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THEY BUSTED GLASS CEILINGS CENTURIES AGO. IT WASN’T EASY.

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we meet five medieval queens who left their mark on the world, learn about very tall Renaissance-era platform shoes, discover traditional diets that can lead to long lives ... and find out what will happen to the rhinos that weren’t bought in auction.

Queen Isabella of Castille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon receive Christopher Columbus in April 1492 at the Spanish royal court.

IMAGE VIA PVDE/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

You think it’s hard for a woman to lead now, just imagine it during the medieval era. These queens didn’t get the worldwide adoration of a Queen Elizabeth II—they had to run the shop for absent or mentally challenged spouses, or protect the family’s power while children came of age.

They were ruthless, cunning—whatever it took.

One was immortalized by Shakespeare. Several battled rebel factions while grasping relations and the heavy gravity of misogyny. The consequences often were brutal. Two died penniless, and one, Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia, was torn apart by wild horses. Another (above) oversaw Columbus—and the Inquisition.

MEET THE QUEENS

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

This white rhino and calf, photographed in August 2023, are among 2,000 rhinos that will be released into the wild over the next decade.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENT STIRTON

No one wanted to buy 2,000 rhinos up for auction. What happened next is good news. (Above, a white rhino and calf)

Pink flamingos may not be native to Florida, but a hurricane brought a bunch more in

How will we warn future generations of buried nuclear waste?

Tastes great. Why don’t we eat more of it?

The Mediterranean diet has stood the test of time for a reason: It works

The surprisingly odd history of the Pledge of Allegiance

These traditional diets can lead to long lives

Death cap mushrooms are extremely deadly—and they’re spreading

How magnesium affects your sleep and anxiety

Extremely rare sperm whale birth caught on camera

What should you do with your old tennis balls?

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

Rising 11⅞ inches and made from wood covered in leather, these chopines are on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from September 9, 2023, through January 7, 2024.

ELIZABETH DAY MCCORMICK COLLECTION, MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

How high? Rising 11⅞ inches and made from wood covered in leather, these chopine shoes were among those favored by nobles in Renaissance-era Venice. How high did some of the heels go?

A. 12 inches
B. 19.68 inches
C. 24 inches
D. 29.5 inches

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Iridescent orchid bees, tropical cousins of bumblebees and honeybees

PHOTOGRAPH BY CRAIG CUTLER AND BRIAN BROWN

Don’t forget to look up: The iridescent orchid bees (one pictured above) are the tropical cousins of bumblebees and honeybees, and were among the staggering diversity of new creatures scientists discovered in the Amazon’s canopy. For Amazon Rainforest Day, explore “a new continent in terms of the level of novelty” in the rainforest.

Related: Inside this tree, see the real secret life of bees

THE NEW AND UNUSUAL

LAST GLIMPSE

Marine ecologist and National Geographic Explorer Angelo Bernardino hopes his research on mangroves, like the ones here in the northern state of Pará, will help persuade the Brazilian government to prioritize the trees’ protection.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANA CAROLINE DE LIMA

Save the mangroves. Mitigate climate change. Cutting down mangroves releases four times as much carbon as the same amount of upland trees—and Nat Geo Explorer Angelo Bernardino is on a mission to save them. (Above, Bernardino collects data on Brazil’s mangroves.)

PROTECTING OUR PLANET

Today’s soundtrack: We Won’t Get Fooled Again, The Roots, The Who, Jimmy Fallon (with classroom instruments)

Thanks for reading our newsletter! It was edited and curated by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. We'd love to hear from you: [email protected]. Keep shining!

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