# List of National Geographic cover stories (1980s)

National Geographic is an American magazine that is noted for its cover stories and accompanying photography. Throughout the 1980s National Geographic's cover stories showcased historical events such as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the effects of the weather phenomenon known as El Niño. Cover stories included articles written by notable writers such as Peter Benchley, Gilbert M. Grosvenor and Rick Gore. Cover photos were published by notable photographers such as Emory Kristof, Bill Curtsinger and David Alan Harvey.
The 1980s saw articles written and photographed at locations around the globe featuring outer space, like the September 1983 issue titled "Satellites That Serve Us", written by Thomas Y. Canby with a photo on the cover of the Space Shuttle Challenger, photographed by NASA. Articles featured on the cover of the magazine also included human-interest stories such as "Visit to Forbidden Tibet", written and photographed by Fred Ward featuring a Tibetan Shepherdess in the February 1980 issue. Many geographical locations were featured including the Atlantic Ocean and the discovery of the Titanic in the December 1985 article "How We Found Titanic", written and photographed by Robert Ballard.
In the June 1985 issue, Debra Denker wrote the cover story titled "Along Afghanistan's War-torn Frontier", writing about the Soviet and Afghanistan war. The photo on the cover of the magazine featured a picture of a Green-eyed Afghanistan girl (Sharbat Gula) photographed by Steve McCurry. This cover image is National Geographic's most recognized photo.

## 1980

1980 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| Voyager Views Jupiter's Dazzling Realm | January 1980 | Rick Gore | NASA | Jupiter |
| Visit to Forbidden Tibet | February 1980 | Fred Ward | Fred Ward | Tibetan woman Shepherdess |
| Journey to China's Far West | March 1980 | Rick Gore | Bruce Dale | Chinese elder man |
| Unexpected Glory in Canada's Cold Seas | April 1980 | Larry Kohl | David Doubilet | Anemone off British Columbia |
| Cheetahs of the Serengeti | May 1980 | George W. and Lori Herbison | George W. and Lori Herbison | Cheetah cubs |
| Living With Orangutans | June 1980 | Birutė M.F. Galdikas | Rod Brindamour | Baby Orangutan with toddler |
| Ancient Bulgaria's Golden Treasures | July 1980 | Colin Renfrew | James L. Stanfield | Silver horse statue |
| Man's 80 Centuries in Veracruz | August 1980 | S. Jeffrey K. Wilkerson | David Hiser | Niches Pyramid |
| Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom and Its Power | September 1980 | Robert Azzi | Robert Azzi | Camel race |
| Bamboo, The Giant Grass | October 1980 | Luis Marden | Jim Brandenburg | Bamboo swords |
| Windsor Castle | November 1980 | Anthony Holden | James L. Stanfield | Windsor Castle |
| The Aztecs | December 1980 | Bart Dowell | David Hiser | Obsidian knife |

## 1981

1981 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| Mount St. Helens | January 1981 | Not stated | Douglas Miller | Mount St. Helens |
| Where Oil and Wildlife Mix | February 1981 | Stephen C. Wilson Karen C. Hayden | Stephen C. Wilson Karen C. Hayden | Whooping crane |
| When the Space Shuttle Finally Flies | March 1981 | Rick Gore | Jon Schneeberger | Space Shuttle |
| Ireland: Its Long Trevail | April 1981 | Joseph Judge | Cotton Coulson | Irish stone maze |
| Jawbreaker for Sharks | May 1981 | Valerie Taylor | Ron Taylor | Blue shark biting Valeire Taylor's arm |
| The Dispossessed | June 1981 | Larry Kohl | Kevin Fleming | Somali childGoat |
| Saturn: Riddles of the Rings | July 1981 | Rick Gore | NASA | Saturn |
| Maya Art Discovered in Cave | August 1981 | George E. Stuart | Wilbur E. Garrett | Maya cave site |
| Troubled Odyssey of Vietnamese Fisherman | September 1981 | Harvey Arden | Steve Wall | Vietnamese girl |
| Columbia: Our Phenomenal First Flight | October 1981 | John W. Young Robert Crippen | Jon Schneeberger | Space Shuttle |
| The Natural World of Aldo Leopold | November 1981 | Boyd Gibbons | Jim Brandenburg | Deer drinking |
| Panda's in the Wild | December 1981 | George B. Schaller | George B. Schaller | Panda bear |

