Shaun White caused quite a stir this week when he pulled out of the slopestyle snowboarding competition because he deemed the course to be unsafe.

While some have doubted White's claims, it remains true that the Winter Olympics are extremely dangerous competition that often ends in serious injury and on a few occasions athletes have been killed.

Already in Sochi this year, a snowboardered crashed so hard her helmet broke.

On the next few pages we will take a look at some examples of just how dangerous the games can be.

Three-time Olympic ski jump champion Thomas Morgenstern of Austria will somehow compete in the Sochi Olympics despite this horrific crash just one month ago.

Lindsey Vonn crashed so badly at the World Championships that she needed to be airlifted off the course, needed surgery on her knee, and ultimately was unable to compete in the Olympics.

Source: USA Today

One day after Shaun White was criticized for pulling out of the slopestyle competition, Norwegian snowboarder Kjersti Buaas crashed headfirst on the same course.

The evening can provide a rare retreat from a jam-packed day for highly successful people.

For many CEOs, execs, and other high achievers, the day begins extremely early and is crammed with emails, meetings, and events. But the evenings can be a time to unwind. And for those who love to read, there's no better time to pick up a book or magazine.

We combed through interviews to find the favorite nightly reading routines of extremely accomplished people.

Evening reading serves many different purposes. For some, it's a chance to dive into fiction and escape the stresses of the day. For others, it's a chance to catch up on the latest news. Be it old-fashioned print books or lighter fare on Twitter, here's a look at what 13 successful people like to read before calling it a night.

Tim Armstrong tries to always read a book to his two young daughters.

The AOL CEO tells the Guardian that he generally gets home around 8 p.m., and then sits down to read a book to his daughters. "They usually win and get two or three books," he admits. He tries to go to bed by 11 p.m. to get six hours of sleep.

John Carney mulls great thinkers as he falls asleep.

"I'm somewhat obsessed with ancient philosophy, mostly Plato, Socrates, and Xenophon," the "Heard on the Street" writer and former CNBC editor told The Wire. He does most of this type of reading before going to bed. "Unless it's Sunday night," he adds, "in which case I'm watching The Walking Dead or Homeland."

Rob Delaney looks for humor on his Twitter feed.

Comedian and writer Delaney has more than 1 million followers on Twitter and tells The Wire it still blows his mind "that people pay attention to what I say." His feeds are the last thing that he scrolls through before going to bed, though he admits he's mostly looking for entertainment at that point. "I'm more interested in diversion before bed, so hopefully I'm reading fart jokes," he says.

Finnish gaming company Supercell is a $3 billion company largely in part to the success of its game Clash of Clans. 

Clash of Clans is a strategy game that is free to play, but some people end up paying hundreds of dollars on in-app purchases and upgrades. 

So it's no wonder why Clash of Clans is among the top 10 grossing apps in the iTunes Store, according to AppData.

So what's the appeal behind Clash of Clans?

Clash of Clans is the number two top-grossing iOS game, according to AppData.

In a single day, Clash of Clans brought in about $654,000, according to AppData.

Clash of Clans is a strategy game where players have to build and protect their respective villages.

There are few things more romantic than sharing a great meal with the one you love, but the wrong restaurant can really kill the mood.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, our friends at Zagat shared their picks for the most romantic spots in cities all around the country.

Make one of these restaurants this year's pick for a Valentine's Day date.

ATLANTA: Bacchanalia

1198 Howell Mill Road NW

The atmosphere at Bacchanalia combines the coziness of your own dining room with the extravagance expected from an upscale restaurant. Feast on the five-course prix fixe dinner along with a bottle from a wine list befitting of the restaurant’s name.

AUSTIN: Hudson’s on the Bend

3509 Ranch Road 620 North

Few restaurants can take wild game found in the back country of Texas and elegantly present it the way Hudson’s does. It has a modern look and a knack for artful presentation.

BOSTON: Coppa

253 Shawmut Avenue

The intimate ambience serves to enhance the rustic Italian cuisine offered at Coppa. Each dish features locally sourced and sustainable ingredients, which can be paired with one of Coppa’s famously creative, cordial-based cocktails.

If you know the name Ross Ulbricht, it's probably for just one thing: He is the man federal authorities have indicted in the U.S. for allegedly operating Silk Road, the anonymous, illegal Bitcoin web site for drug dealers and counterfeit currency traders.

