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Smoking nights in Austria
Smoking nights in Austria
Behold the lovely Tannenbaum ("fir tree" for you non-German speakers). Here in Tyrol, Austria, Christmas Eve marks the first of three Rauchnächte, or "smoking nights." A long-standing Tyrolean tradition, people in this Alpine region burn frankincense and herbs in homes, barns, and stables to avert bad fortune. The custom is then repeated on the other two "smoking nights," New Year"s Eve and the night before Epiphany.Desktop Version
Zion National Park turns 103
Zion National Park turns 103
Our photo brings us to a 16-mile stretch of the Virgin River where it cuts a spectacular thousand-foot-deep gorge through the upper reaches of Utah"s Zion Canyon. Flowing through Zion National Park (which turns 103 today!), the Virgin River is home to unique plants and animals that aren"t found anywhere else, due to the unique intersection of biomes found where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert all meet. Without the water of the Virgin River system, creatures like the woundfin minnow, one of rarest species on the planet, couldn"t exist.Desktop Version
Rumelihisarı in Istanbul, Türkiye
Rumelihisarı in Istanbul, Türkiye
Though Türkiye usually lives up to expectations as a warm Mediterranean country, snow occasionally falls here. This winter dusting of Istanbul, Türkiye"s largest city, brings into sharper focus the lines of Rumelihisarı in the center of our image. The structure, also known as Rumeli Fortress, was built in the 15th century by an Ottoman sultan as a way to choke naval traffic through the narrow Bosporus Strait. The Bosporus connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea, separating Istanbul into what are often referred to as its "European side" and "Asian side." Today, the fortress isn"t used to fire upon ships but serves as a museum and concert venue. While the place has changed over the centuries, the killer view hasn"t.Desktop Version
A house of grand scale(s)
A house of grand scale(s)
We"re looking at the rooftop of Casa Batlló, a six-story building in the center of Barcelona topped with colorful "scales." What brings us here? Well, here in the Catalonia region of Spain, and in several other locales from England to Ethiopia, it"s the feast of Saint George. You know George (or Jordi, as the Catalans call him): He"s the knight who, legend holds, saved a much-loved princess by defeating a fierce dragon. It"s said the tower jutting from the casa"s tiled roof represents George"s lance thrust into the monster"s scaly back.Desktop Version
20 years later
20 years later
The glassy lower Manhattan skyline is so pristine it"s hard to fathom the tragic scene it became 20 years ago today. But this twisted beam resting on the Hudson River"s shores is one of many reminders.Desktop Version
It s harvest time on World Food Day
It s harvest time on World Food Day
This tractor is transporting trailers full of one of the world"s most versatile veggies: cabbage. A stalwart in Slavic recipes, a key ingredient in Korean kimchi, and essential to that sauerkraut on your ballpark dog, it"s the perfect cosmopolitan crop to represent World Food Day.Desktop Version
Winnie-the-Pooh Day
Winnie-the-Pooh Day
Today we"re in England"s Ashdown Forest, a tranquil patch of woods 30 miles south of London in East Sussex. We"ve wandered here because this is the enchanted forest that inspired author A.A. Milne"s depiction of Winnie-the-Pooh"s neighborhood, the Hundred Acre Wood. It"s our way of celebrating Winnie-the-Pooh Day, observed each year by the Pooh faithful on January 18, Milne"s birthday. The author, along with help from illustrator E.H. Shepard, introduced the world to Pooh and his many forest friends with the beloved "Winnie-the-Pooh" books, first published in 1926.Desktop Version
Snow buntings take flight
Snow buntings take flight
These snowflakes have feathers! The birds you see in this wintry image are snow buntings, sometimes referred to as "snowflakes" because of the distinct white in their wings. These medium-sized Arctic specialists love the cold and travel farther north than other passerine birds. Only ravens can be found north of snow buntings.Desktop Version
Fight for your lefts
Fight for your lefts
It"s International Left-Handers Day, so why are we showing this horned ghost crab whose right claw is noticeably larger than its left? Well, we"re calling this crab a lefty because while its beefy right pincher is useful for grappling with other crabs, it uses its left claw for precision work like bringing food to its mouth, as a human southpaw does. (Though to be fair, it"s never been observed which claw these crabs use for writing or playing golf.)Desktop Version
