Difference between revisions of "National Geographic Society" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
Line 42: Line 42:
 
[[Image:Dancer of the Cafes NGM-v31-p269.jpg|thumb|A dancer of the cafes, Algeria, 1917 color photography from the ''National Geographic Magazine'']]
 
[[Image:Dancer of the Cafes NGM-v31-p269.jpg|thumb|A dancer of the cafes, Algeria, 1917 color photography from the ''National Geographic Magazine'']]
  
On January 13, 1888, 33 explorers and scientists gathered at the [[Cosmos Club]], a private club then located on [[President's Park#Lafayette Square|Lafayette Square]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], to organize "a society for the increase and diffusion of [[geography|geographical]] knowledge." After preparing a constitution and a plan of organization, the National Geographic Society was incorporated two weeks later on January 27. [[Gardiner Greene Hubbard]] became its first president and his son-in-law, [[Alexander Graham Bell]], eventually succeeded him in 1897 following his death. Bell's son-in-law [[Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor]] was named the first full-time editor of National Geographic Magazine and served the organization for fifty-five years, and members of the Grosvenor family have played important roles in the organization since. Bell and his son-in-law, Grosvenor, devised the successful marketing notion of Society membership and the first major use of photographs to tell stories in magazines. The current Chairman of the Board of Trustees of National Geographic is [[Gilbert Melville Grosvenor]], who received the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 2005 for the Society's leadership for Geography education. In 2004, the National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C. was one of the first buildings to receive a "Green" certification<ref>http://news.nationalgeographic.com/kids/2004/04/greenbuilding.html</ref> from [[Global Green USA]].<ref>[http://globalgreen.org/index.html Global Green<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref> The National Geographic received the prestigious [[Prince of Asturias Award]] for Communications and Humanity in October 2006 in [[Oviedo, Spain]].
+
On January 13, 1888, thirty-three [[Exploration|explorers]] and [[science|scientists]] gathered at the [[Cosmos Club]], a private club then located on [[President's Park#Lafayette Square|Lafayette Square]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], to organize "a society for the increase and diffusion of [[geography|geographical]] knowledge."  
 +
 
 +
After preparing a constitution and a plan of organization, the National Geographic Society was incorporated two weeks later on January 27. [[Gardiner Greene Hubbard]] became its first president and his son-in-law, [[Alexander Graham Bell]], eventually succeeded him in 1897 following his death. Bell's son-in-law [[Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor]] was named the first full-time editor of National Geographic Magazine and served the organization for fifty-five years; members of the Grosvenor family have played important roles in the organization since.  
 +
 
 +
Bell and his son-in-law, Grosvenor, devised the successful marketing notion of Society membership and the first major use of [[photography|photographs]] to tell stories in magazines. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of National Geographic in 2008 is [[Gilbert Melville Grosvenor]], who received the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 2005 for the Society's leadership in geography education.  
 +
 
 +
In 2004, the National Geographic Headquarters in [[Washington, D.C.]] was one of the first buildings to receive a "Green" certification from [[Global Green USA]] in recognition of their efforts "to support a sustainable and secure world." <ref>''Global Green USA''.
 +
[http://globalgreen.org/awards/Awards_millen.html Global Green USA's Green Cross Millennium Awards] Retrieved May 25, 2008.</ref>
 +
 
 +
The Society received the prestigious [[Prince of Asturias Award]] for Communications and Humanity in October 2006 in [[Oviedo, Spain]].
  
 
==Publications==
 
==Publications==

Revision as of 11:03, 25 May 2008

National Geographic Soc.gif
Motto "To increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural, historical, and natural resources."
Established 1888
President John M. Fahey
Headquarters Washington, D.C., USA
Membership 8.5 million
Founder Gardiner Greene Hubbard
Homepage www.nationalgeographic.com

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history.

Overview

The historical mission of the National Geographic Society is "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural, historical, and natural resources." [1] As NGS President and CEO (since March 1998), John Fahey succinctly put it; its purpose is to inspire people to care about the planet.

The Society is governed by a twenty-three member Board of Trustees composed of educators, businesspeople, scientists, former governmental officials, and conservationists. The organization sponsors and funds scientific research and exploration.

