Explorers

Leif Erikson (c. 970 – c. 1020) was an Icelandic explorer and probably the first European visitor to North America, 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

Leif Erikson

Marco Polo (1254-1324) was an Italian voyager and merchant who was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia through China, visiting the Kublai Khan in Beijing. He left in 1271 (he was a teenager at the time) with his father (Nicolo Polo) and uncle

(Maffeo Polo); they spent about 24 years traveling.

Marco Polo Route to China

Zheng He (1371-1433), or Cheng Ho, is arguably China's most famous navigator. Starting from the beginning of the 15th Century, he traveled to the West seven times. For 28 years, he traveled more than 50,000km and visited over 30 countries, including

Singapore.

Zheng He Voyages of He

Prince Henry (Henrique) the Navigator (1394-1460) was a Portuguese royal prince, soldier, and patron of explorers. Henry sent many sailing expeditions

down Africa's west coast, but did not go on them himself. Prince Henry the

Navigator Routes

Francisco Pizarro (1478-1541) was a Spanish conquistador who traveled through much of the Pacific coast of America along Peru. He "discovered" the Incan empire and conquered it brutally and quickly, stealing immense hoards

of gold, silver, and other treasures.

Francisco Pizarro

Jacques Cartier (December 31, 1491 – September 1, 1557), the French navigator, established his country’s claim to present-day Canada through his

explorations of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River.

Jacques Cartier

Sir Walter Raleigh (1554?-1618) was an English explorer and a great favorite at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. He travelled to distant lands in search of new

territories and riches. He was also a writer whose works included poetry as well as a book about history and accounts of his voyages.

Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c. 1540 – January 27, 1595) was an English privateer, navigator, slave trader, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Drake

was knighted in 1581 by Queen Elizabeth I. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Sir Francis Drake

Vitus Jonassen Bering (1681-1741) was a Danish explorer and navigator who explored the seas off Alaska and northeastern Siberia. From 1725-1730, Bering led an

expedition to determine whether or not Asia and North 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.

Vitus BeringBering Strait

James Cook (October 27, 1728 - February 14, 1779) was a British explorer and astronomer who went on many expeditions to the Pacific

Ocean, the Antarctic, the Arctic, and around the world.

James Cook Cook’s Routes

References:• enchantedlearning.com• Worldbook.com• Britannica.com• library.thinkquest.org/4034/polo.html• www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1143.html• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Erikson_Day• www.carpenoctem.tv/military/pizarro.html• virtualology.com/hallofexplorers/• www.islamfortoday.com/zhenghe.htm• www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1143.html• www.chinapage.com/zhenghe.html