US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years Jan 28, 2020

US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years

In recognition of the modern US Coast Guard, formed on this day in 1915, we"re featuring the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, one of many lighthouses managed by the USCG. How did Cape Disappointment get its name? A British fur trader in 1788 mistook the mouth of the Columbia River for a bay and was disappointed because his ship couldn"t pass due to the river"s shallow bar. Many ships would eventually sink in these dangerous waters, but this lighthouse has warned off countless others since it was lit in 1856, making it the first lighthouse in the Pacific Northwest. Most of the lighthouses in the US have been built and maintained by the US Coast Guard and its predecessors.

© Tom Schwabel/Tandem Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Jan 28, 2018Winter scenery near Kuhmo, Finland
Jan 28, 2019Ancient groves in Australia
Jan 28, 2021Avatars of the Wolf Moon
Jan 28, 2022Short-eared owl
Jan 28, 2023The Bahamas as seen from the ISS
Jan 28, 2024Channel Country, Australia
Jan 28, 2025Short-eared owl
Jan 28, 2026Whanganui National Park, Retaruke, New Zealand

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 26, 2019Classical music takes center stage
Dec 21, 2023Winter solstice
Nov 4, 2020Caribou on the move
Nov 27, 2025Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 8, 2024Glacial rivers in Iceland
Jan 20, 2022Penguin Awareness Day
May 31, 2022World Parrot Day
Jan 1, 2026Happy New Year!
May 24, 2018East River crossing
Sep 1, 2018Let the Highland games begin
Sep 18, 2024Gujō Hachiman Castle, Gifu prefecture, Japan
Mar 29, 2026Peggys Point Lighthouse, Atlantic Coast, Nova Scotia, Canada
Oct 2, 2020A wild and scenic scene
Jan 14, 2026National Take the Stairs Day
Jul 20, 2021Fly me to the moon
Oct 27, 2023Sligachan Old Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Feb 28, 2018Isla del Pescado on the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
Sep 5, 2021Venice s grand regatta
Jul 9, 2018Gauchos showcase Argentina’s independent spirit
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
May 2, 2018Mackerel forming a bait ball to avoid predators
Dec 3, 2022Art Basel Miami Beach
Nov 30, 2025Christmas market in Leipzig, Germany
Sep 7, 2023Camels in the desert, United Arab Emirates
Apr 17, 2024Black bear cub emerging into spring
Mar 5, 2024Bangkok, Thailand
Oct 30, 2023Common raven
Aug 2, 2018The Aomori Nebuta Festival parade, Japan
Jul 27, 2018Composite image of a lunar eclipse
Apr 25, 2021One giant leap for penguins