National Find a Rainbow Day Apr 3, 2025

National Find a Rainbow Day

Have you ever spotted a rainbow and felt a little lucky? National Find a Rainbow Day, celebrated today, is all about looking to the sky for that magical mix of sun and rain. Nature"s color wheel has long been linked to myths and legends, from Norse gods to the Irish leprechaun"s pot of gold. But beyond folklore, the science behind rainbows is just as compelling. The first real explanation came from Theodoric of Freiberg, a German physicist, in 1304. He discovered that rainbows form when sunlight enters a raindrop, bends, reflects inside, and then bends again as it exits. This process splits light into its colors, creating the spectrum we see. The classic "ROYGBIV" (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) doesn"t tell the whole story—rainbows contain millions of colors blended together.

© Frank Staub/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Apr 3, 2018The village of Castelluccio above the Piano Grande, Umbria, Italy
Apr 3, 2019Dark skies over New Mexico
Apr 3, 2020The rainbow connection
Apr 3, 2021A light at the edge of the world
Apr 3, 2022Lake Tai s cherry trees in bloom
Apr 3, 2023National Find a Rainbow Day
Apr 3, 2024Find a Rainbow Day
Apr 3, 2026Armbrug bridge, Amsterdam, Netherlands

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 6, 2021On this shore, history was made
Dec 24, 2023Christmas Eve
Jan 11, 2018Bow Bridge in Central Park, New York City
Jul 28, 2018Defying gravity on a swing ride
Sep 22, 2023World Rhinoceros Day
Dec 4, 2024Wildlife Conservation Day
May 9, 2023A castle fit for a count
May 9, 2024Tulips at Emirgan Park in Istanbul, Türkiye
Feb 11, 2026Death Valley National Parks Anniversary
Nov 20, 2025World Childrens Day
Mar 29, 2026Peggys Point Lighthouse, Atlantic Coast, Nova Scotia, Canada
Dec 23, 2024Celebrating Festivus
Jan 13, 2026Hen Galan
Nov 22, 2018Tom Turkey takes Manhattan
Jul 23, 2021Let the games (finally) begin!
Apr 23, 2024World Book Day
Mar 29, 2021Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
Apr 13, 2025Songkran—Thai New Year
Nov 3, 2020Vote!
Mar 16, 2019Quilts as high art
May 18, 2025International Museum Day
Mar 28, 2020The meeting point of the winds
Mar 17, 2025Happy St. Patricks Day!
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Jan 28, 2021Avatars of the Wolf Moon
Mar 28, 2026African buffalo, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Feb 5, 2026Salt evaporation ponds on the island of Gozo, Malta
Apr 7, 2022Málaga, Spain
May 15, 2025Palace of Westminster, London, England
Jul 10, 2025Independence Day of the Bahamas