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Gerard Mercator (1512--94) was born in Rupelmonde in Flanders (Belgium). His given name was Gerard de Kremer or Cremer. "Mercator," meaning "merchant," is a Latinized version of his Flemish last name. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Leuven, and developed an interest in astronomy and mathematics. He produced his first map, of Palestine, in 1537. He went on to create numerous maps and globes in the course of his long career and is best known for his invention of the Mercator map projection. In 1554 he moved from Louvain to Duisburg (present-day Germany...

In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photo...

This French chart of the Arabian Gulf dating from 1775 shows the coasts of the present-day countries of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the coast of northern Oman, and in the northwest, coastal parts of Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq. An inset chart shows the islands of Karak and Korgo and Bundereek Bay (present-day Kharg, Kharku, and Bandar-e Rig). The map has latitude markings, rhumb lines, and soundings near coasts, particularly in the northern, well-explored part of the Gulf. The southern part of the Gulf, including Qatar is mostly featureless and undefined as the note placed there m...

This photograph is from a collection of 65 projectable lantern slides relating to the Arab Revolt of 1916-18, an important theater of operations during World War I. By supporting the revolt against Ottoman Rule, the British sought to weaken the Ottoman Empire, which was aligned with Germany and Austria-Hungary. For their part, the Arabs hoped to secure independence and create a unified empire embracing the region from Aleppo, Syria to Aden, Yemen. The photographs depict many of the protagonists in this political and military struggle, including Colonel T.E. Lawrence of the British army and the...

This French chart of the Arabian Gulf dating from 1775 shows the coasts of the present-day countries of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the coast of northern Oman, and in the northwest, coastal parts of Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq. An inset chart shows the islands of Karak and Korgo and Bundereek Bay (present-day Kharg, Kharku, and Bandar-e Rig). The map has latitude markings, rhumb lines, and soundings near coasts, particularly in the northern, well-explored part of the Gulf. The southern part of the Gulf, including Qatar is mostly featureless and undefined as the note placed there m...