Some of the NGS' projects include:

  • The publication of an official journal, National Geographic Magazine, and other magazines, books, school products, maps, other publications, web and film products in numerous languages and countries around the world.
  • An educational foundation which provides grants to education organizations and individuals to enhance geography education. [2] Its Committee for Research and Exploration has given grants for scientific research for most of the Society's history and has recently awarded its 9,000th grant for scientific research, conducted worldwide and often reported on by its media properties.
  • Various media outlets which reach approximately 360 million people around the world each month. [3]
  • A museum - free to the public - in downtown Washington, D.C., which sponsors a wide variety of changing exhibitions as well as permanent and interactive displays from around the world. [4]

History

File:Dancer of the Cafes NGM-v31-p269.jpg
A dancer of the cafes, Algeria, 1917 color photography from the National Geographic Magazine

On January 13, 1888, thirty-three explorers and scientists gathered at the Cosmos Club, a private club then located on Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., to organize "a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge."

After preparing a constitution and a plan of organization, the National Geographic Society was incorporated two weeks later on January 27. Gardiner Greene Hubbard became its first president and his son-in-law, Alexander Graham Bell, eventually succeeded him in 1897 following his death. Bell's son-in-law Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor was named the first full-time editor of National Geographic Magazine and served the organization for fifty-five years; members of the Grosvenor family have played important roles in the organization since.

Bell and his son-in-law, Grosvenor, devised the successful marketing notion of Society membership and the first major use of photographs to tell stories in magazines. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of National Geographic in 2008 is Gilbert Melville Grosvenor, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 for the Society's leadership in geography education.

In 2004, the National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C. was one of the first buildings to receive a "Green" certification from Global Green USA in recognition of their efforts "to support a sustainable and secure world." [5]

The Society received the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanity in October 2006 in Oviedo, Spain.

Publications

National Geographic Magazine

Cover of January, 1915 National Geographic

The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, published its first issue nine months after the Society was founded as the Society's official journal, a benefit for joining the tax exempt National Geographic Society. The magazine has had for many years a trademarked yellow border around the edge of its cover.

There are 12 monthly issues of National Geographic per year, plus at least four additional map supplements. On rare occasions, special issues of the magazine are also created. The magazine contains articles about geography, popular science, world history, culture, current events and photography of places and things all over the world and universe. The National Geographic magazine is currently published in 31 language editions in many countries around the world. Combined English and other language circulation is nearly nine million monthly with more than fifty million readers monthly.

Other publications

In addition to its flagship magazine, the Society publishes five other periodicals in the United States:

  • National Geographic Kids: launched in 1975 as National Geographic World, it adopted its current name in 2001. It has a U.S. circulation of over 1 1/2 million. There are also currently 18 local language editions of NG Kids, with another half million in circulation. An Arabic edition of the children's magazine was launched in Egypt in early 2007, and more than 42,000 copies are distributed to all the public schools in Egypt, in addition to another 15,000 single copy sales. More recently, an Albanian edition was launched.
  • National Geographic Little Kids: for children aged 3-6.
  • National Geographic Traveler: launched in 1984. There are seven language editions of NG Traveler.
  • National Geographic Adventure: launched in 1999
  • National Geographic Explorer: classroom magazine launched in 2001 as National Geographic for Kids, which has grown to about 2 1/2 million circulation.

The Society also runs an online news outlet, National Geographic News[6].

The Society previously published:

  • The National Geographic School Bulletin, magazine similar to the National Geographic but aimed at grade school children, was published weekly during the school year from 1919 to 1975, when it was replaced by National Geographic World.
  • During the 1980s and 1990s, it published a research journal which later closed.

The Society has also published maps, atlases, and numerous books.

In October 2007, National Geographic created a new Global Media group composed of its magazine, book publishing, television, film, music, radio, digital media and maps units. Tim Kelly, 51, president and CEO of National Geographic Ventures, has been named president, Global Media.

Television

Stories by the National Geographic Society are shown on television. National Geographic specials as well as television series have been shown on PBS and other networks in the United States and globally for many years. The Geographic series in the U.S. started on CBS in 1964, moved to ABC in 1973 and shifted to PBS (produced by WQED, Pittsburgh) in 1975. It has featured stories on numerous scientific figures such as Louis Leakey, Jacques Cousteau, or Jane Goodall that not only featured their work but helped make them world-famous and accessible to millions. The specials' theme music, by Elmer Bernstein, was also adopted by the National Geographic Channel. The National Geographic Channel has begun to launch a number of subbranded channels in international markets, such as Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Junior, and Nat Geo Music.

In 1997, internationally, and in 2001 in the United States, the Society launched, in part ownership with other entities like News Corporation, the National Geographic Channel, a television channel with global distribution for cable and satellite viewers.

