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Jackie Robinson Day
Jackie Robinson Day
On April 15, 1947, more than 26,000 spectators at Brooklyn"s Ebbets Field witnessed history as Jackie Robinson became the first Black player on a modern-era major league baseball team. (Three Black players played in the major leagues briefly in the 19th century before the color line was fully established.) Robinson endured racist resistance throughout his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the national pastime"s color barrier was broken, and other players followed him within months. In 1997, Major League Baseball retired Robinson"s number, 42, across all teams, and in 2004 it began the annual April 15 observance of Jackie Robinson Day. This photo shows Robinson signing autographs for fans at spring training in the Dominican Republic the year after his debut.Desktop Version
Pretty, pretty…butterfly?
Pretty, pretty…butterfly?
Not quite. This winsome winged creature is a moth, a Loepa oberthuri to be exact, a type of silkmoth. It"s the star of our homepage because today marks the start of National Moth Week, which shines the porch light on this unlikely hero. Unlike their showier cousins, butterflies, moths get a bad rap from time to time, and that"s fair, as caterpillars of some moth species are agricultural pests. But before you break out the mothballs, consider this: Scientists estimate that there are some 160,000 species of moths worldwide, many just as stunning as our silkmoth today, and tracking their health often helps us gauge the health of entire ecosystems. So we encourage you to investigate moths this week right in your own backyard. All you have to do: Turn on the porch light—and the moths will come calling.Desktop Version
In celebration of America’s national bird
In celebration of America’s national bird
June 20 is American Eagle Day, a celebration that commemorates the date in 1782 when the bird was added to the Great Seal of the United States, effectively becoming a national symbol. With an olive branch in its right talons and a bundle of 13 arrows in its left (representing the 13 original states in the Union), the eagle is said to represent a strong desire for peace, but readiness for conflict. You’ll likely recognize the Great Seal of the United States from its appearance on passports, flags, official documents, and American currency. The bald eagle, now federally protected, continues to inspire national pride.Desktop Version
Polar bear capital of the world
Polar bear capital of the world
Welcome to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the self-proclaimed Polar Bear Capital of the World. Each year, about a thousand polar bears pass through the small town, outnumbering human residents. In October, the bears gather here to wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze over so they can venture out onto the ice to hunt for seals. The annual gathering of polar bears here is a big event for the residents of Churchill. They maintain a hotline for bear sightings and even run a polar bear "jail" that temporarily holds "pesky" bears to keep locals (and their food) safe.Desktop Version
World Population Day
World Population Day
The bustling city streets of Barcelona seem as good a place as any to mark World Population Day. More and more of us are heading to the city. It"s estimated that 2007 was the first year in which more people lived in cities than in rural areas. If current trends continue, by 2050 about two-thirds of the world population will be living in cities. City planners and government officials will need to account for this rapid increase as power grids, water supplies, public transit, and emergency services will all be stretched.Desktop Version
The Christmas Bird Count begins
The Christmas Bird Count begins
Today marks the start of the annual Christmas Bird Count, a bird census sponsored by the National Audubon Society that also happens to be the longest-running citizen scientist survey in the world. Each year the count runs from December 14 to January 5, giving bird lovers across North America a chance to join in, get outside, and spot some birds. The findings recorded by participants are collected and used to gauge the health of various bird populations. This information is then used to focus conservation efforts on particular species and geographical areas.Desktop Version
World Space Week begins
World Space Week begins
For the start of World Space Week, today"s homepage features a composite of images taken by NASA"s Juno probe as it swooped past Jupiter. The largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter also has the largest number of moons: 79. Jupiter is the Roman counterpart to Zeus, and the planet"s major moons are named after Zeus", shall we say, extra-marital partners. So, when it came time to name NASA"s most ambitious Jupiter probe, they decided to name it after Jupiter’s wife, Juno, so that she could keep an eye on him. Every 53 days in the course of its wide and complex orbit, the Juno probe makes its closest approach, snapping shots like these as it speeds past the gas giant in just two hours. World Space Week starts on the anniversary of the launch of the very first space probe, Sputnik, which entered orbit around the Earth on October 4, 1957.Desktop Version
The migrating monarchs of Michoacán
The migrating monarchs of Michoacán
Probably the most recognizable of all the butterfly species, monarchs are helpful pollinators that can be found across the United States and Canada in the summer. But each fall, millions of these orange and black beauties embark upon one of the world"s most amazing migrations. The insects make use of air currents to make the long journey south to the mountains of southwestern Mexico, a flight of up to 3,000 miles. Aside from being a staggeringly great distance for these delicate insects to fly, it"s also a journey to a place that not one of them has ever been to before. And unlike the many bird species that undertake annual round-trip migrations, these butterflies will never return to the north. Why not? Because the distance and length of the total annual migration cycle is greater than the lifespan of individual monarchs.Desktop Version
Sand, sun, and sk8ers
Sand, sun, and sk8ers
Walk the busy boardwalk of Venice Beach in Los Angeles, and you"ll see more than distant yachts sailing past—like an endless stream of skateboarders whizzing by within inches, always seeming to dodge you and your snow cone at the last second. Wanna bet they"re headed to this world-famous skatepark right on the beach?Desktop Version
Spectacular views below!
