10 epic voyages of discovery

10 epic voyages of discovery

Humans are an intrepid race. For centuries, explorers have disappeared over the horizon in search of new lands and distant shores on epic voyages of discovery. Thanks to these pioneers, we can follow in their footsteps now and forever.

As a new generation of visionaries - from SpaceX's Elon Musk to Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson - look forward to new frontiers, we take a look back and pay tribute to history's most epic endeavors to date.

1. Roald Amundsen's Northwest Passage Expedition 1903–1906

alt="epic voyages of discovery">CountingPine/Public Domain

Amundsen is better known for being the first person to reach the South Pole, which is epic enough. However, he first made his mark in history by undertaking a three-year journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific across the Arctic Ocean to become the first to conquer the epic route sought by explorers for centuries.

As if sailing the complex waterways wasn't impressive enough, Amundsem then skied 500 miles across Alaska to send a telegram of his success. Then he drove back the 800 kilometers. (Norwegian, right?)

2. Livingstone's travels through Africa 1851–1873

alt="epic-travel-livingstone">Hans Erren/Public Domain

David Livingstone's almost mythical status is not without merit. He is probably best known for his crossing of the African continent (1852–56), his navigation of the Zambezi (1858–64), and the search for the source of the Nile (1866–73).

Livingstone traveled for years at a time (once lost to the outside world for six years) and eventually died of malaria in what is now Zambia. Today his name is immortalized with countless places and monuments named in his honor across Africa and beyond.

3. Shackleton's failed Trans-Antarctic expedition 1914-17

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The expedition was intended to be the first to cross Antarctica, but unfortunately it suffered catastrophic events at almost every stage. It started when the expedition ship Endurance became trapped in the ice and then broke apart under the strain. After camping on the shifting ice and failed marches to the mainland, the group launched three lifeboats for Elephant Island.

Shackleton and five others then sailed in an open boat toward South Georgia, about 700 miles (1,287 km) away. After reaching the island, they had to cross it on foot to reach a whaling station. Finally, three years after he left, he returned to collect the others without loss of life.

4. Cook's voyage aboard the Endeavour, 1768–1771

alt=“Epic Exploration Maps – 3″>Jon Platek/Creative Commons

Captain James Cook made three voyages across the Pacific, leaving his name and mark on countless islands in the ocean. I've actually lost count of how many places we've visited that mention his name in a landing site, a memorial, or in one case, an entire archipelago (the Cook Islands, of course).

Previously, on his first voyage aboard HMS Endeavour, he circumnavigated the world via Cape Horn, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and the Cape of Good Hope. Along the way, Cook managed to track the transit of Venus across the sun in 1769 and mapped large areas of largely undiscovered Australia.

5. Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804-1806

alt=“Epic Exploration Maps – 4″>Victor van Werkhoven/Public Domain

What do you do when your president buys a territory and doubles the size of your country? Of course, explore it. The United States was a very different place in the early 19th century when President Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for about 4 cents an acre. He had to explore and map the newly acquired land and plot a route through the western half of the continent.

Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark followed the Missouri River west, covering vast distances, overcoming violent rapids and hostile conditions, and building (often strained) relationships with indigenous populations along the way. The group reached the Pacific Ocean in late 1805.

6. Fridtjof Nansen's crossing of Greenland in 1888

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Nansen looks tough – as an explorer should. Not only was he tough, he was also smart. The crossing of Greenland was hampered by disruptions including a delayed landing, terrible weather conditions, a dramatic change in route and ultimately missing the return boat home.

Nansen spent seven months in Greenland waiting for the next ship. Nansen used this time and the preceding expedition to perfect techniques and innovations in polar equipment and clothing, paving the way for future similar expeditions. He later claimed the record for reaching the northernmost latitude during his North Pole expedition (1893–96).

7. Charles Lindbergh's first solo transatlantic flight in 1927

alt=“Epic Exploration Maps – 2″>Woolaroc/Creative Commons

In 1919, hotelier Raymond Orteig offered $25,000 to the first person to fly nonstop between New York and Paris. It took Charles Lindbergh eight years to raise the capital and obtain an aircraft suitable for flight.

When Lindbergh took off from New York in the Spirit of St. Louis, six well-known aviators had already lost their lives in pursuit of the prize. 33.5 hours later he landed in Paris in front of more than 100,000 spectators.

8. Burke and Wills' crossing of Australia 1860-61

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Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led an ill-fated expedition of 19 men from Melbourne on the south coast of Australia 2,000 miles (3,250 km) to the north coast. The party was stopped just five kilometers from the coast.

Unfortunately, on the somewhat ridiculous and tragic return journey, both expedition leaders died along with five others. At one point, the returning group missed their rendezvous by just nine hours. Only one of the original 19 men on the expedition crossed the continent and returned to Melbourne alive.

9. Magellan's near-circumnavigation 1519–1522

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The Portuguese explorer came close to becoming the first person to sail around the world. Instead, it went to Juan Sebastián Elcano, who took command of the expedition after Magellan was killed at the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines.

The final distance of the journey was an epic 37,560 miles (60,440 km). It was also the first expedition to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the first to cross the Pacific.

10. The Travels of Marco Polo1271-1294

alt=“Epic Exploration Maps – 6″>Maximilian Dörrbecker/Creative Commons

This guy wrote the book on the discovery - literally. Almost 750 years ago, a 17-year-old Venetian merchant set out on a 15,000-mile journey that lasted over 24 years. The journey took him through the Middle East, Central Asia and China. His subsequent book, The Travels of Marco Polo, helped introduce Europeans of the time to the distant lands of Central Asia and China.

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Want to read more about these epic voyages of discovery? DK, in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society, has published an outstanding illustrated book entitled Explorers: Tales of Endurance and Exploration.

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