Exploring the world has been a part of human nature, and over hundreds of years, the most famous explorers in history have helped bridge together our world. Whether it was circumnavigating the globe, finding the New World, or meeting Native Americans for the first time, these seven most famous explorers have helped shape the world we know today.
7. Sir Francis Drake
Our seventh selection for the most famous explorers in history is Sir Francis Drake. The English admiral was the second person to circumnavigate the globe and was the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan era. In 1577, Drake led an expedition that passed around South America, through the Strait of Magellan, and explored what lay beyond. After the journey, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1580. While Drake was in the action during the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, he died in 1596 from dysentery after an unsuccessful raiding mission.
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6. Amerigo Vespucci
You may recognize our sixth selection for most famous explorers, as his name was used for the Americas. Amerigo Vespucci is the namesake of America and was a Florentine navigator and explorer who played a large role in mapping out the New World. Vespucci went on his first voyage in 1497 departing from Cadiz, but his second journey in 1499 was quite memorable. Under the Spanish flag, Vespucci was a navigator under Alonzo de Ojeda, crossing the equator and traveling the coast of Guyana.
His third journey prompted his discovery of present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. Believing he had found a new continent, he called South America the New World. In 1507, America was named after him and he died of malaria just five years later in February 1512.
5. Hernán Cortés
Our fifth selection for most famous explorers is Hernán Cortés, holding a somewhat violent exploration story compared to others on this list. The Spanish conquistador explored Central America, setting off in 1518 to Mexico. Cortés became allies with some of the natives living there, but with other groups, he used brute force to conquer and overthrow Montezuma and his Aztec empire. In the violent battles to win Mexico for the crown of Spain, it is estimated Cortés and his men eliminated as many as 100,000 Indigeneous peoples. He was appointed governor of New Spain in 1522 by Emperor Charles V.
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4. Vasco da Gama
When you think of the most famous explorers, Vasco da Gama may come to mind. In 1497, the Portuguese explorer set sail from Lisbon towards India, becoming the first European to reach India by sea and opening a new route connecting Europe to Asia. This helped open the way for Portuguese exploration and colonialism in Asia and would take a century for other countries to challenge their supremacy. De Gama later made two other voyages to India and was appointed as Portuguese viceroy in India in 1524.
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3. Marco Polo
Marco…Polo! One of our favorite children’s games is named after one of the most famous explorers in history, Marco Polo. The Venetian explorer is known for his book The Travels of Marco Polo describing his voyages and experiences in Asia. He journeyed from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295, staying in China for 17 of those years. Polo never got the recognition he deserved in his life but has gained immense popularity in the centuries after his passing. Even though some of his accounts were from other travelers he met, Polo’s story and accounts of Asia have long been verified by researchers and academics.
2. Ferdinand Magellan
Jumping into our top two on the list of most famous explorers is Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who led the first European voyage to circumnavigate the globe. As a boy he dreamed about navigation, but it wasn’t until 1505 when Magellan was in his mid-20s that he joined a Portuguese fleet sailing to East Africa. In 1519 with support from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Magellan sought a better route to the Spice Islands, meeting incredible people along the way but got involved in a war between Philippine leader Humabon and a rival leader. Magellan was killed in battle in April 1521.
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1. Christopher Columbus
Last but certainly not least on our list of most famous explorers is Christopher Columbus, a man who has garnered awe and anger over recent years. The Italian explorer and navigator first sailed as a teenager, joining several trading voyages in the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas. In 1492, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in Santa Maria, looking for a new route to India. Instead he found the Americas, and made four more voyages to the Caribbean and South America from 1492 to 1504. Columbus has been credited and blamed for opening the Americas to European colonization, and has since been a subject of debate on his intentions.
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