Famous Explorers

"The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church - Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese navigator and explorer)

Outrightly rejecting the claims of the religion, conventions of the society. A deep desire to explore the unknown, unveil the unseen. These must have been the motivation when the famous explorers we read about today, set out on voyages to discover new lands. Below is the list of the world famous European, French, Spanish and American explorers, whose discoveries changed the geography as well as the history of the world.

Christopher Columbus
The first name that comes to mind whenever famous explorers of the world are mentioned, it has to be that of Christopher Columbus. A Portuguese by birth, Columbus is popularly known the world over for being the first one to discover the new world. Christopher traveled across Atlantic ocean as well as some parts of west Indies. When he set out to finding India, by way of sailing through the west, he accidentally landed in western hemisphere which he thought was India. In spite of this mistake, Columbus is credited by historians for opening tremendous opportunities for Europeans in the western hemisphere.

Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto is the first European explorer to have discovered the Mississippi river. During his voyages, he sailed from the western coast of Florida, far to the Tampa Bay. He sailed to the north of Alabama as well as to the southeast region.

Sally Ride
An inspiration for generations of women to take up scientific vocations, Sally Ride was the first American woman who orbited the earth from outer space. Sally Ride who defied all norms by entering this male bastion, worked as an astronaut and completed two flights on the "Challenger", the American space shuttle.

Henry Hudson
This Englishman is popularly known as the discoverer of the "Hudson River" - which is known by his name today. He set out on a voyage through the Dutch East India Company, to discover a northwest passage to the east. On his way, he discovered Chesapeake Bay as well as New England's Cape Cod.

Samuel de Champlain
One of the most famous French explorers, Samuel de Champlain, spent a major part of his life traveling through the region we refer to as Canada today. It was king of France Henry IV, who funded his travels. The king of France wanted him to find a waterway that would connect the Atlantic, through North America to Pacific. Champlain was not able to do that but he did claim the northern North America for the king of France. He founded "Quebec" and spent his life trying to co-exist with the native people in this region.

Sir Francis Drake
This European explorer was the first one to have circumnavigated the world in a ship. His expedition was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth, queen of England herself, to fight with the Spanish so that England could control the sea route towards the eastern part of the world. Going through the biography of Sir Francis Drake, one infers that initially he set out on his trip with five ships, but he lost four of them during his journey. Nevertheless, he was able to discover many islands in Atlantic and Pacific, which he claimed for England.

Marco Polo
Marco polo, an Italian by birth, was an explorer who introduced the Europeans to central Asia, India and China. He traveled across the region for seventeen long years and when he came back, he gave Europeans a lot of useful information about the orient. Along with him, he brought ivory, silk, porcelain and jade. Marco Polo introduced the Europeans to the use of money, compass and coal as was done by the Chinese.

Robert Edwin Peary
One of the most famous north American explorers, Robert Edwin Peary, explored the arctic region and was the first one to reach the North pole. He was successful in surviving in such a cold region as he learned everything that native people of the region did to beat the weather conditions such as building igloos, dressing up warmly and driving a group of sled dogs in order to explore the region. Most of his expeditions were funded privately, by organizations such as the national geographic society as he did not receive any government help at that time.

Besides the ones mentioned above, other explorers in history are Francisco Pizarro, Ferdinand Magellan, Sir Walter Raleigh, Amerigo Vespucci, Sir John Hawkins, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, Vasco da Gama, Gaspar Corte Real, Sebastian Cabot, Cabeza de Vaca, Estevanico, John Cabot, Juan Rodriguez Sir Martin Frobisher, Bartolomeu Dias, Pedro Alvares Cabral and Louis Joliet. All these explorers are known today for their contribution to making the world what it is today. They inspire each one of us to explore ourselves and the world around us.