International Bagpipe Day invites musicians to get out and play their pipes—anywhere, and for anyone. We’re guessing that the distinctive roof of the Sydney Opera House is off-limits to most, but these pipers are members of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, an infantry battalion in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and surely that comes with privileges. It’s commonly believed that bagpipes originated in Scotland, but evidence suggests that the instrument may have first been played in the Middle East some 3,000 years ago. That’s right, the piping tradition predates tartans and kilts.
In praise of the pipes
Today in History
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Arbor Day
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Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
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Exploring the Pearl of the Atlantic
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Lace up your hiking boots for Mountain Day
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National Park Week: Olympic National Park, Washington
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Blue hour in Trondheim, Norway
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Happy Boxing Day!
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Endangered Species Day
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Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
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Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri
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Dog days of summer
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National Public Lands Day
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World Whale Day
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A long path to freedom
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National Trails Day
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We re gonna need a bigger birdhouse
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Summer’s in home stretch
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Tour de France
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Füzér Castle in the Zemplén Mountains, Hungary
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Leaves of Grass
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Aura River in Turku, Finland
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Arromanches-les-Bains for the 81st anniversary of D-Day
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Here there be dragons