J.R.R. Tolkien Day Jan 3, 2024

J.R.R. Tolkien Day

It"s time to bust out the furry feet and pointed ears because today is J.R.R. Tolkien Day, celebrating the literary legend behind "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit." On January 3, the Tolkien Society toasts "the professor" on his birthday, echoing Frodo"s annual toasts to Bilbo on his birthday each year. Tolkien"s roots run through Oxford, where he studied English language and literature and later became a professor. Since 1979, Oxford"s Bodleian Library has been home to the Tolkien Archive, a collection of manuscripts, artwork, and even a Middle-earth map with Tolkien"s handwritten notes. His legacy is one of timeless fantastical tales that have delighted generations of readers since they were written more than 70 years ago. His stories encourage us to seize each day and make the most of the time that is given to us.

© Andrew Holt/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jan 3, 2019How do ladybugs winter?
Jan 3, 2020 Field of Light at Sensorio by Bruce Munro
Jan 3, 2021An Alpine fairy-tale castle
Jan 3, 2022Lick Observatory
Jan 3, 2023Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
Jan 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
Jan 3, 2026J.R.R. Tolkien Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 13, 2025Iceland for International Rock Day
Jun 30, 2019San Francisco’s City Hall illuminated by the iconic colors of Pride
Jul 11, 2021Why, aloe there
Nov 11, 2022Veterans Day
May 10, 2025Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota
Jan 14, 2018Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
Jul 19, 2025National Moth Week
Aug 21, 2020Lobster tales
Aug 21, 2023Discovery Day in Yukon, Canada
Mar 25, 2025Tolkien Reading Day
May 18, 2020Desert rose of Qatar
Mar 10, 2019In praise of the pipes
Mar 13, 2021All hail the king of shrubs
Dec 28, 202350 years of the Endangered Species Act
Jan 13, 2023Giant kelp in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Jul 23, 2024Methoni Castle, Messenia, Greece
Mar 3, 2018Celebrating World Wildlife Day
Jan 8, 2022American bison
Sep 25, 2019Chilling out in the Arctic
Mar 18, 2026Cherry blossoms at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon
Mar 21, 2018Celebrating the International Day of Forests
Jan 16, 2020In the valley of the doll
Mar 29, 2022Northern coast of Colombia
Dec 30, 2019Sky island views
Apr 8, 2022Ponta Delgada
Jun 2, 2019An island for the birds
Sep 21, 2023International Day of Peace
Jul 29, 2022International Tiger Day
Jul 14, 2019Nesting season for the leatherbacks
Jan 24, 2026Andermatt village in the Alps, Switzerland