-National Geographic

Now a part of media conglomerate Disney, National Geographic has evolved far from its 1888 beginnings, with millions of magazine copies circulating globally per month and a television channel. The magazine was founded as the official publication of the National Geographic Society, an exclusive club of scholars located in Washington, DC. While similar scientific societies and publications were common in the 19th century, National Geographic became popular thanks to its use of photography and strong leadership, including Alexander Graham Bell as its second president and his son-in-law Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, who served as editor and eventually president. At the time of the first issue’s publication, photography was still a relatively new invention, and the century-plus success of National Geographic couldn’t have been imagined.