Lascaux Caves
More than 17,000 years old, the paintings are among the finest examples of art from the Upper Paleolithic period.
The entrance to Lascaux Cave was discovered on September 12, 1940, by 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat.
The cave was opened to the public in 1948.
The cave was closed to the public in 1963 in order to preserve the art, because the carbon dioxide, heat, humidity, and other contaminants produced by 1,200 visitors per day had visibly damaged the paintings.
Archaeologists believe that the cave was used over a long period of time as a center for hunting and religious rites.
Archaeologists believe that the cave was used over a long period of time as a center for hunting and religious rites.
Surtsey Island
It is named after the Norse fire god Surtur.
It is one of the world's newest islands.
November 1963, it was formed in a volcanic eruption.
When the eruption first occurred, columns of ash were sent almost 30,000 ft. into the sky.
The birth of Surtsey took almost four years as eruption followed eruption until 1967.
The birth of Surtsey took almost four years as eruption followed eruption until 1967.
It is one of the most filmed and researched islands.
Only scientists are allowed there, to study the planet animal life that has thrived there without much human interference.
Snake Island
(Ilha da Queimada Grande)
It is a place filled with venomous serpents.
It is one of the world's deadliest islands
Up to 4,000 snakes live on the 110-acre island.
Up to 4,000 snakes live on the 110-acre island.
You can find one snake for every six square yards.
It is the only known home of the Golden Lancehead Viper.
It is one of the most venomous vipers in the world.
The snake’s venom is said to be three to five times stronger than that of any mainland snake.
It is capable of melting human flesh.
At one time, the island was attached to the mainland.
It is capable of melting human flesh.
At one time, the island was attached to the mainland.
Around 11,000 years ago, rising sea levels separated the island from the coast.
Snakes that were stranded on the island were able to multiply rapidly.
Only scientists are allowed there.
North Sentinel Island
It is one of the Andaman islands that are located in the Bay of Bengal.
Home to the Sentinelese, one of the last tribes to remain totally isolated.
The Sentinelese, have rejected all attempts by modern society to contact them.
Using only bows and arrows, they aggressively make their stance on foreign intrusion clear to anyone who ventures near.
There are between 50 and 200 of them tribe members.
They don't have writing.
They don't know how to make fire.
They don't have writing.
They don't know how to make fire.
The Sentinelese wait for lightning strikes, then keep the resulting embers burning as long as they can.
We know nothing of their language.
We know nothing of their language.
British surveyor John Ritchie in 1771, noticed "a multitiude of lights" as he passed the island while aboard an East India Company ship.
In the same year, a merchant ship wrecked on one of the island's reefs.
There were 106 passengers who survived and landed on North Sentinel Island.
They successfully fended off attacks by the Sentinelese until a Royal Navy rescue party retrieved them.
The first expedition, in 1887, was led by a government administrator Called Maurice Vidal Portman.
The first expedition, in 1887, was led by a government administrator Called Maurice Vidal Portman.
He wanted to learn more about the natives and their culture.
They ended up returning to Port Blair with half a dozen captive Sentinelese.
Most of them quickly fell sick due to contact with modern illness. They were returned to the island with gifts from their captors. Several more expeditions occured in the 19th century.
In the late 1960s, the Indian government sent 'exploratory parties' and attempted to establish friendly relations with the Sentinelese people.
In the late 1960s, the Indian government sent 'exploratory parties' and attempted to establish friendly relations with the Sentinelese people.
The visits ended in 1997.
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, triggered a tsunami, with North Sentinel Island in the direct path.
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, triggered a tsunami, with North Sentinel Island in the direct path.
Fearing that the Sentinelese could have been wiped from the map, the Indian authorities dispatched helicopters to survey the area and offer support if needed.
The aircraft was greeted by an adult Sentinelese who was wielding a bow and arrow, informing the authorities that they were alive and that outsiders were not wanted.
In 2006, a boat carrying two fisherman accidentally drifted into the shallows of North Sentinel, and the fishermen were killed.
A helicopter was dispatched to retrieve the bodies from the beach and the islanders chased it away with arrows.
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