Around 1000	Leif Ericson from Iceland explored "Vinland," which is thought to have been the coasts of northeast Canada and New England.

1271–1295	Marco Polo from Italy traveled through Central Asia, India, China, and Indonesia.

1488		Bartolomeu Dias from Portugal explored the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa.

1492–1504	Christopher Columbus from Italy sailed four times from Spain to America and started colonies there.	

1497-1498		Vasco de Gama from Portugal sailed farther around the Cape of Good Hope to east Africa and India.

1513		Juan Ponce de Leon from Spain founded Florida.

1513		Vasco Nunez de Balboa from Spain explored Panama and reached the Pacific Ocean.

1519-1521		Ferdinand Magellan from Portugal sailed from Spain to South America, across the Pacific Ocean to the Philippines.

1519-1536		Hernando Cortes from Spain conquered Mexico and traveled to Baja, California.

1527-1542		Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca from Spain explored the southwestern U.S., Brazil, and Paraguay.

1532-1535		Francisco Pizarro from Spain explored the west coast of South America and conquered Peru.

1534-1536		Jacques Cartier from France sailed the St. Lawrence River to the present-day Montreal.

1539-1542		Hernando de Soto from Spain explored the southeastern U.S. and the lower Mississippi River.

1603-1613		Samuel de Champlain from France sailed the St. Lawrence River and explored the northeastern U.S.

1609-1610		Henry Hudson from England sailed from Holland and explored the Hudson River, Hudson Bay, and Hudson Strait.

1682		Robert Cavelier from France traced the Mississippi River to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico.

1768-1778		James Cook from England charted the world's major bodies of water and explored Hawaii and Antarctica.

1804-1806		Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from America traveled from St. Louis along the Missouri and Columbia rivers to the Pacific Ocean and back.

1849-1859		David Livingstone from Scotland explored Southern Africa, including the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls.

Captain James Cook

Born/Died: 1728-1779

Nationality: British

Mapped New Zealand and east coast of Australia, as well as was the first European to reach Hawaii

Jacques Cousteau

Born/Died: 1910-1997

Nationality: French

Helped invent the Aqualung, as well as made award-winning films of the ocean deep

Mary Henrietta Kingsley

Born/Died: 1862-1900

Nationality: British

Explored West Africa. Studied and wrote about the customs and natural environment of this region.

Matthew Henson

Born/Died: 1866-1955

Race: African American

Traveled to Greenland and the Arctic region. He and Robert Peary were the first to reach (or nearly reach) the North Pole.

Famous Explorers (Brief Biographies)
Learn about explorers by reading brief biographies about each one!