National Geographic Traveler

2 days ago | nationalgeographic.com | Candida Moss

In June 323 BCE, in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon, the most powerful man in the world died. Just 13 days earlier, Alexander the Great—the greatest conqueror the world had seen—had been drinking at one of his many all-night banquets when he suddenly cried out in pain. He was sent to bed suffering from abdominal pain and a fever, and over the following days his condition deteriorated.

5 days ago | nationalgeographic.com | Christopher Solomon

7.65 seconds. That’s the amount of time that Kenyan Faith Kipyegon needs to shave from her world record time in order to become the first woman to run the mile in under 4 minutes.  Kipyegon, a three-time gold medalist, has spent months training for an exhibition on Thursday in Paris where she’ll take a crack at the mythic sub-four barrier. An attempt, she says, to “cement her legacy.”   The event, dubbed Breaking4, is being staged by Nike, Kipyegon's sponsor.

5 days ago | nationalgeographic.com | Nadia Beard |Davide Monteleone

For most of the year, big crowds are unusual in the Swiss town of Glarus. At the base of a dramatic point in the Alps called the Glärnisch ridge, the hamlet is tranquil, largely undisturbed by the tourists who descend on the region’s picturesque areas. But every year there is one day—usually the first Sunday in May—where citizens of the canton gather en masse in the town square for a tradition that’s over 700 years old.

6 days ago | nationalgeographic.com | Brian Handwerk

Summer is officially here, and it’s kicking off with an extreme heat dome that’s scorching much of the Central and Eastern United States. “A strong upper-level ridge parked over the eastern half of the country will continue to generate an extremely dangerous heat wave this week,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service warns.

6 days ago | nationalgeographic.com | Sarah Barrell

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). With summer bringing Independent Bookshop week to UK shores, we’re celebrating bookstores that are well worth travelling to. From a hilltop spot in York to a cool cafe hangout in London’s East End and far beyond, we’ve selected independently run shops that continue to draw book-lovers to towns and cities across the UK and Ireland.