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World Octopus Day
World Octopus Day
Today, we celebrate a creature with three hearts and the uncanny ability to change color at will: the octopus. Octopuses are cephalopods, marine animals like squids and cuttlefish that have tentacles. Among their many species is the small and shy mototi octopus, pictured here. It was discovered in 1999 around Rapa Island in the South Pacific and is known for the "fake eyes" or ocelli—vibrant blue and yellow rings—between its eyes and arms. Found in the Indo-Pacific region, including Indonesia, Australia, and Okinawa in Japan, mototi octopuses are masters of disguise. They usually have a dull orange-cream-brown color but when alarmed, they can quickly shift to striking maroon with white stripes along their body and arms. Also known as poison ocellate octopuses, these cephalopods are highly venomous. But you don"t need to worry about running into one, because they tend to be shy and solitary, often hiding in crevices, shells, or man-made objects like bottles and cans.Desktop Version
Huntington Beach Pier, California, at sunset
Huntington Beach Pier, California, at sunset
In today"s image, we see the sun disappearing below the pier at Huntington Beach, California. First built in 1902, the pier was damaged by a storm and had to be rebuilt just nine years later. During World War II, a submarine lookout post was installed on the pier to help with the war effort. These days, it"s a popular spot for fishing and watching surfers ride the waves out in the Pacific Ocean.Desktop Version
Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Welcome to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. Let the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore transport you through time. More than just a church, this Gothic structure, with its red-tiled dome, is steeped in centuries of history. Built over an older cathedral, construction began in 1296 under the supervision of architect Arnolfo di Cambio. Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi engineered its dome, the largest brick dome ever constructed. Its completion in 1436 was the final stage of the cathedral"s construction. It"s not just the outside that dazzles; inside there are artistic treasures to discover, from Giorgio Vasari"s fresco "The Last Judgment" to Paolo Uccello"s intricate clock face. The cathedral complex is also home to the Baptistery, a small basilica, and Giotto"s Campanile, a free-standing bell tower.Desktop Version
Endangered Species Day
Endangered Species Day
Sumatran rhinos like this one were once plentiful across the forests and swamps of Southeast Asia. But there are thought to be fewer than 80 alive today, surviving only on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Logging and hunting have led to their inclusion on the ‘red list’ of more than 42,100 critically endangered species. This one is pictured in Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra, where a rhino sanctuary is home to a tiny population and is the center of a breeding and research program.Desktop Version
Wadden Sea coast, Friesland, Netherlands
Wadden Sea coast, Friesland, Netherlands
If you"ve ever dreamed of walking on water, or something close to it, the Wadden Sea is the place for you. Tracing over 300 miles along the coast of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, this UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a unique landscape of tidal flats and wetlands. In fact, it is the world"s largest unbroken intertidal zone—underwater at high tide and exposed at low tide—of sand and mud flats. The area is also a playground for aquatic species such as houting fish, brown trout, and white-beaked dolphins, and is home to birds like waders and herons.Desktop Version
International Tea Day
International Tea Day
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.Desktop Version
The 80th anniversary of D-Day
The 80th anniversary of D-Day
Eighty years ago, on the beaches of Normandy, northern France, an event unfolded that would alter the course of history. The day was June 6, 1944, a date forever etched in time as D-Day. It marked the launch of Operation Overlord, the ambitious Allied invasion that became a turning point in World War II. The audacious assault by sea, air, and land involved nearly 160,000 troops.Desktop Version
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month
Today marks the start of Native American Heritage Month. Throughout November, we honor the history, traditions, stories, and languages of Native Peoples. The Indigenous Peoples of North America have played a significant role in shaping our country, including the food we eat and the medicines that heal us. In addition to being a celebration, this month is also a time to reflect on the issues that Native Peoples face, including civil and voting rights, land access, and education.Desktop Version
Madame Sherri Forest, New Hampshire
Madame Sherri Forest, New Hampshire
