Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands Apr 30, 2026

Imagine a flower sparking a financial frenzy. Sounds unlikely, right? Yet in the 1630s, tulips did exactly that in the Netherlands. During tulip mania, rare bulbs became luxury items traded for astonishing sums—some valued at prices comparable to a house. Why so valuable? Unusual colours and striped patterns were scarce and unpredictable, and collectors wanted the rarest varieties they could find.

© Martin Ruegner/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Apr 30, 2024Cheetah in Tanzania
Apr 30, 2025Iguazu Falls seen from Paraná, Brazil

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 20, 2024Three-toed sloth in Costa Rica
Aug 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Oct 1, 2025Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Oct 29, 2024Great horned owl
Jan 14, 2025Village of Zahara de la Sierra, Cadiz, Spain
May 6, 2026Thunderstorm above the plains, Bulgaria
Jun 6, 2025Common pheasant, Normandy, France
Jul 7, 2024Rice terraces of Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái province, Vietnam
Jul 31, 2025Kalalau Beach on the Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, United States
Oct 10, 2025Coral reef surrounding the island of Monuriki, Mamanuca Islands, Fiji
Nov 9, 2023Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
Jul 17, 2024Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
Dec 14, 2025Tufted titmouse
Nov 12, 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Mar 21, 2024Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Jan 8, 2025Great Wall of China
Nov 13, 2025Quiver trees, Namibia
Dec 13, 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Jan 3, 2024Lake Minnewanka, Alberta, Canada
Apr 22, 2025Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Nov 16, 2023Athens and the Acropolis, Greece
Jan 6, 2026Nuuk, Greenland
Jul 13, 2024Fairy chimneys and cave dwellings in Cappadocia, Türkiye
Aug 31, 2023Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona, USA
Nov 11, 2024Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Jul 10, 2025Turquoise waters of the Bahamas
Mar 13, 2024Lesser flamingos, Lake Magadi, Kenya
Sep 11, 2023Sunrise at a vineyard in Bordeaux, France
Oct 22, 2025Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
Oct 4, 2025ISS main solar arrays seen from SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour