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The story of the poinsettia
The story of the poinsettia
The winter holidays are the poinsettia’s time to shine. Today, National Poinsettia Day marks the anniversary of the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the physician and botanist who first introduced the colorful plant to the United States in 1828. He discovered the plant while he was serving as the first US ambassador to Mexico, the plant’s native country, where Aztecs once used it to produce red dye. According to legend, the poinsettia’s association with Christmas began in 16th-century Mexico, where a little girl—too poor to buy a gift—gathered weeds from the roadside and placed them in front of a church altar. They eventually produced lovely red leaves alongside the green ones, and the poinsettia plant was on its way to becoming a Christmas tradition.Desktop Version
Bringing together history and technology
Bringing together history and technology
On the second Saturday in May, the Dutch celebrate an iconic national structure—the windmill—like these historic ones at Zaanse Schans. With hundreds of windmills across the country, many sites use the day to demonstrate how windmills work and host art exhibits. But the concept of using wind power isn’t just a historical anecdote—this renewable energy is experiencing a boom, and by 2050 is predicted to provide one-third of the world"s electricity.Desktop Version
Wandering Watkins Glen
Wandering Watkins Glen
When we talk about celebrating public lands, the images that pop into our heads are generally icons of the famous national parks out West. Old Faithful, El Capitan, the Arches. Our photo for National Public Lands Day highlights the relatively unsung beauty of the more than 10,000 state parks dotting the nation from coast to coast.Desktop Version
A Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park, India
A Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park, India
Tigers once roamed a broad territory across Asia, eastern Russia, and various islands of the Indian Ocean. Over the past century, hunting and habitat loss have reduced their range by more than 90 percent and have severely diminished the massive cats’ populations. Hundreds of thousands of tigers roamed in the wild 100 years ago, but a 2016 count estimated fewer than 4,000 wild tigers remained.Desktop Version
Happy Arbor Day!
Happy Arbor Day!
A Chinese proverb advises, ‘The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.’ That’s especially true today. It’s National Arbor Day in the US and we’re featuring this dramatic photo of coast redwoods to remind you of the incredible power and importance of trees. The very first recorded Arbor Day took place in 1594 in the little village of Mondoñedo in Spain, organized by its mayor. The first US Arbor Day was observed in Nebraska City, Nebraska, on April 10, 1872. It was organized by journalist and politician Julius Sterling Morton, who’d moved to Nebraska from Michigan, and called his adopted state a ‘treeless prairie.’ He rallied celebrants at that first US Arbor Day to plant an estimated 1 million trees.Desktop Version
And they’re off!
And they’re off!
The route for the 2018 New York City Marathon starts right here at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, crossing from Staten Island into Brooklyn, before eventually coursing through all five boroughs of New York. This photo—taken by a camera drone—shows just how many people will be running in today’s race. Because the race starts early on a typically cold November morning, many runners show up in layered clothing. But once they heat up from running, those layers come off and are often discarded on sidewalks. Race organizers collect tons of items left behind and work with charities to donate the activewear.Desktop Version
It s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
It s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
With Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month kicking off today, we"re visiting the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco"s Golden Gate Park. Originally designed as a temporary exhibit in the 1894 World"s Fair, the gardens became a permanent fixture in the park, overseen by landscape designer Makoto Hagiwara.Desktop Version
Exploring the Pearl of the Atlantic
Exploring the Pearl of the Atlantic
We"re taking in a view of the island of Madeira, by far the largest island in the Madeira archipelago, which sits 320 miles off the coast of Morocco in the North Atlantic. Known as the "Pearl of the Atlantic," Madeira is part of an autonomous region of Portugal. It boasts a diverse forest ecosystem, endemic flora and fauna, and the largest living stand of laurel trees in the world. It"s a great place to hike, too. Trails run alongside irrigation channels, called levadas, that move water all over the island. Walks range from easy strolls in the countryside to precarious hikes along mountain ridges or into remote parts of the forests. Afterward, the calorie-depleted can dig into a local delicacy like peixe espada com banana (fried local fish with banana) and sip on Madeira wine. Saúde!Desktop Version
Ancient art in the Amazon
Ancient art in the Amazon
The stone walls of the tepuis (table-top mountains) in Chiribiquete National Natural Park are decorated with more than 75,000 paintings, some created as long as 20,000 years ago, others in the present day.The jaguar is a recurring motif in the images. Historians think the images of the big cat are expressions of jaguar worship by the indigenous tribes who have lived in the broader area for millennia. This park protects and preserves a 17,000-square-mile expanse of the Colombian Amazon, with a diverse ecosystem supporting many endemic species. In addition, officials believe that Chiribiquete could be home for various indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation, the descendants of those who painted the ancient rock art. Both the human cultural history of this place and the extraordinarily pristine natural beauty of the landscape are what earned Chiribiquete UNESCO World Heritage status this year—the rare location to meet both cultural and natural criteria for inclusion on the UN’s list.Desktop Version
