Expeditions that changed the course of history

North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia: these were all once lands untouched by Europeans. The day that men set off to explore the world changed everything for everyone.

The period between the 15th and 18th centuries, perhaps wrongly named the Age of Discovery despite the fact that many of the lands were already inhabited, saw Europeans spread across the globe. Even after these impactful explorations, humans have continued to adventure to faraway places, even to the sky and the Moon.

From Columbus to Armstrong, here are the most important expeditions that changed the world.

Mount Everest

They took 350 porters and 5 tons of baggage on the adventure! When they finished, Hillary's best friend was waiting at the bottom with hot soup for them. Rightly so!


Edmund Hillary (1919-2008)

In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first men to reach the top of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Hillary is credited most with the achievement because he placed his foot on the summit first.

Roald Amundsen (1872-1928)

Amundsen was an incredible explorer of the coldest regions on Earth. In 1897, he set off to find the Northwest Passage, which is the route that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to the Arctic Ocean. Explorers had been looking for it for years.

Discoveries

Roald Amundsen went further than just the Northwest Passage. He was the first man to reach the South Pole and to fly over the North Pole. Therefore, he was the first human to conquer the most uninhabited areas in the world.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

We all know of Columbus. He was supposedly the first man ever to cross from Europe to South America.

Where did he go?

In 1492, Columbus was looking for a quicker way to get to India. Accidentally, he ran into Latin America. In his life, he made three trips over the Atlantic Ocean for further exploration of the 'new' land. It is said that Columbus made the first connection that led Europe to colonize Latin America.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

The famous scientist was also an explorer in his own right. Darwin had been studying biology at Cambridge when he was asked to go on an exploration voyage on the HMS Beagle.
The Galapagos

Charles Darwin then spent five years traveling around South America recording species, habits, and environments. He focused his research on the Galapagos Islands. All of the research was used to create the controversial book 'On the Origin of Species' (1859).

David Livingstone (1813-1873)

In the 19th century, Africa was a pretty mysterious place for most outside the continent. David Livingstone set out to explore the continent and get to know its cultures. He arrived there in 1865.

Missing?

While Livingstone was trekking through Africa, he also sought to find a way to halt the slave trade because he could see the damage it caused. Originally, he was meant to return after two years, but instead he stayed until his death. The British, meanwhile, thought he had gone missing.

Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) and William Clark (1770-1838)

Lewis and Clark's expedition was to survey and charter the West of the United States. It seemed like a simple job, but they had no idea how big the mission they had taken on would be.

The West

After an astonishing 8,000-mile (almost 13,000-km) trek, the Corps of Discovery reached what is now Oregon. Their way back was very difficult, as they encountered Native Americans who attacked them. On their return, they were hailed as heroes by President Thomas Jefferson and the people.

Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)

We need hardly tell you what happened here! On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong successfully undertook the mission to land on the Moon.

"One small step for man"

Armstrong's expedition made human’s dreams of space a reality. It was the first direct connection with another land in outer space, but was by no means the last.

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937)

In 1929, history was made when the first female aviator crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Incredibly, she was only the 16th woman in the world to have obtained a pilot's license.

More to it

Earhart was also the first person in history to ever fly over both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The aviator's life is shrouded in mystery, however, as she disappeared in 1937 and was never seen again.

Zheng He (1371-1433)

During the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He explored the world in totality. The Emperor bid him to show the greatness of the empire to other countries. With this aim, he went on seven expeditions!

Did Columbus do it?

By recording where they went, Zheng He was able to make a map of their expeditions. As you can see, there is an America. This map was created years before Christopher Columbus hit the seas. Contrary to our history books, it's very possible that the Chinese came across the Americas before the Europeans.

Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512)

Does that first name look familiar to you? America was named after Vespucci because of his exploratory success. In 1497, he sailed from Spain to South America, and was convinced he had discovered a new continent.

The rios

Even though he was wrong about the new continent as it had already been visited by a few others, his explorations put Rio de Janeiro and Río de la Plata on the map.

John Cabot (c. 1450–c. 1500)

In 1497, this burly man led a voyage across the North Atlantic Sea and stumbled across Canada. He originally thought that Canada was Asia, which is why he planted a British flag on it.

Disappearance

Born in Italy, Cabot dedicated his life to exploration and was set to return to Canada. In 1498, he set off again with a fleet. But John Cabot never returned. No one knows what happened to him and his ships.

