Grand Slam in 1998 when he conquered the North and South Poles and

scaled the highest mountain in each of seven continents

motorcycle, then later retraced the route of the first crusade and rode the path

forged by Genghis Khan across the steppes of Mongolia on horseback

on a raft, lived with the Yanomamis in the Amazon jungle

American design and sailed 4,300 miles from Peru to the Pacific Island of Argatau

crossings of the Empty Quarter, the desert barrens of Arabia

Trieste down to 10,392 ft. in the Tyrrhenian Pit off Capri in the Mediterranean

Arctic Ocean; she was also the first woman to fly over the North Pole

George Mallory (1886-1924) pioneered the use of bottled oxygen at high altitudes

was led by Ernest Shackleton and was among the first to climb Antarctica's Mount Erebus

Arctic and lived among the Inuits (Eskimos) for many years

exploring the waters of the Far North and led over 40 expeditions to the Arctic

months, Shackleton led his men to Elephant Island

to Africa, founded the Institute for Cultural Morphology

difficulties, only to find that Amundsen had got there first. On the return journey

Captain Oates walked out into a blizzard never to come back

Thomas Gann (1867-1938)

Eskimos were the first people to reach the North Pole in 1909

of Pamir, Taklamakan, Tibet, the ancient Silk Road, and the Himalayas

Sir Francis Younghusband (1863-1942) in 1886 Younghusband went to Manchuria, China and returned

to India overland with Colonel Mark Bell, they traveled over 1,250 miles, crossing the Gobi Desert,

the Taklamakan Desert, the Karakorum Mountains, and the Himalayas, returning to India at Rawalpindi

Central Africa. She was the first European to enter remote parts of Gabon

 he covered 46,000 miles, paying his way by lectures and allowing sightseers on his boat

Teoberto Maler (1842-1917)

the American Southwest, including the Grand Canyon

champions of the Yosemite area's natural wonders

along the Siberian coast sailed on to the Bering Strait,

languages, penetrated the forbidden cities of Medina and Mecca

first European to walk across southern Australia from east to west (along the coast)

Alexander Theodor von Middendorf (1815-1894)

Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters (1815-1883)

John McDouall Stuart (1815-1866) intrigued by the mystery of Australia's unknown heartland he 

made several trips on horseback into the interior looking for new pasture and a transcontinental route

John Rae (1813-1893) explored the Canadian Arctic. Rae made three voyages,

to find the Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin, during his Arctic expeditions,

the hearty Rae walked over 23,000 miles (37000 km)

David Livingstone (1813-1873) went to Africa as a missionary, he

explored right across the continent, riding part of the way on ox back,

John were the first Europeans to canoe down the lower Niger River to its delta

Parry, Ross and his uncle, located the North Magnetic Pole, on Boothia Peninsula

joined a caravan leaving for the unknown city of Timbuktu

Jedediah Smith (1798-1831) was the first European American to reach California overland from the

east, he was also the first European American to cross the Great Basin Desert via the Sierra Nevada

Mountains and the Great Salt Lake (on his return from California)

Bathurst, the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee River, and Mount Bland

(with James Macarthur), climbed and named Australia's highest mountain Mount Kosciuszko

Wilhelm Peter Eduard Simon Rüppell (1794-1884)

Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868)

Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (1792-1855) led four surveying expeditions into southeastern Australia

Allan Cunningham (1791-1839)

Jules Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842) recognized the true value of a recently unearthed

statue the Venus of Milo, sailed on a voyage around the world under Captain Duperray

Colonel Sir George Everest (1790-1866) was Surveyor-General of India, Mount Everest was renamed

in honour of him, was selected by Sir Stamford Raffles to take part in the reconnaissance of Java

Sacajawea (1788-1812) was a Shoshone Indian who guided and acted as interpreter

and negotiator for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their exploratory

expedition. She traveled with them from North Dakota to the Oregon coast and back

Sir John Richardson (1787-1865)

James Weddell (1787-1834) sailed on three expeditions to the Antarctic,

discovered the Weddell Sea (near the South Pole) and the Weddell Seal

and also set an 80-year record for the farthest southern latitude reached 

Sir John Franklin (1786-1847) proved the existence of a Northwest Passage

(a water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through Canada),

he also explored the North American coast from the mouth of the Mackenzie

River in northwestern Canada, westward to Point Beechey (Alaska, USA)

John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1785-1828) explored areas of eastern Australia and Tasmania

Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867)

Charles Waterton (1782-1865)

Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813) tried to find the source of the Mississippi

River and also explored the Rocky Mountains and southwestern North America

Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (1778-1852)

Simon Fraser (1776-1862) worked for the North West Company

of Montreal, explored the interior of British Columbia

William Smith (1775-18??)

