Sign up for free

Newsletters

Once a month
get new photos
and expert tips.

Photography
Main Photo Galleries Wallpapers Photo of the Day Photographers Photo Tips Buy Prints

Inventions

Inventor and early National Geographic Society President Alexander Graham Bell created this tetrahedral truss kite, designed with three-dimensional triangles that could support considerable weight, in order to study aerodynamic design before attempting to build airplanes. Together with new National Geographic Editor Gilbert H. Grosvenor, Bell steered the magazine in a new direction, favoring more photography and popular coverage.

Photograph by Bell Collection