1519–1522 · Exploration
The Magellan and Elcano Expedition
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, 20 September 1519. Five ships leave Spain under Ferdinand Magellan’s command. They are not setting out on a sporting challenge to circle the Earth: they…
A FIRST ENCOUNTER
One story.
A world opens up.
Nine ways into Orbessa. Read an excerpt, meet the people and listen to the beginning of a story.
1969 · Space
Apollo 11
On 16 July 1969, Saturn V lifts Apollo 11 from Launch Complex 39A in Florida. Neil Armstrong commands the mission. Michael Collins pilots Columbia, the command module, and Buzz…
Antiquity · Knowledge
The Library of Alexandria
Alexandria, early in the third century BCE. The city founded by Alexander has become the centre of a kingdom ruled by the Ptolemies. These rulers want their capital’s influence…
1975–1980 · Pacific
Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Route to Tahiti
On the eighth of March nineteen seventy five, Hōkūleʻa is launched at Kualoa on the island of Oʻahu. This double hulled canoe carries a project that goes beyond building a…
100 BCE · Near East
Petra: Sustaining a City in the Desert
Around one hundred BCE, Petra belongs to the networks of Nabataean trade. The selected date is approximate. It marks a phase of development rather than the exact foundation of…
1550–1897 · West Africa
Benin: The Art of a Dispersed Palace
Around the middle of the sixteenth century, craftspeople work for the court of the kingdom of Benin, in what is now Nigeria. This is not the present Republic of Benin. At the…
1811–1825 · Europe
Mary Anning: Reading Lost Worlds
At Lyme Regis on the English coast, fossils are more than curiosities. Selling them contributes to the Anning family's income. After the death of their father, Richard, in…
1443–1446 · East Asia
Sejong: Giving Korean Its Own Letters
In fourteen forty-three, during Sejong's reign, a new Korean alphabet is developed. The kingdom of Joseon already has a written culture. This project does not introduce writing…
1926–1953 · Mexico
Frida Kahlo: Painting Her Own Presence
In nineteen twenty-six, Frida Kahlo makes an early self-portrait. She is nineteen and lives in Coyoacán, in the home later known as the Blue House. A bus accident the previous…
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