## 1982

1982 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| Two Berlins | January 1982 | Priit J. Vesilind | Cotton Coulson | East Berlin soldier |
| Napoleon | February 1982 | John J. Putnam | Gordon W. Gahan | Giza Plateau |
| Sudan: Arab-African Giant | March 1982 | Robert Caputo | Robert Caputo | Sudan woman |
| The Face and Faith of Poland | April 1982 | Not stated | Not stated | Polish Coal miner |
| The Temples of Angkor | May 1982 | Peter T. White | David Alan Harvey | Angkor temple |
| Namibia: Nearly a Nation? | June 1982 | Bryan Hodgson | Des and Jen Bartlett | Ostrich with chick |
| In the Wake of Sinbad | July 1982 | Tim Severin | Richard Greenhill | Boom (ship) |
| Papua New Guinea: Journey Through Time | August 1982 | François Leydet | David Austin | New Guinea tribesman |
| The Bahamas: Boom times and Buccaneering | September 1982 | Peter Benchley | Bruce Dale | Woman diving off of a Sailboat |
| The Chip: Electronic Mini Marvel That is Changing Your Life | October 1982 | Allen A. Boraiko | Charles O'Rear | Microchip in the palm of a hand |
| Pueblo Pottery | November 1982 | David L. Arnold | Jerry D. Jacka | Clay pottery |
| Family Life of Lions | December 1982 | Des and Jen Bartlett | Jen Bartlett | Lioness and her cub |

## 1983

1983 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| Rainforests: Teaming Life of a Rainforest | January 1983 | Carol and David Hughes | Carol and David Hughes | Poison arrow frog |
| Peoples of the Arctic | February 1983 | David Hiser | Alan Harvey | Iñupiat child |
| Ghosts Ships of the War of 1812 | March 1983 | Daniel A. Nelson | Emory Kristof | Hamilton–Scourge |
| The Fascinating World of Trash | April 1983 | Peter T. White | Louie Psihoyos | Art from trash |
| A Century Old, The Wonderful Brooklyn Bridge | May 1983 | John G. Morris | Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper | Brooklyn Bridge |
| The Once and Future Universe | June 1983 | Rick Gore | David Malin | Horsehead Nebula |
| Exploring a 140-Year-Old Ship Under the Arctic Ice | July 1983 | Joseph B. MacInnis | Emory Kristof | WASP diving suit |
| The Bird Men | August 1983 | Luis Marden | Charles O'Rear | Ultralight |
| Satellites That Serve Us | September 1983 | Thomas Y. Canby | NASA | Space Shuttle Challenger |
| Niger's Wodaabe: "People of the Taboo" | October 1983 | Carol Beckwith | Carol Beckwith | Wodaabe man |
| The Last Supper: Restoration Reveals Leonardo's Masterpiece | November 1983 | Carlo Bertelli | O. Louis Mazzatenta | The Last Supper |
| Byzantine Empire: Rome of the East | December 1983 | Merle Severy | James L. Stanfield | Madonna art |

## 1984

1984 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| Southeast Alaska: An Incredible Feasting of Whales | January 1984 | Al Giddings | Al Giddings | Humpback whale |
| El Niño: Global Weather Disaster | February 1984 | Thomas Y. Canby | Thomas Nebbia | Elephants at a water hole in Africa with researchers |
| Laser: "A Splendid Light" For Man's Use | March 1984 | Allen A. Boraiko | Charles O'Rear | 3D Holography |
| Hunting the Greenland Narwhal | April 1984 | Ivars Stills | Ivars Stills | Dog sled team |
| The Dead Do Tell Tales at Vesuvius | May 1984 | Rick Gore | O. Luis Mazzatenta | Herculaneum skeleton |
| Pakistan to Bangladesh: India By Rail | June 1984 | Paul Theroux | Steve McCurry | Train in front of Taj Mahal |
| Escape From Slavery: Underground Railroad | July 1984 | Charles L. Blockson | Jerry Pinkney | Harriet Tubman |
| Mexico City: An Alarming Giant | August 1984 | Bart McDowell | Stephanie Maze | Mexican pilgrims |
| Man and Manatee | September 1984 | Alice J. Hall | Fred Bravendam | Manatee with diver |
| Pollen: Breath of Life and Sneezes | October 1984 | Cathy Newman | Martha Cooper | Bubble helmet |
| Chocolate: Food of the Gods | November 1984 | Gordon Young | James Stanfield | man with Chocolate Statue of Liberty |
| Monsoons: Life Breath of Half the World | December 1984 | Priit J. Visilind | Steve McCurry | Monsoon survivor man with sewing machine |