Sands of time
Sands of time
At a quick glance, you might mistake these dunes for massive snowdrifts. Although they do make for great sledding, the tiny crystals that form the dunes at White Sands National Park are not snow or ice but gypsum, a soft mineral often used to make plaster and chalk. The dune field became a national monument on this day in 1933 with a proclamation by President Herbert Hoover, which set aside nearly 150,000 acres for preservation. Recently, on December 20, 2019, President Trump signed legislation making it the 62nd designated national park in the National Park System.Desktop Version
The Children’s Cultural Festival in Reykjavik begins today
The Children’s Cultural Festival in Reykjavik begins today
Audiences at the Harpa Concert Hall are usually a bit older, but today when the 2018 Children’s Culture Festival launches, there will be another crowd like this one: Children who will not just see performances, but also learn to develop some of those artistic and creative-thinking skills through hands-on workshops and interactive performances. The festival’s been held since 2010, with events in multiple locations around the city.Desktop Version
Happy Presidents Day
Happy Presidents Day
It"s hard to imagine a more appropriate place to celebrate Presidents Day than here, at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The monument features four of our most famous presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Four hundred workers using dynamite, hammers, and chisels crafted these 60-foot-high sculptures out of the granite mountainside in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Work on the monument began in 1927 and was completed in 1941.Desktop Version
In the path of the pronghorn
In the path of the pronghorn
As the days lengthen and spring flowers bloom, herds of pronghorns in Wyoming migrate north from their winter grounds in the Upper Green River Basin to Grand Teton National Park. The journey, which biologists have dubbed the "Path of the Pronghorn," covers about 150 miles across government and private lands. Pronghorns have walked this route since prehistoric times, though today, fences, highways, and other unnatural barriers have made the journey more perilous. To mitigate these dangers, wildlife corridors are being constructed over highways and under bridges, offering safer passage for these quintessential symbols of the American West. Conservation efforts like these have helped to make the "Path of the Pronghorn" one of the longest migration corridors remaining for large mammals in North America.Desktop Version
Giants of the avian world
Giants of the avian world
The three shaggy-coiffed birds you see here are Dalmatian pelicans, posing on chilly Lake Kerkini in Greece. These waterfowl are among the largest freshwater bird species in the world, with wingspans stretching as wide as 11 feet. Dalmatian pelicans generally breed during the first four months of the year, building their nests on or near the ground, and sometimes upon vegetation floating in water. While breeding, they form monogamous pairs, though they generally don"t pair up for life.Desktop Version
Italy s submerged village
Italy s submerged village
A 14th-century church tower peeking above the water offers a clue to the past here at Lake Reschen, in northern Italy. Until the mid-20th century, this site in the Italian Alps was home to the village of Graun, which included some 163 homes. But then in 1939, an electric company announced plans to build a dam and an artificial lake here, which would submerge Graun and part of the town of Reschen. Despite public outcry and delays due to World War II, the towns were eventually submerged in 1950 (with everyone safely removed, of course). These days, the remaining church steeple draws tourists, especially in winter, when the lake is frozen over and visitors can walk across.Desktop Version
Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
We’re in London’s West End for Boxing Day, a holiday that originated in the UK. It’s said the event takes its name from the historic practice of employers giving their servants and tradespeople boxes of gifts on the day after Christmas (since the servants had to work on Christmas Day). These days, the holiday shopping deals rival those on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, particularly in the UK, Australia, and Canada, but increasingly in other countries as well. Are you celebrating Boxing Day?Desktop Version
A gentle wind fills this sail
A gentle wind fills this sail
To mark International Day of Peace, we invite you to look closely at the colorful sail in today"s homepage photo. It"s a composite of 120 small panels painted by children from different ethnic and social backgrounds—each panel offers a message of hope for a better world. The Ship of Tolerance is part of an international outreach program created by the Kabakov Foundation that aims "to promote art as a medium for communication and cooperation between diverse cultures while nurturing the growth and development of young artists in all disciplines." Children are taught the importance of understanding others and making friends with those outside their own cultural experiences. You"re looking at an installation that was moored in Lake Zug, Switzerland.Desktop Version
Evidence of human habitation
Evidence of human habitation