Madame Sherri Forest in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, is a captivating destination steeped in history and natural beauty. It was once the site of an extravagant house built in the 1930s by Madame Antoinette Sherri, a flamboyant 1920s costume designer known for her lavish parties. Madame Sherri"s dramatic arrivals in town, often in a chauffeur-driven Packard, draped in furs, became the talk of the locals. As her fortune declined, her "castle" fell into disrepair and was vandalized. In 1959, she returned to find her property in ruins and never came back. A fire destroyed the house in 1963, leaving behind only the stone foundation, an iconic staircase, and a large fireplace leading to a lone chimney.Desktop Version
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Fancy a walk through the Smokies in Tennessee, seen in today"s image? Spanning over 522,000 acres between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a treasure trove of natural beauty and biodiversity. Home to more than 19,000 documented species, scientists estimate that tens of thousands more remain undiscovered. Miles of hiking trails wind through the dense woodlands, leading adventurers to cascading waterfalls and scenic overlooks. The park also boasts some of the highest mountains in the eastern United States, including Clingmans Dome, which rises to 6,643 feet. Visitors are often enchanted by the mist that blankets the peaks each morning, giving the park its mystical name. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve.Desktop Version
Redwood National and State Parks, California
Redwood National and State Parks, California
Step into a world where trees touch the sky. The redwood groves of Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) in California are home to some of the tallest trees on Earth, soaring over 370 feet high. The combined RNSP contain Redwood National Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Some of these redwoods were alive when the Mayans built their temples, and the Great Wall of China was under construction. Protected since 1968, the park preserves nearly half of the world"s remaining old-growth redwoods.Desktop Version
National Aviation Day
National Aviation Day
Established in 1939 to honor Orville Wright"s birthday, National Aviation Day kicks off a week-long celebration of America"s long history of flight. Pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright designed, built, and flew the world"s first engine-powered airplane near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. America"s love of flight, however, goes all the way back to 1793, when President George Washington watched a hot air balloon launch in Philadelphia.Desktop Version
Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Today, we"re raising a stein and saying Prost! Step into Munich, capital of the German state of Bavaria, for a celebration like no other. Oktoberfest, first held here in 1810, is a vibrant blend of Bavarian culture, tradition, and, of course, beer.Desktop Version
Diwali
Diwali
Diwali, the five-day festival of lights, holds significance in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. It is celebrated widely both in India, and in countries across the world with an Indian diaspora. The name "Diwali" comes from the Sanskrit term "Dipavali," which means "row of lights," and the heart of the festival lies in the oil lamps, or "diyas," which illuminate homes and public spaces. They create a dazzling spectacle symbolizing the triumph of knowledge over ignorance and good over evil. The city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, India, pictured in today"s image, hosts one of the world"s largest displays of oil lamps. Hundreds of thousands of diyas are lit on the banks of the Sarayu River during Diwali.Desktop Version
San Francisco Bay salt flats
San Francisco Bay salt flats
You might be wondering where the volcano is in today"s photo, but that"s not lava. These are salt flats in San Francisco Bay—many of these tidal marshes have been developed into evaporation ponds for the harvest of sea salt. If you happen to be in the air and flying over this part of the country, you"ll notice pools of not just bright orange but green, blue, and even magenta among the famous salt ponds. The vibrant colors are determined by brine shrimp, algae, and other microorganisms and their responses to different levels of salt. This orange results from a mid-level saline concentration and the presence of tiny brine shrimp in the water. Green indicates low levels of salt, while pink or red are signs of high salt content in an algae-rich pond.Desktop Version
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Joshua Tree National Park, California
California"s Joshua Tree National Park has a history that began way before it was made a national monument on August 10, 1936. Located where the Mojave and Colorado Deserts meet, it has been home to various cultures for thousands of years. Its earliest known residents were people from the Pinto Culture, who lived here from 8000 to 4000 BCE. Centuries later, this land was inhabited by the native Cahuilla, Serrano, and Chemehuevi peoples. The park"s namesake, the Joshua tree, grows in a landscape covering 1,242 square miles. Despite their name, they are not really trees, but rather a kind of succulent. Native to southwest US and northern Mexico, they can grow up to 40 feet tall.Desktop Version
Ancient town of Sorano, Tuscany, Italy
Ancient town of Sorano, Tuscany, Italy
