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Every 15 August, India celebrates its independence with flag-hoisting ceremonies, patriotic songs, skies dotted with colourful kites and visitors gathering around iconic places like India Gate in New Delhi, pictured here. Behind the festivities, however, are fascinating stories that make the day even more memorable.

India became independent on this day in 1947, yet it didn't have an official national anthem. Although Rabindranath Tagore wrote Jana Gana Mana in 1911, it was adopted only in January 1950. Another surprise? Mahatma Gandhi wasn't in New Delhi for the celebrations. While Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his famous 'Tryst with Destiny' speech, Gandhi was in Calcutta (now Kolkata), working to calm communal violence through peace efforts and fasting.

The date itself was chosen by Lord Mountbatten because it marked the second anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Even the tricolour evolved over time, with the original charkha later replaced by the Ashoka Chakra, now a lasting symbol of progress, unity and justice.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of René Goscinny's birth, Brittany naturally evokes the world of Asterix. Because, as is often recalled in the famous comic strip, the village of the indomitable Gauls is located on the Armorican coast, in the heart of this peninsula beaten by the winds and the spray.

Between golden gorse, wild cliffs and mysterious dolmens, Brittany still bears the traces of a thousand-year-old past. Erected more than 6,000 years ago by Neolithic communities, these stone monuments feed the imagination and evoke the famous menhirs that Obelix carries with such ease. Under the changing sky of Armorica, history and legend intersect at every turn. Faced with these granite giants, it is easy to imagine Asterix and his faithful companion emerging from the fog, as a tribute to the timeless work of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

Shimoda Port is a historic port located at the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture. It was also the port where Perry's fleet arrived at the end of the Edo period, and with the 1854 Treaty of Peace and Amity between Japan and the United States, it became Japan's first port to open along with Hakodate Port. Its beautiful scenery surrounded by mountains and sea is attractive, and it is now cherished as a tourist and fishing port. Every year on August 14th and 15th, the "Shimoda Hachiman Shrine Reitaisai" (Shimoda Taiko Festival), boasting a history of about 400 years, is held, and the entire town is enveloped in vibrant energy with the majestic sound of drums. At dusk, the lights of the port town reflect on the water, creating a captivating landscape woven from history, nature, and traditional culture.

When darkness falls over Tenerife, Spain, the stars take centre stage. Perched high on the slopes of Mount Teide, Teide Observatory is one of the world's leading solar observatories and among the best places in Europe for astronomical research. Opened in 1964 at an altitude of about 2,390 metres, it benefits from clear skies, dry air and minimal light pollution for much of the year, making it ideal for observing the sun by day and the night sky after sunset.

Today's image captures the Perseid meteor shower above the observatory, one of the year's most reliable celestial displays. Active from mid-July to late August and usually peaking around 12-13 August, the shower is created when Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. As the tiny particles burn up in our atmosphere, they produce bright streaks of light that appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus. Under Teide's exceptionally dark skies, the annual spectacle is especially memorable.

A line of elephants emerges from the morning haze, calves keeping pace beside older relatives as they head towards a marsh. In Amboseli National Park, scenes like this unfold every day, shaped by water hidden beneath the ground. Meltwater from Mount Kilimanjaro filters through volcanic rock before surfacing as springs that keep the park's wetlands alive, even when the surrounding plains are dry. These permanent water sources sustain elephants, buffaloes, hippos and many other animals, while acacia woodland and open grassland support predators such as lions and cheetahs.

Established as a national park in 1974, Amboseli has become one of Africa's most important places for elephant research. Scientists have tracked generations of elephants for decades, documenting their family relationships, social behaviour and remarkable memories. The result is a deeper understanding of one of the world's most intelligent mammals and stronger evidence to support conservation across this shared Kenya–Tanzania ecosystem.

In the center of the city of Rio de Janeiro, there is a time machine that makes no noise, does not use fuel and has been working since the nineteenth century. Our image reveals the Royal Portuguese Reading Office, founded by Portuguese immigrants in 1837 to expand access to knowledge in a newly independent Brazil. There are about 350 thousand volumes, including rare works that helped shape our history.

On Student's Day, it is worth remembering that some of the best trips still start with a page. Each book is a meeting between minds separated by centuries, but united by curiosity. In the Royal Cabinet, navigators share space with novelists, scientists with poets, chroniclers with philosophers, and questions from yesterday continue to find readers today. Between carved wood, colored stained glass, wrought iron and thousands of pages, it is clear that, in a world obsessed with novelty, few technologies are as effective as opening a book and leaving it bigger than it entered.