Photo of the Day: February 2022
A story in the November 1978 issue documented the hajj, which is the journey of faithful Muslims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In this picture, a long exposure creates a time-lapse view of pilgrims circling the Kaaba in the Masjid al-Ḥarām, the most sacred site in Islam.
A polar bear peers into a cabin in Svalbard, the Arctic archipelago in Norway, which was the subject of an April 2009 story. About 3,000 polar bears live in Svalbard, outnumbering the human population.
A story in the December 1971 issue documented the Zulu people in South Africa, who would live under apartheid until the 1990s. Here, a couple take their afternoon tea on the front lawn of their home in a Black-only neighbourhood south of Durban.
This photo from the March 1955 issue shows merrymakers in creative costumes at a Carnival celebration in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The celebration, which occurs in the five days preceding Lent, draws millions of visitors each year.
A story in the February 1977 issue documented life in Harlem, a neighbourhood in New York City. This photo, which appeared in the story, features two legendary photographers meeting for the first time. On the left is James Van Der Zee, famous for his portraits of Black New Yorkers during the Harlem Renaissance, and to the right is Gordon Parks, who photographed for Life Magazine for more than 20 years.
The sun rises over the Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone River, stretching almost 700 miles long, was the subject of a story in the April 1997 issue.
Off the coast of Antarctica, a Weddell seal swims over a sea floor scattered with pink starfish. Weddell seals can dive almost 2,000 feet underwater for almost an hour with just one breath.
A story in the February 2017 issue examined the status of widows around the world. In this photo, two widows celebrate Holi, once thought inappropriate for widows, at the Gopinath Temple in Vrindavan, Uttar Predesh, India.
On March 3rd, 1913, thousands of women marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., to demand voting rights. But as visible in this photograph, a much larger and hostile crowd surrounded them, cutting off the parade route and threatening the women with violence. It would be seven more years until the 19th Amendment was passed.
At Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in France, a nun gazes upon a piece of bone said to be Mary Magdalene's. This previously unpublished picture was taken as part of the assignment for a March 2012 story on the apostles of Jesus Christ.
Weaned elephant seal pups lounge on the ice before their first season at sea. A November 2008 story documented the lives of elephant seals on South Georgia Island.
Drag performers prepare to compete in the 1995 Miss Fire Island pageant, an annual tradition since 1966. Fire Island lies off the shore of Long Island, and has a long history of LGBT-friendly tourism.
A nurse greets a new mother at the maternity ward in Sri Lanka's Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The photo appeared in a November 2016 story about Sri Lanka's recovery from a civil war that lasted from 1983 to 2009.
Lanterns light up the Scholar's Courtyard at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon. A story in the March 2013 issue featured beautiful pictures of the world's most famous gardens at night.
A couple shares a romantic moment on a first-class train car to Yekaterinburg, Russia. A story in the June 1998 issue followed the Trans-Siberian Railroad, which stretches 5,778 miles.
Teens practice American football at Southeast High School in Kansas City, Missouri. This picture originally appeared in the July 1976 issue, in a story documenting the culture of the Midwestern metropolis.
A married Inuit couple shares a kiss in the settlement of Umingmaktok in the far reaches of Canada's Northwest Territories. This picture originally appeared in the November 1977 issue in a story about the settlement. But by the 2016 Census, the settlement had been completely abandoned.
Rodney the emperor penguin wears a "Crittercam" on his back in this picture from the August 2007 issue. Crittercam was invented by National Geographic's Greg Marshall to capture audio, video, and environmental data, and has been utilised to study dozens of species around the world.
In this picture from the June 1961 issue, a Thai craftsman smears a parasol with waterproof paint. The 40-page story illustrated aspects of life and culture throughout the nation.
In this picture from the December 1953 issue, women compete in a curling match in Ontario, while wearing coordinating tartan outfits. Each curling stone is made up of 44 pounds of granite.
A group of children play with a kite in Johannesburg, South Africa. This picture originally appeared in the April 2004 issue, in a story about South Africa a decade after the end of apartheid.
A grey fox crouches in Chile's Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. An August 2003 story illustrated the flora and fauna of the Atacama Desert, that exist in spite of the harsh climate.
A child enjoys a bowl of noodles at a nursery in Quemoy, Taiwan. This picture originally appeared in a January 1969 story documenting the island of Taiwan and its tension with communist China.
In this picture from the February 1959 issue, teenaged skiing phenom Starr Walton competes in a downhill event at California's Sugar Bowl. She would go on to compete in the women's downhill at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
A young harp seal, called a "whitecoat," rests under a colorful twilight sky in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence. Harp seals were the cover story of the March 2004 issue, which examined the tension and controversy surrounding seal hunting policies in Canada.
Dancers in a performance called “125th and Freedom” proceed down Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Harlem. Part protest and part parade, the choreographed production along what is also known as 125th Street explores migration, gentrification, and emancipation in a society that, in King’s words, puts profits over people.
Men pole canoes through the swamps of Everglades National Park, Florida. The canoes are modelled off of those of the Seminole, a group indigenous to Florida.
Women play mahjong to celebrate the new year in Guizhou Province, China. The Chinese New Year celebration begins on the day of the first new moon between January 21 and February 20. Traditions for the holiday vary widely by region, but can include lighting firecrackers, cleaning the house, and gifting money in lucky red envelopes.