Our photo today has been digitally altered by NASA’s Earth Observatory team to remove natural light. Doing so reveals just how much artificial light human settlements generate. We share this image to draw attention to the observance of World Population Day today. The event was inspired by the Day of Five Billion on July 11, 1987, when the United Nations estimates our global population reached that milestone. Each year, World Population Day encourages us to think about how our growing numbers might affect our future, and the future of the planet we live on.Desktop Version
It s a good day to be green
It s a good day to be green
For St. Patrick"s Day, we"re featuring an image of the Knowth passage grave, part of Brú na Bóinne, or the Boyne Valley tombs, about an hour"s drive north of Dublin. In addition to Knowth, this UNESCO World Heritage site is home to the Newgrange and Dowth passage graves, henges, standing stones, and a significant portion of Western Europe"s megalithic art. Knowth, the largest passage grave in the complex, is a 40-foot-high mound with a diameter of 220 feet; two east-west passages run under it that lead to separate burial chambers. The structures predate St. Patrick by nearly 4,000 years, and their original purpose is unclear—but on this day dedicated to celebrating all things Irish, they show off the engineering capabilities of the area"s ancient population as well as the natural green beauty of the Irish countryside.Desktop Version
Monet still makes an impression
Monet still makes an impression
Was there frost in your neighborhood this morning? More than 100 years ago, impressionist painter Claude Monet painted this wintry scene, called ‘The Frost,’ in the French commune of Vétheuil, where he lived from 1878 to 1881. We’re showing it today in honor of his birthday. Monet is considered a father of impressionism, the artistic movement characterized by thin brushstrokes and depicting the visual impression of the moment–especially in terms of light and color. The term impressionism derives from a review of Monet’s painting ‘Impression, Sunrise,’ which he exhibited in 1874. Happy birthday, Claude!Desktop Version
Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…
Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…
Azaleas are in peak bloom during March at the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens near Charleston, South Carolina. Each year a vibrant forest blooms with hundreds of native and hybrid varieties, including 15 azaleas once thought to be extinct.Desktop Version
The story of a rediscovered redwood
The story of a rediscovered redwood
Like most things in nature, the trees featured on today’s homepage are worth a closer look. This species, known as the dawn redwood, was thought for hundreds of years to be extinct. Unlike other redwood trees (picture the towering evergreen giants that grow on California’s coast), this redwood is deciduous; in the fall its needles turn a brilliant orange, and then fall to the ground. Fossils of the species are common in the Northern Hemisphere, but there was no known evidence that it existed after the Miocene Epoch, which ended more than 5 million years ago. The tree was thought to have been long extinct until 1944, when a giant dawn redwood was discovered in south central China. More were found in surrounding lowlands, and today the tree is a popular ornamental in many parts of the world. The trees in our image, from Zhongshan, China, are standing in a shallow lake, which reflects the blue sky above.Desktop Version
In search of a ‘great’ pumpkin
In search of a ‘great’ pumpkin
It’s not too late to visit a pumpkin patch like the one in our homepage image and pick an orange orb to carve up this Halloween. Or, if you’re like a certain Peanuts character, you still have time to search for the Great Pumpkin. Linus’ quest to glimpse this unseen character is of course featured in ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,’ the animated Halloween special that first premiered in 1966. Linus believed the Great Pumpkin delivered toys to children on Halloween night. Some have interpreted the Great Pumpkin as a symbol of faith, and others see Linus’ quest to see the Great Pumpkin as a metaphor for humankind’s existential crisis. Whatever the case, the film is a classic and worth rewatching.Desktop Version
The Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic
The Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic
Welcome to Acadia National Park on Maine"s rocky, scenic coast. The 49,075-acre park covers about half of Mount Desert Island, smaller nearby islands, and a section on the mainland. The oldest national park east of the Mississippi River and the only one in Maine, Acadia packs a lot of geographical variety into its relatively small size. You"ll find miles of craggy coastline like the shore in our homepage image, woodlands, wetlands, and mountains. The park"s Cadillac Mountain is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and a great spot to take in the sunrise.Desktop Version
Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
Mossy Grotto Falls is a tiny 20-foot waterfall in Oregon"s Columbia River Gorge, home to around 90 waterfalls. This winsome waterfall became popular in recent years after several renowned photographers snapped it following its discovery in 2006. Waterfalls around the world draw our attention and inspire emotions (and even themes for pop songs). In contrast to the serene, burbling Mossy Grotto Falls, Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest in the world, where water plunges 2,648 feet before reaching the ground. This roaring wonder is awe-inspiring and one of the top tourist-draws in the country. If you need a moment of reflection, we recommend searching for the nearest waterfall and taking a trip to connect with nature.Desktop Version