Maps

John Wesley Powell by Edmund Clarence Messer, 1889

The Visionary John Wesley Powell Had a Plan for Developing the West, But Nobody Listened

Powell’s foresight might have prevented the 1930s dust bowl and perhaps, today’s water scarcities

A scene from Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan.

Teaching Refugees How To Map Their World Could Have Huge Benefits

A pilot project trained Syrian refugees at a Jordan camp to create maps—an invaluable tool in a natural disaster or humanitarian crisis

This Is the Longest Straight-Line Ocean Path Around the Earth

But don't go hauling your boats out just yet

In the new book North on the Wing from Smithsonian Books, author Bruce Beehler (above left) follows the spring migration of songbirds.

Thirty-Seven Warblers in a Hundred Days

A Smithsonian ornithologist follows the songbird migration north from the Gulf of Mexico. A new book tells his story

Malacites of the Wanabaki Confederacy standing along the edge of the water at French village, Kingsclear, celebrating Corpus Christi Day, ca 1887.

Researchers Are Tracing Wabanaki Canoe Routes in New Brunswick

The First Nation routes were ancient “highways” that traversed rivers, creeks and streams

Google Japan Now Has Street View From a Dog's Perspective

It's like riding an Akita around Japan

This Newly Digitized 16th-Century Planisphere Is the Largest-Known Early Map

Explore continents, islands and unicorns with scholar Urbano Monte's epic map that's been digitally pieced together by Stanford’s David Rumsey Map Center

New map of the Havre volcano

Scientist Autopsy the Aftermath of the Largest Underwater Volcanic Eruption of the Last Century

In 2012, miles of floating rock appeared in the Pacific. Now, scientists have studied the Havre seamount eruption that caused the mysterious pumice 'raft'

“Although it is a somewhat formidable trip, it is by no means impossible to get out to the Great Skellig, which is by far the most interesting island off the Irish coast.”

The True History of Luke Skywalker's Monastic Retreat

A Smithsonian Librarian delves into centuries of maps and manuscripts to discover ancient stories of this sacred place and sanctuary

None

New Map Reveals What Lies Below Greenland's Ice

This map of 'naked' Greenland is the most detailed yet and can help in refining climate predictions

The Codex Quetzalecatzin

Behold the Newly Digitized 400-Year-Old Codex Quetzalecatz

The manuscript dates back to the late 1500s, and was recently acquired by the Library of Congress

Conservationists Give New Life to 350-Year-Old Map of Australia

Created in 1663, the map reflects early knowledge of a mysterious continent

Benjamin Banneker as portrayed on a stamp released in 1980 as part of a Black Heritage series.

Three Things to Know About Benjamin Banneker's Pioneering Career

Banneker was a successful almanac-maker and self-taught student of mathematics and astronomy

Google Earth Leads to Discovery of 400 Stone "Gates" in Saudi Arabia

Amateur researchers first came across the rock structures in 2004. Four years later, after seeing them again on Google Earth, they decided to investigate

Google Trekker in Quttinirpaaq National Park

Now You Can Virtually Visit Quttinirpaaq National Park, One of the Most Remote Places on Earth

Google Street Views records the wonders of the northerly jewel

This Mapping Tool Could Help Wilderness Firefighters Plan Escape Routes

Firefighters may soon get safety help from a new technology that assesses terrain and plots a course out

The British Navy was a big deal in the 1700s.

Jane Squire and the Longitude Wars

The sixteenth-century debate over how to determine longitude had a lot of participants—and one woman

Explore the Secret Lives of Animals With These Marvelous Maps

A new book considers how sophisticated tracking technology and the data it collects can improve conservation strategies

This Is What Global Dissent Sounds Like

A new project maps almost 200 recordings taken in 27 different countries over the past 26 years

Looking out at Earth from the Cupola Observation Module of the International Space Station on Google Street View

Explore the International Space Station With Google Street View

An astronaut and Google mapped the ISS for Street View with a DSLR and a lot of patience

Page 4 of 9