On January 24th, 1996, the iconic "Bliss" photograph, which became the default wallpaper for Windows XP, was taken by Charles O'Rear. A former National Geographic photographer, O'Rear took the photo near Napa-Sonoma county in California, after an infestation forced the vineyards to be cleared from the hills prior. The photo was originally a stock image that was available through O'Rear's agency Westlight. In 2000, Microsoft obtained full rights to "Bliss", and used it to promote their Windows XP operating system. "Bliss" has since been considered to be the most viewed photograph in history, with estimated showing that the photo had been seen by over a billion people in history.
