Speakers: Various from Rocky Mountain Map Society
Find out how maps shaped historical events from the time sailors realized the Earth was not flat, to the point where we will follow our cars’ GPS systems to the ends of the same Earth. Local and international guest speakers and map enthusiasts will share their passions and personal collections of original maps, atlases, scientific instruments used in navigation and exploration, and information about satellite imaging. The traveling exhibit will include an 18th-century map depicting George Washington’s great victories and defeats, a rare map with images of fantastic sea creatures, mermaids and battles at sea; and a demonstration about how early sailors used compasses, sextants, and astrolabes to find their way to ports of call.
Recommended reading: J.N. Wilford, The Mapmakers, revised, (Alfred A. Knopf), 2000.