Photo of the Day
A story in the November 1986 issue documented the worldwide humanitarian efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Here, workers unload bags of grain to distribute to families in Ethiopia.
The island of St. Thomas celebrates Carnival for a month in late spring. In this photo from the February 1956 issue, a group of people dressed in saris await their review at a parade competition.
A mother carries her baby through a forest in Bhutan to visit family. Preserving nature is one of the pillars of Gross National Happiness, the guiding philosophy of the Bhutanese government.
An ancient cave painting in Namibia depicts three hunters. A June 1982 story chronicled Namibia's efforts to regain independence, but South Africa did not cede control until 1990.
The July 2008 issue told the stories of wildfires ravaging the western U.S. "Good" fires, like this one in Custer State Park, South Dakota, clear dead brush and return nutrients to the soil. But climate change and pests have intensified wildfires in recent years, causing them to spread wider and do more damage.
This picture from the December 1960 issue shows the September 1960 issue being printed at a facility in Chicago. That year, the National Geographic Society transferred the printing process from Washington, D.C., to Chicago, bringing new depth and vividness to the photography readers knew and loved.
A school of bluefin tuna swims in a laboratory pen of Kindai University in Japan. A story in the August 1982 issue chronicled the journey of bluefin tuna from ocean to plate. The pressure the fish are under has only grown since then—bluefin tuna populations are now down 90 percent since the 1970s.
In this photo from the March 1966 issue, workers wave red flags as part of a demonstration in Moscow's Red Square on May Day. Long celebrated as a festival of spring, May 1 also became International Workers' Day in 1889.
