2006-09-23<BR>　　Jerusalem, Israel, 1984<BR>　　Photograph by James L. Stanfield<BR>　　Crowds of Muslims flock to the Dome of the Rock mosque during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. This spot in Jerusalem is sacred to three of the world's great religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.<BR>　　<BR>　　In 2006, Ramadan will be observed from September 23 through October 22. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Searching for the Center: Israel," July 1985, National Geographic magazine<BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/05275_88.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-24<BR>　　Jerusalem, Israel, 1984<BR>　　Photograph by James L. Stanfield<BR>　　Crowds of Muslims flock to the Dome of the Rock mosque during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. This spot in Jerusalem is sacred to three of the world's great religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.<BR>　　<BR>　　In 2006, Ramadan will be observed from September 23 through October 22. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Searching for the Center: Israel," July 1985, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/05275_88.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-24<BR>　　North Florida, 1998<BR>　　Photograph by Wes Skiles<BR>　　A diver swims through the underground labyrinth of Florida's springs. This bountiful aquatic network has mystified explorers from Ponce de León to the rubber-suited conquistadors of contemporary hydrology. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida Springs," March 1999, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/06430_13.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-25<BR>　　Loango National Park, Gabon, Africa, 2003<BR>　　Photograph by Michael Nichols<BR>　　Days of tedious planning and the careful placement of an infrared camera trap produced a rare image of an adult male African forest elephant. The shot was triggered as the bull rose from a dip in the Echira River. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "In the Land of the Surfing Hippos," August 2004, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/MM7095_0017.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-26<BR>　　Assisi, Italy, 1998<BR>　　Photograph by O. Louis Mazzatenta<BR>　　This six-inch-wide (15-centimeter-wide) chunk of fresco from the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is one of the largest pieces recovered after a severe earthquake struck the area on September 26, 1997. Natural disasters, modern hazards, and decay threaten Italy's heritage while citizens and scientists struggle to preserve it. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Italy's Endangered Art," August 1999, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/06497_2.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-27<BR>　　Munich, Bavaria, Germany, Date Unknown<BR>　　Photograph by George F. Mobley<BR>　　Revelers celebrate Oktoberfest in Bavaria, the land of Gemütlichkeit, comradeship and good cheer. The autumnal fair (to be held in 2006 from September 16 to October 1) is Germany's best known celebration and draws millions of visitors to the city of Munich every year for hearty food, brass bands, and lots and lots of beer. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Bavaria: Mod, Medieval—and Bewitching," March 1974, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/01540_92.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-28<BR>　　Vaud, Switzerland, 1985<BR>　　Photograph by Jodi Cobb<BR>　　"Decked like dowagers at a garden party, Ch;acirc;teux-d'Oex milkers return in fall from mountain pastures. The annual descent, known as désalpe in the French-speaking canton of Vaud, becomes Alpabfahrt in German-speaking Bern."<BR>　　<BR>　　Désalpe is celebrated with festivals in late September or early October throughout many Alpine villages. <BR>　　(Text from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Mountain Worlds, 1988) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/BS077_136.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-28<BR>　　Vaud, Switzerland, 1985<BR>　　Photograph by Jodi Cobb<BR>　　"Decked like dowagers at a garden party, Ch;acirc;teux-d'Oex milkers return in fall from mountain pastures. The annual descent, known as désalpe in the French-speaking canton of Vaud, becomes Alpabfahrt in German-speaking Bern."<BR>　　<BR>　　Désalpe is celebrated with festivals in late September or early October throughout many Alpine villages. <BR>　　(Text from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book Mountain Worlds, 1988) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/BS077_136.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-29<BR>　　Cape Canaveral, Florida, 1988<BR>　　Photograph by Otis Imboden<BR>　　On the morning of September 29, 1988, space shuttle Discovery stands on its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Redesigned after Challenger's fatal 1986 explosion, Discovery's primary objective was to launch a communications satellite. Perhaps more importantly, Discovery also relauched the U.S. space program after a two-and-a-half-year moratorium on space travel. <BR>　　(Photograph shot on assignment for National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/05166_48.jpg"><BR>
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　2006-09-30<BR>　　Topsfield, Massachusetts, 1983<BR>　　Photograph by Bruce Dale<BR>　　The Topsfield Fair, just off Route 1 in Topsfield, Massachusetts, has been entertaining crowds since 1818. People from nearby towns have gathered over the years to marvel at oxen-plowing matches, women who change into gorillas, and a succession of technological developments, like the noisy gasoline engines that were on display back in 1903. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for "A Journey Down Old U.S. 1," December 1984, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/05189_267.jpg"><BR>
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