Skip directly to Ross Ulbricht's family photos >

He is also charged with ordering the assassinations of six people he believed had ripped him off as he accumulated a personal fortune of $20 million in Bitcoin from transaction fees on Silk Road. (None of them were actually killed; the "hits" were set up by undercover agents.)

But Ulbricht's parents and sister don't recognize this description of him. They have mounted a campaign to raise money for his legal defense and, they hope, prove his innocence. "Ross is not a criminal mastermind and Ross is not a killer," they say, on the site they have started to spread the word about his case.

Ulbricht's mother, Lyn, gave Business Insider these photos of Ulbricht's life before he was arrested so people can see the another side of the man the FBI claims is the "Dread Pirate Roberts."

This is Ross with his parents, Kirk and Lyn, and his sister Cally.

Ulbricht moved from Austin, Texas, to live with his sister in Bondi, Australia.

Cally Ulbricht's Twitter account.

Ross with his sister and mom in San Francisco. Cally has devoted her Twitter account to protesting Ross's innocence.

See Cally's Twitter account here.

When it comes to understanding how to handle money, figuring out where to start can be fairly overwhelming. Walk into any Barnes and Noble store and you'll find hundreds of titles offering advice on how to spend it, save it, make more of it, and keep what you have from disappearing.

But not all advice is created equal. When you're in your 20s, you want easy-to-read books that will teach you the foundations of investing, the best way to budget for major purchases down the road, and how to finally pay off those student loans.

To help narrow down the choices and find the best advice, we reached out to personal finance experts and authors to find out which foundational books everyone should read before turning 30.

"The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

First published in 1996, "The Millionaire Next Door" distills Stanley and Danko's findings from more than 20 years of research into seven key characteristics that explain how the elite club of America's millionaires became rich.

Why it's great for young people: 

"'The Millionaire Next Door' is great for people in their 20s because it talks about the basics of personal finance," says Rob Gough, co-founder and president of Eckim (DefinitiveDeals.com, CouponChad.com). With simple, commonsense lessons like "spend less than you earn,""avoid buying status objects," and "diversify your investments," the book helps readers develop good habits from the very beginning.

"The Investment Answer" by Daniel Goldie and Gordon Murray

In "The Investment Answer," Goldie and Murray provide a general guide to investing by focusing on five decisions every investor has to make. These include whether to invest alone or with a professional; how to allocate among stocks, bonds, and cash; and when to sell or buy assets.

Why it's great for young people: 

"Investing is an important part of personal finance for everybody, but most people hate reading about investing," says David Welliver, editor of MoneyUnder30.com. "This brief, easy-to-read book is the most approachable investing book I've come across. There are plenty of other good investing books for those that want to get their hands dirty, but for anybody who doesn't, this is the book to read."

"I Will Teach You To Be Rich" by Ramit Sethi

In a breezy, irreverent style, Sethi lays out a serious six-week personal finance program for 20- to 35-year-olds who want to master their money with the least amount of effort and then get on with their lives.

Why it's great for young people: 

"'I Will Teach You To Be Rich' is hands down the BEST book out there for the younger generation," says "J. Money" from RockstarFinance.com. "It’s funny, educational, and full of exact 'how tos.' And a super easy one at that — which anyone with A.D.D. can appreciate (like me!)."

When Kanye West and Kim Kardashian announced the arrival of their baby girl, her name — North West — nearly caused the Internet to explode.

Similarly, no "Star Trek" fan could take their eyes off the Twitter IPO when legendary actor Patrick Stewart rang the opening bell.

Celebrities and their offspring serve as major influencers in all spheres of life: entertainment, business, politics, tech, and fashion.

We rounded up the top actors, directors, producers, studio executives, and industry insiders from just under one year old to 100 years old who will surely make headlines in 2014.

AGE

Daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

What makes her powerful: Little Nori sparked a media firestorm when she was born, and all of Twitter had an opinion about the name "Kimye" chose for their first child.

The 8-month-old has been pretty absent from the spotlight, but Kardashian did release a photo of her Christmas present: a miniature Lamborghini to match the one her rapper daddy drives.