## 1985

1985 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| Koko's Kitten | January 1985 | Jane Vessels | Ronald H. Cohn | Koko the Gorilla with kitten |
| Greenland's 500-Year-Old Mummies | February 1985 | Jens P. Hart Hanson Jørgen Meldgaard Jørgen Nordqvist | John Lee | Qilakitsoq child mummy |
| Hazardous Waste: Storing Up Trouble | March 1985 | Allen A. Boraiko | Fred Ward | Man in Hazmat suit |
| When the Moguls Ruled | April 1985 | Mike Edwards | Roland Michaud | Woman playing a Sitar, India |
| Vietnam Memorial: To Heal a Nation | May 1985 | Joel Swerdlow | Nick Sebastian | man placing flower at Vietnam Memorial |
| Along Afghanistan's War-torn Frontier | June 1985 | Debra Denker | Steve McCurry | Afghan Girl |
| 16th-Century Basque Whaling in America | July 1985 | Robert Grenier James A. Tuck | 16th-Century Shipwreck with diver | Bill Curtsinger |
| Our Restless Planet Earth | August 1985 | Rick Gore | David Robert Austin | Jillaroo resting her horse |
| Sichuan: China Changes Course | September 1985 | Ross Terrill | Cary Wolinsky | Chinese couple holding a pig |
| Arabia's Frankincense Trail | October 1985 | Thomas Abercombie | Lynn Abercombie | Dye Motif on a woman's hand |
| The Search For Early Man | November 1985 | Richard Leakey Alan Walker | American Bank Note Company | Fossil skull hologram |
| How We Found Titanic | December 1985 | Robert Ballard | Robert Ballard | RMS Titanic |

## 1986

1986 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| C.M. Russell: Cowboy Artist | January 1986 | Bart McDowell | MacKay Collection | C.M. Russell watercolor |
| Dilemma of Independence for South Africa's Ndebele | February 1986 | David Jeffery | Peter Magubane | South African woman |
| Secrets of the Giant Panda | March 1986 | George B. Schaller | George B. Schaller | Zhen Zhen (panda) |
| Río Azul: Lost City of the Mayah | April 1986 | Richard E. W. Adams | William H. Bond | Río Azul |
| The Serengeti: A Portfolio | May 1986 | Mitsuaki Iwagō | Mitsuaki Iwagō | Lioness and her cub |
| Tracking the Snow Leopard | June 1986 | Rodney Jackson Darla Hillard | Not stated | Snow Leopard |
| Liberty: Her Lamp Relit | July 1986 | Alice J. Hall | Robert Sacha | Statue of Liberty |
| Oregon Trail: The Itch To Move West | August 1986 | Boyd Gibbons | Denver Public Library | Settlers |
| North to the Pole | September 1986 | Will Steger | Jim Brandenburg | Dogsled explorer |
| Soviets in Space | October 1986 | Thomas Y. Canby | TASS | Leonid Kizim |
| Our Search For the True Columbus Landfall | November 1986 | Joseph Judge | Courtesy of British Library | 1493 Italian Woodcut |
| A Long Last Look at Titanic | December 1986 | Robert D. Ballard | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | RMS Titanic |

