The World’s Greatest Explorers
Explanation of Abbreviations.—Arab., Arabian; Brit., British; Carthag., Carthaginian; Dan., Danish; Dut., Dutch; Egypt., Egyptian; Eng., English; Fr., French; Gen., Genoese; Ger., German; Ital., Italian; Norw., Norwegian; Port., Portuguese; Rus., Russian; Scot., Scotch; Span., Spanish: Swed., Swedish; U. S., United States; Ven., Venetian.
B.C.1400-1250.—Egyptians make invasions of Habesh, Arabia, Phœnicia, Syria.
B.C.1350(?).—Greeks undertake Argonautic expedition to Colchis.
B.C.1000.—Phœnicians voyage to Ophir, Gades, Britain.
B.C.750.—Greeks extend colonies in the Mediterranean and Pontus Euxinus.
B.C.700.—Samians discover Spain (Tartessus) for the Greeks.
B.C.600.—Phœnicians circumnavigate Africa by order of Necho.
B.C.—Himilco (Carthag.) visits Atlantic coast of Europe, Sargasso Sea. Said to have visited Britain.
B.C.500.—Anaximander (of Miletus) makes the first maps.
B.C.500.—Hecatæus (of Miletus) writes the first geography.
B.C.470.—Hanno (Carthag.) coasts west Africa as far as Cape Palmas.
B.C.330.—Pytheas of Massilia sails to Thule, North Sea, Scandinavia.
B.C.330.—Nearchus (Macedon.) sails from the Indus to Red Sea.
B.C.329-325.—Alexander the Great makes expedition to Iran, Turan and India.
B.C.290.—Egyptians navigate the east coast of Africa.
B.C.218.—Hannibal crosses the Alps.
B.C.120 (about).—Eudoxus of Cyzicus attempts circumnavigation of Africa.
B.C.61-58.—Romans, under Julius Cæsar in Gaul, Germany, and Britain.
B.C.30 (since).—Romans extend their geographical knowledge and commerce as far as central Asia.
B.C.20—Strabo (Greek) describes Roman Empire and first mentions Thule and Ireland.
B.C.15.—Tiberius discovers the Lake of Constance; Drusus, the Brenner Pass.
A.D.84.—Roman general, Agricola, circumnavigates Britain.
150.—Claudius Ptolemy (Egypt.) constructs his geography and atlas.
518-21.—Hoei-sing (Chinese) visits Pamirs and Punjab.
671-95.—I-tsing (Chinese) visits Java, Sumatra and India.
861.—Norsemen discover the Faroe Islands. North Cape of Europe rounded.
865.—Naddod (Norse) discovers Iceland. Visited by Irish monks about 795.
876.—Gunnbjörn (Norse) reaches Greenland coast. Rediscovered by Erik the Red (983).
985.—Erik the Red (Norse) colonizes Greenland.
1000(?).—Lief Erikson (son of Erik the Red) discovers Newfoundland (Helluland), Nova Scotia (Markland), and coast of New England (Vinland)[?].
1154.—Edrisi (Sicily), geographer to King of Sicily, produces his geography.
1200 (about)—Arabian trading merchants discover Siberia.
1253.—Ruysbroek reaches Karakorum, the ancient seat of the Mongol Empire.
1271-95.—Marco Polo (Venet.) travels in central Asia, China, India, Persia.
1290.—Genoese reach the Canaries, Azores, etc.
1325-52.—Ibn Batuta (Arab.) travels through the whole Mohammedan world, northern Africa, eastern Africa, southern Russia, Arabia, India and China.
1327.—Sir John Mandeville (Eng.) travels in India.
1415-60.—Prince Henry (Port.) gives an impetus to Portuguese voyages of discovery.
1419-20.—J. Gonzales and Martin Vaz (Port.) discover Porto Santo and Madeira.
1442.—Nuno Tristao (Port.) reaches Cape Verde, etc.
1460(?).—Cintra and Costa (Port.) sail to coast of Guinea.
1474.—Toscanelli (Ital.) sends Columbus his map showing the western route to Cathay (China).
1485.—Diego Cam (Port.) reaches the mouth of the Congo river.
1487.—Bartholomew Diaz (Port.) rounds Cape of Good Hope.
1492-98.—Columbus (Gen.) discovers America, West Indies, Trinidad, Cuba, etc.
1497-98.—John Cabot (Anglo-Ven.) sails along eastern coast of America from Labrador as far as Florida.
1498.—Vasco da Gama (Port.) finds route to India by Cape of Good Hope.
1499.—Amerigo Vespucci (Ital.) discovers Venezuela, and that America was not “part of Asia.”
1499.—Pinzon (Span.) discovers mouth of Amazon river and Cape St. Roque.
