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PHOTO OF THE DAY September 25, 2003  

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Where St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
When 1940
Photographer Edwin L. Wisherd

"Sun-kissed bathers hold aloft 'stars' plucked from balmy seas. The spiny, five-rayed creatures abound on sandy shallows in Durloe (Caneel) Bay, island of St. John, smallest of the three principal islands in the United States Virgins group. Among the verdant hills and beside the numerous bays of this island live 750 people. Apart from simple agriculture, the only industries are charcoal making, basketweaving, and bay-leaf brewing. In 1917 the United States bought the Virgins from Denmark for 25 million dollars—three and a half times the amount paid for Alaska."

—From "The American Virgins," National Geographic magazine, September 1940

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