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.
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.
