Discovery History

Discover the fun facts about the world and become a master of geography with this interactive trivia book from Jeopardy! champ and New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings.

In 1856 Paul Du Chaillu marched into the equatorial wilderness of West Africa determined to bag an animal that, according to legend, was nothing short of a monster. When he emerged three years later, the summation of his efforts only hinted at what he'd experienced in one of the most dangerous regions on earth. Armed with an astonishing collection of zoological specimens, Du Chaillu leapt from the physical challenges of the jungle straight into the center of the biggest issues of the time.

By the mid-17th century, the existence of a land in the south referred to as Terra Australis was generally known and understood by the Europeans, and incrementally, its shores were observed and mapped. Van Diemen’s Land, an island off the south coast of Australia now called Tasmania, was identified in 1642 by Dutch mariner Abel Tasman, and a few months later, the intrepid Dutchman would add New Zealand to the map of the known world.

The book reveals the creative and innovative discoveries made as a result of in depth research, and years of Graduate studies, beginning at the Villa Schifanoia, and Villa I Tatti on Renaissance Art in Florence, Italy. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with Maria Theresa Duncan and La Bibliothèque Château de Versailles. The Renaissance Culture known as Humanistic, Humanitus, as depicted in the Sculpting and Paintings of Michelangelo, Sandro Boticelli, Raphael, Da Vinci and others. Man was in balance with the Greater Universe, Art and Architecture.

Charles Darwin’s theories, first published more than 150 years ago, still set the paradigm of how we understand the evolution of life--but scientific advances of recent decades have radically altered that. Now two pioneering scientists draw on their years of experience in paleontology, biology, chemistry, and astrobiology to deliver an eye-opening narrative using a generation’s worth of insights culled from new research.

Il viaggio di Darwin fu un'esperienza unica nella storia della scienza: una rivoluzione scientifica nata per mare, dopo che un giovane geologo e naturalista si era imbarcato quasi per caso nel 1831 su un brigantino di Sua Maestà diretto nei Mari del Sud. Cinque anni di mal di mare, di osservazioni meticolose, di strani esperimenti antropologici e di pensieri ancora embrionali. Nessuna illuminazione improvvisa incontrando iguana, fringuelli e testuggini. Solo molti dubbi, qualche buona domanda, tanta curiosità e la capacità di collegare fatti sparsi.

With Straits, celebrated historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto subjects the surviving sources to the most meticulous scrutiny ever, providing a timely and engrossing biography of the real Ferdinand Magellan. The truth that Fernández-Armesto uncovers about Magellan's life, his character, and the events of his ill-fated voyage offers up a stranger, darker, and even more compelling narrative than the fictional version that has been celebrated for half a millennium.

The discovery of Robert E. Lee's Special Orders No. 191 outside of Frederick, Maryland, on September 13, 1862, is one of the most hotly disputed events of the American Civil War. For more than 150 years, historians have debated if George McClellan, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, dawdled after receiving a copy of the orders before advancing to challenge Lee's forces. Authors Gene Thorp and Alexander Rossino document in exhaustive fashion how "Little Mac" in fact moved with uncharacteristic energy to counter the Confederate threat and take advantage of Lee's divided forces.

In the feverish, money-making age of railroad barons, political machines, and gold rushes, corruption was the rule, not the exception. Yet the Republican mogul "Big Alex" McKenzie defied even the era's standard for avarice. Charismatic and shameless, he arrived in the new Alaskan territory intent on controlling gold mines and draining them of their ore. Miners who had rushed to the frozen tundra to strike gold were appalled at his unabashed deviousness. A Most Wicked Conspiracy recounts McKenzie's plot to rob the gold fields.

Yellowstone is America's premier national park. Today Yellowstone is often a byword for conservation, natural beauty, and a way for everyone to enjoy the great outdoors. But it was not always this way. Wonderlandscape presents a new perspective on Yellowstone, the emotions that various natural wonders and attractions evoke, and how this explains the park's relationship to America as a whole.

