Each day, a new Bing Homepage image transports you to a different corner of the globe or introduces you to some of the world’s most amazing creatures. As 2014 comes to a close, the Bing team wanted to look back at your favorite homepages of the year.
But first, we wanted to recall that Bing turned five this year, and with so many memorable images over the years, we marked the occasion by releasing the new Bing Homepage Gallery so you can access your favorite homepage images whenever you like. (Warning: This is a gem-laden rabbit hole, so you might want to clear your calendar.)
Of course, the Bing Homepage isn’t always just a still image. Sometimes it’s a video, other times an interactive panorama. And once in a while it’s something truly unique, like this year’s Homepage for Halloween. Spine-tingling ghost stories and a spooky animation showed once again that Bing users love a good scare.
Bing got into the holiday spirit again this month. Just in case you missed it, and need a little cozy holiday comfort, the Bing Yule Log will keep crackling until January 5, 2015. (To strike up the fire, click on the flame button at the bottom-right corner of the Homepage on your laptop or PC.)
Finally, as the year comes to a close, let’s look back on the 10 Bing Homepage images from 2014 that you liked most. Click the image captions to get full descriptions:
Kastellorizo Island, Greece (© Hercules Milas/Alamy)
Le Morne Brabant mountain and islet, Mauritius (© Ocean/Corbis)
Spillway, Monte da Rocha Dam, near Ourique, Portugal (© André Gonçalves/SuperStock)
Microphotograph of giant salvinia, a water fern (© Martin Oeggerli/Visuals Unlimited, Inc.)
Housing development, West Palm Beach, Florida (© Paul Nicklen/Corbis)
The Murinsel in Graz, Austria (© REX/WestEnd61)
Aizhai Bridge, Hunan Province, China (© Imaginechina/Corbis)
Pennan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland (© Eichhorst/neuebildanstalt/plainpicture)
World War II monument, Sutjeska National Park, Bosnia and Herzegovina (© Brendan van Son/Tandem Stills & Motion)
Train from Potrerillos mine to Diego de Almagro, Chile (© Jean-Marc Frybourg/Rex Features)
We can’t help but notice that many of the most-liked pictures tell a story of humanity touching the outermost edges of nature. Others depict our ability to create unusual structures that echo organic environments. And sometimes, they’re just pictures of nature being extra strange and beautiful.
Will your favorites in the coming year reflect these same themes? Or will we see new trends emerge? It’s a journey we can only take with you, so come explore with us again in 2015.
– The Bing Homepage Team