A Jewish man rests with his children near the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Old City is walled off within the modern city, and is home to sacred sites for Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
PHOTOGRAPH BY HANNAH REYES MORALES, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A 15-year-old Armenian boy cuddles his pet donkey in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, contested territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Multiple conflicts and wars have left the region littered with ordnance—which cost this boy his leg.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDRA AVAKIAN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A story in the September 2016 issue documented the scientific advances that may mean an end to blindness. In this photo, sisters in India marvel at new sights after donors paid for surgery to correct their cataracts.
PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENT STIRTON, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A story in the September 2008 issue documented families of elephants living in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. Here, a bull elephant named Boone greets a matriarch named Maya and her daughter.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL NICHOLS, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A story in the August 1963 issue profiled Walt Disney, and documented the ventures under his name. In this photo, Walt Disney combs through National Geographic archives to research period costumes for a film.
PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS NEBBIA, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
Mount Athos, in northeastern Greece, is home to some 2,000 monks in the Eastern Orthodox Church. At the Monastery of Vatopedi, Father Chrisostomos reflects in the cell of St. Nicholas the Fisherman—the inspiration for the figure of Santa Claus.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TRAVIS DOVE, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
In this photo from the May 1986 issue, an enormous herd of wildebeests cross a river in the Serengeti during their annual migration. Every year the animals migrate approximately 500 miles to find greener land to graze on during the wet season.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MITSUAKI IWAGO, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
Buddhist monks process out of Bangkok's Marble Temple holding candles, incense, and lotus blossoms. This photo originally appeared in the February 1996 issue, within a story about cultural changes in Thailand coming as a result of booming tourism.
At Sydney's Bondi Beach, a family decorates a Christmas tree with balloons. This picture originally appeared in the February 1956 issue, in a story about the impact of immigrants who began arriving after World War II.
PHOTOGRAPH BY HOWELL WALKER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
Ballet West was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1963. In this picture from the April 1975 issue, dancers in the company perform at a high school to inspire an early love of the arts.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES L. AMOS, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A July 2004 story featured stunning landscape photos of Olympic National Park, including this one of Mount Olympus and its surrounding peaks. The mountain, located in western Washington State, receives more than 200 inches of precipitation each year.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MELISSA FARLOW, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
In the town of Puebla, Mexico, residents hold a parade for the Virgin Mary during the Feast of Guadalupe. Statues like this one are carried to the church, blessed, and then exchanged among families.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANA MARKOSIAN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
In this picture from the December 1990 issue, a mariachi band serenades a newly married couple on the way to their wedding reception in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This style of music dates back to the 18th century, and has been designated as an element of Mexico's "Intangible Cultural Heritage" by UNESCO.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DANNY LEHMAN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
In Japan's Joshin'etsukogen National Park, snow monkeys relax in natural hot springs. The air is below freezing, but the water is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JASPER DOEST, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
In this picture from the April 1966 issue, couples linked at the wrist chase a ball during a game at the All-American Indian Days in Sheridan, Wyoming. Indigenous Americans from all over the country attended the annual festival until it ended in 1984.
PHOTOGRAPH BY LOWELL GEORGIA, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
Couples dance in a street on Carriacou, one of the Grenadine Islands. This photo originally appeared in a September 1979 story on St. Vincent, the Grenadines, and Grenada.
PHOTOGRAPH BY COTTON COULSON, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
The Wright brothers made the first powered flight on this day in 1903. Orville manned the plane, lying on his stomach to reduce wind resistance, while Wilbur ran alongside. The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered about 120 feet.
A young Berber boy in a rural village of Morocco reads a piece of paper with Arabic writing on it. A story in the January 2005 issue documented the lives and culture of the Berbers, a people group indigenous to northern Africa.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDRA BOULAT, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
The northern lights shimmer above snow-covered candle spruce trees in Finland's Oulanka National Park. A story in the June 2009 issue displayed the stunning landscapes of the beloved national park in all four seasons.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER ESSICK, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A story in the September 2008 issue documented the colorful lives of Indigenous female wrestlers in El Alto, Bolivia. Here, a wrestler called Juanita the Loving One reaches out to fans as she enters the ring.
PHOTOGRAPH BY IVAN KASHINSKY, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION