Famous Explorers - List of Famous Explorers
Throughout the history of mankind, there have been several adventurous souls who set out to explore the unknown. Spirited and courageous, they risked their lives on their expeditions to seek out lands hitherto unknown to the civilized world. When we talk of explorers, Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama, would undoubtedly be one of the first names that come to our mind— after all as one of the pioneers of the ‘Age of Exploration’, he was the commander of one of the sailing ships that ventured into India from Europe. Venice native Marco Polo was another legendary explorer who set out to explore Asia and became the first European to meet the Mogul emperor Kublai Khan. While Christopher Columbus was the one to discover America by sailing through the Atlantic Ocean, it was Jacques Cartier, one of the earliest French explorers, who explored the region of Northern America to discover what is now Canada, and claimed the area for France. When US Army volunteers Second Lieutenant William Clark and Captain Meriwether Lewis led the Corps of Discovery Expedition in 1804, it was a woman explorer, Native American Sacagawea, who guided them on this expedition. Scroll down to discover many interesting facts about the famous explorers from all over the world.
The Most Famous Explorers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birthday | Nationality | Bio |
| John Cabot | 1450 | Italian | John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer who was the first European to discover the coast of North America |
| Marco Polo | 1254 | Italian | Marco Polo was the legendary Italian merchant, explorer and traveler, who travelled to China and worked under emperor, Kublai Khan |
| Francisco Vásquez de Coronado | 1510 | Spanish | Francisco Vazquez de Coronado was a Spanish conquistador who became one of the first Europeans to discover the Grand Canyon |
| Henry Hudson | 1565 | British | Henry Hudson was an early 17th century English navigator and explorer |
| Hernán Cortés | 1485 | Spanish | Hernán Cortés was a Spanish soldier, better known as the conqueror of Mexico |
| Bear Grylls | June 7, 1974 | British | Bear Grylls is an adventurer popularly known for his bizarre survival tactics in reality television series Man vs |
| Hernando de Soto | 1500 | Spanish | Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquests of Central America and Peru |
| Robert Peary | May 6, 1856 | American | Robert Edwin Peary, Sr |
| Ferdinand Magellan | 1480 | Portuguese | Ferdinand Magellan was a famous Portuguese navigator and explorer |
| Ibn Battuta | February 25, 1304 | Moroccan | Ibn Batuta was a famous explorer of the medieval era who chronicled his travel accounts spanning over three decades |
Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, oceanographer, researcher, filmmaker, undersea explorer, author, and photographer
Sven Hedin
Sven Hedin was a Swedish explorer, geographer and travel writer known for his expeditions to Central Asia
Nikolay Przhevalsky
Nikolay Przhevalsky was a Russian explorer who contributed significantly to European knowledge of Central Asia
Francisco Moreno
Francisco Moreno was an Argentine naturalist, explorer, anthropologist, and geographer in the late 19th century
Ferdinand von Richthofen
Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen was a German geographer, geologist and traveler
Henry Gannett
Henry Gannett was an American geographer often called "the Father of American map-making." This biography of Henry Gannett provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson was an Australian explorer, geologist and academic
Lawrence Hargrave
Lawrence Hargrave was an Australian engineer, aviation pioneer, inventor, explorer, and astronomer
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa was one of the most important and influential explorers in the 16th century