Bigelow was only the fourth woman to be shortlisted for a best director Oscar, (the others were Lina Wertmuller, for Seven Beauties in 1976, Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993 and Sofia Coppola for Lost In Translation in 2003).

BBC: Profile: Kathryn Bigelow

About 200, 000 spectators sat in thrall watching dancing beauties shimmy, shake and samba until dawn three nights running at the stadium that bears the name Sambadrome.

NPR: Carnival in Rio: A Party Like No Other

One of its many beauties lies in its simplicity.

NPR: Friends, Family and a Feast: A Hot Pot How-To

Worth the hassle to ship home the mid-century modern beauties collected and sold in this Roma showroom.

FORBES: Mexico City: Inside Latin America's Hottest City

The caravan travelers of bygone days used to swear that they had nowhere and never, in all their wanderings, encountered such bewitching beauties.

NPR: 'The Swallows of Kabul' Book Excerpt

Some follow a narrative of sorts, such as Will Berridge and Olmo Rodriguez Roces's article on Broadwater Farm, where the riots of 2011 began, through to Pio De Rose's play on Walker Evans's Beauties of the Common Tool, in which she photographs hidden cameras.

BBC: Twelve weeks to produce a magazine

Casting back on his day in his nightly examination of conscience, Hopkins accused himself of a snorting, sour, unspiritual tone to some of his conversations, prayed for those who'd died, were injured, or lost loved ones in the shipwreck, but thanked God for the beauties and contrarities of nature, the tonic of outdoor exercise, and the cheer and solace of his Jesuit brothers.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Exiles'

Following past Vuitton beauties such as Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, the 35-year-old mom will appear in a series of print ads this summer, photographed by the brilliant Annie Leibovitz.

FORBES: Connect