AGE 2: Blue Ivy Carter

Daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z

What makes her powerful: In the lavish style of her parents, Blue Ivy Carter celebrated her second birthday at Miami's exotic Jungle Island.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z rented out the entire wildlife park and zoo for their little girl's big day. That's what happens when you're the daughter of the Queen.

AGE 3: Julian Fuego Thicke

Son of Robin Thicke and Paula Patton

What makes him powerful: The "Blurred Lines" singer says his little tyke keeps his ego in check and inspires his music. Julian plans to follow in his dad's footsteps into entertainment, according to actress-mother Patton, and always requests to accompany Thicke to sound check.

Other powerful three-year-olds: Gideon Scott and Harper Grace, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka's adopted twins who inspired their own BuzzFeed list.

With the Sochi Winter Olympic Games less than a week away, all eyes are on Russia.

Russophiles in New York can get a taste of the Motherland in Little Odessa (named after the Ukranian city that was once part of Imperial Russia), an insular neighborhood just blocks from Brooklyn's Brighton Beach boardwalk that's a perfect microcosm of the former Soviet Union.

Once a summer getaway for wealthy New Yorkers, Brighton Beach saw an influx of Jewish immigrants escaping Facism and Nazism in Europe around the time of World War II. The 1970s brought a second wave of Ukrainian Jews from the time the Soviet Union relaxed its immigration policies, through its dissolution.

The neighborhood was filled with young families once again, and it became known as "Little Odessa," after the port city on the Black Sea.

Today, the culture thrives in its odd shops, food emporiums serving traditional delicacies, and colorful, Russian-speaking characters. 

Brighton Beach is located in the southernmost part of Brooklyn. It's one of the last stops on the Q line headed to Coney Island.

The main strip, Brighton Beach Avenue, sits under a subway trestle. It's lined with boutiques, grocery stores, restaurants, and salons.

Everyone seems to speak Russian. It's the dominant language used on signs and in conversation.

Steve Schlafman has been a member of the New York City tech community for years, as both an entrepreneur and an investor. He created StickyBits which turned into fleeting viral sensation, Turntable.fm. He then joined Lerer Ventures and now works for RRE, an investor in startups like BuzzFeed and Business Insider.

Schlafman puts together an annual presentation about how to raise venture capital.

His latest presentation explains how to land a first round of financing, which is often called a "seed" round. Schlafman agreed to let Business Insider publish the slides.

Reddit user Ricky Mikeabono created an amazing map of the best coffee house near every New York subway stop in Manhattan. 

"I just like good coffee and hanging out in coffee shops, and the map started because I wanted to find some more," Mikeabono told Business Insider in an email. (Keep reading below.)

Mikeabono said he started researching the city's best coffee shops using articles, blogs, Yelp, Google, and Zagat reviews, trying to avoid duplicates. He also enlisted the help of his friends, and on the weekends tried to find out what type of equipment and beans were used at each shop to help determine quality.

Mikeabono also created an Android app for the map that lets users scroll and zoom. "I would like to make it interactive, where more information come up for each coffee shop, but that's a project which will take sometime," he told us.

He's also open to suggestions, and says he will keep updating the map accordingly.

DON'T MISS: We Tried The Red-Hot Coffee Place That Just Raised $25 Million From Tech Investors

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Many Winter Olympic sports generate little revenue or sponsorship interest.

As a result, a lot of the athletes you'll see in Sochi have day jobs.

Some athletes take odd jobs to get by, while others have full-blown careers.

They are lawyers, teachers, handymen, and restaurant managers ... as well as world-class athletes.

Vanessa-Mae (alpine skiing) is an acclaimed violinist.

Source: Telegraph

Elana Meyers (bobsled) is a substitute teacher.

Source: BuzzFeed

John Shuster (curling) manages a Pickwick restaurant in Minnesota.

Source: Facebook

Who were the first 20 people to sign up for Facebook?

We found them all and figured out where they are now. 

Meet the ultimate trend-setters.

20. Joe Green

Original Profile ID: 6

Early connection to Facebook: Green has been associated with Facebook since the beginning. He initially helped Zuckerberg with Facebook's first iteration, Face Mash. Face Mash, a hot or not for students on campus, got them in trouble with the university. Green's father didn't want him to work on anything else with Zuckerberg again.