Matthew Flinders (1774-1814) circumnavigated Australia and mapped much of its coastline.

He and George Bass were the first Europeans to realize that Tasmania was an island

Nathaniel Pryor (1772-1831) joined the Lewis and Clark expedition at Louisville,

Kentucky and served under Gen. Andrew Jackson at the battle of New Orleans

Mungo Park (1771-1806) was sent to Africa to investigate the mysterious river Niger

William Clark (1770-1838), Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) the first Americans to cross their continent

David Thompson (1770-1857) explored western North America, including what is

now western Canada and the western USA, he was the first European to explore the

entire length of the Columbia River, worked for the Hudson's Bay Company

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) travelled widely in South America, Europe, and Asia,

while climbing Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador, he set a world altitude record that lasted for 36 years;

Aimé Bonpland (1773-1858) accompanied Alexander von Humboldt during five years of travel

in Mexico, Colombia and the districts bordering on the Orinoco and Amazon

Edmund Fanning (1769-1841) made a fortune in the China trade, killing seals in the South Pacific

and exchanging their skins in China for silks, spices, and tea, which he in turn sold in New York

City, as master of the Betsey in 1797-1798, he discovered three South Pacific Islands

Gaspar de Portolá (1767-1784) was appointed Governor of Las Californias and founded

Monterey and San Diego, in 1768, Portola volunteered to lead a large expedition of settlers,

missionaries, and soldiers up the California coast to San Diego and Monterey

(in California) in order to establish new Franciscan missions

Jean-Frédéric Waldeck (1766-1875) traveled to Egypt with Napoleon's expedition, is best

known for his researching and documenting such Ancient Maya sites as Palenque and Uxmal

Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820) on the first, his expedition went northwards to 

the Arctic Ocean, the second was the first crossing of North America by a white man since de Vaca

Captain George Vancouver (1758-1798) sailed to the northwest coast of

North America, discovering what is now called Vancouver Island

Captain John Meares (1756-1809)

Colonel William Paterson (1755-1810)

Robert Gray (1755-1806) traveled around South America to the Northwest

coast of North America and on to China, where he traded furs for tea

to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. He also mapped the West Australian coastline

Jean Pierre Blanchard (1753-1809) first person to cross the English Channel in a hot air balloon

Jean-Baptiste-Point du Sable (1750-1818) founded the settlement that would later become Chicago

André Michaux (1746-1803)

Johann Anton Güldenstädt (1745-1781)

Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra (1744-1794)

Constantine John Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave (1744-1792)

Cagliostro (1743-1795) adventurer, freemason and alchemist

Jean-François de Galoup, Comte de La Pérouse (1741-1788) mapped the west coast

of North America in 1786, visited the Easter and Sandwich Islands (Hawaii)

Moric Benovsky (1741-1786)

Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (1740-1799)

Father Francisco Tomás Garcés (1738-1781) explored the southwestern part of North America,

 including what is now Arizona, U.S., southern California, and the Gila and Colorado rivers

Captain Arthur Phillip (1738-1814) founded the first permanent European settlement in Australia

Captain Juan Bautista de Anza (1736-1788) was the first person of European descent

to establish an overland trail from Mexico to the northern Pacific coast of California,

of the Appalachian mountains and explored the Kentucky wilderness

French Revoloution to become a friend of Napoleon

James Cook (1728-1779) made precise observations of the geography and

peoples of New Zealand, the east coast Of Australia and the Pacific islands

Juan Perez (1725-1775) explored the northwest coast of North America as far north as Alaska

Chief Pontiac (1720-1769) organized the Ottawa tribe and others in the Great Lakes area

to fight the British, in what is known as Pontiac's War, the tribes captured eight of the 12 forts

that they attacked, and the settlements were left in ruins, by 1764 the French no longer supported

the Indian efforts and actually sided with the British, and the British re-took many of the areas

Pierre Poivre (1719-1786) Intendant des îles de France et Bourbon, coureur d’épices

Pehr Kalm (1716-1779)

Father Junipero Serra (1713-1784) traveled to Mexico in 1749 to do

missionary work,  was well-known for his acts of mortification of the flesh

Ferdinand Konščak (1703-1759)

