Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands Apr 30, 2026

Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands

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 colors 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, 2018Swinging into International Jazz Day
Apr 30, 2019It s International Jazz Day
Apr 30, 2020What kind of bird laid these eggs?
Apr 30, 2021The Spirit of Harlem by Louis Delsarte
Apr 30, 2022International Jazz Day
Apr 30, 2023International Jazz Day
Apr 30, 2024Cheetah in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Apr 30, 2025International Jazz Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 5, 2023Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, China
Aug 3, 2019Cetacean Saturday
Aug 1, 2022Hawai i Volcanoes National Park at 106
Aug 17, 2020A giant relic in Java
Mar 19, 2021Life carries on, rising from a ship s skeleton
May 20, 2022World Bee Day
Aug 2, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Jul 27, 2021Maybe we should be looking up
Jan 11, 2026Blue walls of Chefchaouen, Morocco
Jan 19, 2019It’s Art Deco Weekend in Miami
Jun 2, 2025National Garden Week begins today
Jan 25, 2020Happy New Year! (Again!)
Aug 13, 2025Corona Arch near Moab, Utah
Mar 5, 2022Mont-Saint-Michel
Apr 29, 2026Belém Tower, Lisbon, Portugal
Feb 26, 2018A leafy seadragon in the waters off Wool Bay, Australia
Nov 27, 2024Tombeau du Géant in Bouillon, Belgium
Sep 10, 2019Welcome to my neck of the woods
Aug 20, 2018Looking back at Yellowstone, 30 years after the fires
Dec 24, 2022Christmas Eve
Jul 29, 2019A picture-perfect day on Trillium
Feb 4, 2022Winter Olympics in Beijing
Jan 28, 2020US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years
Jul 8, 2020It s only Wednesday
Feb 20, 2021An enduring vision
Jun 14, 2021A Flag Day tradition
Mar 14, 2026Celebrating Pi Day
Jan 31, 2025Happy International Zebra Day!
Dec 9, 2022Muskoxen in Dovre-Sunndalsfjella National Park, Norway
Nov 28, 2024Happy Thanksgiving!