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Did the Chinese discovery America years before Christopher Columbus? Learn about the evidence that supports the claim that the Chinese beat Columbus. See more »
famous explorers library
For centuries, European explorers sailed vast oceans to find new lands. Learn all about major European explorers in these articles.
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Articles 1-20 of 28
Did the Chinese beat Columbus to America?
Did the Chinese discovery America years before Christopher Columbus? Learn about the evidence that supports the claim that the Chinese beat Columbus.
See more »
Who was Marco Polo?
Is the extent of your knowledge about Marco Polo that you're supposed to answer "Polo" when someone swimming in a pool with you yells out "Marco"? Thought so. Well, strap in for a bumpy trek down the Silk Road with one of Europe's greatest explorers.
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James Cook
Cook, James (1728–1779), a British navigator. Captain Cook accurately charted vast regions of the South Pacific; provided a basis for England's claim to Australia and New Zealand; and developed a diet that prevented scurvy among seamen.
See more »Abel Tasman
Tasman, Abel Janszoon (1603–1659), a Dutch navigator. Exploring the Pacific Ocean for the Dutch East India Company, he discovered Tasmania (which he named Van Diemen's Land) and New Zealand in 1642.
See more »Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Núñez (1490?–1557?), a Spanish explorer. He was a leader in the expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez to Florida in 1528.
See more »Amerigo Vespucci
Vespucci, Amerigo, (Latinized form: Americus Vespucius, ) (1451–1512), the Italian navigator for whom the continents of the Western Hemisphere are named.
See more »Bartholomeu Dias
Dias (or Diaz), Bartholomeu(1450?–1500), a Portuguese explorer. He discovered the Cape of Good Hope, near the southern tip of the African continent.
See more »Challenger Expedition
Challenger Expedition, an exploring trip made in 1872–76 to study the ocean bottom and undersea life.
See more »Eric the Red
Eric the Red (950?–1000?), the Norse founder of a settlement in Greenland. He gave the island its name to attract settlers.
See more »Ferdinand Magellan
Magellan, Ferdinand (Portuguese: Fernão de Magalhães)(1480?–1521), a Portuguese navigator.
See more »George Vancouver
Vancouver, George (1758?–1798), an English navigator and explorer. He surveyed the northwest coast of North America, and his name was given to Vancouver Island and to the cities of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Vancouver, Washington.
See more »Giovanni Da Verrazano
Verrazano, Giovanni da (1485?-1528?), an Italian navigator and privateer. He was born near Florence.
See more »Henry the Navigator
Henry the Navigator (1394–1460), a Portuguese prince, a son of King John I. Henry sponsored expeditions that prepared the way for the European discovery of America and the establishment of a sea route to India; he himself never made a sea voyage.
See more »John Cabot
Cabot, John (1451?–1498), an Italian-born navigator. In 1497, while on a voyage of exploration for England, he landed on the coast of North America.
See more »John Davis
Davis, John (1550?–1605), an English navigator and explorer. Davis invented the backstaff, an instrument that enabled a navigator on a ship at sea to determine the ship's position by measuring the altitude of celestial bodies.
See more »Juan Diaz de Solis
Solís, Juan Díaz de (1470?–1516), a Spanish navigator and explorer. After many years of exploration in Latin America, Solís succeeded Amerigo Vespucci as chief pilot of Spain in 1512.
See more »Leif Ericson
Ericson, Leif, a Norse explorer. He was the son of Eric the Red, who had settled in Greenland.
See more »Louis Antoine De Bougainville
Bougainville, Louis Antoine de (1729–1811), a French navigator. He commanded the first French expedition to sail around the world, 1766–69.
See more »Martin Pring
Pring, Martin (1580–1626?), an English explorer. He made three voyages to America, exploring the New England coast from Maine to Cape Cod Bay.
See more »Pedro Alvares Cabral
Cabral, Pedro Alvares (1460?–1526), a Portuguese navigator. He was the first European to reach Brazil.
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