130 years ago National Geographic was little more than a magazine that people might have barely paid attention to. In two minutes we get to discover that its been among the most long-lasting institutions in our modern world. Back when it first started I get the feeling that pictures weren’t a big priority, that the story and the words in them nearly filled the pages from front to back. The contents were listed on the front so as to draw people in, though it can’t help but be questioned if that worked or not. People are after all very interested in visuals and those that would have picked up the magazine would have been much more likely to do so if they’d been able to see the colorful pictures of the world as it exists in different regions.
That after all is still why some people are drawn to the National Geographic. The colorful and very attractive covers that are presented are a big part of the draw since they show a window into a world that is in fact the same one we inhabit, but shown in a different light. Each picture is rendered so perfectly that one can hardly imagine at times that this is the same world in which we live since the landscapes, the creatures, and even the people seem to be somehow more real, more colorful, and more THERE than we realize in real life.
Throughout the years in which the magazine has evolved however it has never lost its customary look or style and has remained almost the same since its inception except for the use of graphics. If you take a good look the magazine has remained largely unchanged on a fundamental level but has only changed its cosmetic appearance and obviously what it has covered in terms of stories. It might also feature a lot more ads at this point, but that would be the cost of doing business with sponsors that help the magazine to keep running. Somehow it seems like it might have had to take out ads within its pages for a long time to keep from going under, though as the years have gone by it might have taken in more sponsors that demanded more space for their advertisements. Still, the magazine is still thick with the kind of stories that have kept people informed and entertained throughout the years.
The clip also shows just how the issues, research, and world has changed since it began. From its founding to moments such as when Jane Goodall decided to travel to Tanzania to the finding of the Titanic, the world has continued to change as we attempt to keep up with it. The most recent entry, that of a transgender boy undergoing his change into a girl, is something that likely incensed a great many people but can’t be denied as change of a different sort. You see, as much as the magazine has reflected the change of the world, it has also reflected the change to its people.
Follow Us