Celebrating women in science
Celebrating women in science
For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we"re visiting the Great Barrier Reef with oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. This photo is from the 2014 documentary film "Mission Blue," which follows Earle, a legendary marine biologist, environmentalist, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. The film focuses on Earle"s campaign to create a global network of protected marine sanctuaries. Sometimes called Her Deepness, Earle has made immense contributions to science over her career. From leading groundbreaking research in deep ocean science to becoming the first female chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Earle is recognized as one of the world"s preeminent oceanographers.Desktop Version
Hiding in plain sight
Hiding in plain sight
Today we"re in Assam, India, to celebrate International Tiger Day, the annual celebration of the magnificent striped cats that have captured our imagination through the ages. This annual observance began in 2010 at a summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, conceived as a way to draw attention to the plight of tigers and spur conservation efforts.Desktop Version
Get on your bike and ride
Get on your bike and ride
In honor of the UN"s World Bicycle Day, we"re at Triglav National Park in Slovenia, with a bird"s-eye view of riders crossing this dubious-looking wooden suspension bridge over the blue glacial water of the river called Soča. Protecting some of the most magnificent mountain landscapes of the Julian Alps, Triglav is the country"s only national park, but it"s a stunner. Running along Slovenia"s northwestern border with Italy, Triglav was first protected as a "conservation park" in 1924, then made a national park in 1981. The park gets its name from the mountain at its heart, Triglav, long considered a symbol of Slovenia and of Slovene identity.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
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving
For this food-centric holiday, we"re featuring two small but prodigious eaters, a pair of Eurasian red squirrels. These cheerful omnivores dine on the rich menu of available offerings in the forests of the UK, primarily Scotland, where our friends today were photographed noshing.Desktop Version
Chilling out in the Arctic
Chilling out in the Arctic
Surfers from Norway and around the world gather each September in Unstad, a tiny village in Norway"s Lofoten Islands, to compete in the Lofoten Masters, which bills itself as the world"s northernmost surfing competition. Described by some as home to the best surf break in Norway, the island village, where sheep easily outnumber villagers, boasts two surf shops to help both novices and experts prepare for the extreme conditions. And surfing isn"t just a summer sport at this famous beach located inside the Arctic Circle—during winter months, surfers come here for the unique experience of surfing under the aurora borealis.Desktop Version
Instant romance
Instant romance
If you visit the Lost Angeles County Museum of Art, you’ll be able to walk through this art installation made from 202 street lights arranged in a tight grid. Over the course of about 20 years, artist Chris Burden collected 1920s- and ‘30s-era street lights, which he meticulously restored, painted, and installed in 2008 as ‘Urban Light’ at LACMA’s entrance. This year, for its 10-year anniversary, the 309 incandescent light bulbs of the sculpture were replaced with more efficient LED bulbs designed to emulate the soft light of the original bulbs and to reduce harmful emissions.Desktop Version
When Death Valley blew its top
When Death Valley blew its top
Deep below Death Valley"s charred surface, blazing hot magma once gushed up through a geologic fault until it hit groundwater. The magma quickly turned the water to steam, and like a defective subterranean pressure cooker, the Earth"s crust blew its top in a ferocious explosion. The hydrovolcanic eruption sent up a mushroom cloud of steam and spewed burnt volcanic cinders for miles. It also left the giant crater seen in this photo and 12 smaller ones spread across the surface.Desktop Version
A shell of many colors
A shell of many colors
We could perhaps fool you and claim you"re viewing a long-lost Jackson Pollock canvas, but it was Mother Nature who painted this blackfoot paua (aka rainbow abalone) shell. And modern art it ain"t: Fossils from similar marine gastropods date back at least 65 million years.Desktop Version
Ode to the sun
Ode to the sun
Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere—the longest day of the year and, for most of us on this side of the globe, the first official day of summer. (Iceland, being Iceland, celebrates the first day of summer in April, an old Viking tradition.) What better way to celebrate this day of sun than with Reykjavik’s Sun Voyager. Though it looks a bit like a Viking ship or maybe a fish skeleton, sculptor Jón Gunnar Árnason created it to be a dream boat and an ode to the sun. Sounds good to us. Join us in celebrating the sun today.Desktop Version
Harvest time in the Palouse
Harvest time in the Palouse
The Palouse region of the inland Pacific Northwest is an unusually hilly prairie that straddles the state line between Washington and Idaho. Farming seems an unlikely endeavor here, but the land, and the weather patterns, make it ideal for wheat and lentil farming. This time of year, the soft white wheat harvest is on, as the crop turns from green to gold, and for the farmers, from harvest to profit. Before Europeans and early US settlers arrived, the Palouse was occupied by the Nez Perce people, who bred and raised horses with spotted coats—a breed that would eventually come to be known as "appaloosas"—a gradual permutation of the name "Palouse."Desktop Version
Class, please take out a No. 2 pencil…
Class, please take out a No. 2 pencil…
In some parts of the US, students have already returned to the classroom, while others are frantically squeezing the last drops of freedom from summer break as they prepare to start a new school year. One school supply that unites most students is the classic, yellow-coated, No. 2 pencil. For centuries, the pencil was a tool so vital that many would use theirs until only a tiny stub remained. An entire market for various pencil accoutrements existed in the 18th and 19th centuries, including a pencil grip called an ‘extender’ that allowed you to use the last bit of a pencil so as not to waste what was, at the time, a precious commodity. Think of it in terms of all the things you buy to enhance your mobile phone or tablet, and then imagine that the pencil once held equal value as a communication device. (In our hearts, it still does.)Desktop Version
Indigenous living
Indigenous living
Just north of Ketchikan, Alaska, is Totem Bight State Historical Park, a 33-acre space dedicated to preserving elements of the Indigenous Haida and Tlingit cultures of this area. Visitors can walk through the low door of the Clan House to see how families from the tribes once lived. The park also boasts a collection of 14 traditionally crafted totem poles based on 19th-century originals. The order and positions of the symbolic faces on the poles show the progression of a specific story that can be interpreted by those who know how to "read" the carvings.Desktop Version
The Spirit of Harlem by Louis Delsarte
The Spirit of Harlem by Louis Delsarte
On International Jazz Day, we"re looking at "The Spirit of Harlem," a glass mosaic mural by artist Louis Delsarte. Located near the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City"s Harlem neighborhood, it depicts, among others, jazz greats Cab Calloway and Count Basie. Originally commissioned in 2005, the mural was covered up in 2017 when a new store moved into its location. After a petition and protests, the retailer worked with Delsarte to restore the mural and add a new plaque dedicating it to the Harlem community. Delsarte, whose other works include a 125-foot-long mural at the Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium in Atlanta, died in May 2020.Desktop Version
New Year s Eve in Sydney, Australia
New Year s Eve in Sydney, Australia
With New Year"s Eve landing in midsummer, many Aussies choose to usher in the new year with a boat trip around beautiful Sydney Harbour to take in the annual fireworks display. With the Sydney Harbour Bridge and world-famous Sydney Opera House as a dramatic backdrop, the first fireworks show will fire off this year at 9 PM local time, followed by a second show at midnight. Australia is one of the first nations to greet the new year, and more than 1.5 million people are typically in attendance for this spectacular celebration in Sydney.Desktop Version
Martin Luther King Day
Martin Luther King Day
Sculptor William "Bill" Tarr created the large, untitled memorial that welcomes students to Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus in Manhattan. The steel block features quotations from King and famous phrases from the civil rights movement. It was designed to weather over time, changing in color and texture as it ages. The school was founded in 1975 and is now home to seven distinct high schools, each focusing on a different discipline, including law, technology, and the arts.Desktop Version