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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.

To celebrate, they are sponsoring six expeditions.

January's Issue
The New Age of Exploration
- Editor's Note: Wide World
- Historic Firsts for National Geographic
- The Highest Points of Exploration
- Exploring the Deepest Recesses of the Planet
- Microbes: Small, Small World They’re invisible. They’re everywhere. And they rule. The Smallest Parts of Our World

Risk Takers: Restless Genes. "The compulsion to see what lies beyond that far ridge or that ocean—or this planet—is a defining part of human identity and success."
- Gallery

Crazy Far: "To the stars, that is. Will we ever get crazy enough to go?"
- Gallery
- Archive Gallery: Magellanic Clouds
- Archive Gallery: Milky Way

Into the Unknown: "In December 1912, 30-year-old Douglas Mawson lost most of his supplies while exploring uncharted territory in Antarctica...."
- Gallery
- Related Gallery: The Man Who Took the Prize

Rain Forest for Sale: "Demand for oil is squeezing the life out of one of the world’s wildest places." Ecuador's Yasuni National Park
- Video:
Amazon Adventure
- Telling the Yasuní Story: the Five Photographers
- Fireside Spirit: "While photographing the Waorani culture, photographer Karla Gachet met one of the last jaguar shamans"
- There is a free podcast on iTunes with story writer Scott Wallace. Release Date: 1/1/13

Google Hangout
On January 13th, the magazine is conducting a Google Hangout with Robert Ballard, James Cameron and Jane Goodall. They will also chat with "cave diver Kenny Broad, Crittercam engineer Kyler Abernathy in Antarctica, wildlife conservationist Paula Kahumbu in Kenya, Sebastian Cruz who is part of a project studying tortoises in Ecuador, biologist Krithi Karanth in India, research engineer Albert Lin in California, and NG Weekend host Boyd Matson."

Blog Entries
The site has been profiling the 33 Founders of the National Geographic Society since last year in a series of blog entries:

* George Melville: A Survivor, A Rescuer, A National Geographic Founder
* Winfield Scott Schley: A Hero, But Not Without Controversy
* The Perils of Early Arctic Exploration
* So That We May All Know More Of The World Upon Which We Live…
* A Gallant Gentleman, an Ideal Friend
* Lighting the Way
* Setting a Precedent for the Story of the Perfect Storm
* James Howard Gore: Master of the Mathematics of the Earth
* In the Field with Plane Table and Horse…
* Henry Henshaw: The National Geographic Founder Who Helped Save America’s Birds
* The Other Powell: An Advocate for Geography Education
* Almon Thompson: The Self-Taught Cartographer Who Helped Found National Geographic
* The National Geographic’s Society’s First Expedition Leader
* Clinton Hart Merriam: From Teenage Taxidermist to National Geographic Founder
* George Kennan: An Investigative Reporter Who Helped Found the National Geographic Society
* Grove Karl Gilbert, “A Captain Bold”
* Clarence Dutton: Poet of the Grand Canyon
* A Smithsonian Man Who Helped Found the National Geographic Society
* John Russell Bartlett: An Admiral Turned Oceanographer
* Traveling the World to Study Its Waters
* Gilbert Thompson, Lying Bob, and the Ballad of Croppy the Mule
* The Story of the National Geographic Society’s Youngest Founder
* James Clarke Welling: A Champion of Education in the Nation’s Capital
* A Historic Journey Into Death Valley
* Dr. Frank Baker: If Only He Had Been Allowed To Treat President Garfield…
* National Geographic Founder Helped Settle Disputes Over States’ Boundaries
* How America’s Leading Hydrographer Helped Found The National Geographic Society
* William Dall: National Geographic Founder and Pioneer of Alaskan Exploration
* Charles J. Bell: Family Banker and National Geographic Founder
* Cleveland “Old Probabilities” Abbe: Forecaster and National Geographic Founder
* John Wesley Powell: Soldier, Explorer, Scientist and National Geographic Founder
posted by zarq (10 comments total) 36 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, 2013 [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, 2013 [1 favorite]


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, 2013


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, 2013 [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, 2013


Great title (in addition to a great post)
posted by Zonker at 6:50 PM on January 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


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, 2013


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, 2013 [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, 2013


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, 2013


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