National Geographic History: Copernicus and the cosmos, the wreck of the 'Clotilda,' and an ancient tsunami births a coastal kingdom

Plus: How monks created sign language [History]( [VIEW ONLINE]( [History]( [National Geographic]( . . In this edition: Copernicus went "slow and steady" while developing his cosmic theories, archaeologists followed a trail of clues to find the last U.S. slave ship, and 16th-century silent monks helped develop sign language. . PHOTOGRAPH BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE/ALAMY/ACI [History Magazine]( [Copernicus's revolutionary ideas reorganized the heavens]( This secretive astronomer devoted his entire life to sun-centered cosmic theories as larger questions of faith were dividing Europe nearly 500 years ago. [Investigate more]( SHARE . [T]( Rest in Peace Today in 323 B.C., 32-year-old [Alexander the Great]( died in Babylon after building an empire that stretched from Greece to India. . Jason Treat and Kelsey Nowakowski, NG Staff. Art: Thom Tenery [culture & history]( [See how archaeologists found the last American slave ship]( Recently discovered off the shores of Alabama, the last U.S. slave ship was identified by archaeologists who had to comb through hundreds of original sources for clues. [dive deeper]( SHARE . [T]( On This Day in History On June 10, 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged, becoming the first person executed in the [Salem Witch Trials](. . PHOTOGRAPH BY BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL DE ESPAÑA [History Magazine]( [How monks helped invent sign language]( Vows of silence and humanist beliefs led European clerics to create new communication methods for the deaf 500 years ago. [Learn more]( SHARE [F]( [T]( . . . PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY PATRICK DALY [Culture & History]( [How a 'forgotten' 600-year-old tsunami changed history]( New evidence shows a disaster similar to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami battered the same region centuries ago and may have given rise to a powerful Islamic kingdom. [Read More]( SHARE . [T]( [Shop]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( [Travel]( [READ OUR LATEST STORIES]( [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [FB]( [Twitter]( [IG]( Photograph by Ritterbach/Fototeca You are receiving this email because you elected to receive marketing communications from National Geographic under the terms of our [Privacy Policy](. Click here to [unsubscribe.]( If you reside in the EU/European Economic Area and wish to exercise all other data subject rights, [click here](. National Geographic | 1145 17th Street N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036 Copyright © 2019 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.