Hernán Cortés (1485-1547)

Many will know of the Conquistador Cortés. He left Spain at the age of 19 to explore the world and decided to conquer the Aztec Empire in Mexico.

The Aztec Empire

Here you can see a depiction of Córtes talking to the Emperor of the Aztecs. But there was not that much talking done in reality. Brutally, Córtes and his men killed over 100,000 indigenous people, but many more died of illnesses that the Europeans brought over.

Francis Drake (c. 1540–1596)

Francis Drake was a great friend of Queen Elizabeth (1533-1603). He is famous for sailing around the whole world and claiming California for the British Empire.

Virginia

The Queen liked him so much that she did not let him go off and explore the Americas more, but he found other ways to do so. Drake invested in an expedition that ended up claiming Virginia. Its name comes from Queen Elizabeth's nickname, the "Virgin Queen."

James Cook (1728-1779)

At the age of 29, Cook was already the master of a ship. In 1770, he endeavored to explore the Pacific and Australia.

New Zealand and Australia

On his voyage upon the HMS Endeavour, he gathered information on New Zealand, the Great Barrier Reef, and Australia. Importantly, he proved that Terra Australis, the hypothesized continent, did not exist.

Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)

Magellan organized an expedition to explore the East Indies in 1519. However, more notable than the expedition is that he circumnavigated the Earth.

Around the world

The voyage was treacherous. Of the five ships that set off from Seville, Spain, only one returned. Magellan, along with 251 men on board, died before the expedition ended.

Before and after images show bomb-hit Westminster Abbey in WWII

 

Just over eighty years ago, on the night of May 10, 1941, Westminster Abbey suffered its worst bomb damage of the Second World War.

Clusters of incendiaries fell on the Abbey roof and in the church's precincts. 

Most were quickly put out by fire watchers but one on the lantern roof, in the centre of the church, could not easily be reached and sent flames shooting 40 feet into the sky above London. 

The Abbey - the site of the coronation of every British monarch since William the Conqueror in 1066 - could have burned to the ground.  

Thankfully, the burning timbers and molten lead fell to the floor below - where monarchs are enthroned at a coronation - and the fire was more easily extinguished.

On the same night, the Deanery was gutted by fire and three clergy houses in the cloisters were destroyed.

In pictures released by the church to mark the 80th anniversary of the bombing, you can see the damage and how the Abbey was later restored. 

Also seen are some of the fire watchers who heroically protected the Abbey and whose hard work and vigilance helped to ensure that even on the night of the worst bombing raid, the damage was limited.

The Abbey also benefited from precautions that had been taken at the outbreak of war in 1939. 

Many of its treasures, including gilt bronze and oak tomb effigies, manuscripts and tapestries were evacuated for safety to country houses. 

Some of the stained glass windows were boarded over but quite a lot of glass was blown out by the blast, especially in 1940. 

Around 60,000 sand bags were used to protect immoveable royal and medieval tombs. The Coronation Chair was sent for safety to Gloucester Cathedral.

Areas of the Abbey were also set aside as APR (Air Raid Precautions) headquarters, a dressing station and dispensary. 

An air raid shelter was available for the clergy in College Garden.

Services continued in the Abbey throughout the war, with the nave altar being used after the May raid. 

More than 700 tonnes of high explosives and 86,000 incendiaries were dropped across London on the night of May 10.  

As well as the damage inflicted on the Abbey, the nearby House of Commons was totally destroyed after being hit by a bomb. 

The Medieval roof timbers of Westminster Hall were also set alight by incendiaries. 

After the blaze at the Abbey, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth visited to inspect the damage.    

The lantern roof was built after the war and the Abbey has since undergone major restoration, between 1995 and 1998.  

Boris Johnson under pressure as British voters back second independence referendum

 

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson is facing intense pressure to allow a second Scottish independence referendum if the SNP win a majority at Holyrood on Thursday, after a new poll for The Independent showed British voters think he would be wrong to deny a fresh ballot.

The UK government argues that now is not the time for another vote and that politicians should focus on rebuilding the economy in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

But Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP has said outright victory in this week’s Holyrood elections would be a mandate for a second referendum.

And a new BMG poll for The Independent suggests Britons agree.

The survey found that 41 per cent of those asked said Mr Johnson should allow another vote within four years if pro-independence parties win a majority in the Scottish Parliament this week, compared to just 33 per cent who opposed and 26 per cent who said they did not know.

Nicola Sturgeon

The poll also shows Mr Johnson would be under heavily expected to win another referendum.

