Lindau

The entrance to the harbor of Lindau, Bavaria, Germany, a major town and island in the international Lake Constance. The current harbor in Lindau was built in the mid-19th century, together with the Bavarian Lion (left) and the Lindau Lighthouse (right). The harbor entrance serves as a tourist attraction.

Armenian Woman

An Armenian woman in traditional dress, photographed on a hillside near Artvin circa 1910 by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky.

This early color photograph was created through the three-color separation process. Three black-and-whiteexposures were taken, using red, blue, and yellow filters. These exposures were then projected with similar colored filters to create a full-color image.

Tunnel View

Tunnel View is a scenic overlook on California State Route 41 in Yosemite National Park. Opened in 1933, it provides an expansive view looking east along Yosemite Valley. El Capitan dominates the view on the left, on the right are the Cathedral Rocks andBridalveil Fall, and in the distance near the center of the picture is Half Dome.

A samurai with his sword and armor, photographed by Felice Beato c. 1860. The samurai, records of which date back to the early 10th-century Kokin Wakashū, were the military nobility of medieval and early-modern Japan. As Japan modernized during the Meiji period beginning in the late 1860s, the samurai lost much of their power, and the status was ultimately dissolved. However, samurai values remain common in Japanese society.

Black-Capped Kingfisher

The black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) is a large tree kingfisher found throughout tropical Asia. Firstdescribed by Pieter Boddaert in 1783, this species frequents coastal waters, particularly those with mangroves. It feeds primarily on insects.

Play Station

Two versions of the PlayStation 2, a home video game console produced by Sony and the most successful console of the sixth generation. The original model (left), known informally as the "fat" model, was released in 2000 and included a docking bay for an internal hard disk drive. The "slimline" version (right) was released in 2004; it did not include the docking bay or an internal power supply, but was smaller, lighter, and quieter, and included an Ethernetport.

Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption

A Diet Coke and Mentos eruption is a reaction between the carbonated beverageDiet Coke and Mentos mints that causes the liquid to spray out of its container. The mints cause nucleation that releases dissolved carbon dioxide so fast it pushes the liquid up and out of the bottle, in what has been described as an eruption or geyser. Though this was demonstrated on television as early as 1999, the reaction went viral in 2005, after Steve Spangler posted a video toYouTube.

Ellmau

Ellmau is a municipality in the Kufstein district of Sölllandl, Austria. This village, first recorded in the 12th century, is a popular resort in both winter and summer.

Alaska Purchase

The check used for the Alaska Purchase, issued on August 1, 1868, and signed by US Secretary of State William H. Seward. For a total of $7.2 million, the United States government purchased Russian America from the Russian Empire (represented here by Russian Minister to the United States Eduard de Stoeckl). The lands involved became the modern state of Alaska in 1959.

Ophelia

Ophelia is an oil painting on canvas completed by Sir John Everett Millais between 1851 and 1852. It depicts the character Ophelia, from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark; this death scene is not seen onstage, but is instead described in a speech by Queen Gertrude. The painting was completed in two stages: first, the setting (drawn from the Hogsmill River in Surrey) then Ophelia (portrayed by Elizabeth Siddal). The painting is now owned by Tate Britainand valued at more than £30 million.