Table of Contents
Explorations and Explorers
Expedition to the Americas
In 1492, Christopher Columbus led a Spanish expedition to the Americas, which eventually led to the discovery of the New World. 1)
Circumnavigate the globe
In 1519-1522, Ferdinand Magellan led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe, covering a distance of over 36,000 miles. 2)
Sir Francis Drake
In 1577, Sir Francis Drake led an English expedition to explore the Pacific Ocean, becoming the second person to circumnavigate the globe. 3)
Captain Cook’s 1768 Voyage
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)
Lewis and Clark Expedition
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)
Northwest Passage
In 1845, Sir John Franklin led a British expedition to find the Northwest Passage, but all members of the expedition died. 6)
South Pole
In 1911, Roald Amundsen led the first expedition to reach the South Pole. 7)
Endurance Expedition
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)
George Mallory and Andrew Irvine
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)
Apollo 11
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)
RMS Titanic
In 1985, a team led by Robert Ballard discovered the wreckage of the RMS Titanic on the ocean floor. 11)
Antikythera
In 1986, a team led by Jacques-Yves Cousteau discovered the wreckage of the ancient Greek ship Antikythera on the ocean floor. 12)
Bismarck
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)
Challenger Deep
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)
Deepest manned dive in history
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)