Just 19 per cent said Scottish independence would be positive for the UK, while 41 per cent believe it would be negative.

The only part of the UK where voters were more likely to back Mr Johnson’s position than oppose it was in Scotland.

There 41 per cent thought the prime minister should grant another referendum while 44 per cent thought he should not.

In response, Ms Sturgeon said: "What this poll shows is that Boris Johnson and the Tories can’t deny democracy forever.

“When the Scottish Parliament decides it is the right time for the people of Scotland to choose their future, it would be foolish for a Westminster Tory government to stand the way of the democratic will of the people of Scotland.”

But a UK government spokesperson said the SNP’s push for a “divisive referendum” was “irresponsible”.

The poll also shows that across Britain as a whole, only the over-65s believe Mr Johnson’s government has taken the right approach.

They back his position by 45 per cent to 35 per cent.

But no other age group agreed.

And young people were especially likely to believe the outcome of Thursday’s vote could lead to another independence poll.

Among 18-24 year olds, 48 per cent thought the government should allow another referendum, while just 15 per cent thought they should withhold permission.

As well as the SNP, the Scottish Greens also support independence, as do Alba, the new party formed by Ms Sturgeon’s rival and former ally Alex Salmond.

He is campaigning for voters to deliver a ‘super majority’ among pro-independence parties on Thursday.

UK ministers were spooked by a series of polls earlier this year which suggested support for independence had risen in Scotland.

However, polls in recent days suggest that backing may have waned during the course of this election campaign.

Some UK government insiders believe the chances of a pro-independence majority on Thursday are currently touch and go.

A UK government spokesperson said:  “Now more than ever, people in Scotland want to see the UK government and the devolved administrations working together to protect lives and livelihoods.

"The United Kingdom is the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen, and this pandemic and our collective response, from the furlough scheme to vaccine procurement and the backing of our military personnel, has shown that we are at our strongest when we work together towards a common goal.

"The push for a divisive referendum is simply irresponsible. It is a distraction, when we need to focus on continuing to tackle the pandemic and rebuilding our economy."

Stratolaunch, the world’s largest plane, completes second test flight

 

The world's largest plane Stratolaunch performs test flight in Mojave, California

Chelsea ban individual for 10 years over antisemitic abuse

ITV pulls final episode of Viewpoint following Noel Clarke allegations

The world's largest plane has completed its second test flight, marking a step forward for next-generation air launch technology.
With a wingspan stretching to 117 metres, wider than the length of a football pitch, the Stratolaunch plane rose to 14,000 feet and reached a top speed of 199mph test flight on Thursday.
"We are airborne,” the company tweeted at around 8.30am local time, as the plane's six-engines propelled it into the sky above the Southern California desert.
The plane's 28 wheels touched down just over three hours later.
Stratolaunch was started in 2011 by Burt Rutan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who passed away before the plane's first test flight took place in April 2019.

 

As global lockdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic limited the extent to which we can travel and go about our daily lives, some companies and individuals have turned to tech to go where humans can't. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been used for everything from spraying disinfectant in cities to delivering essential items and enforcing lockdown rules during the coronavirus crisis. Yet drones had a whole host of surprising uses before the pandemic too – click or scroll through to see the amazing ways drones are going where humans can't.

Originally, the behemoth plane was designed to fly rockets to the edge of space so they could launch mid-air with the company saying it would make satellite deployment as "easy as booking an airline flight." 

But in 2020, Stratolaunch announced it would pivot to focus on launching hypersonic planes which fly five times faster than the speed of sound. 

The company is currently working towards launching its Talon-A prototype hypersonic plane.

Focusing on hypersonic aircraft is likely to mean Stratolaunch will work closely with the US department of defence. 

Military efforts to develop hypersonic weapons is growing increasingly competitive, especially between the US, China and Russia.

Last year, a Pentagon media briefing said development in the field was being driven by "our great power competitors and their attempts to challenge our domain dominance".

David Millman, Stratolaunch’s chief technology officer, told tech news outlet GeekWire: “That’s exactly one of the areas that we’re looking at: how can we help the Department of Defense in mitigating risks for all their extensive flight testing.”   

He added, the company plans to build three hypersonic vehicles and aims to conduct hypersonic tests at least once every 17 days.  

 

Armed forces using drones for surveillance

The German army uses drones created by aviation company EMT to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. The drones, named Aladin, are able to function during day and night and in all weather conditions, and can be dismantled in the field in just five minutes.