National Geographic Society

January 27: General Interest
1888 : National Geographic Society founded

On January 27, 1888, the National Geographic Society is founded in
Washington, D.C., for "the increase and diffusion of geographical
knowledge."

The 33 men who originally met and formed the National Geographic
Society were a diverse group of geographers, explorers, teachers,
lawyers, cartographers, military officers and financiers. All shared
an interest in scientific and geographical knowledge, as well as an
opinion that in a time of discovery, invention, change and mass
communication, Americans were becoming more curious about the world
around them. With this in mind, the men drafted a constitution and
elected as the Society's president a lawyer and philanthropist named
Gardiner Greene Hubbard. Neither a scientist nor a geographer, Hubbard
represented the Society's desire to reach out to the layman.

Nine months after its inception, the Society published its first issue
of National Geographic magazine. Readership did not grow, however,
until Gilbert H. Grosvenor took over as editor in 1899. In only a few
years, Grosvenor boosted circulation from 1,000 to 2 million by
discarding the magazine's format of short, overly technical articles
for articles of general interest accompanied by photographs. National
Geographic quickly became known for its stunning and pioneering
photography, being the first to print natural-color photos of sky, sea
and the North and South Poles.

The Society used its revenues from the magazine to sponsor expeditions
and research projects that furthered humanity's understanding of
natural phenomena. In this role, the National Geographic Society has
been instrumental in making possible some of the great achievements in
exploration and science. To date, it has given out more than 1,400
grants, funding that helped Robert Peary journey to the North Pole,
Richard Byrd fly over the South Pole, Jacques Cousteau delve into the
sea and Jane Goodall observe wild chimpanzees, among many other
projects.

Today, the National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest
non-profit scientific and educational institutions. National
Geographic continues to sell as a glossy monthly, with a circulation
of around 9 million. The Society also sees itself as a guardian of the
planet's natural resources, and in this capacity, focuses on ways to
broaden its reach and educate its readers about the unique
relationship that humans have with the earth.