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The Maori people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) have long observed the heliacal (pre-dawn) rising of the star cluster commonly known throughout the world as Pleiades or Messier 45 (M45), located in the constellation of Taurus. Matariki is the...

Located at the easternmost point of the Hawaiian Islands, Cape Kumukahi holds a special place in ancient Hawaiian mythology as this was where the gods and goddesses first arrived in the islands from Tahiti. It was here that the fire goddess...

A recreation of the star compass of Polynesian navigator, Mau Piailug (1932-2010 CE), depicted with shells on sand and with Satawalese (Caroline Islands) text labels, as described by the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Tattoos are an ancient form of art appearing in various cultures throughout history. One of the earliest (and possibly the oldest) pattern of tattoos in the world was discovered on the frozen remains of the man known as Otzi the Iceman who...

The 1789 mutiny on the Bounty is an infamous tale of sailors being lured by the easy charms of the South Seas into casting adrift their commander and living out their days as fugitives from the Royal Navy. 'Captain' Bligh, victim of the mutiny...

The naming of America was not the result of a single voyage or discovery, but of a chain of Atlantic expeditions, printed letters, and Renaissance mapmaking. Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) reached the Caribbean in 1492 while seeking a westward...

This infographic illustrates the Causes of the American Revolution (1765-1789) rooted in a growing sense of American identity and dissatisfaction with British policies. The colonies, long accustomed to self-governance under the system of...

The Periplus Ponti Euxini (“Circumnavigation of the Black Sea”), written by Arrian of Nicomedia (c. 86–after 146 CE), is a major example of Roman geographical and administrative writing from the early 2nd century CE. A periplus, from the...

Ferdinand Magellan, or Fernão de Magalhães (c. 1480-1521), was a Portuguese mariner whose expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe in 1519-22 in the service of Spain. Magellan was killed on the voyage in what is today the Philippines...

The Thirteen Colonies were a cluster of British colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard of North America. Founded for a variety of reasons – economic, political, and religious – the colonies emerged with their own distinct governments...