20 Most Famous Explorers of All Time

20 Most Famous Explorers of All Time

In pre-modern times, people on different sides of the world barely knew about other nations and cultures but all these changed thanks to the explorers who existed through the centuries. These famous explorers braved the odds and risked their lives just in the name of exploration. They crossed oceans, climbed mountains, encountered storms and embarked on outlandish escapades in the pursuit of knowledge, adventure, learning different cultures, glory, and land. While many explorers made groundbreaking discoveries, they also enslaved and murdered the indigenous population.

The explorers then published their work giving greater insight into other cultures around the globe. Therefore, today this article is going to look at some of the notable explorers of all time and how their purposeful accomplishments and occasional accidental discoveries have helped to shape the course of history and changed the world for the better.

1. Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant from the 13^th century who became famous for his journey through Persia, Afghanistan, Mongolia and China. The path they took together with his father and uncle is now called the silk route. While Polo was in China, he earned the trust of Kublai Khan and even gained an appointment as an imperial emissary to neighbouring land. This gave him an opportunity to look into China and its neighbouring countries such as India, Indonesia, Japan, Burma Japan, Persia and Sri Lanka.

Later in 1295, Polo moved back to Europe where he lived in his native Venice until his death in 1324. He had made notes on his travels in the book “Livres des merveilles du monde” and his history later inspired Christopher Columbus and many others.

2. Christopher Columbus

Christoper Columbus discovering America. L. Prang & Co., Boston, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Christopher Columbus is a famous Italian explorer who discovered the New World in 1492. He served under King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I and under their sponsorship, he had set sail hoping to find the easiest Westward route to the far East. Instead, he landed in the Bahamas, on the island called Hispaniola. Columbus boarded four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean between 1492 and 1504. During this period Columbus’s voyages opened the way to an influx of European exploration throughout the world and also helped to start and increase Spanish colonization in the “New World.”

3. Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand went down in history as the first to travel the world and find sea routes that could help others circumnavigate the planet as well. The Portuguese explorer became the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean and organized the Spanish expedition to the East Indies from 1519 to 1522. The waterway through which he did this is called the “Straight of Magellan.” In 1521, Magellan managed to reach Guam and the Philippines despite the rough weather, and mutinous and starving crew riddled with scurvy. He was unfortunately killed when he was caught in a battle between two rival chieftains in the Philippines. 

4. Zheng He

Zheng He was a great Chinese explorer, admiral, mariner and diplomat who led expeditions all across Asia, Africa and the middle east. He managed to solve the problem of lack of fresh food on long ocean voyages something that the Westerners could not do until the development of modern refrigeration systems. They built their ships to include small farms where nutritious crops would grow. Zheng’s connections, fame and success led him to become the leader of the Southern capital Nanjing. He died in the early 1430s, and considering the nature of his achievements, Zheng’s body received a sea burial and the tomb they had built in his honour was left to serve as a memorial.

5. Vasco da Gama

António Manuel da Fonseca , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea, and opened up the first sea route connecting Europe to Asia. His finding of this route led to a great increase in trade and boosted the Portuguese economy. It also kickstarted the age of colonialism, as Portugal proceeded to militarize and monopolize the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean. Vasco da Gama was the first man to sail across the Cape of Good Hope. In 1498, He also reached Calicut in Kerala. This was the most significant event in the imperial history. 

6. John Cabot

John Cabot was an Italian explorer who became known for leading an expedition to North America in 1497 with support from King Henry VII of England. He became the first European to step foot in North America since the Norse Viking Leif Ericson. Cabot launched a total of three expeditions, the first and the second expedition remains unknown to most historians only that Cabot might have landed either in Cape Bonavista, Saint Johns’s in Newfoundland, Cape Breton in Nova Scotia or Labrador in Canada in the second expedition. His third expedition was launched in 1498, but he and his fleet went missing. Cabot might have died in this last expedition or he might have returned safely to London and died shortly after. Scholarly research into Cabot’s final fate continues to this day.

7. James Cook

James Cook was a famous British explorer who served the Royal Navy during the 18^th century. Cook made three voyages between 1768 and 1769, in which he sailed over thousands of miles in uncharted waters and was able to map the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia. He proved that Australia had no land connection to Antarctica despite scholarly opinions. Cook navigation and cartographic skills made him change the European Perceptions of World Geography.

8. Amerigo Vespucci

A painting of Amerigo Vespucci. Crispijn van de Passe the Elder , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Amerigo Vespucci was a Florentine explorer who lived between the mid-15^th and early 16^th centuries. Vespucci embarked on a follow-up expedition to Cabral’s exploring the Brazilian coast between 1501 to 1502. During his expedition, he became the first explorer to discover that the West Indies and Brazil were not part of Asia as initially thought, but rather a whole new continent.

This discovery inspired Martin Waldseemuller to name the new continents “America” after the Latin version of Vespucci’s first name in 1507. Historians themselves didn’t know if Amerigo knew of the honour he received before his death in 1512. Unfortunately, Martin later changed his mind in 1513 and he removed the name, believing that it was Columbus who discovered the New World. However, it was too late to change the name because it had stuck.  

9. Francis Drake

Francis Drake was an Englishman who lived in the 16^th century. His known as the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe in a single expedition from 1577 to 1580. Besides his expedition activities, Francis is remembered for his role in leading the Royal Navy to victory against the Spanish Armada. He’s also known for his raids against Spanish shipping in the Pacific, as well as the Spanish colonies in North America. Francis died on his ship while fighting the Spaniards in the Caribbeans Sea. His crew buried him at sea in a lead coffin.

