The New York Times bestselling author of 1421 offers another stunning reappraisal of history, presenting compelling new evidence that traces the roots of the European Renaissance to Chinese exploration in the fifteenth century The brilliance of the Renaissance laid the foundation of the modern world. Textbooks tell us that it came about as a result of a rediscovery of the ideas and ideals of classical Greece and Rome. But now bestselling historian...

On March 8, 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. Its mission was "to proceed all the way to the ends of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas" and unite the whole world in Confucian harmony. When it returned in October 1423, the emperor had fallen, leaving China in political and economic chaos. The great ships were left to rot at their moorings and the records of their journeys were destroyed....

Investigate famous excavations and the archaeologists and paleontologists who led them with Excavation Exploration. Through artifacts such as fossils, mummies, and bones, readers will discover how we learn about the past through fossils and burial sites. Full-color photos and infographics bring these amazing ancient discoveries to life! Table of contents, diagram, map, fun facts, a glossary, and an index are included. Aligned to Common Core Standards...

"Investigate famous excavations and the archaeologists and paleontologists who led them with Investigating Tombs & Mummies. Through King Tut, Lady Dai, and Otzi the Iceman, readers will discover how we learn about tombs and mummies and how they teach us about their ways of life"--Amazon.com

"[This book] is a guide to the world not as it is, but as it was imagined to be. It's a world of ghost islands, invisible mountain ranges, mythical civilizations, ship-wrecking beasts, and other fictitious features introduced on maps and atlases through mistakes, misunderstanding, fantasies, and outright lies. This ... book collects and explores the colorful histories behind a striking range of real antique maps that are all in some way a little too...

"The human story has always been one of perseverance-often against remarkable odds. The most astonishing survival tale of all might be that of 16th-century Dutch explorer William Barents and his crew of sixteen, who ventured farther north than any Europeans before and, on their third polar exploration, lost their ship off the frozen coast of Nova Zembla to unforgiving ice. The men would spend the next year fighting off ravenous polar bears, gnawing...

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a question kids get asked over and over. But very few connections are made for kids between the present and the future. This book shows kids a pathway from their current interests and talents to a future career or interest. And in so doing, it also encourages adventure, exploration, and discovery, three core principles of National Geographic's mission. It's a celebration of possibility--so simple and so...

Discover how the greatest explorers in history plunged into the unknown and boldly pieced together the picture of the world we have today. With the help of masterful cross sections, dramatic storytelling, and sidebars that highlight key concepts, places, and technology, readers explore fourteen historic journeys.

Discusses Henry Hudson's four voyages of exploration in search of a passage between Europe and the Far East.

A lavish visual survey of the world's greatest explorers, revealing who they were, where they went, and how their expeditions shaped the course of human history.