1500.—G. Cortereal (Port.) reaches entrance of Hudson Strait, called by him Strait of Anian.
1500.—Alvarez Cabral (Port.) coasts Brazil (named by him Ilha da Vera Cruz, being southern part of Bahia State).
1502.—Columbus(Gen.) reaches central America on his fourth voyage.
1512.—Ponce de Leon (Span.) reaches Florida.
1513.—Portuguese reach the Moluccas.
1513.—Balboa (Span.) crosses Isthmus of Panama and discovers Pacific Ocean.
1516.—Solis (Span.) reaches La Plata.
1517.—Sebastian Cabot (Eng.) discovers Hudson Strait.
1519-21.—Cortez (Span.).—conquers Mexico.
1519-21.—Magellan (Span.) first to circumnavigate the globe. Passes through the Strait of Magellan, crosses the Pacific, and discovers the Philippines.
1534.—Pizarro (Span.) completes the conquest of Peru.
1535.—Diego d’Almagro (Span.) conquers Chili.
1535-42.—Jacques Cartier (Fr.) finds Gulf of St. Lawrence. Ascends river to Hochelaga (Montreal).
1539.—Francesco de Ulloa (Span.) explores Gulf of California.
1540 (about).—French continent of Australia seen by French sailors.
1541.—Pizarro and Orellana (Span.) discover Amazon river.
1542.—Antonio de Mota first reaches Japan.
1542.—Ruy Lopez de Villalobos (Span.) discovers Pelew Islands, and takes possession of Philippine Islands for Spain.
1542.—Pinto (Port.)—visits Japan,
1553.—Sir H. Willoughby (Eng.) reaches Nova Zembla.
1576.—Frobisher (Eng.) coasts Labrador and Baffin Land.
1577-80.—Sir F. Drake (Eng.) made second circumnavigation of the globe, and first saw Cape Horn. Explored western coast of North America nearly as far as Vancouver Archipelago.
1587.—J. Davis (Eng.) finds Davis Strait.
1596.—Barentz and Heemskerk (Dut.) discover Spitzbergen, Bear Islands, etc.
1598.—Mendaña (Span.) discovers Marquesas Islands.
1606.—Quiros (Span.) reaches Tahiti (Sagittaria), and other South Sea Islands.
1606.—Torres (Span.) discovers Torres Strait. Dutch reach Australia.
1608.—Champlain (Fr.) discovers Lake Ontario.
1610.—H. Hudson (Eng.) reaches Hudson Bay and makes discoveries in North America.
1614-17.—Spillbergen (Dut.) circumnavigated the globe.
1616.—W. Baffin (Eng.) enters Baffin Bay.
1616.—La Maire and Schouten (Dut.) round Cape Horn.
1616.—Dirk Hartog (Dut.) sails up west coast of Australia.
1618.—G. Thompson (Eng.) sails up Gambia.
1642.—Abel Tasman (Dut.) discovers Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) and New Zealand.
1643.—Vries (Dut.) explores eastern coast of Japan, Saghalien, and Kurile Island.
1645.—Deshnev (Cossack) rounds east cape of Asia from the Kolyma to the Anadyr.
1660.—French discover the lake region of the St. Lawrence.
1673.—Marquette and Joliet (Fr.) explore the Mississippi from the north.
1725-43.—Russians explore the coasts of Siberia.
1728 and 1741.—Bering (Dan.) and Tishirikov (Rus.) explore Bering Strait and the northwestern coast of America.
1768-79.—Capt. Cook (Eng.) voyages round the world. Surveys the Society Islands, Sandwich Islands, eastern coast of Australia, Cook Strait in New Zealand, Antarctic Ocean, northwestern coast of America, etc.
1770.—James Bruce (Scot.) discovers sources of the Blue Nile.
1770.—Liakhov (Rus.) discovers New Siberian Islands.
1785-88.—La Perouse (Fr.) explores north of Japan, Saghalien, etc.
1789.—A. Mackenzie (Scot.) explore the Mackenzie river.
1792.—Vancouver (Eng.) visits Vancouver Island, discovered by Perez, 1774. Exploration of the northwestern coast of America.
1795-1806.—Mungo Park (Scot.) journeys to and explores the Niger districts.
1799-1804.—Alex, von Humboldt (Ger.) makes explorations in South America and writes “Cosmos.”
1801-1804.—Flinders (Eng.) explores southern coasts of Australia.
1803-6.—Krusenstern (Rus.) surveys in Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk, Saghalien, etc.
1804-6.—Lewis and Clark make extensive explorations in northwestern United States from the Mississippi to the Columbia river.
1805-9.—Salt (Eng.) makes visit to Abyssinia.
1807-8.—Klaproth (Ger.) makes exploration of the Caucasus.
1819.—Long (U.S.) makes exploration of Rocky Mountains.
