Sorry, we couldn't find any results!
Please try a different filter above.
Never miss a Nat Geo moment
Member Sign In
Set Reminder
Join our curious community and you'll have access to some great features!
Personalised content reflecting your interests on the site
Watch exclusive videos before anyone else
Favourite content that you like or want to check out later
Free SMS and Email reminders so you never miss a show
Get notified when content that interests you is published
Share your photos on Snap! that could appear on TV
Share your thoughts and opinions on various matters
Receive a monthly newsletter with loads of great content
THE POWER OF FIRE Harnessing fire gave us the power to create, to destroy, and to transform. But it also taught us hard lessons about what we can and cannot control. When we captured fire for the first time, we set upon a path that would redefine our spec![]() |
FIRE CREATURES Since the last ice age, we have been fire creatures. Nothing else throughout human history explains our existence more than fire; it’s been harnessed and applied throughout countless centuries to define who we are and will become.![]() |
ANCIENT HEARTH A provider of heat, nourishment, transportation, communication and annihilation, fire separated us from our simian ancestors and created communities, warriors, builders, and explorers out of us.![]() |
![]() |
GUNPOWDER In 1232 AD, the Jin Dynasty unearthed the greatest defense against the attacking Mongol hordes: gunpowder. Alchemists discovered that heating a mixture of sulphur, saltpeter, pine resin, and carbon created a chemical explosive that would forever![]() |
GREAT FIRE In 1666, fire exposed itself as a double-edged sword when the Great Fire of London devastated the city, burning down more than 90 churches and 13,000 houses. In the end, 100,000 Londoners were made homeless, and four fifths of the city lay in r![]() |
OUT OF THE ASHES On the bright side, the Great Fire of London gave birth to the city it is today. Out of the devastation sprang progress, from the adoption of modern building codes to the creation of fire brigades. Moving on from its medieval past, London![]() |
![]() |
SPACE PIONEER In the 1920s, American scientist Robert Goddard was the earliest pioneer of space technology, but was ridiculed by the press for his theories. He responded to a reporter's question by stating, "Every vision is a joke until the first man acco![]() |
FATHER OF ROCKETRY What the Wright Brothers were to the airplane, Robert Goddard is to the rocket. No rocket or jet plane today can fly without using his inventions. And Goddard’s invention would never have been possible without fire. Uniting with fire ha![]() |