A selection of famous explorers and adventurers throughout history. Including Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Vasco de Gama and Neil Armstrong.
Leif Eriksson ( 970-1020 ) Eriksson was a Norse explorer who made the first European journey to North America – 500 years before the more celebrated Christopher Colombus.
Marco Polo (1254 – 1324) Polo was a Venetian traveller and explorer who made ground-breaking journeys to Asia and China. Becoming one of the first Europeans to travel extensively in Asia.
Christopher Columbus (1451 – 1506) An Italian born explorer, Columbus made four ground-breaking voyages to the Americas. Sailing in uncharted seas, Columbus’ voyages across the Atlantic and paved the way for others to follow.
Ferdinand Magellan (1480 – 1521) Portuguese sailor and adventurer who led the first expedition to make a successful circumnavigation of the globe. Magellan also made the first crossing from the Atlantic into the Pacific and also the first successful crossing of the Pacific Ocean. He died before the expedition reached Europe.
Sir Francis Drake(1540 – 1597) Drake was an English explorer who made the second successful circumnavigation of the world in 1577-1580. He also fought the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 – 1618 ) Raleigh was an English explorer who made several journeys to the Americas and also led expeditions in search of the legendary ‘El Dorado’.
Captain James Cook(1728 – 1779) Cook was a British explorer who made groundbreaking voyages to the Pacific Ocean. He made the first European contact with Eastern coast of Australia and he chartered several islands in the Pacific.
David Livingstone (1813 – 1872) Livingstone was a popular Victorian missionary who explored the continent of Africa. He sought to find the source of the Nile and spent years travelling through the inner heart of Africa.
Roald Amundsen (1872 – 1928 ) Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer and a key figure in the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole in 1912. In 1926, he led the first successful expedition to reach the North Pole.
Vasco de Gama (1469 – 1524) Vasco de Gama was a Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India by sea. De Gama made a direct voyage to India – travelling around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa – arriving in Calicut in 1498.
Ernest Shackleton (1874 – 1922) Anglo Irish polar explorer. Shackleton made many ground-breaking expeditions to the Antarctic.
Amelia Earhart (1897 – 1937) American aviation pioneer and author. First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Charles Lindbergh (1902 – 1974) US air pilot, inventor and environmentalist. In 1927, Lindbergh succeeded in making the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris. It created a major global sensation and was iconic of the new age of global air travel.
Amy Johnson (1903 – 1941) Pioneering English aviator who set numerous long-distance flying records in the 1930s.
Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. Norgay with Edmund Hillary was the first man to successfully climb Mount Everest. Norgay was an accomplished Himalayan climber who came from poverty in Nepal to achieve the notable milestone.
Sir Edmund Hillary (1919 – 2008) New Zealand born climber, who with Sherpa Tenzing became the first person to climb Mount Everest in 1953 – at a time when many people had died in their attempt to scale this unknown peak. He also visited both poles, becoming the first person to complete the ‘triple.’
Donald Campbell (1921 – 1967) British speed record holder on land and water. Campbell set both land and sea records in 1964.
Wright Brothers American brothers, Orville and Wilbur pioneered the first powered aeroplane, succeeding in 1903.
Neil Armstrong (1930 – 2012) US Pilot and astronaut. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to successfully land and walk on the moon.
Famous Explorers A list of famous explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Vasco de Gama and John Cabot.
Age of Discovery (15th – 17th Century) A period of exploration and maritime journeys across the world’s oceans to discover new land. The Age of Discovery led to increased trade and European settlements in Africa, Americas and Asia.
Famous Scientists – Famous scientists from Aristotle and Archimedes to Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin. Including mathematicians, biologists, physicists and chemists.
Marco Polo (1254 – 1324) Polo was a Venetian traveller and explorer who made ground-breaking journeys to Asia and China. Becoming one of the first Europeans to travel extensively in Asia.
(1874 – 1922)
(1897 – 1937) American aviation pioneer and author. First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
(1903 – 1941)
(1921 – 1967)
Wright Brothers
Neil Armstrong (1930 – 2012) US Pilot and astronaut. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to successfully land and walk on the moon.
Famous Scientists – Famous scientists from Aristotle and Archimedes to Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin. Including mathematicians, biologists, physicists and chemists.
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