## 1987

1987 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| Medicine's New Vision | January 1987 | Howard Sochurek | Howard Sochurek | CT scan of a Tumor |
| Iceland: Life Under the Glaciers | February 1987 | Louise E. Levathes | Bob Krist | Icelander girl |
| North Dakota: Tough Times on the Prairie | March 1987 | Bryan Hodgson | Annie Griffiths | CropdusterSunflowers with plane |
| Seals and their Kin | April 1987 | Roger L. Gentry | Marty Sniderman | AnchoviesSea lions |
| At Home With the Arctic Wolf | May 1987 | L. David Mech | Jim Brandenburg | Arctic Wolf |
| The Patowmack Canal: Waterway That Led to the Constitution | June 1987 | Author | Kenneth Garrett | A Bateau on the Patowmack Canal |
| The Prodigious Soybean | July 1987 | Fred Hapgood | Chris Johns (photographer) | Woman eating a soybean, Japan |
| Africa's Stricken Sahel | August 1987 | William S. Ellis | Steve McCurry | Sahel child crying |
| Jade: Stone of Heaven | September 1987 | Fred Ward | Fred Ward | Mayan mask |
| Woman of Arabia | October 1987 | Marianne Alireza | Jodi Cobb | Saudi mother and child on swing |
| Süleyman the Magnificent | November 1987 | Merle Severy | James L. Stanfield | Nomadic child with hand |
| Oldest Known Shipwreck | December 1987 | George F. Bass | Bill Curtsinger | Bronze Age Merchant ship |

## 1988

1988 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| One Hundred Years of Increasing and Diffusing Geographic Knowledge | January 1988 | William H. Goetzmann | Not stated | Photomontage |
| Australia: A Bicentennial Down Under | February 1988 | Not stated | Michael O'Brien | Australian father and son |
| Hello Anchorage, Goodbye Dream | March 1988 | Larry L. King | Chris Johns | Windsurfing near Icebergs |
| Ghosts of War | April 1988 | Peter Benchley | David Doubilet | Japanese biplane underwater |
| Wool: Fabric of History | May 1988 | Nina Hyde | Cary Wolinsky | Shepherd wearing wool |
| Guatemala: A Fragile Democracy | June 1988 | Griffin Smith Jr. | James Nachtwey | Devout men of Antigua |
| When the Moors Ruled Spain | July 1988 | Thomas J. Abercrombie | Bruno Barbey | Moroccan woman |
| Lemurs: On the Edge of Survival | August 1988 | Alison Jolly | Frans Lanting | Lemurs |
| 100 Years: Reporting on "The world and all that is in it" | September 1988 | Not stated | Not stated | Graphic lettering |
| The Peopling of the Earth | October 1988 | Staff writer | Alexander Marshack | Carving on Mammoth tusk |
| Exploring the Earth | November 1988 | William E. Garrett | Éric Valli | Nepalis Honey hunter |
| Can Man Save This Fragile Earth? | December 1988 | Gilbert M. Grosvenor | American Bank Note Holographics | 3D hologram of an Earth |

## 1989

1989 :
| Title | Date | Author | Photographer | Images |
| Ballet with Stingrays | January 1989 | David Doubilet | David Doubilet | woman with Stingrays |
| The Great Yellowstone Fires | February 1989 | David Jeffery | Stephen Dowell | Yellowstone fires of 1988 |
| Faulkner's Mississippi | March 1989 | William Albert Allard | William Albert Allard | Woman depicting A Rose for Emily |
| Cry of the Loon | April 1989 | Judith W. McIntyre | Michael S. Quinton | Loon |
| The Baltic | May 1989 | Priit Vesilind | Cotton Coulson | Kirov Ballet |
| The March Towards Extinction | June 1989 | Rick Gore | John Gurche | Dinosaurs |
| France Celebrates its Bicentennial | July 1989 | Staff writer | James L. Stanfield | Fireworks above Eiffel Tower |
| Elephant Talk | August 1989 | Katherine Payne | Frans Lanting | Elephants |
| Retracing the First Crusade | September 1989 | Tim Severin | Peter Essick | Yugoslavian woman praying |
| La Ruta Maya | October 1989 | Wilbur E. Garrett | Kenneth Garrett | Guatemalan teenagers |
| Vietnam: Hard Road to Peace | November 1989 | Multiple authors | David Alan Harvey | Vietnamese girl boating |
| The Sistine Restoration | December 1989 | David Jeffery | Adam Woolfit | Libyan Sibyl |