Still, Green was around as the social network unfolded. He reflected on its founding and his part in it via a recent Facebook post: "Ten years ago today we were in our dorm room in Kirkland House and Mark Zuckerberg pushed Facebook live, and we created accounts. Then we all called and emailed our friends at Harvard asking them to sign up,"Green wrote.

What he's doing now: Green is the co-founder of FWD.us and he's an entrepreneur in residence at Andreessen Horowitz.

19. Eduardo Saverin

Original Profile ID: 41

Early connection to Facebook: Saverin was Zuckerberg's rich friend who helped finance the company in its early days. He also worked on Facebook's early advertising efforts.

What he's doing now: After winning a legal battle with Facebook which let him retain his co-founder status, Saverin began angel investing in startups like Qwiki and Chris Hughes' Jumo. In 2011, Saverin (who was born in Brazil) renounced his U.S. citizenship, likely because of the taxes he'd have to pay following Facebook's public offering. He says he has no hard feelings when it comes to Facebook or Mark Zuckerberg, who ousted him from the company shortly after its launch.

18. Ebonie Hazle

Original Profile ID: 40 (ID 39 does not exist)

Early connection to Facebook: Hazle attended Harvard from 2002 until 2006. She is Facebook friends with Mark Zuckerberg and Chris Hughes, and she joined Facebook the day it launched.

What she's doing now: Hazle was a member of Harvard Ballet Company and went on to attend law school. Now she's an associate at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, according to her LinkedIn profile.

All eyes are on Russia this week as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi are underway.

One of the coolest ways to see the vast nation is a trip on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, one of the world's longest train rides at 6,850 miles.

Its route extends from Moscow to Vladivostok, a Russian city that borders China and North Korea.

Passengers can choose from 16 eastbound or westbound journey dates from May to September. If you're willing to share a suite with someone on the 15-day voyage, you can buy an all-inclusive boarding pass for as little as $15,495. It's a steal, since you're embarking on the journey of a lifetime.

Additional reporting by Callie Bost.

Technically, the Trans-Siberian Express follows a 5,771-mile route from Moscow to Vladivostok.

Source: Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express' online brochure

But the train occasionally travels off that route during the journey. In total, the 15-day journey is almost 6,850 miles. That's one-third of the world's circumference.

While on board (and not looking out the window), passengers sleep in luxurious suites.

Philanthropists were especially generous in 2013.

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual list, the 50 biggest donors in America donated $7.7 billion in 2013, a 4% increase over the previous year. The median gift was $86.1 million, and 82 causes received gifts of $1 million or more. 

Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have quickly ascended to the top of The Chronicle's list. After giving away $498.8 million last year, they doubled their charitable donations to close to $1 billion in 2013.

Zuckerberg, 29, and Chan, 28, are also by far the youngest donors on the list, which skews much older than last year's. The median age of the philanthropists was 72.5.

We're looking at the top 25 donors on this year's list; check out the complete list at The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

#25 Frank McCourt

Amount donated in 2013: $100 million

Net worth: n/a

Beneficiary: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 

Background: Frank McCourt founded McCourt Global, a real-estate development and private-equity firm, in New York and Los Angeles. He graduated from Georgetown in 1975 with a degree in economics. His father, both brothers, and one of his four sons are also Georgetown alumni.

Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy

#24 David Koch

Amount donated in 2013: $101 million

Net worth: $36 billion

Beneficiary: New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York, N.Y. 

Background: David Koch is the executive vice president of Koch Industries, an industrial conglomerate founded by his father, Fred Koch. He's served as a member of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Board of Trustees for 25 years. He and his brother Charles are also known for their large donations to the Republican party.

Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy

#23 Stephen Schwarzman

Amount donated in 2013: $103 million

Net worth: $7.7 billion

Beneficiary: Tsinqhua University in China and other groups 

Background: Stephen Schwarzman is co-founder and chairman of the Blackstone Group, an investment firm. 

Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Austrian artist Klemens Torggler has reinvented the door with his latest project.

Called the Evolution Door (which we first spotted on the blog Colossal), the 4-panel door opens and closes elegantly as though it's made of pieces of paper. Roggler calls it a "flip panel door" (or "Dryehplattentür").

Torggler has a few variations on this door, one with the origami-esque triangles that fold out to help the door move, and another system with rods that rotate two square panels.