Charles Marie de la Condamine (1701-1774) took exploratory trips to Algiers, Alexandria, Palestine,

Cyprus, and Constantinople before he was sent to Ecuador in 1735 to measure the Earth at the equator,

he returned to France by climbing the Andes Mountains and rafting down the Amazon River

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (1685-1749) traveled farther west

than any previous European explorer had; he traveled to Winnipeg and then southwest,

Verendrye's proposed expedition across Canada

Arkansas, Red, and Sulphur Rivers, and the area near Galveston Bay

Canada, his writings are some of the earliest written accounts of North America

America were connected by a land bridge, Bering sailed through what is now known as the Bering

Strait, finding a sea route around Siberia to China, on the Great Nordic Expedition Bering

joined the Caribbean buccaneers and went on their pirate raids into the South Seas

and explored areas in southwestern North America,

Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687) explored the area south of the

Great Lakes, and was one of the earliest backwoodsmen to see the Niagara Falls,

Marquette (and five others) found the Mississippi River in 1673

of cells inside plants and animals with his microscope

trade he sighted the island of Tasmania off the south coast of Australia

customs, he traveled up the Ottawa River to Lake Nipissing, down the French River to Lake Huron,

John Smith's life, she eventually married the English settler John Rolfe

Jan Carstensz (1595-?)

Peter Stuyvesant (1592-1672) was appointed the director of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire

(islands in the Caribbean), lost New Amsterdam to the British in 1664, when the colonists

decided to surrender to the British without a fight, New Amsterdam was renamed New York

Étienne Brûlé (1592-1632) was sent by Samuel de Champlain to live with the Hurons, he was

probably the first European to see Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior

Northwest Passage under command of Robert Bylot, the second, NW through Davis

Strait, led to exploration of what was later called Baffin Bay and Baffin Island

in America, he is famous for buying the island of Manhattan with trinkets valued at about $24

Henry Hudson (1565-1611) explored parts of the Arctic Ocean and northeastern North America. The

Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay are named for Hudson, is credited with discovering the

location which is now New York City (although da Verrazzano had previously sailed by the area in 1524)

transported colonists to the first permanent English colony in America, Jamestown, and sailed

back and forth from England to the New World five times  between 1606 and 1611,

transporting both supplies and colonists, and halted the execution of Captain John Smith

Pierre Chauvin de Tonnetuit, and in 1603 Henry IV, the King of France, granted Dugua a 10-year exclusive right

to colonize lands in North America between 40º-45º North latitude. The King also gave Dugua a monopoly in the

fur trade for these territories and named him governor of the area. In return, Dugua promised to bring 60 new colonists

each year to what would be called l'Acadie. Entering Baie François (the Bay of Fundy) in June 1604, Dugua and

his settlers founded a colony on Île-Ste-Croix but the colony moved to better land on the south shore of Baie

François at Port-Royal in 1605. He also played an important role for the establishment of the largest french colony

in the world when he sent Champlain to open a commercial centre at Quebec in 1608

Sebastián Vizcaíno (1550-1628) sailed up the coast of California in three ships at the

request of King Phillip II of Spain, named San Clemente, Catalina, Santa Barbara, Point

Northeast passage to eastern Asia, the Barents Sea was named for him

John Davis (1550-1605) made several voyages in search of the North West Passage

Sir Francis Drake (1543-1596) the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world,

Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira (1541-1595)

Sir Humphrey Gilbert (1539-1583) started English settlements in Ireland (to try to stop the

Irish rebellion) and, much later, sailed to North America in search of a Northwest Passage

Sir John Hawkins (1532-1595) sailed to Hispaniola (now Haiti) for a London syndicate of businessmen in order

to trade Guinean slaves in the Spanish West Indies, during a third West Indies slave-trading trip with Drake,

 a need for repairs sent their six ships to a harbor in San Juan de Ulua, near Veracruz, Mexico, the Spanish fleet

then attacked the English ships; only two ships survived (those commanded by Hawkins and Drake), this

attack led to a series of battles that later culminated in a war between the Spain and England, in this war,

America's Southwest, he was a governor of New Galicia, a western province of Mexico

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1509-1579)

Francis Xavier (1506-1552) sailed to Japan to introduce Christianity there

Miguel López de Legazpi (1502-1572)

Ruy López de Villalobos (1500-1544)

Hernando de Soto (1500-1542) was the first European to explore Florida and the southeastern US,

