Famous Explorers - List of Famous Explorers - page 6
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 | |||
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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 |
Henry Hudson | 1565 | British | Henry Hudson was an early 17th century English navigator and explorer |
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 |
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 |
William Adams
William Adams was an English navigator, the first Englishman who traveled to Japan and became a Western Samurai
John Franklin
Sir John Franklin was an English ‘Royal Navy’ officer and an explorer of the Arctic
James Cook
James Cook was a British explorer, captain and cartographer
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, navigator and colonizer who initiated the Spanish colonization of the New World
Francis Drake
Francis Drake was a 16th century English sailor, navigator and politician
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary, doctor and an explorer in Africa
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American explorer best known for his exploration and settlement of what is now Kentucky
Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace was a British scientist and explorer, best known for discovering the concept of evolution by natural selection
Alexander Henry The Elder
Alexander Henry the Elder was a merchant of British origin who was one of the pioneers of the British-Canadian fur trade
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was the legendary Italian merchant, explorer and traveler, who travelled to China and worked under emperor, Kublai Khan