48 Different “First” Photos Throughout the History of Photography

Advances in technology and space exploration have made the shape and layout of the world something that we take for granted. However, before advanced mapping techniques and photographs of the Earth from space, people had a completely different concept of the world’s layout. It’s pretty amazing to think that people drew out fairly accurate maps without the help of our modern-day conveniences. 

This image is from the world’s first modern atlas, published in 1570. The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, or Theatre of the World, was created by Abraham Ortelius and was about 53 pages long. This atlas was the first time people had access to detailed maps. In addition to publishing the first-known atlas, Ortelius is also credited as the first person to propose the idea that our continents used to be joined together before drifting apart on the Earth’s surface.