By Staff
Most of us with an outdoor bent have a curiosity and fascination with wild, distant places. My affliction came at a very early age. Back in those days, though, it was mighty hard to find informational fuel for my fantasies about tropical jungles, African savannas and the mountain tops and tundras of the far north. The hunting and fishing publications were of some help but this was before every nook and cranny of the globe was accessible to outsiders so most magazines were pretty much confined to more local adventures. However, there was one glowing exception, my beloved National Geographic Magazines. I was different from the other early-pubescent boys of that era in that my interest in National Geographic went beyond the intoxicating pictures of topless native gals (not that those went ignored). Every month I anxiously awaited the next issue to see what new, far off place would be laid out before my eyes.
The National Geographic Society was formed by a group of Washington D.C. gents way back in 1888. At that time many areas of the world were little explored and far less yet revealed in detail with stunning photography and glowing script. The original stated mission of the Society was to increase geographical knowledge and they have remained true to that mission for well over a century now. Soon the Society's scope was expanded to include natural science, conservation, world culture and history. Just nine months after the Society was formed the first issue of National Geographic Magazine was published. From its earliest days this magazine would set the highest bar for photography and photojournalism. National Geographic photographers and journalists scattered out across the globe. Some enlightened us to the cultures and lands of our counterparts in Europe and the Far East, others ventured into the earths wildest reaches where few had ever tread.
For that era this publication was truly magical. Color photography was in its earliest infancy but almost from the beginning color photos were an integral part of the magazine. National Geographic Magazine and Kodak's color technology evolved together, each supporting the other. For the first time arm chair adventurers saw the world in living color. Of course, that was the time of big, bulky, box cameras utilizing glass plate film. By the 1930s 35mm film had proven capable of the magazine's standards and Geographic photographers gladly switched to those much handier cameras.
In the early days the articles were written as a benign, straightforward, presentation of facts. Later, Geographic journalists were given the leeway to be more outspoken on environmental issues. From the magazine's inception, however, it has remained out of the political arena. That's why during the Cold War National Geographic photojournalists were pretty much the only ones allowed unfettered into countries behind the Iron Curtain. The magazine strived to keep a crazy world in perspective with an unbiased, balanced view of the geography, animals, people and culture of communist countries.
Another trade mark of National Geographic Magazine is the maps. These are some of the best maps in the world and map junkies such as I cherish them. Franklin Roosevelt filled the White House Map Room with them and the U.S. Government has often turned to these maps when their own were lacking. Winston Churchill used a National Geographic map of Europe when the Allies and Russia were laying out the division of post-war Europe.
Today's National Geographic has changed very little. In 1959 full size color photos were added to the front cover but the distinctive yellow border that has been on every issue for its entire 118 years remains. The inside still includes the finest, book quality photographs and, month in and month out, the highest quality photojournalism in the world. In 1995 foreign language versions appeared, starting with Japanese. That has now expanded to 32 languages. Despite every window on earth being thrown wide open by the Internet National Geographic remains one of the world's most popular publications. Carpe diem.