International Day of Light May 16, 2024

International Day of Light

Happy International Day of Light! Held on May 16, it marks the anniversary of the invention of the laser by the American physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman in 1960. This pioneering creation helped revolutionize fields from communications to health care and lasers are now found in everything from printers and barcode scanners to surgical devices. Today"s event also celebrates light"s presence in every aspect of human existence, from art and culture to science and technology.

© Feng Li/Getty Images News

palette

Today in History

May 16, 2018National Love a Tree Day
May 16, 20193,000 years of history
May 16, 2020Let s run em up!
May 16, 2021A magnificent monolith
May 16, 2022Burrowing owls
May 16, 2023American Wetlands Month
May 16, 2025Endangered Species Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 27, 2024Fallen but not forgotten
Nov 3, 2023World Jellyfish Day
Jan 9, 2024Balloon Ascension Day
Nov 29, 2020New Zealand s loneliest mountain
Jul 18, 2019A learning garden
Mar 10, 2025National Napping Day
Aug 7, 2025National Lighthouse Day
Feb 12, 2026Darwin Day
Jun 4, 2021Islands that turned the tide
Jul 20, 2021Fly me to the moon
Jan 4, 2023Earth at Perihelion
Mar 16, 2019Quilts as high art
Mar 9, 2018The Door County Coastal Byway in Wisconsin
Jan 28, 2021Avatars of the Wolf Moon
Aug 12, 2024World Elephant Day
Jan 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Oct 19, 2021These laurels are hardy
Mar 13, 2024Lake Magadi, Kenya
May 11, 2019Bringing together history and technology
Mar 27, 2020Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…
Sep 22, 2022First day of autumn
Dec 31, 2023Happy New Years Eve!
Oct 29, 2024Great horned owl
Dec 6, 2023Computer Science Education Week
Oct 3, 2025Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Aug 22, 2018Summer’s in home stretch
Oct 27, 2025Thick-billed raven, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia
Sep 26, 2025Least chipmunk, Kootenai National Forest, Montana
Jul 11, 2019Evidence of human habitation
Feb 21, 2020Carnival comes to Olinda