National Geographic History

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A Mysterious Dynasty • In the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos, the tomb of an unknown ruler has come to light.

A Megaraptor’s Last Supper • A bone locked between the 70 million-year-old predator’s jaws gives scientists a rare look into its life and possibly its last meal.

THE LOVELY BONES

Science in the Service of Children

Maria Montessori, an Educational Visionary • Working with children with disabilities, Italian doctor Maria Montessori discovered a method by which children learn on their own, thanks to their love of play.

SEPARATED FROM HER SON

SCARBOROUGH SCHOOL

Pre-Hispanic Costa Rica: The Kingdom of Nicoya • The Chorotega people arrived in western Costa Rica from southern Mexico and created a society dominated by chieftains in which trade and the arts flourished.

GREAT NICOYA

Art From the North • The presence of Mesoamerican peoples on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica dates back to the second century A.D. Their influence marked the art of the Nicoya area, notably ceremonial metates (mortars), jade work, and rich polychrome ceramics.

The High-Flying Feathers of the Ostrich • To satisfy Europe’s insatiable hungerfor ostrich plumes as fashionable high-class accessories, the birds began to be farmed, and an industry was born.

An Unusual Mount

Liverpool to Manchester: The First Passenger Train • In 1830 a steam locomotive pulled a train with a cargo of passengers for the first time on an intercity trip in the U.K., ushering in a new era in the history of transportation.

A MANUFACTURED CHASM

A ROCKET ON WHEELS

THE STEPHENSONS

ANCIENT SCIENCE IN MESOPOTAMIA • Long before the Greeks and Romans, the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia developed a genuine scientific culture that led to important advances in fields such as medicine, astronomy, and chemistry.

THE ORIGINS OF SCIENCE

The First Measuring Stick in History

The Number Pi

The Nimrud Lens

A Medical Encyclopedia

Perfume Recipes

PYRAMIDS OF THE MAYA EMBLEMS OF A CIVILIZATION • At the heart of their cities, the ancient Maya erected imposing pyramids as places for worship and burial, often preserving the remains of earlier constructions inside them.

The Rise and Fall of the Maya

MAYA HUMAN SACRIFICE

CONSTRUCTION AND DECORATION

THE PYRAMID AS A SACRED MOUNTAIN

HIDDEN ROYAL TOMBS

A PYRAMID OF MANY LAYERS

THE SEVEN PHASES OF TEMPLE 16 IN COPÁN • The Maya built their pyramids by superimposing new structures on top of earlier ones. This was the case with Temple 16, the tallest structure in Copán, inside of which older constructions are hidden, including the impressive Rosalila temple.

SALEM WITCH HUNT • In 1692, in a town near Boston, dozens of people, mostly women, were accused of having made pacts with the devil. Nineteen of them were put to death by hanging.

A STORY OF HYSTERIA?

WHO WAS TITUBA OF SALEM?

A COLONY ON TENTERHOOKS

SPECTRAL EVIDENCE IN THE COURTROOM

FACES OF THE DEVIL IN SALEM VILLAGE • During the Salem witch hunt, witnesses testified that the devil physically tormented his victims, caused the death of children and livestock, and appeared in the form of monstrous beings. They also mentioned diabolical books and covens. These elements had already featured in witch hunts in Europe.

GOYA A VISIONARY IN DARK TIMES • After the expulsion of Napoleon’s...