Sorano is a serene medieval village perched atop a cliff in the Italian province of Grosseto, southern Tuscany. Walking through the age-old cobblestone streets, one can explore the Fortezza Orsini, a fortress-turned-museum that dates back to the 11th century. Visitors engage with centuries-old tales of power and defense with each step they take inside the fort. Near Poggio San Rocco and Poggio Croce hills lies a necropolis—a large, ancient burial site—with well-preserved Etruscan tombs that hint at the area"s long history. The Etruscan civilization inhabited this area and flourished in what is now Tuscany and Umbria between the 8th and 3rd centuries BCE.Desktop Version
Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
Take a stroll along almost any marina from Costa Rica to Alaska, and you"ll likely hear the playful barks of sea lions echo through the air. California sea lions, like the one pictured, are a common sight basking in the sun along the rocky shores of North America"s western coast. These marine mammals, belonging to the pinniped group, are often mistaken for seals. An easy way to distinguish between them is by looking at their ears—sea lions have visible flaps, seals don"t.Desktop Version
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter! Do you like your eggs boiled or painted? The practice of painting chicken eggs, which originates from Persian traditions, was adopted by Christians in the early 17th century to commemorate this holiday, also called Pascha. Hungarian artist, Tünde Csuhaj—living and working in the small city of southern Hungary, Szekszárd—has mastered the craft. The internationally recognized egg-painter developed her own etching technique to create lace-like patterns. The meticulous designs appear on all sorts of eggs, including chicken, goose, swan, and even emu or ostrich eggs. The intricate motifs of incredible craftsmanship are often shown at national and international fairs and exhibitions. Are you inspired? Grab a paintbrush and test your egg-painting skills.Desktop Version
Sunrise at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Sunrise at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Mind-blowing beauty is one reason people keep coming back to Wyoming and the Grand Teton National Park. Named "les trois tétons" by early French trappers, the park was created in 1929 by conservationists including John D. Rockefeller Jr. It is home to a virtually untouched ecosystem of plants and animals, such as grizzly bears, wolves, bison, moose, and bald eagles.Desktop Version
World Architecture Day
World Architecture Day
Did you know that the name Louis Vuitton is linked with more than just fashion? The eye-catching structure in today"s image is the Louis Vuitton Foundation, an art museum and cultural center in Paris, France. The extravagant building opened in 2014, the result of a collaboration between the luxury goods company"s CEO, Bernard Arnault, and renowned architect Frank Gehry. Gehry drew inspiration from iconic Parisian buildings, including the glass-roofed 19th-century Grand Palais exhibition hall, and applied concepts from 19th-century English landscape gardens.Desktop Version
Patriot Day
Patriot Day
On Patriot Day, we are at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood. The museum is 70 feet underground, beneath the memorial"s waterfall pools in the footprints of the fallen towers. The names of those who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing are listed on bronze parapets surrounding these huge reflecting pools. Seven stories below the memorial, the museum tells the story of 9/11 through exhibits, artifacts, historical records, and personal accounts, remembering the victims and those who risked their lives to save others.Desktop Version
Daylight saving time
Daylight saving time
Time is of the essence today: The second Sunday of March marks the start of daylight saving time. At 2 AM the clocks sprang forward one hour, meaning there will be an extra hour of daylight this evening. While Benjamin Franklin is often credited with inventing daylight saving, the first real proposal for changing the clocks came in 1895 from New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, who valued having more daylight so he could collect insects after work.Desktop Version
Celtic Colours International Festival, Canada
Celtic Colours International Festival, Canada
The Celtic Colours International Festival begins today in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. This festival celebrates the area"s inhabitants, including 19th-century settlers who came from Scotland and Ireland. Because of Cape Breton Island"s isolation and the lack of outside influences, the culture and traditions of these settlers remained particularly strong. Held when the island"s fall colors are most vibrant, the festival has blossomed into a nine-day extravaganza that coincides with the warm red, orange, and yellow autumn foliage.Desktop Version
World Meerkat Day
World Meerkat Day
It is World Meerkat Day, a celebration of these adorably upstanding creatures. Despite the name, they are not related to cats. They"re small carnivores of the mongoose family, native to the deserts and grasslands of southwestern Africa. Meerkats live in mobs, tight-knit groups of up to 30 individuals that forage together, groom each other, and take turns watching for predators. These critters create huge burrows where they spend the night and retreat to escape the midday heat.Desktop Version