FAMOUS EXPLORERS OF THE WORLD

Marco Polo

1271

Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer known for the book The Travels of Marco Polo, which describes his voyage to and experiences in Asia.He traveolled from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295, remaining in China for 17 of those years.

Vasco da Gama

1460

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and navigator who found a direct sea route from Europe to Asia, and was the first European to sail to India by going around Africa.

Christopher Columbus

1492

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator. Columbus first went to sea as a teenager,In 1492, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in the Santa Maria, with the Pinta and the Niña ships alongside, hoping to find a new route to India.

John Cabot

1497

John Cabot was a Venetian explorer and navigator known for his 1497 voyage to North America, where he made a British claim to land in Canada, mistaking it for Asia.

Amerigo Vespucci

1497

America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator and explorer who played a prominent role in exploring the New World. Vespucci went on to explore the coast of Brazil. During this journey, Vespucci is said to have discovered the Amazon River and Cape St. Augustine.

Ferdinand Magellan

1505

Ferdinand Magellan in the service of Spain, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the first European voyage of discovery to circumnavigate the globe. he explored Malacca, located in present-day Malaysia, and participated in the conquest of Malacca's port.

Hernán Cortés

1518

Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who explored Central America, overthrew Montezuma and his vast Aztec empire and won Mexico for the crown of Spain.

Sir Francis Drake

1577

Sir Francis Drake was the second person to circumnavigated the globe and was the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan era. In 1577, Drake was chosen as the leader of an expedition intended to pass around South America, through the Strait of Magellan, and explore the coast that lay beyond. Drake successfully completed the journey and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth

James Cook

1756

James Cook was a naval captain, navigator and explorer.He joined the British Navy and, at age 29, was promoted to ship's master.He took command of the first scientific expedition to the Pacific. Cook's voyages helped guide generations of explorers and provided the first accurate map of the Pacific.

Neil Armstrong

1930

Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer, and the first person to walk on the Moon. He