Banff, Alberta, Canada Feb 16, 2026

Banff in Alberta, Canada, didn"t grow quietly. It arrived with railways, hot springs and a vision: to protect places of rare beauty. In 1883, railway workers stumbled upon warm mineral water bubbling from Sulphur Mountain—an unlikely surprise in the cold sweep of the Rockies. The discovery drew attention quickly. By 1885, the surrounding land has been set aside as a protected reserve. What did that lead to? The beginnings of Banff National Park, Canada"s first, and a blueprint the country would return to again and again.

© Herbert Rong/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Feb 16, 2024Pyrrhuloxia bird
Feb 16, 2025Humpback whale mother and calf

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 13, 2026Mute swan with chicks in Hesse, Germany
Sep 15, 2025Black-winged stilts, France
May 17, 2025A delta in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy
Aug 19, 2025Flysch in Zumaia, Basque Country, Spain
Nov 1, 2024Vineyards in Varnhalt, Black Forest, Germany
Jan 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Mar 23, 2025Lightning and storm clouds at sunset near Bowman, Nebraska, United States
Sep 15, 2024Varenna on Lake Como, Italy
Jun 9, 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
Jun 17, 2025Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, United States
Aug 20, 2024Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Jul 15, 2024Tateishi Park, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Nov 14, 2025Mother manatee and calf
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
Oct 8, 2024Mototi octopus
Feb 13, 2026Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Laos and Thailand
Mar 15, 2025The Temple of Saturn, Rome, Italy
May 22, 2025Baobab trees at sunset, Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar
Nov 24, 2023Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA
Oct 12, 2025Saranac Lake, New York
Sep 17, 2024Kerala, India
Dec 6, 2025Everglades National Park, Florida
Apr 14, 2026Common clownfish in a sea anemone, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
May 4, 2024The ruins of an ancient monastery, Skellig Michael, Ireland
Feb 2, 2026Alpine marmots, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
Sep 13, 2023Hemakuta Hill, Hampi, India
Jul 23, 2024Methoni Castle, Messinia, Greece
Feb 8, 2024Mount Hood, Oregon, USA
Nov 13, 2025Quiver trees, Namibia
Aug 1, 2024Floating fruit market, Kaptai Lake, Rangamati, Bangladesh