10. Hernan Cortes

He was a Spanish soldier and explorer, best known for causing the fall of the Aztec Empire in 1521 through the expedition that he led and for winning Mexico for the Spanish crown. In 1519, Hernan landed on the Southeastern Mexico Coast and he disciplined his army so that they could act as a cohesive force. He then took hostage of Montezuma II the ruler of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. He became the ruler of a territory extending from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean soon after he had captured the capital. During his rule, Cortes inflicted great cruelty on the indigenous population. Hernan died in Seville from dysentery in 1547.

11. Bartolomeu Dias

A sculpture of Bartolomeu Dias in South Aftrica

Bartolomeu Dias was a famous Portuguese explorer and trader who came from Portugal in the 15^th Century. Bartolomeu became the first European to sail around the Southern tip of Africa. He led the Sao Cristovao ship down the West Coast of Africa and around the Cape of Good Hope. This route made Bartolomeu discover that Europeans could be able to trade with India directly without them having to go through expensive middlemen in the Middle East. Bartolomeu received a noble title in recognition of his achievements. He, unfortunately, died when his ship sank in a storm on the Cape of Good Hope in 1500.

12. Roald Amundsen

The Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen was the first man to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole. In 1910, the Amundsen expedition left Norway and they reached Antarctica in January 1911. He spent time in Antarctica building up his supplies before setting out in October for the South Pole, they reached there in October. In 1918 Roald tried to reach the North Pole by sea but it failed. In 1926 he changed tactics and used an airship Norge to reach the North Pole. This turned out to be a success and he became the first man to lead the first flight over the North Pole. Amundsen died 2years later trying to rescue a fellow explorer who had crashed into the sea near Spitsbergen, Norway.

13. Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson was an English explorer from the early 17^th century who made up one of the several men seeking the Northeast Passage and the Northwest Passage. Henry finding these passages would allow England to bypass the Spanish and Portuguese-dominated trade routes to the South. Between 1607 and 1608, Hudson attempted to find the Northeast Passage twice.

In 1609, Hudson went to North America to find the Northwest Passage but he failed. He only managed to make the first detailed survey of the New York Coast, even travelling inland up the Hudson River which was later named after him. In pursuit of the Northwest Passage, Hudson became the first European to see Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay in his final expedition before he and his companions disappeared and were never seen again.

14. Juan Sebastian Elcano

A sculpture of explorer Juan Sebastian. Theklan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Juan Sebastian Elcano was a Spanish navigator from the 15^th century. After Ferdinand Magellan’s death, Elcano took command of the expedition and led the fleet back home to Spain. He later set out on another expedition to the Orient under Garcia Jofre de Louisa. Garcia and Juan both died while travelling across the Pacific Ocean and out of 270 men that had set out with the Magellan-Elcano expedition, only 18 Europeans reached the Spanish shores in September 1522. Although Elcano’s life remains one of the great mysteries of history, Magellan has historically remained to receive more credit than Elcano for commanding the world’s first circumnavigation.

15. Juan Ponce de Leon

Juan Ponce de Leon was a famous conquistador and explorer of the Age of Discovery. He served under Columbus and this led the Spanish to later send him to colonize Puerto Rico. After succeeding in colonizing Puerto Rico, Juan was elected as its governor but later stepped down. The monarchy granted him the Sanction to explore the Caribbean Sea as compensation but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise since Juan discovered Florida and he gave it its name from its rich plant life. He also went in search of the Fountain of Youth Center but the historians have not found any evidence to prove this story. He died from combat injuries and was laid to rest in Puerto Rico, in the cathedral of San Juan Bautista.

16. Diogo Cao

Diogo Cao. GualdimG, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Diogo Cao was a notable Portuguese explorer of the fifteenth century. Cao is known for exploring the west coast of Africa and building the Elmina Castle which in turn became the oldest European building in the South of the Sahara Desert, and served as a trade and a resupply post. He also crossed the equator in 1482 and he disapproved the superstition that anyone who crossed the equator would burn to a crisp. He continued with his exploration, and Diogo reached the Congo River in 1485. He sailed up the river to enter the African interior as far as modern Matadi. He, unfortunately, succumbed to death in 1486 while he was still exploring.

17. Leif Erikson

Leif Erikson was a Norwegian Viking who sailed west across the Atlantic and became the first European to reach North America. He did so around the end of the 10^th century, around 500 years before Columbus “discovered” the New World. Leif also founded a Norse settlement in North America called Vinland. The historians still remain unsure of where Vinland stood and even some of them doubted if it ever existed. President Bill Clinton officially proclaimed October 9 of every year going forward as Leif Erickson Day. This day is for celebrating and remembering the explorer for bringing the first Nordic people to America around the year 1000.

18. Jacques Cartier

Théophile Hamel , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jacques Cartier is a French explorer from the early 16^th century. He became the first European to take note and map out the Saint Lawrence River shores and gulf. In particular, he claimed what is now called Canada and even gave it its name, Canada, from the Iroquois names of their main settlements in the region. Between 1534 and 1542, Jacques made three expeditions to North America and also founded several colonies before returning to France for good. In 1557, Jacques died from an epidemic of typhoid fever.

19. Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer, navigator, cartographer and geographer from the 16^th and 17^th centuries. He is known as the “Father of New France,” because he was the founder of Quebec and New France on 3 July 1608. Champlain also created the first accurate coastal map during his explorations and founded various colonial settlements in present-day Canada. In 1620 he held an administrative post in Quebec until he died in 1635.

20. Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman was a Dutch seafarer and explorer, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 to the South Pacific Ocean in the service of the Dutch East India Company. While on these voyages, Abel discovered Fiji, New Zealand and Tasmania. Despite Abel’s many accomplishments The Dutch East India Company found Tasman’s discoveries to be very disappointing thus this resulted from the lack of easily-exploited resources or opportunities for large-scale trade. He finally retired in Batavia, now Jakarta, and died in 1859.