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Informationen zum Autor MARK COLLINS JENKINS is the former chief historian of the National Geographic Society's archives and has, in all likelihood, read every article ever published by the National Geographic magazine. He is the author of High Adventure, National Geographic 125, Worlds to Explore: Tales of Travel and Adventure, The Book of Marvels, and Vampire Forensics from National Geographic. Klappentext Join National Geographic archaeologists and adventurers, explorers and scientists on this thrilling jaunt through more than 125 years of research, discovery, and unforgettable photojournalism. Featuring behind-the-scenes tales and show-stopping imagery, this book captures the heart of the Society's fascinating history, from its earliest days as a scientific club to its growth into one of the world's largest geographic organizations. It's all here, from Jacques Cousteau's pioneering underwater explorations to James Cameron's recent record-breaking descent to the floor of the Mariana Trench, the oceans' deepest point. Countless other explorers and their astounding achievements through the years are documented, including Louis Leakey, Jane Goodall, Spencer Wells, and Sylvia Earle. More than 200 photos, sidebars, and fun facts accompany these amazing stories, pulling you from one adventure to the next. It's well known that National Geographic has been to the top of Mount Everest and reached the depths of the Mariana Trench, but did you know that: A 1957 National Geographic article inspired the creator of the pink plastic lawn flamingo? A National Geographic writer on assignment found the source of the Amazon River? The world-famous photo of our green-eyed Afghan girl almost never happened?“The members of our Society will not be confined to professional geographers, but will include that large number who, like myself, desire to promote special researches by others, and to diffuse the knowledge... so that we may all know more of the world upon which we live.” --Gardiner Greene Hubbard From the top of Mount Everest to the depths of the sea, from the world beneath the microscope to the stars in distant galaxies, the National Geographic Society has reported on “the world and all that is in it” for over a century. More than eight million members and an ever increasing global audience turn to the National Geographic Society’s magazines, books, television channel, educational products, and website to increase their understanding of earth, sea, and sky and to spark their sense of wonder. The seed for this global audience was planted in Washington, D.C., on January 13, 1888. A group of 33 of the city’s scientific and intellectual leaders met at the Cosmos Club on that chilly night to consider “the advisability of organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge.” They were energetic men with widely ranging professions as geologists, geographers, meteorologists, cartographers, bankers, lawyers, naturalists, soldiers, and sailors. What they had in common was the desire to promote scientific study and make the results available to the public. Many were in their 20s and 30s and actively pursuing careers that took them to places far removed from the smoky, high-ceilinged Cosmos Club. They wandered far and wide in the pursuit of science, but each autumn they returned to Washington from fieldwork posts in the deserts of the West, the forests of Alaska, or far out on the oceans. Washington, D.C., was home to most of the federal government’s leading scientific bureaus: the U.S. Geological Survey, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Navy Hydrographic Office, and the Smithsonian Institution, to name a few. In such places they analyzed their data, wrote up their results, and sought funding for another season in the field. They helped transform wintertime Washington into a vibrant city of intellectual activity. The founders certai...