Did you know Microsoft paid THIS much for Windows XP's wallpaper

The Bliss was clicked by photographer Chuck O’Rear back in January 1996 when he was headed to meet his future wife in California. He took out his Mamiya RZ67 film camera and captured the hills without realizing that one day the photo would be bought by Microsoft.

Bliss, Windows XP's famous default wallpaper, is considered to be the most viewed photo in the world. Chuck O'Rear, a National Geographic photographer, took the shot in January 1996 on his way to meet his future wife in California. The lovely scene became renowned across the world after Microsoft purchased it from the stock photo firm Corbis and renamed it Bliss. The price Microsoft paid for the shot was not disclosed owing to a non-disclosure agreement, but Chuck O'Rear got more than $100,000 for the snap, making it the greatest payment ever paid for a single photo, according to Ladbible.

Chuck O'Rear took the photograph with a Mamiya RZ67 film camera and submitted it to Corbis. Later, Microsoft discovered the photograph and purchased it. The Bliss photograph, with its picturesque green hills and lovely white clouds, has become a symbol of nostalgia and is anticipated to last forever.

Aside from Bliss, Microsoft acquired another wallpaper, Autumn, which was photographed by Peter Burian and posted to Corbis. However, Peter Burian got far less than Chuck O'Rear, receiving only $45 for his photograph. Nonetheless, pictures by Chuck O'Rear and Peter Burian are still connected with Windows XP.

Chuck O'Rear claimed that he always has a camera with him and frequently stops while driving to shoot images. He took the Bliss shot unaware that it would one day become the default desktop image on practically every computer in the globe. The photograph has become a part of our collective memory, evoking nostalgia whenever we view it.