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The roots of invention
The roots of invention
Living root bridges like this can be found in the tropical rainforests of Meghalaya, a state in northeast India that is among the wettest places on Earth. The gentle waterways that flow through the region’s valleys become gushing torrents during the summer monsoon season and will wash away traditional bamboo bridges. So, generations of indigenous Khasi people have devised a way of building root bridges by shaping living trees, like this one near the village of Mawsynram.Desktop Version
A river on the tundra
A river on the tundra
This mesmerizing expanse captures a small stretch of the 95-mile-long Ivishak River in northern Alaska. The Ivishak flows in the Philip Smith Mountains and the foothills of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The entire run of the river is in a region called the North Slope Borough, Alaska"s northernmost borough (Alaska is divided into boroughs, not counties). Look at the magnificent colors and textures this photo captures—it"s a view that"s preserved and protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.Desktop Version
A Festivus for the rest of us
A Festivus for the rest of us
We didn"t have a Festivus pole handy, so we"re bringing you near the South Pole, where two gentoo penguins seem to be sharing a loud "Airing of Grievances." December 23 marks Festivus, a tongue-in-cheek observance created by writer Daniel O"Keefe. At first an O"Keefe family inside joke, Festivus was rebranded as a rejection of Christmas-season commercialism and written into a 1997 episode of "Seinfeld" by Daniel"s son Dan. The show introduced such goofy new traditions as the "Airing of Grievances," "Feats of Strength," and identifying "Festivus miracles."Desktop Version
Over the boardwalk
Over the boardwalk
In this shallow stretch of Shark Bay in Western Australia, a natural record of Earth"s history lies just below the water"s surface. Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve protects our planet"s biggest collections of stromatolites—small sedimentary rock towers built up over the centuries. Each layer captures fossils of the many microorganisms that populate our oceans. Some of the stromatolites in Hamelin Pool contain fossil specimens that are 3 billion years old. When you"re strolling down the boardwalk of Hamelin Pool, you"re walking over an unparalleled collection of biological history. The view of the Indian Ocean"s not bad either.Desktop Version
Mapping courage in the Seventh Ward
Mapping courage in the Seventh Ward
To mark the beginning of Black History Month, we"re visiting a highlight of Philadelphia"s famous Mural Mile. The larger-than-life figure depicted on the left in this mural is W.E.B. Du Bois, trailblazing scholar, sociologist, author, and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It was here, in Philadelphia"s Seventh Ward neighborhood during the late 1890s, that Du Bois conducted a detailed study of an African American community. He used methodologies—including detailed data visualizations—that were decades ahead of his time, mapping out every household and documenting the challenges that residents encountered as they tried to achieve success and happiness in the decades after Reconstruction and the dawn of the Jim Crow era.Desktop Version
A showcase for future fame
A showcase for future fame
The now legendary Apollo Theater first opened in 1914 as Hurtig & Seamon"s New Burlesque Theater. It became the Apollo in 1934, when it was opened to black patrons, who by then had transformed Harlem into a thriving center of African American culture. Amateur Night at the theater began the first year the Apollo opened, and it’s been a defining part of the Apollo experience ever since. Amateur Night has also been instrumental in launching the show business careers of numerous stars, including Jimi Hendrix, and on this day in 1934, a teenage Ella Fitzgerald, who won the amateur contest, starting her down a path toward becoming one of the most iconic singing voices of the 20th century. Tonight, the Apollo is hosting its Grand Finale for the 2018 Amateur Night season. Perhaps somebody taking the stage tonight will go on to greater fame?Desktop Version
May we have this dance?
May we have this dance?
