famous explorers library

Explorers came to this "New World" from many different places. Learn about the explorers who came to these lands and the legacies they left behind them.

Featured Article: Diego De Almagro

Almagro, Diego de (1475?–1538), a Spanish soldier and explorer. During 1524–33, Almagro helped Francisco Pinzarro overthrow the Inca empire of Peru. See more »

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Baron Friedrich Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt

The depth and range of Baron Friedrich Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt's investigations caused Ralph Waldo Emerson to call him "a universal man." Learn more about von Humboldt's explorations.

Diego De Almagro

Almagro, Diego de (1475?–1538), a Spanish soldier and explorer. During 1524–33, Almagro helped Francisco Pinzarro overthrow the Inca empire of Peru.

Francisco De Orellana

Orellana Francisco de (1511?–1546), a Spanish soldier and explorer. Orellana was the first European to explore the course of the Amazon River.

Hiram Bingham

Bingham, Hiram (1875–1956), a United States explorer and political leader. He was born in Honolulu, the son of a missionary.

Pedro De Alvarado

Alvarado, Pedro de (1495?–1541), a Spanish soldier and explorer of Central America.

Vasco Nunez De Balboa

Balboa, Vasco Núñez de (1475–1517), a Spanish explorer. He was the first European to discover that a great ocean, the Pacific, lay west of the Americas.