Currently the door is a prototype, and comes in a glass, steel, and wood version.

Watch the triangle version in action below:

And here's the steel door with rod system:

MORE DESIGN: The World's Billionaires Are Flocking To Miami's Insanely Luxurious Porsche Design Tower

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This post originally appeared on Details.com.

People get passionate on Valentine's Day — long before the evening winds down and, if all goes well, the clothes come off.

Some love the day, reveling in and dispensing as much heart-shaped, gooey sentiment as they can fit into 24 hours. Others view it as an unnecessarily pressure-ridden faux-holiday and would rather hide under the covers until the clock strikes midnight and it's officially February 15th.

If you're like us, you buy into the idea that it might be nice to do something special with your significant other, but you'd rather not go through the motions and trot out the same tired tricks. So this year, try one of our alternative ideas that'll make you look inspired, and also happen to be very easy to pull off.

1. The Cliché: Dinner at a romantic restaurant

The Alternative: Cook for your mate, you lazy b---ard

The Details: You don't have to be a genius in the kitchen to knock the socks (and other items of clothing) off your lover. In fact, it's best to avoid any complicated preparations that will unduly stress you out. In other words, keep it simple.

Hell, boil some water and make pasta. Pair that with a bottle of wine, candles, and some music (preferably what your partner would like), and you've got a setting infinitely more romantic than any restaurant crammed with lovey-dovey couples paying through the nose for a V-Day prix fixe.

If all goes well, you may find yourselves having dessert in the bedroom.

2. The Cliché: A Hallmark card

The Alternative: An onslaught of sticky notes 

The Details: Save the card for Mom. The key to the sticky-note scheme is saturation: the more, the better. Put them everywhere you can think of: on the bathroom mirror, on the computer monitor, on a milk carton.

When your mate opens his/her wallet at lunch, for example, and sees a note that says "I love to kiss your lips," that's guaranteed to put you over the top on the romantic meter.

3. The Cliché: A box of chocolates

The Alternative: An unexpected aphrodisiac

The Details: There's nothing wrong with chocolate, but have you tried figs? They've been associated with sexual desire since ancient Greek and Roman times and are alleged to have been one of the favorite foods of the temptress Cleopatra.

Another sexy and sweet (and sticky) treat is honey, a.k.a. the nectar of Aphrodite, Goddess of Love (and, incidentally, the lady who aphrodisiacs were named after).

On the opposite end of the palate, try dishing up some oysters. The 18th-century Italian lover Casanova was a proponent of the oyster as a sexual aide of sorts (he supposedly ate dozens of them for breakfast), and science has since confirmed that the bivalves really do pump up the libido.

4. The Cliché: A romantic stroll

The Alternative: A romantic adventure

The Details: The variations are endless. Your options include the skinny dip (the beach works if you don't have a pool), the secluded hike (bring bug spray and a flask filled with hot chocolate or booze, or boozy hot chocolate), the rooftop stargazing journey, or the literary pub crawl (identify spots in advance where writers once lived and drank).

One word of advice: Bring a flashlight so you don't get really lost—which is not the sort of adventure you're going for.

5. The Cliché: A romantic movie

The Alternative: A burlesque show

The Details: Chick flicks are tame. VD (that's Valentine's Day) is time to get dirty. What's more, venues across the country are hosting special V-Day shows.

So whether you're in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, or Chicago, you can get your fill of va-va-voom girls in pasties and double entendre-spouting hosts. (For a thorough listing of shows nationwide, visit the fantastic directory Burlesque Bitch.)

6. The Cliché: A dozen red roses

The Alternative: A 12-song playlist

The Details: In days past, giving someone a mixtape was a heartfelt gesture capable of transmitting a variety of messages too difficult to put into words. Today, cassette tapes are long gone and even CDs are looking like dinosaurs, but the mixtape lives on in the form of iTunes and Spotify playlists.

Hopefully you've got your own ideas for songs that strike the right mood, but if you need a nudge, then check out Billboard's list of the 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time.

7. The Cliché: Champagne

The Alternative: Champagne cocktails

The Details: You want bubbly because it activates the salivary glands, awakens the taste buds, and looks cool in a glass. But a regular bottle of champagne, cava, or Prosecco shows no imagination.