Spectacular views below!
When residents of the bustling metropolis of Beijing, China, need a break from their daily grind, many will head about 45 miles north of the city to take in the sights at the Shilinxia Scenic Area. Meaning "Gorge of Stone Forest," Shilinxia is a protected 7.5-mile gorge characterized by waterfalls, green forests, and steep slopes. Since 2016, it"s also featured an amazing main attraction—one of the world"s largest glass sightseeing platforms.Desktop Version
Ardez, Graubunden, Switzerland
Ardez, Graubunden, Switzerland
Perched on a terrace above the Inn Valley at 4,790 feet, Ardez is a hidden gem in eastern Switzerland renowned for its deep cultural roots and stunning preservation of history. This picturesque village, starring in today"s image, showcases the rich traditions and unique language of Switzerland"s Romansh-speaking communities. Its homes are adorned with sgraffiti—decorative designs etched into plaster—and colorful murals, both iconic art styles of the Engadin region. Dating back to 840 when it was first referred to as Ardezis, the village"s history includes Steinsberg Castle, originally owned by the Bishop of Chur. Though destroyed during the Swabian War in 1499, the castle"s tower has been restored multiple times and stands today as a proud reminder of its past. In 1975, Ardez was chosen as a Swiss model village for its exceptional preservation efforts, which have kept its historic charm intact.Desktop Version
On this shore, history was made
On this shore, history was made
As the sun sets on a beach in Normandy, France, what appear to be working barges and boats offshore are actually the remnants of a Mulberry harbour, one of the temporary portable harbors created by the Allies during World War II. Their story began 77 years ago today, on D-Day, when the first of the Allied troops touched down on the Nazi-occupied beaches at Normandy. After the Allies successfully held the beachheads, the Mulberries were towed into place so the artificial harbors could provide the port facilities necessary to offload the thousands of men and vehicles, and tons of supplies necessary to sustain the effort to drive the Germans out of France.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
Art and soul
Art and soul
Art can seem like a portal to another dimension, as Irish-born artist Laura Buckley shows us in today"s mind-bending image. She posed here (and there, and there, and there…) with her mixed-media sculpture "Fata Morgana" at London"s Saatchi Gallery last year. The work is outwardly unassuming, made from a hexagonal wood-frame tube lined on the inside with reflective acrylic and capped on one end with a projection screen. When a viewer enters the installation, the mirrored surfaces reflect their image along with a video projected on the screen, merging the two into a whimsical mirage.Desktop Version
Bobbio, Italy
Bobbio, Italy
Between the metropolis of Milan—the fashion and design capital of Italy—and the fabled seaport city of Genoa, you"ll find this small river town in northern Italy. People have resided here since ancient times, at least as far back as the Roman era, but the town really began to flourish when the abbey was constructed in the 7th century. For much of the Middle Ages, the Bobbio Abbey and its vast library made the town a center of religion, culture, and learning.Desktop Version
Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
For 427 years the Mostar Bridge stood strong, despite the belief that its original mortar was composed of egg whites. Truth is, not much is known about the 16th-century construction of this bridge in what is now known as Bosnia and Herzegovina. All that remains in historical records are memories and legends and the name of the bridge"s builder, Mimar Hayruddin. He was charged by Suleiman the Magnificent to build an unprecedentedly wide arch, and threatened with death if the structure failed. Hayruddin is said to have been so unsure of his creation that he made funeral preparations before the scaffolding was removed.Desktop Version
Uncommon clouds are gathering
Uncommon clouds are gathering