Step into the captivating world of healthcare innovation and scientific breakthroughs with Medical Marvels: Amazing Discoveries in Health. This meticulously crafted journey takes you on a 30-day exploration of the most remarkable milestones in the field of medicine and healthcare. Each day unveils a new chapter in the story of humanity's quest for better health, offering a glimpse into the groundbreaking discoveries, cutting-edge technologies, and revolutionary advancements that have shaped the way we understand and approach healthcare.

Pirates were thieves and murderers. But even these criminals had to follow certain rules. And if they broke the rules, they faced severe punishments. Listen to learn about the pirate code and how it guided everyday life on a pirate ship.

Originariamente publicadas como folletín, en 1870, en el diario La Tribuna, las cartas que componen este libro son el particular relato de la expedición de Lucio V. Mansilla Tierra Adentro y de su encuentro con los indios ranqueles. Con una minuciosidad por momentos cercana a la obsesión, en ellas el autor toma nota de los detalles de la geografía pampeana y describe lúcidamente los hábitos, costumbres y comportamientos del mundo indígena, ese gran Otro de la literatura argentina.

"Columbus's Log: A Journey to the New World and Beyond" is an extensive and meticulously documented account of Christopher Columbus's historic voyage to the New World and its far-reaching consequences. This book takes readers on a captivating journey, exploring the preparations for the voyage, the challenges faced at sea, the encounters with indigenous peoples, the mapping of new territories, and the lasting impact of Columbus's exploration. With a comprehensive table of contents, readers can delve into various aspects of the voyage, including the navigational tools used, the hardships ...

The year 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the majestic river that bears his name. Just in time for this milestone, Douglas Hunter, sailor, scholar, and storyteller, has written the first book-length history of the 1609 adventure that put New York on the map. Hudson was commissioned by the mighty Dutch East India Company to find a northeastern passage over Russia to the lucrative ports of China. But the inscrutable Hudson, defying his orders, turned his ship around and instead headed west....

From the author of Ghosts in the Fog comes a story that will appeal to lovers of history, adventure, and dogs. Byrd & Igloo is the first narrative nonfiction audiobook to tell the daring adventures of legendary polar explorer and aviator Richard Byrd and his lovable dog explorer, Igloo. Byrd is known for being the first to fly a plane over the North and South Poles, while Igloo is famous for being the only dog to explore both the North and South Poles.

From the New York Times bestselling author of First Man comes a sweeping saga involving two extraordinary—and extraordinarily different—adventurers who have only one thing in common: the ambition to cross the Atlantic in a rowboat . . . alone. With gripping and insightful prose, James R. Hansen brings to life John Fairfax and Tom McClean's expeditions, from their battle with the elements to their own inner demons. Completely Mad is a nail-biting, epic tale of endurance, and listeners will be gripped until the end to find out who won.

This book will take you on a fascinating journey through the history of Christian thought. The journey includes surprising twists and turns as we navigate the three major views of hell in church history: (1) eternal conscious torment, (2) annihilationism (sinners will cease to exist), and (3) ultimate restoration (hell is an afterlife refinery leading all to repentance and faith in Christ). But this is much more than a tour through the underworld. This topic drives us to take a closer look at the Bible, Christian theology, and the character of God.

The association of the name James Cook with ideas of seafaring adventure and discovery is truly an indelible one. In this audiobook, we will explore the life of James Cook from his birth in 1728 in a humble Yorkshire village all the way to his death on the newly discovered Sandwich Islands - today known as Hawaii - in 1779.

Long at the margins of global affairs and at the edge of our mental map of the world, the Arctic has found its way to the center of the issues which will challenge and define our world in the twenty-first century: Energy security and the struggle for natural resources, climate change and its uncertain speed and consequences, the return of great power competition, the remaking of global trade patterns…