31 photos from the Nat Geo archives that will ignite your curiosity

April showers bring May flowers, and May brings us Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPI). Last month, I wanted to focus on the experiences of the Asian diaspora. It's impossible to capture so many diverse cultures in one selection, but here are some incredible stories from the Nat Geo archives I wanted to highlight.

One of my favorite photos is one I chose for World Press Freedom Day. Albert Moldvay’s image from the July 1964 issue features typesetters preparing pages for a Chinese daily newspaper. I was fascinated by the detail of the small metal glyphs. Just imagining such an arduous process had me thankful for modern technology.

This roundup also features a gem of a photograph by Kiyoshi Sakamoto. It’s an autochrome depicting two people in Japan listening to a radio broadcast from the Central Broadcasting Station of Osaka. The exact date of the autochrome is unknown but is thought to be from the late 1920s or early 1930s.

Lastly, I was enthralled by a surreal image by Paul Nicklen showing surfers warming up before a competition on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu. The picture is from a story in the February 2015 issue documenting the importance of surfing in native Hawaiian culture and history.