Lotus in Top Position in National Natural Landmarks Photo Contest

Kansas, who knew? Instead of the usual sunflowers, a striking photograph of American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) at dawn in the Great Plains is the top winner in the 2013 National Natural Landmarks Program Photo Contest. The competition is sponsored by the National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program of the National Park Service, which promotes conservation of sites …

Ellis Island Museum Reopens, One Year after Hurricane Sandy

Artifacts remain in Maryland while repairs continue Ellis Island Immigration Museum, part of Statue of Liberty National Monument, will reopen to the public today for the first time since Hurricane Sandy submerged the island a year ago. Visitors will once again walk the halls of the former federal immigration processing station, which handled more than …

“In the Heart of the Sea” Becomes a Heart-Pounding Film

Ron Howard directs the true story of the whaling disaster that inspired Moby-Dick The Mystic Seaport Museum recently revealed that filming for the motion picture adaptation of In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex is underway in London. Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon) is helming …

Cunning Canning: Or, Franklin’s Fatal Food

In honor of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, I can’t help but revisit one of the most infamous cases of lead poisoning in history—the Franklin Expedition disaster. In 1845, Royal Navy commander Sir John Franklin led two ships, the Erebus and the Terror, on a quest for the Northwest Passage. The expedition had been organized …