Francisco Pizarro enlisted de Soto for an expedition to Peru. During this expedition they met and

killed Atahualpa, the ruler of the Incas and conquered the Inca empire

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (1499-1543)

Andrés de Urdaneta (1498-1568)

they managed to pass from tribe to tribe until they finally reached safety in Mexico

Juan de Grijalva (1489-1527)

from Cape Fear, North Carolina to Maine while searching for a Northwest passage to

Asia, he anchored in the narrows now named after him off of the coast near New York.

the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean crossing the Isthmus of Panama

Francisco Pizarro (1474-1541) conquered the Inca empire of six million people with 150 men

Panfilo de Narvaez (1470-1528) helped conquer Cuba in 1511 and led a Spanish royal

expedition to North America, was granted the land of Florida by the Emperor Charles V in 1526

Duarte Pacheco Pereira (1469-1533)

Pedro Álvares Cabral (1467-1520) was the first European to see Brazil on an expedition

with Bartolomeu Dias, King Manuel I of Portugal sent him on an expedition to India

Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465-1524)

Pedro Escobar (15th century) Portuguese explorer who discovered

São Tomé and Príncipe together with João de Santarém

Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) Admiral of the first fleet to reach India from Europe

Juan Ponce de Leon (1460-1521) was the first European to set foot in Florida, he also

established the oldest European settlement in Puerto Rico and discovered the Gulf Stream

Juan de la Cosa (1460-1510)

João da Nova (1460-1509)

Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (1460-15??)

Martin Behaim (1459-1537) made the earliest globe, accompanied the

Portuguese explorer Diogo Cam on a voyage to the coast of West Africa;

during this trip, the mouth of the Congo River was discovered

Bartolomeu Dias (1457-1500) led the first European expedition to sail around Africa's Cape of Good Hope

Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) was the first person to realize that the Americas were

separate  from the continent of Asia, America was named for him in 1507, Ojeda and

Vespucci discovered the mouth of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers in South America

Afonso de Albuquerque (1453-1515) sailed to the Spice Islands (the Moluccas, a group of

Islands in Indonesia), forcibly destroyed the Indian city of Calicut and took Goa for Portugal

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) sailed west from Spain with three

small ships, two months later he reached Guanahani in the Bahamas

Francisco de Almeida (1450-1510)

John Cabot (1450-1499) explored the Canadian coastline and named many of its islands and capes

Martin Alonzo Pinzon (1441-1493) sailed with Christopher Columbus

on his first voyage to the New World, as captain of the Pinta

in west Africa, claimed to have discovered the Cape Verde Islands

Didrik Pining (1428-1491)

João Vaz Corte-Real (15th century)

Diogo Dias (15th century)

Diogo Cão (15th century)

Pêro de Alenquer (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the African coast. Accompanied Bartolomeu Dias in his journey

 around the Cape of Good Hope in 1487/88. Latter wrote a description of Vasco da Gama's first voyage to India

Afanasiy Nikitin (14??-1472)

Gonçalo Velho (15th century)

Nuno Tristão (15th century)

Gil Eanes (15th century)

Niccolò Da Conti (1395-1469)

Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460)

João Gonçalves Zarco (1390-1470)

Zheng He (1371-1435)

Lancelotto Malocello (fl. 1312)

Ibn Batuta (1304-1368) journeyed almost 75,000 miles in his lifetime,

visiting Arab communities as far apart as Timbuktu and Peking

Marco Polo (1254-1324) crossed the Persian desert, climbed the Pamirs,

and finally reached the court of the great Khan, Kublai, near Peking

William of Rubruck (1220-1293)

John de Piano Carpini (1180-1252) the first European to describe the vast steppe country of Central Asia

Thorfinn Karlsefni (fl. 1010)

Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir (fl. 1000) was the first woman to bear a child of

European descent in America, and later walked to Rome on foot to see the Pope

Leif Ericsson (970-1020) son of Eric the Red, the first

European to make a deliberate voyage to North America

Eric the Red (950-1004) was the first European in Greenland

Ahmad ibn Rustah (10th century)

Bjarni Herjólfsson (fl. 943)

Saint Brendan (486-578) sailed to the Hebrides, the Canary Islands, the Azores and Iceland

Chang Ch'ien (174-114 bc) traveled to the steppes of Central Asia,

opened up Chinese trade and helped begin the Silk Road

Pytheas of Massilia (380-310 bc) traveled over a considerable

part of Britain, circumnavigating it between 330 and 320bc