacher Appreciation Week
-
World Lion Day
-
International Day for Monuments and Sites
-
Red-leaf hunting in Japan
-
First day of summer
-
Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
-
World Poetry Day
-
Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
-
Baddest of the badlands
-
Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
-
Celtic Colours International Festival, Canada
-
Wake up, it s Darwin Day
-
International Roller Coaster Day