A satellite view of the Mania River in Madagascar allows us to see a curious cloud pattern. It"s common for cool, moist marine air to rise and form dense clouds over bodies of water, then for the clouds to evaporate as they drift over warmer, drier land. The opposite is happening here: Puffs of clouds are forming over land, but not over water. That"s because Madagascar"s tropical rainforests are warm and wet enough that evaporating moisture rises as the day heats up. When it rises high enough, the moisture encounters cooler air, which condenses the water into clouds. Generally speaking, clouds will form where the air is rising, which in this case is only over the land. Above the river, the air is cooler and descending, so no clouds are forming there.Desktop Version
A festival of lights in India
A festival of lights in India
In observance of the Hindu holiday called Diwali, people gathered on the banks of the Sarayu River in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya in autumn of 2018 to light candles and oil lamps called "diyas." Attendees that night set a Guinness World Record by keeping 300,000 diyas lit for five minutes. The lights are symbolic of the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness—central themes of Diwali. Ayodhya is a significant location in the Hindu faith, long thought to be the birthplace of Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu, who represents virtue. And as Diwali, a four- or five-day celebration reaches its peak today (the third day), the Hindus of Ayodhya will be back to light up the riverbank. Will they set another record?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
Mesmerizing murmuration
Mesmerizing murmuration
Around this time of year, as temperatures dip in the Northern Hemisphere, European or common starlings put on a dazzling show. Most of the time, these noisy birds are scorned for their bullying behavior at the bird feeder. But in autumn months, they gather to roost in huge flocks, as they’re doing here in Blackpool, England. At dusk, the starlings take flight en masse and flock together in a hypnotizing, swirling cloud of fluttering wings. These flocks are called mumurations. They"re thought to help keep the birds warm while also acting as a defensive tactic to confuse predators like hawks and falcons. But maybe the raptors are rendered harmless simply because they’re awestruck by the starlings" synchronized spectacle.Desktop Version
Norway s Kjeragbolten boulder
Norway s Kjeragbolten boulder
If you have nerves of steel, you"d enjoy the precarious, one-of-a-kind photo op that is the Kjeragbolten boulder. Visitors climb up Kjerag, a mountain on the southwest coast of Norway, for the chance to clamber onto the stranded rock and have their daredevil pic snapped for posterity. Indeed, Kjeragbolten is so popular that you might have to wait up to an hour for your turn—plenty of time for second thoughts and jitters.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
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
It s Coffee Day
It s Coffee Day
These coffee cherries are from Colombia"s "Coffee Triangle," where coffee trees flourish among some of the tallest palm trees you may ever see. The cherries take several months to mature. As they ripen, they change color from bright green to dark red. The dark red cherries are perfect for picking. Once the cherries are picked, the fruit surrounding the seeds (or "beans") is removed, then the beans are cleaned and eventually roasted. Colombian coffee is regarded as some of the best in the world.Desktop Version
Whatever floats your boat
Whatever floats your boat
These turquoise waters are lapping the sands of Mont Choisy Beach in Mauritius, an island nation off the southeastern coast of Africa. It"s a popular spot for locals and tourists to swim, enjoy the sun, or head out in one of these boats to catch some fish. The island has a unique cultural history. Most scholars believe it was known to Arab seafarers by the 10th century, but it remained uninhabited until Portuguese sailors established a base on the island in the early 1500s. Mauritius was later colonized in succession by the Netherlands, France, and Great Britain before gaining independence in 1968. Over the years, Mauritius has evolved from a low-income economy based mostly on sugarcane (still one of its biggest exports), to a more diverse one that includes tourism, clothing production, and technology.Desktop Version