Explorations and Explorers

In 1492, Christopher Columbus led a Spanish expedition to the Americas, which eventually led to the discovery of the New World. ¹⁾

In 1519-1522, Ferdinand Magellan led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe, covering a distance of over 36,000 miles. ²⁾

In 1577, Sir Francis Drake led an English expedition to explore the Pacific Ocean, becoming the second person to circumnavigate the globe. ³⁾

In 1768, Captain James Cook led a British expedition to the Pacific Ocean, which resulted in the discovery and mapping of many Pacific islands. ⁴⁾

In 1804-1806, Lewis and Clark led the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the United States, reaching the Pacific Ocean. ⁵⁾

In 1845, Sir John Franklin led a British expedition to find the Northwest Passage, but all members of the expedition died. ⁶⁾

In 1911, Roald Amundsen led the first expedition to reach the South Pole. ⁷⁾

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to cross Antarctica, but the ship became trapped in ice and the crew had to survive for two years before being rescued. ⁸⁾

In 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to be the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, but they went missing and were not found until 1999. ⁹⁾

In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. ¹⁰⁾

In 1985, a team led by Robert Ballard discovered the wreckage of the RMS Titanic on the ocean floor. ¹¹⁾

In 1986, a team led by Jacques-Yves Cousteau discovered the wreckage of the ancient Greek ship Antikythera on the ocean floor. ¹²⁾

In 1990, a team led by Dr. Robert D. Ballard discovered the wreckage of the World War II German battleship Bismarck on the ocean floor. ¹³⁾

In 2013, a team led by James Cameron made a solo dive to the deepest point in the ocean, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. ¹⁴⁾

In 2018, a team led by Victor Vescovo set a new record for the deepest manned dive in history, reaching a depth of 35,853 feet (10,927 meters) in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. ¹⁵⁾