James Cook, a captain of the English Royal Navy and fellow seaman, disproved the theory about the “Southern Continent” when he led the first expedition to cross the Antarctic Circle. Throughout his expeditions, Cook created numerous charts of unexplored islands in the Pacific Ocean. On his third voyage south he discovered many islands, including Hawaii. Cook’s discoveries and numerous charts became invaluable to the future English explorers.
13. Vitus Bering
The Danish explorer Vitus Bering is known for discovering the Bering Strait and exploring Alaska. Tsar Peter l the Great appointed his sub-lieutenant, Vitus Bering, to go on an expedition to determine if Asia and North America were connected by land. Bering concluded that they weren’t not joined together by land because he never saw the coast of North America. Later on in his life, Bering …show more content…
Francis Drake
Francis Drake is the most famous mariner during the age of Elizabeth. In 1577, Drake traveled to South America and on the way back to England became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and was rewarded with knighthood by Queen Elizabeth ll. He also took part in early English voyages to Africa to be involved in the slave trades.
16. Amerigo Vespucci
The merchant, Amerigo Vespucci, was born in Italy, but became a Spanish explorer when voyaging to the New World. Early records of Vespucci’s explorations spread throughout Europe and are now believed to have been forgeries. A German cartographer created a new map. In honor of Vespucci, the cartographer named a territory South America. This was the first time that the word “America” was printed.
17. Henry Hudson
In 1607, Henry Hudson embarked on his first voyage to find a shortcut from Europe to Asia through the Arctic Ocean. The result of Hudson’s four voyages, ended with the Hudson River and the Hudson Bay being named after him. Hudson’s discoveries paved the way for Dutch colonization in the Hudson River area.
18. Jacques