Traveling always attracted people, but before they were not only interesting, but also extremely difficult. The territories were not studied, and, setting off, everyone became an explorer. Which travelers are the most famous and what exactly did each of them discover?
James Cook
The famous Englishman was one of the best cartographers of the eighteenth century. He was born in the north of England and by the age of thirteen he began to work with his father. But the boy was unable to trade, so he decided to go sailing. In those days, all the famous travelers of the world went to distant countries by ship. James became interested in maritime affairs and moved up the career ladder so quickly that he was offered to become a captain. He refused and went to the Royal Navy. Already in 1757, the talented Cook began to control the ship. His first achievement was the compilation of the fairway of the St. Lawrence River. He discovered the talent of a navigator and a cartographer. In the 1760s he studied Newfoundland, which attracted the attention of the Royal Society and the Admiralty. He was entrusted with a journey through the Pacific Ocean, where he reached the shores of New Zealand. In 1770, he accomplished what other famous travelers had not sought before, he discovered a new mainland. In 1771, Cook returned to England the famous pioneer of Australia. His last journey was an expedition in search of a passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Today, even schoolchildren know the sad fate of Cook, who was killed by the natives, cannibals.
Christopher Columbus
Famous travelers and their discoveries have always had a significant impact on the course of history, but few have turned out to be as famous as this person. Columbus became the national hero of Spain, decisively expanding the map of the country. Christopher was born in 1451. The boy quickly succeeded because he was diligent and studied well. At the age of 14 he went to sea. In 1479, he met his love and began life in Portugal, but after the tragic death of his wife went with his son to Spain. Having received the support of the Spanish king, he went on an expedition, the purpose of which was to find a way to Asia. Three ships sailed west from Spain. In October 1492, they reached the Bahamas. So America was discovered. Christopher mistakenly decided to call the locals the Indians, believing that he reached India. His report changed history: two new continents and many islands discovered by Columbus became the main travel destination of the colonialists over the next several centuries.
Vasco da Gama
The most famous traveler in Portugal was born in the city of Sines on September 29, 1460. From a young age, he worked in the Navy and became famous as a confident and fearless captain. In 1495, King Manuel came to power in Portugal, who dreamed of developing trade with India. For this, the sea route was necessary, in search of which Vasco da Gama was to set off. There were also more famous sailors and travelers in the country, but for some reason the king chose him. In 1497, four ships sailed south, circled the Cape of Good Hope and sailed to Mozambique. There I had to stay for a month - half of the team at that time was sick with scurvy. After the break, Vasco da Gama got to Calcutta. In India, he established trade relations for three months, and a year later returned to Portugal, where he became a national hero. The discovery of the sea route, which made it possible to get to Calcutta past the eastern coast of Africa, was his main achievement.
Nikolay Miklukho-Maclay
Famous Russian travelers also made many important discoveries. For example, the same Nikolai Mikhlukho-Maclay, born in 1864 in the Novgorod province. He could not graduate from St. Petersburg University, since he was expelled for participating in student demonstrations. To continue his education, Nikolai went to Germany, where he met Haeckel, a naturalist who invited Miklouho-Maclay to his scientific expedition. So the world of wanderings was opened for him. His whole life was devoted to travel and scientific work. Nikolai lived in Sicily, in Australia, studied New Guinea, embodying the project of the Russian Geographical Society, visited Indonesia, the Philippines, the Malacca Peninsula and Oceania. In 1886, the naturalist returned to Russia and proposed to the emperor to establish a Russian colony overseas. But the project with New Guinea did not receive royal support, and Miklouho-Maclay became seriously ill and soon died, without completing his work on a travel book.
Fernan Magellan
Many famous sailors and travelers lived in the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Magellan is no exception. In 1480, he was born in Portugal, in the city of Sabroza. Going to serve at the court (at that time he was only 12 years old), he learned about the confrontation between his native country and Spain, about travels to the East Indies and trade routes. So for the first time he became interested in the sea. In 1505, Fernand hit the ship. Seven years after that, he plowed the sea, participated in expeditions to India and Africa. In 1513, Magellan went to Morocco, where he was wounded in battle. But this did not moderate the craving for travel - he planned an expedition for spices. The king rejected his request, and Magellan went to Spain, where he received all the necessary support. Thus began his journey around the world. Fernan thought that from the west the path to India could be shorter. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reached South America and discovered the strait, which would later be called by his name. Fernand Magellan was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. On it, he reached the Philippines and almost reached the goal - the Moluccas, but died in battle with local tribes, wounded by a poison arrow. However, his journey opened Europe a new ocean and the understanding that the planet is much larger than scientists thought before.
