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
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
Hernán Cortés 1485 Spanish Hernán Cortés was a Spanish soldier, better known as the conqueror of Mexico
Hernando de Soto 1500 Spanish Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquests of Central America and Peru
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
Robert Peary May 6, 1856 American Robert Edwin Peary, Sr
Bear Grylls June 7, 1974 British Bear Grylls is an adventurer popularly known for his bizarre survival tactics in reality television series Man vs
Kit Carson December 24, 1809 American Kit Carson was an American frontiersman and soldier who played an important role in the westward expansion of the United States
Leif Erikson 970 Icelander Leif Erikson was an Icelandic explorer who became the first European to reach North America
Jacques Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, oceanographer, researcher, filmmaker, undersea explorer, author, and photographer
FrenchJune 11, 1910130 views
Sven Hedin
Sven Hedin was a Swedish explorer, geographer and travel writer known for his expeditions to Central Asia
SwedishFebruary 19, 1865148 views
Nikolay Przhevalsky
Nikolay Przhevalsky was a Russian explorer who contributed significantly to European knowledge of Central Asia
RussianApril 12, 1839116 views
Francisco Moreno
Francisco Moreno was an Argentine naturalist, explorer, anthropologist, and geographer in the late 19th century
ArgentinianMay 31, 1852127 views
Ferdinand von Richthofen
Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen was a German geographer, geologist and traveler
GermanMay 5, 1833110 views
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.
Pytheas
Pytheas was a Greek geographer and explorer from the Greek colony of Massalia
Greek350 BC113 views
Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson was an Australian explorer, geologist and academic
AustralianMay 5, 1882156 views
Lawrence Hargrave
Lawrence Hargrave was an Australian engineer, aviation pioneer, inventor, explorer, and astronomer
AustralianJanuary 29, 1850119 views
Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa was one of the most important and influential explorers in the 16th century
Spanish147595 views