In Photos: The Smoldering Remains of Brazil's National Museum

Late on September 2, a fire tore through the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, burning for more than five hours and destroying or damaging countless irreplaceable artifacts, fossils, memorabilia, works of art, and more. The museum’s collection reportedly included more than 20 million items. The cause remains under investigation, and salvage efforts are under way, but the losses appear to be enormous. Protesters took to the streets denouncing government mismanagement, neglect, and budget cuts that they say have left the museum and other institutions vulnerable to devastating fires and other disasters. See also Ed Yong’s “What Was Lost in Brazil’s Devastating Museum Fire.”

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • Kyodo / Reuters
    • In Focus
    • 12:32 PM ET
    • 21 Photos

    Images of the Destruction Left by Typhoon Jebi in Japan

    Yesterday, the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years tore through the western part of the country with heavy rain and violent winds.

  • Ahn Young-joon / AP
    • In Focus
    • Aug 31, 2018
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Bog Snorkeling, Air Guitar, Canadian Calf

    Competition in the 2018 Asian Games, the new tallest statue in the world under construction in India, memorials for both Aretha Franklin and Senator John McCain, and much more

  • Lukas Bischoff Photograph / Shutterstock
    • In Focus
    • Aug 30, 2018
    • 24 Photos

    Photos: Along the Namibian Coast

    Namibia has nearly a thousand miles of coastline, shaped by the winds and largely unpopulated, where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean.

  • Francisco Robles / AFP / Getty
    • In Focus
    • Aug 28, 2018
    • 24 Photos

    Sinkholes: When the Earth Opens Up

    The solid ground beneath our feet can, on rare occasions, simply open up without warning, dropping whatever it was supporting into an unpredictably deep hole.

Most Popular on The Atlantic

  1. This Is a Constitutional Crisis
  2. We're Watching an Antidemocratic Coup Unfold
  3. Congressional Republicans Are the Real Authors of the Anonymous Op-Ed
  4. A Judge Who Can’t Be Vetted Shouldn’t Be Confirmed
  5. How Well-Intentioned White Families Can Perpetuate Racism
  6. Woodward’s Account of Trump’s Mock Interview With Prosecutors Isn’t Pretty
  7. It’s Time for the Press to Stop Complaining—And to Start Fighting Back
  8. Why Does the School Day End Two Hours Before the Workday?
  9. The Atlantic Politics & Policy Daily: The Calls Are Coming From Inside the House
  10. A Plane Quarantine in New York Started Out Like a Sci-Fi Nightmare
Back to Top