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So high, so low, so many things to know.
January 8, 2013 2:20 PM Subscribe

January 13, 2013 marks the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society. The Magazine is celebrating by taking a yearlong look at the past and future of exploration.

posted by zarq (10 comments total) 37 users marked this as a favorite

Great post!

The site has been profiling the 33 Founders of the National Geographic Society

This list is missing Phileas Fogg.
posted by arcticseal at 2:41 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

Thank you 10000X for sharing this post, Zarq.

Just started digging into this and the photos alone capture and pique one's interest.

Interesting article on restless genes, too.
posted by Wolfster at 3:03 PM on January 8

I was in college when they celebrated their 100th anniversary. Being a nerd, I spent most of my winter vacation reading National Geographic: 100 Years of Adventure and Discovery from cover to cover without stopping. Man, was I absorbed in that book. I was there, right along with the other staff members, founding a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge and inventing underwater photography. NG has been a huge part of my life, and will be until that life is over.
posted by Melismata at 3:03 PM on January 8

You know how when you subscribe to National Geographic you get a fancy certificate in the mail that has your name of it and says you are an official member of the National Geographic society? When I was like 15 and looking for my first job, that went in my CV portfolio. And now look at me.
posted by turgid dahlia 2 at 3:15 PM on January 8 [4 favorites]

I've always wondered why they aren't called International Geographic. I also think more of their journal should focus on extraterrestrial bodies and the ocean floor, the Earth's surface having been adequately mapped and all.
posted by Renoroc at 4:21 PM on January 8

Great title (in addition to a great post)
posted by Zonker at 6:50 PM on January 8

When I was like 15 and looking for my first job, that went in my CV portfolio. And now look at me.

/me stares
posted by grobstein at 7:01 PM on January 8

I used to work there, in fact started my working life there. So much to say, I think I have to think about it a while and come back.

I ended up going down the doc tv route, but the relationship between the Society and photography is fascinating. They used to shoot something like 20,000 frames or so per story. Just unthinkable resources, which is painful given today's media environment.

It started as a gentleman's club that found it had a gifted editor in the 20s who sent the circulation soaring, and as the money rolled in, as a non-profit it could only think that it had to spend that money.
posted by C.A.S. at 12:47 AM on January 9 [4 favorites]

Hey, that's my birthday, too! And I like exploration and taking pictures.
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:24 AM on January 9

National Geographic has been one of my favorite magazines for years - right up there with Smithsonian.
posted by Telpethoron at 7:38 PM on January 9

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So high, so low, so many things to know. January 8, 2013 2:20 PM Subscribe

So high, so low, so many things to know.
January 8, 2013 2:20 PM Subscribe