Kenneth Weaver
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Franklin Weaver (November 29, 1915 – September 20, 2010) enjoyed a substantial 33-year career as a writer for the National Geographic Magazine
. His prolific tenure with National Geographic produced articles encompassing a range of subjects until he retired as Senior Science Editor in 1985.
s that accompanied the innovative, often exotic photography that the Geographic pioneered at that time, and still do to this day. Weaver’s role was very high-profile, as the majority of Geographic subscribers primarily opened the magazine to peruse the pictures. Within this department, Weaver thrived, and he was quickly promoted to Staff Writer
. His first Geographic article, entitled "Rip Van Winkle of the Underground: North America's Much Misunderstood Insect, the Periodical Cicada, Emerges After 17 Years in the Earth for a Fling in the Sun", was published in July 1953.
space program, from articles such as "Countdown for Space" in May 1961, "And Now to Touch the Moon's Forbidding Face", May 1969, and "Journey to Mars", February 1973. Weaver's articles were translated in many languages, bringing together people whose existences were drastically different, but who shared a single fascination with a subject that went beyond any cultural or political disparity at that time (most importantly, the Cold War
space race
between the US and Soviet Union).
National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
. His prolific tenure with National Geographic produced articles encompassing a range of subjects until he retired as Senior Science Editor in 1985.
The beginning
In 1952, Weaver was hired at The National Geographic in the legends department. "Legends" were, in fact, the captionCaption
Caption may refer to:*Caption , a small press and independent comic convention held annually in Oxford, England*Closed captioning, used to provide the text of a show's audio portion to those who may have trouble hearing it...
s that accompanied the innovative, often exotic photography that the Geographic pioneered at that time, and still do to this day. Weaver’s role was very high-profile, as the majority of Geographic subscribers primarily opened the magazine to peruse the pictures. Within this department, Weaver thrived, and he was quickly promoted to Staff Writer
Staff writer
Staff writer is a byline that indicates that the author of the article at hand is employed by the periodical that published the article as a regular staff member, and not as a freelance writer or special contributor....
. His first Geographic article, entitled "Rip Van Winkle of the Underground: North America's Much Misunderstood Insect, the Periodical Cicada, Emerges After 17 Years in the Earth for a Fling in the Sun", was published in July 1953.
Space program coverage
Weaver's career is particularly notable because of his coverage of the NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
space program, from articles such as "Countdown for Space" in May 1961, "And Now to Touch the Moon's Forbidding Face", May 1969, and "Journey to Mars", February 1973. Weaver's articles were translated in many languages, bringing together people whose existences were drastically different, but who shared a single fascination with a subject that went beyond any cultural or political disparity at that time (most importantly, the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
between the US and Soviet Union).