Explore the diverse breathtaking moments From urban streets to remote landscapes across the globe

The coronation crown of King George IV. Made 1821. George could not afford to keep the crown, but no one would buy, so he was forced to dismantle it and sell all the jewels. This frame is all that remains.

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The coronation crown of King George IV. Made 1821. George could not afford to keep the crown, but no one would buy, so he was forced to dismantle it and sell all the jewels. This frame is all that remains.

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Golden leaf of the crown used for the coronation of Napoleon, the only one remaining in the world, 1804.

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Golden leaf of the crown used for the coronation of Napoleon, the only one remaining in the world, 1804.

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Remaining on the former site of Heungbeopsa Temple, this stele is dedicated to the great Buddhist monk Jingong . The main body with inscription was broken down, and its fragments were moved to National museum of Korea

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Remaining on the former site of Heungbeopsa Temple, this stele is dedicated to the great Buddhist monk Jingong . The main body with inscription was broken down, and its fragments were moved to National museum of Korea

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The "Cape of Charlemagne" is a large red silk cloak woven with gold on silver threads and adorned with 4 eagles, griffons and roses. The cope was probably made in 1204 CE, and was in fact the coronation mantle of Frederick II, King of Sicily and Holy Roman Emperor

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The "Cape of Charlemagne" is a large red silk cloak woven with gold on silver threads and adorned with 4 eagles, griffons and roses. The cope was probably made in 1204 CE, and was in fact the coronation mantle of Frederick II, King of Sicily and Holy Roman Emperor

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Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote this letter to his brothers confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

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Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote this letter to his brothers confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

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A 16th century travelling communion set. The set is important because it was made and used at the time when Henry VIII had broken with Rome but still adhered, with his own modifications, to the medieval doctrine of the sacraments.

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A 16th century travelling communion set. The set is important because it was made and used at the time when Henry VIII had broken with Rome but still adhered, with his own modifications, to the medieval doctrine of the sacraments.

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Coronation mantle of Augustus III of Saxony, made for his coronation as King of Poland, Dresden , bef. 1734, velvet, metal thread, ermine fur, National Museum in Warsaw.

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Coronation mantle of Augustus III of Saxony, made for his coronation as King of Poland, Dresden , bef. 1734, velvet, metal thread, ermine fur, National Museum in Warsaw.

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A mute testimony to the horrors of war, this shattered, bullet-riddled stump is all that remains of a large oak tree caught in the crossfire during one of the most ferocious battles of the American Civil War in 1864. Now housed at the National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.

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A mute testimony to the horrors of war, this shattered, bullet-riddled stump is all that remains of a large oak tree caught in the crossfire during one of the most ferocious battles of the American Civil War in 1864. Now housed at the National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.

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Graves of the 63 wives of the general Afzal Khan, in Afzalpura, India, 1659 CE. According to local beliefs, an astrologer predicted that the general would not survive his next battle, so he had all of them killed fearing that his wives would remarry

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Graves of the 63 wives of the general Afzal Khan, in Afzalpura, India, 1659 CE. According to local beliefs, an astrologer predicted that the general would not survive his next battle, so he had all of them killed fearing that his wives would remarry

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This tombstone, made for a woman named Hyralia, bears a seven-line Coptic inscription within a frame of engraved vines: "Do not grieve, Hyralia; no one is immortal on earth! This is the path of every human being." 9th century AD

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This tombstone, made for a woman named Hyralia, bears a seven-line Coptic inscription within a frame of engraved vines: "Do not grieve, Hyralia; no one is immortal on earth! This is the path of every human being." 9th century AD

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The Marques Tower at Chenonceau. It is the only visible vestige of the medieval castle of the Marques family, razed to the foundations by Thomas Bohier in 1515 to build what would be the first stage of the new Chenonceau. It was the keep of the old building, consisting of a round tower...

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The Marques Tower at Chenonceau. It is the only visible vestige of the medieval castle of the Marques family, razed to the foundations by Thomas Bohier in 1515 to build what would be the first stage of the new Chenonceau. It was the keep of the old building, consisting of a round tower...

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The Pluviale or Coronation Cloak, one of the Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire. An Arab-Norman work, originally made in 1133/1134 for the Norman Kings of Sicily, it reached Germany after the Hohenstaufen Emperors inherited Sicily

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The Pluviale or Coronation Cloak, one of the Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire. An Arab-Norman work, originally made in 1133/1134 for the Norman Kings of Sicily, it reached Germany after the Hohenstaufen Emperors inherited Sicily

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Sandby borg is an Iron Age ringfort, in Sweden, that was the scene of a massacre in the 5th century CE. The victims of the massacre discovered so far, all males, were never buried but are found lying as they fell. 5 deposits of exquisite jewelry were also discovered hidden in the fort

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Sandby borg is an Iron Age ringfort, in Sweden, that was the scene of a massacre in the 5th century CE. The victims of the massacre discovered so far, all males, were never buried but are found lying as they fell. 5 deposits of exquisite jewelry were also discovered hidden in the fort

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8,000-year-old flute made of migratory bird bone, one of the world's oldest known musical instruments. With four main holes and one at the end, its a testament to early humans' sophisticated skill in making musical instruments. Discovered in Shahrud, its housed at National Museum of Iran.

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8,000-year-old flute made of migratory bird bone, one of the world's oldest known musical instruments. With four main holes and one at the end, its a testament to early humans' sophisticated skill in making musical instruments. Discovered in Shahrud, its housed at National Museum of Iran.

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Quipu are record-keeping devices fashioned by the Inca from knotted cords. This large quipu has 586 cords, organized into 8 sections of 10 sets, each with up to 13 sub-levels of information. Overall, it holds 15,024 items of data on production, though the specifics are not known

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Quipu are record-keeping devices fashioned by the Inca from knotted cords. This large quipu has 586 cords, organized into 8 sections of 10 sets, each with up to 13 sub-levels of information. Overall, it holds 15,024 items of data on production, though the specifics are not known

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Charlemagne's throne in Aachen. From then until 1531 it served as the coronation throne for 31 kings of Germany\HRE.

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Charlemagne's throne in Aachen. From then until 1531 it served as the coronation throne for 31 kings of Germany\HRE.

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Major George Armistead specified a flag so large that the British could see it from a distance, leading to the creation of the 30×42ft 15-star, 15-stripe Star-Spangled Banner Flag.

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Major George Armistead specified a flag so large that the British could see it from a distance, leading to the creation of the 30×42ft 15-star, 15-stripe Star-Spangled Banner Flag.

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Erosion hides the lesser known fact that, before digging out the Treasury, the Nabateans chiseled the mountainside flat. The Treasury could have been centered on that huge vertical surface, but they placed it exactly so travelers would see it when arriving through the gorge. And awe.

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Erosion hides the lesser known fact that, before digging out the Treasury, the Nabateans chiseled the mountainside flat. The Treasury could have been centered on that huge vertical surface, but they placed it exactly so travelers would see it when arriving through the gorge. And awe.

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