Instead, try cocktails like the French 75, Chandon Brut Mojito, Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail, and of course the classic Champagne Cocktail. Even better if you sip from each other's navels.

8. Bonus: The Love Poem Generator App

Simply input your beloved's name and the app instantly crafts a poem from one of its 4,294,967,296 combinations of verse. Feel a line isn't living up to your standards? Tap it and it's replaced with an alternative.

Naturally, you can share the poem via e-mail, but you can also play it aloud as read by the app's slightly creepy sexy robotic voice.
iTunes; $1

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Former Google CEO and current executive chairman Eric Schmidt leads a fabulous life filled with luxurious yachts, homes in Silicon Valley and New York City, and even his own private jet. 

Now the New York Post is reporting that the tech mogul has scooped up yet another home: a 9,182-square-foot"French chateau" in Los Angeles' Holmby Hills neighborhood. 

According to the Post, which cites unnamed sources, the seven-bedroom house once belonged to Veronique Peck, the late wife of Hollywood legend Gregory Peck. 

And luckily for Schmidt (who's rumored to be a bit of a ladies' man), the chateau is about a five minutes' walk from the Playboy Mansion. 

Schmidt reportedly spent $22 million on the purchase, which had been listed for $24.995 million with Coldwell Banker. That's a minuscule amount compared to his estimated net worth of $8.3 billion. 

The house was originally built in 1932.

It sits on 1.3 acres of land.

The formal living room's decor is lavish, though a bit outdated.

While all of the American athletes in Sochi can connect over a shared nationality, many teammates can bond about something more specific — their alma mater.

Whether they were classmates or attended decades apart, many athletes share an educational background, especially on the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams. The most popular school for this year's U.S. Olympians — Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah — has 23 current and former students competing in the games.

These are the 10 colleges with the most students — both current and alumnae — in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Alaska Pacific University — 4 Olympic Athletes

Cross-Country Skiing: Erik Bjornsen, Sadie Bjornsen, Holly Brooks, Kikkan Randall

Boston College — 4 Olympic Athletes

Ice Hockey: Alex Carpenter, Molly Schaus, Kelli Stack, Brooks Orpik

Harvard University — 4 Olympic Athletes

Ice Hockey: Julie Chu, Lyndsey Fry, Michelle Picard, Josephine Pucci

RealSelf, an online community that discusses cosmetic treatments and procedures (WARNING: the website has some photos that are NSFW), put together a list of the Top 10 U.S. cities that are interested in plastic surgery.

The plastic surgery website counted pageviews in metropolitan areas with at least 1 million residents for the site's top 10 most-searched procedures: breast augmentation, butt lift, tummy tuck, rhinoplasty, breast reduction, "mommy makeover," Botox, liposuction, and eyelid surgery.

RealSelf then calculated the average number of pageviews per 1,000 residents, and found that San Antonio was the city most interested in plastic surgery based on its residents' searches, followed by Oklahoma City, Okla., and Austin, Texas.

The website also analyzed which U.S. cities had the most board-certified plastic surgeons per capita. Surprisingly, Salt Lake City topped the list with almost five surgeons per 100,000 residents, beating out Miami, San Francisco, and even L.A. New York City did not make either list.

SEE ALSO: Korea's Plastic Surgery Obsession Is A Glimpse Into The Future

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Russia went $39 billion over budget in staging this year's winter Sochi Olympics, making them the most expensive Olympics by far.

And while the games continue amid rumors of corruption and a bizarre opening ceremony, we thought we'd take a look back at what Russia was like 100 years ago.

These early color pictures of Russia were taken by photographer Sergei Mikhailovish Prokudin-Gorskii. The Russian master left behind over 2,600 of his amazing photographs of the Russian Empire between 1909 and 1915.

The Prokudin-Gorskii Collection at the Library of Congress shows the ethnographic and geographic diversity of the vast Russian Empire through images of people, religious architecture, pastoral views, and transportation and agricultural workers.

He made numerous photographic trips throughout his lifetime, traveling thousands of miles across the expansive Russian Empire. The resulting "near true color" images are his incredible legacy.

Here is Sergeĭ Mikhaĭlovich Prokudin-Gorskiĭ himself (on the right) sitting with two men in Cossak dress.

Four people sit on a carpet in front of a backdrop of textiles.

An Armenian woman in what is now present-day Turkey.