National Geographic History - 11.2019 - 12.2019

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

explorers from all over the

world vied to be the first to

reach the North Pole, then

one of the last uncharted

places. Setting out by boat,

by sled, and by skis, these

first expeditions were

turned away from the pole

by crushing cold, deadly

ice, and devastating illness.

Flying in the face of all this

danger, two Americans—

Robert Peary and Frederick

Cook—sought to be the

first to the North Pole,

and each one claimed the

honor in the early 1900s.

Controversy surrounds

their claims, as historians

race to find the answer.

Miracle at Marathon

In 490 b.c. a few thousand Greek hoplites on the plain of

Marathon seemed a poor match for the might of Persia. Their

shocking victory over the Persian army was the first in a series

of Greek victories paving the way to Athenian power.

Persia Rises Again

Seizing power in a.d. 224, the Sassanian dynasty established

a new Persian empire in the Middle East that would last for

roughly four centuries. As Persia’s power grew, a flowering of

art, architecture, and scholarship blossomed beside it.

Lost City of the Inca

Fleeing from Spanish invaders in the 1530s, the Inca took

refuge in the mountain city of Vilcabamba. In 1572 they

abandoned it and left the city in ruins. In their search for the

site, archaeologists at first mistook Machu Picchu for the lost

capital, until Vilcabamba was identified in the 1960s.

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FIRST TO THE

NORTH POLE

DUCHESS, QUEEN, AND DOWAGER, Eleanor of

Aquitaine was the most influential woman of

the 12th century, wielding power over politics

and culture alike. Daughter and heir of

the Duke of Aquitaine, she first married

Louis VII and became queen of France.

The pair led the unsuccessful Second

Crusade, after which they annulled

their marriage. Retaining control of her

family lands in France, she wed the

future Henry II of England and had

eight children, including the English

kings Richard the Lionheart and

John. Vying with Henry and her sons

for control of the throne, Eleanor

displayed her savvy and strength.

FRIDTJOF NANSEN’S NORWEGIAN

EXPEDITION ABANDONED THE ICEBOUND

SHIP FRAM IN 1895 AND ATTEMPTED TO

REACH THE NORTH POLE BY LAND.

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN:

ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE

ALAMY/ACI

BRIDGEMAN/ACI

13TH-CENTURY MINIATURE DEPICTING THE MARRIAGE

OF ELEANOR AND LOUIS VII OF FRANCE IN 1137