1819.—Wm. Smith (Eng.) explores South Orkney Islands and South Shetlands. Visited by Weddell in 1822.
1823.—Wrangel (Rus.) discovers Wrangel Land.
1823.—Denham and Clapperton (Eng.) discover Lake Chad.
1825-26.—A. G. Laing (Scot.) reached Timbuktu from Tripoli, Africa.
1827-8.—René Caillie (Fr.) made journey from Kakandy to Timbuktu and Morocco, Africa.
1830-32.—Biscoe (Eng.) discovers Enderby Land and Graham Land.
1831.—Sir J. C. Ross (Eng.) finds magnetic North Pole.
1832.—Laird and Oldfield (Scot.) explore the Niger and Benué rivers.
1835.—Sir F. Schomburgk (Ger.) makes explorations in Guiana, South America.
1837.—Wood (Eng.) discovers sources of the Oxus.
1840.—Trümmer discovers remains of ancient Nineveh.
1841.—Sir James C. Ross (Eng.) discovers Victoria Land, with volcanoes Erebus and Terror.
1841-73.—D. Livingstone (Scot.) spends thirty years’ travel in central South Africa.
1845.—Sir John Franklin (Eng.) sails on his last voyage never to return.
1848.—Rebmann and Krapf (Ger.) discover Mt. Kilima-njaro. Sighted Mt. Kenia.
1849-55.—Richardson and Barth (Eng.-Ger.) explore western Sudan and Sahara.
1850.—Sir R. M’Clure (Irish) discovers Northwest Passage.
1852-4, 1861.—Sir C. R. Markham (Eng.) makes explorations in Peru.
1856-59.—Du Chaillu (Fr.) explores basin of Ogowé river, west Africa.
1858.—Sir R. Burton (Scot.) discovers Lake Tanganyika.
1858.—Speke and Grant (Brit.) discover Victoria Nyanza.
1860.—Sir S. Baker (Eng.) explores Upper Nile. Discovers Albert Nyanza, 1864.
1867-72.—Richthofen (Ger.) makes extensive explorations in China.
1869.—G. Nachtigal (Ger.) makes explorations in Lake Chad region and central Sudan, Africa.
1870-1886.—Prejevalsky (Rus.) journeys in Mongolia, Tibet, etc.
1872.—Payer and Weyprecht (Austrian) explore Franz Josef Land.
1872-76.—“Challenger” Expedition (Brit.) explores the depths of the oceans.
1874-75.—Lieut. Cameron (Eng.) crosses equatorial Africa.
1876-90.—H. M. Stanley (Eng.) explores Congo Basin; Mt. Ruwenzori; Forests on the Aruwimi, etc. Africa.
1878-79.—Nordenskjold (Swed.) finds northeast passage.
1878-89.—Thomson (Scot.) journeys through Masai Land, British South Africa, Sokoto, Morocco, etc.
1878-85.—Major Serpa Pinto (Port.) twice crosses Africa.
1878-92.—Emin Pasha (Ger.) travels and surveys in Equatorial Africa.
1879.—Moustier and Zweifel (Swiss) find sources of the Niger.
1881-85.—Greely (U. S.) discovers Grinnell Land and northwestern coast of Greenland.
1885.—Wiesmann (Ger.) journeys across Africa from west coast, Congo Basin.
1886.—Peary (U. S.) explores North Greenland.
1887.—Capt. Younghusband (Eng.) travels from Pekin to Kashmir.
1893-96.—Nansen (Norw.) reached his “Farthest North” in lat. 86° 13′ 6′′ N.
1897.—Jackson (Scot.) makes surveys and explorations in Franz Josef Land.
1893-97.—Sven Hedin (Swed.) makes explorations in north central Asia.
1895-96.—Pr. Henri d’Orléans travels in Tonkin and China.
1897.—Andrée (Swed.) attempts to cross over the North Pole in a balloon, with fatal results.
1898-99.—De Gerlache (Belgian) attempts to reach the South Pole with the “Belgica,” first ship to winter within Antarctic circle.
1899.—Major Gibbons makes explorations in Congo and Zambezi headwaters.
1900.—Borchgrevink (Brit. Ex.) reached lat. 78° 50′ S. via Victoria Land.
1900.—Duke of Abruzzi (Ital.) reached lat. 86° 33′ N. via Franz Josef Land.
1900-02.—Sven Hedin (Swed.) made important journey in central Asia.
1908.—F. A. Cook (U. S.) claims to have reached the North Pole, April 21.
1909.—R. E. Peary (U. S.) reached the North Pole, April 6.
1911.—Roald Amundsen (Norw.) reached the South Pole, December 14.
1912.—Capt. Scott (Eng.) reached the South Pole, but perished before returning.