Forty-four years ago today, a rugged, inhospitable area of South Dakota was designated a national park to protect the many fossils found there. The region has a 12,000-year history as hunting grounds for Native Americans. In fact, the name we know it by today, Badlands, comes from the Lakota phrase "mako sica," which literally translates to "bad lands." Covering nearly 380 square miles, its harshly eroded rock formations make it one of the most distinct landscapes in the United States.
Badlands National Park turns 44
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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1934 Labor Day parade, Gastonia, North Carolina
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Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
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Hollywood s big night
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Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
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Total solar eclipse
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World Population Day
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The fishing village of Reine, Norway
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A bridge too Fawr
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World Migratory Bird Day
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Sea Otter Awareness Week
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Juvenile sunbittern displaying at nest, Ecuador
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World Photography Day
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Rosa Parks Day
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Honoring the first American woman in space
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Frost-covered dunes on Mars
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Ring of fire
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Seville celebrates first world tour
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It’s Art Deco Weekend in Miami
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Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
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Dolomites
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Spiegelgracht canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands
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The Badlands celebrates a milestone
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Merry and bright
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Cinco de Mayo
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Sunny day, sweepin the clouds away
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Winter solstice
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Canada Day
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Where can you find a red fox?
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Super sandy Sweet 16
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Puma in Patagonia
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

