The scandalous Bonaparte

April 15, 2023
by RJ Hamster

NAPOLEON CONQUERED NATIONS. HIS SISTER CONQUERED HEARTS.

Friday, March 10, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we discover a promising treatment for a painful disease that strikes 1 in 9 women, learn about Napoleon’s loyal (and scandalous) little sister, adventure into Chile’s new national park … and explore why daylight saving is so unpopular.

CHRISTOPHE FOUIN/RMN-GRAND PALAIS

Fabulous and fashion-conscious, known throughout Europe, Pauline Bonapartewas also bold and loyal. Napoleon‘s younger sister (pictured above) lived her own way, scandalously posing nude for a sculpture of Venus, the goddess of love.

Pauline didn’t yearn for a crown, unlike her siblings, though she did become a princess. She was, one general recalled, “the only one who never asks for anything.” Alone among her siblings, she visited Napoleon when he was exiled on the island of Elba—and supported him financially. What happened to Pauline?

Read her full story here.

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SCALA, FLORENCE

Goddess of Love: Pauline Bonaparte rejected sculptor Antonio Canova’s early offer for her to model for Diana, the virginal goddess of hunting. She preferred Venus. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY IMAGE’EST

‘Fire of Love,’ a documentary about the daring lives of Katia and Maurice Krafft, is up for an Oscar (pictured above, the scientists gaze at an erupting volcano in the distance).

‘Atmospheric rivers’ are striking California. What are they?

Even chimps swear. Here’s why it’s good for you.

Why daylight saving exists—and is so unpopular

Live longer with these foods

Ahoy, matey! These pirates stole the biggest booty ever

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How did China make these ancient armies of terra-cotta soldiers?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY BENOIT DURAND, HANS LUCAS/REDUX

New hope: Endometriosis is common, incredibly painful—and often misdiagnosed. A new minimally invasive surgery may offer relief for many who suffer from the disease, Nat Geo reports. The disease, estimated to affect 11 percent of American women, is in the headlines with the TV personality Bindi Irwin‘s description this week that her life was ”torn apart” by endometriosis. (Pictured above, Nathaly, who has suffered from severe endometriosis for over 20 years.)

BEATING THE PAIN

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY EVGENIA ARBUGAEVA

Who’s that at the door? A walrus, ubiquitous at this coastal spot at Russia’s northeastern tip. “When we were surrounded by walruses, the hut was shaking,” says photographer and Nat Geo Explorer Evgenia Arbugaeva. “The sound of their roaring was very loud; it was hard to sleep at night. The temperature in the hut was also raised dramatically because of the walrus body heat outside.” At this massive Pacific walrus rookery, about 100,000 walruses had hauled out of the sea to shore because the warming climate meant less sea ice for them to rest on. Her documentary short film, Haulout, has been nominated for an Oscar.

View more of Evgenia’s work in Russia’s arctic.

Also: On the hunt for Siberia’s woolly mammoths

IN RUSSIA’S FAR NORTH

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARTIN BERNETTI, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Wildflowers for all: Chile is getting a new national park — and it’s thanks to an impressive superbloom last year. The Atacama Desert (pictured) is one of the driest regions on Earth, and a place the Chilean government wants to protect.

SEE THE BLOOM

Today’s soundtrack: Joshua Tree in the Headphones, Deb Talan

This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, and David Beard. Have feedback? Email david.beard@natgeo.com. Thanks for reading!

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RJ Hamster

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The scandalous Bonaparte

The scandalous Bonaparte

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