(Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post)Along with the light bulb, telephone and airplane, American ingenuity invented the national park. Created in 1916 to administer a burgeoning portfolio of prime properties, the National Park Service now includes national monuments, recreation areas, historic seashores and battlefields. A few days later, we stopped at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. The National Park Service presides over the most significant natural wonders and historic landmarks in the United States, a pretty impressive list. Attesting to the concept’s soundness, countries around the world emulated our example, preserving Los Glaciares National Park (Argentina), Victoria Falls (Zambia) and Zhangjiajie National Park (China) for posterity — and, of course, tourism.

Source: Washington Post August 19, 2016 21:00 UTC