Dancers have been waltzing across the mahogany floors at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, in Lancashire, England, for more than a century. For those on this side of the pond, Blackpool is a popular seaside resort in the UK, home to the 518-foot-tall Blackpool Tower, a tourist destination built in 1894 and inspired by the Eiffel Tower. These days, when people talk about the tower, they may be referring to the building’s many associated venues–a circus, theater, and the ornate ballroom shown here.Desktop Version
Bluespotted ribbontail ray
Bluespotted ribbontail ray
We"re not sure whether it deserves the blue ribbon for most colorful stingray or most literal name, but there"s no doubt the bluespotted ribbontail ray is a standout. Shower it in accolades from a distance, though. Those bright blue polka dots are—as is the case with many brightly colored animals—a warning to predators that the ray"s stinging tail packs a potent poison.Desktop Version
This park is Superkilen
This park is Superkilen
The half-mile-long linear urban park called Superkilen was designed to inspire residents and visitors to congregate together in Nørrebro, one of Copenhagen"s most culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. What was once a public space battling gang activity, graffiti, and vandalism, is now an example of "extreme public participation." The people who live around Superkilen helped design it, adding cultural objects that represent their homelands—more than 60 countries.Desktop Version
Honoring those who served
Honoring those who served
Located near the Lincoln Memorial in West Potomac Park, the DC War Memorial honors citizens of the District of Columbia who served in World War I. It was dedicated in 1931 on Armistice Day, the observance now known as Veterans Day in the US, and is inscribed with the names of the 499 DC residents who died in the war. Built entirely of marble, it was designed to be large enough to accommodate the entire US Marine Band. That way, the structure could be both a memorial and a bandstand, with concerts that would pay tribute to those who served and sacrificed in the war. While Veterans Day was officially observed yesterday, many Americans have today off from work or school. How are you spending the day?Desktop Version
Welcome to El Cervantino
Welcome to El Cervantino
Every autumn in Guanajuato, Mexico, the city celebrates the Festival Internacional Cervantino, or El Cervantino, as it is known to many. The event began in the mid-20th century as a festival of theater performances—short plays called entreméses, mostly those written by Spanish novelist and playwright Cervantes. But in the 1970s, the festival expanded to include many additional arts, music, and cultural performances from around the world. This photo captures a performance by a group called Studio Festi.Desktop Version
A whale of a picture
A whale of a picture
The family drama you see playing out here in the Pacific Ocean near Maui, Hawaii, is a humpback whale calf getting a little nudge from its mom. She presumably wants the sleepy youngster to practice surfacing, something these amazing marine mammals are famous for doing in dramatic fashion. Winter is calving season for the Hawaiian population of humpbacks. Thousands arrive from their feeding grounds in the North Pacific to swim and breed in the warm Hawaiian waters, making them a common sight from November until April. Because they"re known to hang around near the ocean"s surface, breaching or slapping the water with their tails, humpbacks are a favorite of whale watchers everywhere.Desktop Version
Surfer s paradise
Surfer s paradise
Look closely at today"s homepage image and you"ll spot the shadow of a surfer who"s probably delighted to be here in Medewi, Bali. It"s a favorite spot for big waves, warm water, and beautiful views. With its thousands of islands and year-round warm water, Indonesia is a prime surfing destination. The island of Bali especially has gained a reputation as a mecca for the sport since global wave-chasers started arriving here in the 1960s and "70s. These days major surfing brands operate their Southeast Asia headquarters out of Bali. Peak surf season here usually falls between April and October, but you can get a fix anytime—just cue up a classic surf movie filmed on the beaches of Bali, such as "Morning of the Earth" or "The Endless Summer 2."Desktop Version
In the footsteps of Leopold Bloom
In the footsteps of Leopold Bloom
Today we"re looking down at St. Stephen"s Green in Dublin in honor of Bloomsday, a day when people celebrate Irish author James Joyce and his famous 1922 novel "Ulysses." But why today, you ask? That"s because the novel follows the meanderings and thoughts (and meandering thoughts) of the protagonist, Leopold Bloom, and a host of other characters—real and fictional—from 8 AM on June 16, 1904, through the early hours of the next morning.Desktop Version
Denali National Park
Denali National Park
Someone ought to tell these Dall sheep they don"t blend in here at Polychrome Pass. Their white coats may be great camouflage against the Alaskan snows, but the warm tones of this tundra make them stick out a bit. And they aren"t the only thing sticking out in this national park: It"s home to the tallest mountain in North America.Desktop Version
Who doesn’t love a ‘Puppy’?
Who doesn’t love a ‘Puppy’?
