"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."US National Park Service turns 100(1st park,Yellowstone,signed into law in 1872)

Extended Preview of Ken Burns documentary series on PBS, THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICAS BEST IDEA. The 12-hour, six-part documentary series, directed by Burns and co-produced with his longtime colleague, Dayton Duncan, who also wrote the script, is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone.

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"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
- John Muir, Our National Parks

On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service turned 100
The centennial celebrates the achievements of the past 100 years, but it is really about the future. It’s about kicking off a second century of stewardship for America’s national parks and for communities across the nation. Most importantly, it’s about inviting you to join us. We all have a role to play in ensuring that future generations of Americans will be able to enjoy the thrilling experiences of nature and wildlife, history and culture, and the spirit of adventure that is waiting at every national park.

While nature has had a hand in sculpting the awe-inspiring majesty of the US National Parks, it’s the people who work tirelessly to conserve, protect and share the parks that keep them pristine and perennially available to all who visit.

In commemoration of the Park Service’s centenary on 25 August 2016, BBC Travel uncovers the hidden, unknown side of the parks through the people who know them most intimately: rangers, field guides, scientists, artists and passionate enthusiasts. Each voice reveals a side to the parks that most tourists never see, as well as providing a unique glimpse into what it takes to do their jobs day in and day out.

While a handful of the parks existed as early as 1872, it wasn’t until 1916 that the US National Park Service was officially established – thanks to an Act of Congress signed by then President Woodrow Wilson. BBC Travel’s timeline tells the story of the parks chronologically, starting with Yellowstone, established in 1872, and ending with the newest park, Pinnacles, established as recently as 2013. With 59 parks and counting, who knows what's in store for the net 100 years!

National Geographic: See the Beauty of National Parks Captured From Space

List of national parks of the United States
The United States has 59 protected areas known as national parks that are operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. National parks must be established by an act of the United States Congress. The first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

"There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm."
- Theodore Roosevelt

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Photo courtesy NPS Photo / Gary Ladd, Neal Herbert, and Stephen Wilkes / National Geographic