Roald Amundsen
The Norwegian was born at the very end of the era in which many famous travelers became famous. Amundsen was the last of the mariners who tried to find undiscovered land. From childhood, he was distinguished by perseverance and self-confidence, which allowed him to conquer the South geographical pole. The beginning of the journey is connected with 1893, when the boy left the university and got a job as a sailor. In 1896, he became a navigator, and the next year went on his first expedition to the Antarctic. The ship was lost in the ice, the team was sick with scurvy, but Amundsen did not give up. He took command, cured people, remembering his medical education, and brought the ship back to Europe. After becoming a captain, in 1903 he went in search of the Northwest Passage near Canada. Famous travelers before him never did anything like this - in two years the team crossed the path from the east of the American mainland to its west. Amundsen became known throughout the world. The next expedition was a two-month trip to the South Plus, and the last venture was the search for Nobile, during which he went missing.
David Livingston
Many famous travelers are associated with navigation. David Livingston, on the other hand , became a researcher of land, namely, the African continent. The famous Scot was born in March 1813. At age 20, he decided to become a missionary, met Robert Moffet, and wished to go to African villages. In 1841, he came to Kuruman, where he trained local residents in farming, served as a doctor and taught literacy. There he learned the Bechuan language, which helped him travel to Africa. Livingston studied in detail the life and customs of the locals, wrote several books about them and went on an expedition in search of the origins of the Nile, in which he fell ill and died of a fever.
Amerigo Vespucci
The most famous travelers of the world most often came from Spain or Portugal. Amerigo Vespucci was born in Italy and became one of the famous Florentines. He received a good education and learned to be a financier. Since 1490, he worked in Seville, at the Medici sales office. His life was connected with sea voyages, for example, he sponsored the second expedition of Columbus. Christopher inspired him with the idea of trying himself as a traveler, and already in 1499, Vespucci went to Suriname. The purpose of the voyage was to study the coastline. There he opened a settlement called Venezuela - little Venice. In 1500, he returned home, bringing 200 slaves. In 1501 and 1503 Amerigo repeated his travels, speaking not only as a navigator, but also as a cartographer. He discovered the bay of Rio de Janeiro, the name of which he gave himself. Since 1505, he served the king of Castile and did not participate in campaigns, he only equipped other people's expeditions.
Francis Drake
Many famous travelers and their discoveries have benefited humanity. But there are some among them who have left a bad memory on their own, because their names were connected with rather cruel events. Francis Drake, an English Protestant who sailed on a ship from twelve, was no exception. He captured the locals in the Caribbean, selling them into slavery to the Spaniards, attacked ships and fought with Catholics. Perhaps no one could catch up with Drake in the number of captured foreign ships. His campaigns were sponsored by the Queen of England. In 1577, he went to South America to defeat the Spaniards. During the journey, he found Tierra del Fuego and the Strait, which was later named in his honor. Rounding Argentina, Drake plundered the port of Valparaiso and two Spanish ships. When he reached California, he met aborigines who presented the British gifts of tobacco and bird feathers. Drake crossed the Indian Ocean and returned to Plymouth, becoming the first native of Great Britain to have traveled around the world. He was admitted to the House of Commons and awarded the title of Sir. In 1595 he died in the last campaign on the Caribbean.
Athanasius Nikitin
Few famous travelers to Russia have reached the same heights as this native of Tver lands. Athanasius Nikitin became the first European to visit India. He traveled to the Portuguese colonialists and wrote "Walking Over Three Seas" - a most valuable literary and historical monument. The success of the expedition was ensured by the career of a merchant: Athanasius knew several languages and knew how to negotiate with people. On his journey, he visited Baku, lived in Persia for about two years, and reached India by ship. Having visited several cities of an exotic country, he went to Parvat, where he stayed for a year and a half. After Raichur province, he headed to Russia, paving the route through the Arabian and Somali peninsulas. However, Athanasius Nikitin never reached home because he fell ill and died near Smolensk, but his notes survived and made the merchant world-famous.