The Guggenheim Foundation has opened three major museums around the world—in New York City; in Venice, Italy; and here in Bilbao, Spain. A fourth museum is currently being developed in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is home to a modern art collection and large, site-specific pieces, such as ‘Puppy’ by Jeff Koons, seen here. Koons combined the plants and planting style of 18th-century European gardens with a very 20th-century pop-art aesthetic when he created the giant dog sculpture. Where are we off to next?Desktop Version
Shining like Klondike gold
Shining like Klondike gold
On August 16, 1896, two prospectors had their hopes literally pan out when they found a huge deposit of gold along the banks of the Yukon River in Canada’s Klondike region. And with that, Skookum Jim Mason (aka Keish) and his American brother-in-law George Carmack set in motion the Klondike Gold Rush—the richest gold strike in North American history. Because of the remoteness of the find, it would be over 11 months before the rest of the world found out. And it did so in the most dramatic fashion, when the steamers Portland and Excelsior pulled into the harbors of Seattle and San Francisco respectively carrying over one ton of gold (worth more than $1 billion in today"s dollars).Desktop Version
A temple, preserved
A temple, preserved
The temples at Abu Simbel, commissioned by Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II around 1264 BCE, would not be around for us to photograph if it weren"t for the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A couple centuries after the Abu Simbel temples were completed, Ramesses" empire had collapsed and the sands of the Nubian region of North Africa began to consume them. European explorers "discovered" Abu Simbel in the early 1800s, leading to massive efforts to excavate and preserve the ruins of the great pharaoh"s monument to himself.Desktop Version
Best fronds forever
Best fronds forever
Each of these tiny fern appendages, known as fronds, is made up of even tinier leaves—but they won"t be tiny for long. Ostrich ferns like this one, named for their tapering fronds that resemble feathery ostrich plumes, can be almost 6 feet tall once mature.Desktop Version
Everyone s watching the Perseids
Everyone s watching the Perseids
These dinosaurs are (nervously?) looking at the annual Perseid meteor shower, photographed at the Dinosaur Museum of Erenhot in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Known as Dinosaur City, Erenhot gained attention in the 1920s when dino fossils were found there. It"s believed that more than 20 kinds of dinosaurs lived in the area during the Cretaceous Period around 70 million years ago.Desktop Version
A peek behind the royal curtain
A peek behind the royal curtain
In today"s image, we"re featuring a view of the East Front of Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial to highlight a seasonal event and a historic one. On Friday Buckingham Palace began its official summer tourist season, offering visitors a chance to tour the magnificent state rooms used for official and ceremonial events in this working royal residence. This year, to mark the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria"s birth, visitors can also see artifacts from her reign and artwork depicting her life at Buckingham Palace in a special collection called Queen Victoria"s Palace.Desktop Version
Oh, the places you’ll go
Oh, the places you’ll go
Here on the runway at San Francisco International Airport, the travel possibilities are practically endless, thanks in part to early innovators in aviation, whom we honor today for National Aviation Day (three cheers for the Wright brothers!). Even if you don’t leave the runway, this airport is a destination unto itself. It’s home to its own museum, with a permanent collection on aviation history as well as rotating art, history, and video exhibits. If that’s not your thing, find your inner peace in the airport yoga room, or keep an eye out for the ‘wag brigade,’ a team of airport dogs on hand to boost the moods of travelers.Desktop Version
The Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland
The Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland
Throughout history, humans have crafted legends to explain natural phenomena that defy our understanding. A prime example is the Giant"s Causeway in Northern Ireland where some 40,000 basalt columns spring from the ground at the shore. Scientists tell us these columns developed 50 to 60 million years ago, when lava erupted from volcanic fissures, then cooled and contracted, cracking into hexagonal structures.Desktop Version
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
"Bring us some fresh wine! The freshest you"ve got—this year! No more of this old stuff." Steve Martin was joking when his character in "The Jerk" asked for fresh wine—or perhaps he was talking about Beaujolais nouveau. The red wine, produced in the Beaujolais region of France, is fermented for just a few weeks and requires no barrel aging before it"s sold starting on the third Thursday of November. Beaujolais nouveau is a light-bodied red wine, with relatively high amounts of acidity. Located south of Burgundy, the Beaujolais region has a relatively warm climate, so Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and other famous French grapes don"t grow well there. But the fruity Gamay grows vigorously in Beaujolais and is used to make Beaujolais nouveau.Desktop Version
And the skies filled with bats…
And the skies filled with bats…
As if right on cue for Halloween, this is the time of year when millions of straw-colored fruit bats begin to descend on Zambia"s Kasanka National Park. They come in such vast numbers that it"s thought to be one of the largest concentrations of mammals in the world. From the end of October to mid-December, these large fruit-eating bats pack into a small area in the forest to roost. But when the sun begins to set, they start to swarm, darkening the skies as they head out to gorge on fruit in the Mushitu swamp forest. Experts believe their migration starts about 2,000 miles north, in Congo.Desktop Version