January 1 - Mon
January 2 - Tue
The
obverse of a
proof-quality
Lincoln cent with
cameo effect. This has been the
United States one-cent coin since 1909. Among United States coins, there are more one-cent coins produced than any other denomination. The reverse has featured the
Lincoln Memorial since 1959. When the Lincoln cent made its initial appearance, it marked a radical departure from the accepted styling of
United States coins. A strong feeling had prevailed against using portraits, but public sentiment stemming from the 100th anniversary celebration of
Abraham Lincoln's birth proved stronger than the long-standing prejudice.
Photo credit: U.S. Mint
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January 3 - Wed
January 4 - Thu
January 5 - Fri
January 6 - Sat
The
Tulip Stairs and lantern, as seen from below, of the
Queen's House in
Greenwich,
England. Designed by
Inigo Jones, the
stairs are the first centrally unsupported stairs constructed in England. The stairs are supported by a combination of support by
cantilever from the walls and each stair resting on the one below. The first reference to the iron
balustrade design as 'tulips' was in 1694 and the name 'Tulip Stairs' dates to the 18th century.
Photo credit: Mcginnly
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January 7 - Sun
The Great Bath of the
Roman Baths in
Bath,
England, with
Bath Abbey in the background. The complex, a grade I
listed building, was constructed during
Roman Britain, during which time the town was known as
Aquae Sulis. It was rediscovered in the 18th century and, as well as being a major
archaeological find, it has become one of the city's main attractions. The entire structure above the level of the pillar bases is a later reconstruction.
Photo credit: Diliff
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January 8 - Mon
January 9 - Tue
The
Treasury of Athens is a building at
Delphi, the holiest of
Ancient Greek sites and
shrine to the
god Apollo. It was built to commemorate the
Athenians' victory at the
Battle of Marathon. It is one of a number of such treasuries, built by the various states—those overseas as well as those on the mainland—to commemorate victories and to thank the
oracle for advice important to those victories. The Athenians had previously been given the advice by the oracle to put their faith in their "wooden walls" – taking this advice to mean their navy, they won a famous battle at
Salamis.
Photo credit: Sam Korn
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January 10 - Wed
A
riffle shuffle, the most common shuffling technique, being performed during a game of
poker. Shuffling is a procedure used to
randomize a deck of
playing cards to provide an element of chance in
card games. It is often followed by a
cut, to ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome.
Photo credit: Johnny Blood
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January 11 - Thu
A
diagram of the basic
morphology of a female
dragonfly, showing detailed external structure and organisation. The
wings in the diagram are raised higher than is usual in most dragonflies. The wings are in an 'inspection' position to allow a clearer view of the body. Generally both sets of wings are held relatively flat and horizontally against the body. This raised position is more common with a dragonfly in
flight. The wings have been shown solely to give a sense of proportion.
Diagram credit: WikipedianProlific/Gustavb/Andrew c
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January 12 - Fri
January 13 - Sat
January 14 - Sun
Victoria Crater, an
impact crater at
Meridiani Planum, near the equator of
Mars. The crater is approximately 800 meters (half a mile) in
diameter. It has a distinctive scalloped shape to its rim, caused by
erosion and downhill movement of crater wall material. Layered
sedimentary rocks are exposed along the inner wall of the crater, and boulders that have fallen from the crater wall are visible on the crater floor. The floor of the crater is occupied by a striking field of sand
dunes. The Mars rover
Opportunity can be seen in this image, at roughly the "ten o'clock" position along the rim of the crater.
Photo credit: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
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January 15 - Mon
January 16 - Tue
January 17 - Wed
The
Common Raccoon (
Procyon lotor) is a widespread, medium-sized,
omnivorous mammal of
North America. It has black facial colorings around the eyes, and has a bushy tail with light and dark alternating rings. The coat is a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur. The characteristic eye colorings make the animal look like it is wearing a "bandit's mask," which has enhanced the animal's reputation for mischief, vandalism, and thievery.
Photo credit: Darkone
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January 18 - Thu
The
Western Gull (
Larus occidentalis) is a large white-headed
gull that lives on the western coast of
North America. It is a large gull, around 60 cm long with a white head and body, and gray wings. It has a yellow bill with a red subterminal spot (this is the small spot near the end of the bill that chicks peck in order to stimulate feeding).
Photo credit: Daniel Schwen
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January 19 - Fri
January 20 - Sat
January 21 - Sun
The
House Sparrow (
Passer domesticus, female shown here) is a member of the
Old World sparrow family Passeridae. It occurs naturally in most of
Europe and much of
Asia, but has been introduced to most other parts of the world. Despite being so common, it is often confused with the smaller and slimmer
Tree Sparrow.
Photo credit: Fir0002
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January 22 - Mon
Plate XIX of "Studies among the
Snow Crystals ... " by
Wilson Bentley (1902), the first person known to photograph snowflakes. He did so by catching an individual snowflake on a blackboard, rushing it onto some black velvet, which he would then photograph using a
bellows camera he had attached to a
microscope. His first photograph of a snowflake was on January 15, 1885 and he would capture over 5000 images of crystals in his lifetime. Bentley also photographed all forms of
ice and natural
water formations including
clouds and
fog. He was the first
American to record
raindrop sizes and was one of the first
cloud physicists.
Photo credit: Wilson Bentley
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January 23 - Tue
Vitrification is a process of converting a material into a
glass-like
amorphous solid which is free of any
crystalline structure, either by the quick removal or addition of
heat or by mixing with an additive. In this photo,
nuclear waste has been combined with glass-forming materials, vitrified, and is being poured into a container, after which it will be sealed. The final waste form resembles
obsidian and is a non-leaching, durable material that effectively traps the waste inside. The waste can be stored for relatively long periods in this form without concern for air or groundwater contamination.
Photo credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
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January 24 - Wed
The
Blue Jay (
Cyanocitta cristata) is a
North American jay which can be found over a very large area of the eastern side of the continent. It is mainly a bird of mixed woodland, but also of parks and gardens in some towns and cities. Its food is sought both on the ground and in trees and includes virtually all known types of plant and animal sources.
Photo credit: Mdf
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January 25 - Thu
January 26 - Fri
January 27 - Sat
January 28 - Sun
January 29 - Mon
The
Barred Owl (
Strix varia), commonly known as the
hoot owl, is a large
typical owl. Its breeding habitat is dense woods across
Canada, the eastern
United States and south to
Central America. They hunt at dawn, dusk, or night, by waiting on a high perch or flying through the woods and swooping down on prey. They mainly eat small
mammals, such as mice and rabbits, and also small birds.
Photo credit: Mdf
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January 30 - Tue
The
Mexican redknee tarantula (
Brachypelma smithi) is a
species of terrestrial
tarantula native to
Mexico, but might be found in small numbers in neighboring countries. They are among the most popular tarantulas available in the
pet trade, due to their impressive size and striking coloration. An adult female has a body roughly 10 cm (4 in) long, with a legspan of 15-18 cm (6-7 in), and a weight of approximately 15-16 g (0.7 oz).
Photo credit: Fir0002
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January 31 - Wed
Gordon Parks' most famous photograph,
American Gothic, Washington, D.C., which was the first one he took during his stint working for the
Farm Security Administration. This portrait of government
cleaning woman Ella Watson shows her standing stiffly in front of an
American flag with a broom in her right hand and a mop in the background. Its polemic nature and its duality of victim and survivor gave it a resonance that deeply affected many of its viewers.
Photo credit: Gordon Parks
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