The Bizarre Branding of America’s Early Secret Societies

During their golden age, America’s secret societies produced some of history’s most remarkable branding materials—from symbols to signage, lithographs, costumes and more. In their new book “As Above, So Below: Art of the American Fraternal Society, 1850-1930” art collectors Bruce Lee Webb and Lynne Adele uncover these elaborate creations and dig in to the impact they had on early American society. Take a look inside …

How a Nigerian Hyper-Realist Artist Went Viral

After sharing images of his newest works, Lagos-based artist Oresegun Olumide went viral. His hyper-realistic oil paintings have been shared tens of thousands of times across various social platforms, including Instagram, where his follower count exploded from 800 to 27,000 in just a week. Now, Olumide has been offered opportunities to host his next exhibition in the United States and the UK. Head to Quartz …

Japan’s Ongoing Nuclear Clean-Up, Five Years Later

Five years after a catastrophic earthquake and its resulting tsunami hit Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, workers continue to tirelessly clean up radiation. Ahead of the anniversary of the disaster, National Geographic traveled to Fukushima to document remediation efforts. Where fertile farmlands once produced many of the regions crops, mountains of black sacks filled with contaminated soil now lie piled up, and citizens that …