National Geographic | National Geographic

National Geographic

THE ‘WICKEDEST CITY ON EARTH’

Monday, June 3, 2024

In today’s newsletter, we see how the ‘wickedest city on Earth’ got its due, prepare for new auroras and the cicada double swarm, and figure out if birth order makes a sibling so annoying. Plus, who was Alan Turing?

A band of pirates divides up their loot after returning to a safe harbor, as imagined in vivid color by 19th-century artist and author Howard Pyle

DELAWARE ART MUSEUM/HOWARD PYLE COLLECTION/ BRIDGEMAN

Shouting, swearing, gambling men mixed with the painted ladies of this pirate haven, until the ground shook and a mighty tsunami buried them.

In minutes, “the wickedest city on Earth” was no more. Divine intervention, preachers thundered, destroyed the Caribbean’s thriving Port Royal. Only now, centuries later, do archaeologists have the real story.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?

Yo Ho Ho YOLO: Was this the biggest pirate treasure ever?

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A cluster of Brood 19 cicadas, feeding on the top of a small tree.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEITH LADZINSKI, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

See the once-in-a-lifetime cicada double emergence (above) happening across the U.S.

Bratty, bossy brothers? Does birth order have anything to do with it?

Missed 2024’s record-setting auroras? Brace yourself for more captivating nighttime lights

Bored teenage orcas behind boat-ramming attacks, experts say.

The menstrual cycle can reshape your brain

Dorothy Arnold: the missing heiress at the center of New York’s oldest cold case

What happens to our voice as we age?

New AI may pass the famed Turing Test. This is the man who created it.

What is ‘frozen shoulder’? And why does it mostly affect women?

How to get rid of shoe odor

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Small legs poking through the dirt

PHOTOGRAPH BY WEST BENGAL FOREST DEPARTMENT

In a first of its kind, scientists have observed a burial—by elephants—of five Asian elephant calves (pictured above, a buried carcass). In north Bengal, India, the survivors dragged the bodies to a site and buried them in an unusual manner.

IS THERE A REASON?

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

An illustration depicting the occurrence of a nova

ILLUSTRATION BY NASA GODDARD

What’s that new star? It is coming, perhaps within days or weeks. Scientists have been waiting 80 years for it. This star will flare for us to see, but just for a few days. Why? It’s ...

A. A nova
B. A supernova
C. A dance between two dying stars
D. Cometic interference

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

Today’s soundtrack: Sunshower, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

Tomorrow: How Joni Mitchell’s voice changed

Today’s newsletter was curated and edited by Nishita Naga, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. Let us know if you have any suggestions for us.

Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply.

This email was sent to: [email protected]. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored.

This email contains an advertisement from:
National Geographic | 1145 17th Street, N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036

Stop all types of future commercial email from National Geographic regarding its products, services, or experiences.

Manage all email preferences with the Walt Disney Family of Companies.

© 2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC, All rights reserved.