National Geographic Society founded 1888
On January 27, 1888, the National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., for “the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge.”
The 33 men who originally met and formed the National Geographic
Society were a diverse group of geographers, explorers, teachers,
lawyers, cartographers, military officers and financiers. All shared an
interest in scientific and geographical knowledge, as well as an opinion
that in a time of discovery, invention, change and mass communication,
Americans were becoming more curious about the world around them. With
this in mind, the men drafted a constitution and elected as the
Society’s president a lawyer and philanthropist named Gardiner Greene
Hubbard. Neither a scientist nor a geographer, Hubbard represented the
Society’s desire to reach out to the layman.
Nine months after its inception, the Society published its first
issue of National Geographic magazine. Readership did not grow, however,
until Gilbert H. Grosvenor took over as editor in 1899. In only a few
years, Grosvenor boosted circulation from 1,000 to 2 million by
discarding the magazine’s format of short, overly technical articles for
articles of general interest accompanied by photographs. National
Geographic quickly became known for its stunning and pioneering
photography, being the first to print natural-color photos of sky, sea
and the North and South Poles.
The Society used its revenues from the magazine to sponsor
expeditions and research projects that furthered humanity’s
understanding of natural phenomena. In this role, the National
Geographic Society has been instrumental in making possible some of the
great achievements in exploration and science. To date, it has given out
more than 1,400 grants, funding that helped Robert Peary journey to the
North Pole, Richard Byrd fly over the South Pole, Jacques Cousteau
delve into the sea and Jane Goodall observe wild chimpanzees, among many
other projects.
Today, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest
non-profit scientific and educational institutions. National Geographic
continues to sell as a glossy monthly, with a circulation of around 9
million. The Society also sees itself as a guardian of the planet’s
natural resources, and in this capacity, focuses on ways to broaden its
reach and educate its readers about the unique relationship that humans
have with the earth.
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Civil War
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Cold War
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Crime
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Disaster
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General Interest
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- 1967 Astronauts die in launch pad fire
- 1975 Senate investigation of FBI and CIA activities begins
- 1991 Somali dictator flees
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Hollywood
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Literary
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- 2010 “The Catcher in the Rye” author J.D. Salinger dies
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Music
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Old West
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Presidential
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Sports
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Vietnam War
- 1967 Donald Evans earns Medal of Honor
- 1973 Paris Peace Accords signed
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World War I
- 1918 Workers prepare to strike in Germany
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World War II
- 1943 Americans bomb Germans for first time
- 1944 Siege of Leningrad is lifted
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