Eurasian red squirrel (© Galina Jacyna/Getty Images)
Description
Today's image shows a Eurasian red squirrel perched in the snow, displaying the winter fur and tufted ears that make this species so striking. Native to forests across Europe and parts of Asia, red squirrels rely on seeds, nuts, and fungi, stashing food in scattered caches and building nests high in hollow trees to survive the colder months.
Squirrel Appreciation Day, observed on January 21, began in 2001 when wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove encouraged people to show more kindness toward these quick, bright-eyed foragers. Despite their reputation as garden raiders or urban 'nuisances,' squirrels play essential roles in local ecosystems. Their tendency to bury food and forget some of it helps forests regenerate, especially in areas where conifer seeds spread through these accidental plantings.
In the United States, this day highlights the adaptability of these animals, thriving in forests, city parks, and suburban landscapes wherever shelter and scattered food sources exist.
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Gentoo penguin, Petermann Island, Antarctica (© Paul Souders/DanitaDelimont.com/Alamy)
Description
Penguins thrive in some of Earth's coldest waters. Today's image shows a gentoo penguin beneath a vault of shimmering blue ice, its sharp silhouette etched against the frozen world around it. Penguin Awareness Day, observed on January 20, shines a spotlight on the birds that bring life, noise, and personality to Earth's iciest coastlines.
The gentoo is among the most agile swimmers of all penguins. With strong flippers and a sleek, tapered build, it can navigate icy waters with quick, confident bursts of speed. Its bright bill, bold white head stripe, and upright posture make it instantly recognizable, even in colonies where thousands of birds gather along the shore.
Many gentoos gather on Petermann Island, a rocky outpost off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, shaped by volcanic cliffs, wind-carved ledges, and snow-dusted beaches. The island's exposed rock provides nesting space for breeding pairs. Surrounding waters sustain the busy routines of feeding, preening, and raising chicks in tightly packed groups—animating the stark polar landscape.
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Washington Monument seen from Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC (© RickSause/Getty Images)
Description
In the summer heat of 1963, a quarter of a million people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, for one of the largest demonstrations in our history. Segregation still dictated where people could live, learn, vote, and work; the nation simmered with tension—and the world was watching. At that moment, Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped forward, a Baptist minister and the strategic heart of the civil rights movement. He fought injustice with discipline, clarity, and nonviolent resolve, delivering a vision that reshaped the nation's imagination: a future where freedom was real, dignity was universal, and justice extended to all.
Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the third Monday of January. The holiday honors his birth and the impact of his work, from the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Selma marches. These victories challenged legalized discrimination and paved the way for landmark civil rights legislation. The day is both a tribute and a call to action: progress must be relentlessly built, protected, and pushed forward—and King's legacy urges every generation to push the nation closer to the dream he dared to dream aloud.
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White Sands National Park, New Mexico (© Francesco Carucci/Getty Images)
Description
If 'Frozen' traded ice for sand, the result would look a lot like White Sands National Park in New Mexico—cool, white dunes that deceive the eye at first glance. It became a national monument on this day in 1933, established to protect a rare geological phenomenon: the world's largest gypsum dunefield. These dunes were formed from gypsum crystals that broke down over thousands of years, creating bright waves that stay cool even in summer.
Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin, the park spans 275 square miles. Beneath that brightness lies a story far older than the park itself. Paleontologists uncovered fossilized human footprints alongside mammoths and giant ground sloths, providing one of the strongest records of Ice Age movement on the continent.
For all its starkness, the dunes still support a steady rhythm of survival. The soaptree yucca sends up tall stalks, while shrubs anchor themselves deep underground. Animals, including the Apache pocket mouse, bleached earless lizard, and sand-treader camel cricket, blend into the pale terrain. When filmmakers need a landscape that looks otherworldly, this place is dressed for the part. 'The Man Who Fell to Earth,' 'The Book of Eli,' and 'Transformers' all borrowed its 'Moon-on-Earth' glow.
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Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, Naples, Italy (© javarman3/Getty Images)
Description
Walk into any large square in Naples, Italy, and the city's history comes into focus. Arched galleries, sweeping colonnades, and domes that echo ancient architecture compete for your attention. Every street shifts in style—compact Baroque facades give way to broad Neoclassical courtyards. Continue exploring, and you will arrive at a wide square with a building that appears Roman at first sight. That's the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, located on the west side of Piazza del Plebiscito.
Completed in 1846, the basilica took shape after Ferdinand I, King of the Two Sicilies, returned to power and continued the construction begun under King Joachim Murat of Naples. The design followed strict Neoclassical principles: a circular body, a triangular pediment, and a dome modeled after the Pantheon—a famous second-century Roman temple.
Inside, the geometry continues with polished marble, broad arches, and chapels spaced along the circular walkway. The piazza features a curving colonnade that borders the basilica and frames its dome. Planning a trip to Naples? Piazza del Plebiscito awaits you.
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Leopard at Etosha National Park, Namibia (© Norbert Achtelik/Cavan Images)
Description
If you've ever watched a wildlife documentary, you know the moment: the camera pans across a quiet savanna, and suddenly a leopard appears as if it has been there all along. That quiet reveal says everything about how these cats operate. They move with precision, slipping through grass and branches without making a sound. Their build, muscular but lean, helps them climb, sprint, and hide in plain sight. Their rosetted coats? No two patterns match, each serving as natural camouflage from sunrise to moonlight.
These skilled swimmers follow no strict diet. They prey on antelopes when available, switch to hares or birds when needed, and sometimes hunt at waterholes where other animals gather. When leopards secure a kill, they often cache it safely in a tree or a cave, using their strong forelimbs to keep it away from lions and hyenas.
Leopards range across sub-Saharan Africa, India, Sri Lanka, and small regions of Central and West Asia. Today's image was taken in Etosha National Park, in north-central Namibia, a haven for Africa's iconic wildlife. Established in 1907, the park is home to elephants, lions, cheetahs, black rhinos, wildebeests, zebras, and steenboks—and gives leopards space to hunt and room to roam.
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The fishing village of Reine, Norway (© Roberto Moiola/Cavan Images/SuperStock)
Description
Tucked deep within Norway's Arctic Circle, Reine feels like the kind of place you see on a postcard and assume can't possibly be real. But it is. This small fishing village of about 300 residents is known for its steep mountains, calm fjords, and bright red rorbuer—traditional fishermen's cabins—that dot the shoreline. Despite its size, Reine draws thousands of visitors each year.
For most of its history, Reine has been a working village. It served as a trading post in the 1700s, and fishing has always been the backbone of daily life. Even during World War II, when parts of the village were burned by German forces, locals rebuilt and carried on. Today, people come for all kinds of experiences. Some climb Reinebringen for its sweeping views; others wander the shoreline or try a plate of fish that was probably caught that morning. Staying in a restored cabin offers a glimpse of what life here looked like before tourism arrived. What makes Reine memorable isn't a list of 'must-do' activities; it's the history, tradition, and sense of community that settle in the moment you arrive.
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