National Geographic Films, a wholly-owned taxable subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, has also produced a feature film based on the diary of a Russian submarine commander starring Harrison Ford in K-19: The Widowmaker, and most recently retooling a French-made documentary for U.S. distribution with a new score and script narrated by Morgan Freeman called March of the Penguins, which received an Academy Award for the Best Documentary in 2006. After a record $77 million theatrical gross in the United States, over four million DVD copies of March of the Penguins have been sold. National Geographic Films launched a new feature film in July called Arctic Tale, featuring the story of two families of walrus and polar bears. Queen Latifah is the narrator of this film. Inspired by a National Geographic Magazine article, National Geographic opened in October 2007 a 3-D large format and Reality 3-D film called Sea Monsters, with a musical score by Peter Gabriel. National Geographic Films is co-producing with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt the 10-hour mini series of Steven Ambrose's award-winning Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West for HBO. The National Geographic website (nationalgeographic.com) provides a wealth of content in multimedia formats, including a recently launched site highlighting world music.

Support for research & projects

The Society has helped sponsor many expeditions and research projects over the years, including:

  • Codex Tchacos - Conservation and translation of the only known surviving copy of the Gospel of Judas
  • Ian Baker - Discovers hidden waterfall of the Tsangpo Gorge, Tibet
  • Robert Ballard - RMS Titanic (1985) and John F. Kennedy's PT-109 (2002) discovery
  • Robert Bartlett - Arctic Exploration (1925-45)
  • George Bass - Undersea archaeology - Bronze Age trade
  • Lee Berger - Oldest footprints of modern humans ever found
  • Hiram Bingham - Machu Picchu Excavation (1915)
  • Richard E. Byrd - First flight over South Pole (1929)
  • Jacques-Yves Cousteau - Undersea exploration
  • Mike Fay - MegaTransect (1999) and MegaFlyover (2004) in Africa
  • Dian Fossey - Mountain gorillas
  • Birute Galdikas - Orangutans
  • Jane Goodall - Chimpanzees
  • Robert F. Griggs - Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (1916)
  • Heather Halstead - World Circumnavigations of Reach the World
  • Louis and Mary Leakey - Discovery of manlike Zinjanthropus, more than 1.75 million years old
  • Gustavus McLeod - First flight to the North Pole in an open-air cockpit aircraft
  • Robert Peary and Matthew Henson - North Pole Expedition (1905)
  • Paul Sereno - Dinosaurs
  • Will Steger - Polar Exploration & First Explorer-in-Residence 1996[7]
  • Spencer Wells - The Genographic Project
  • Xu Xing - Discovery of fossil dinosaurs in China that have distinct feathers

The Society supports many socially-based projects including AINA, a Kabul-based organization dedicated to developing an independent Afghan media, which was founded by one of the Society's most famous photographers, Reza.

The Society also sponsors the National Geographic Bee, an annual geographic contest for American middle-school students. More than four million students a year begin the geography competition locally, which culminates in a national competition of the winners of each state each May in Washington, D.C. Alex Trebek has moderated the final competition since the competition began some seventeen years ago. Every two years, the Society conducts an international geography competition of competing teams from all over the world. The most recent was held at Marineworld in San Diego, California during the summer of 2007, and had representatives from 18 country teams. The team from Mexico emerged as the winner.

Hubbard Medal

Anne Morrow Lindbergh's customized medal detailing her flight route

The Hubbard Medal is awarded by the National Geographic Society for distinction in exploration, discovery, and research. The medal is named for Gardiner Greene Hubbard, the first National Geographic Society president. The Hubbard Medal has been presented 34 times as of 2000, the most recent award going posthumously to Matthew Henson, Robert Peary's fellow Arctic explorer.[8]

See also

  • National Geographic Magazine
  • Royal Geographical Society
  • Royal Canadian Geographical Society
  • Maps of the United States
  • National Geographic Bee

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  1. National Geographic Society. National Geographic Online Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  2. National Geographic Society. National Geographic Education Foundation Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  3. U.S. Department of State. National Geographic Society Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  4. National Geographic Society. National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  5. Global Green USA. Global Green USA's Green Cross Millennium Awards Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  6. National Geographic News
  7. Explorer-in-Residence
  8. Allen Counter accepts Hubbard medal for Henson

Further reading

  • Poole, Robert M. (2004). Explorers House: National Geographic and the World it Made. New York: Penguin. ISBN 1594200327. 

External links

All Links Retrieved May 25, 2008.

Wikisource-nt.png
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The National Geographic Magazine
Official websites
Additional resources
Additional information
Photos, maps, and other images

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.