The Map: Bering Strait, 1860s
A chart drawn on seal skin challenges our ideas of what constitutes a map.
Kate Wiles
The Map: The Moon, 1647
A 17th-century map by the founder of lunar topography, Johannes Hevelius.
Bootlegger’s Map of the United States, 1926
An illustrated map of the US responded to Prohibition with puns.
The Map: The Principal Mountains and Rivers of the World, 1829
A comparison chart illustrating the beauty that science could produce.
The First Modern Olympic Games
In the first games, which began on 6 April, 1896, 241 athletes from 14 countries competed in 43 events.
The Map: Vesuvius, 1832
Kate Wiles on Auldjo’s artistic map of Vesuvius across 200 year of major eruptions.
Walter Ralegh’s Final Voyage
Ralegh's fateful attempt to discover El Dorado began on March 17th, 1617.
The Map: Granada, 1521
Kate Wiles highlights the Ottoman cartographer Piri Re’is and his charts, which blend navigation and art.
Oaths of Strasbourg Sworn
The earliest surviving written evidence of a Romance language, the Oaths of Strasbourg were sworn on February 14th, 842.
The Map: The Road from London to Dover, 1675
A look at John Ogilby's Britannia road atlas.