First man on the Moon!

Neil Alden Armstrong

Neil Alden Armstrong US astronaut,born in 1930 was the first person to walk on the moon. In 1966, he and David R. Scott performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space on the Gemini 8 mission.

Armstrong has piloted NASA's Apollo 11 mission, which took off on July 16, 1969. Armstrong and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin, Jr., landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, in the lunar module (landing in the Mare Tranquilitatis), while Michael Collins orbited the moon in the command module. His famous words upon his first step on the moon, were, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong and Aldrin explored the Moon's surface for about 2 hours. On July 20, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the Moon. In July 1969, as commander of the Apollo 11 lunar mission, he became the first person to step onto the moon

Wilderness Explorer

Colonel Daniel Boone

Colonel Daniel Boone lived from 1734 to 1820 was a famous American explorer as well as pioneer/ frontiersman. Through his explorations Boone founded the first US settlement west of the Appalachian mountains.
From 1769 to 1782 he explored the Kentucky wilderness and traveled down the Ohio River, trapping furs in the Green and Cumberland Valleys.

On May 1, 1769, Boone, Finley, and four other men, started out. They passed Cumberland Gap and on the 7th of June, they set up camp at Station Camp creek. It was nearly two years before Boone returned home, and during that time he explored Kentucky as far west as the Falls of the Ohio, where Louisville is now. There was another visit to Kentucky in 1773, and in 1774 he built a cabin at Harrodsburg. On this trip, Boone followed the Kentucky River to its mouth. He lived in Missouri the rest of his life, although he twice revisited Kentucky before he died at the age of 85.
He was buried beside his wife in Missouri. A quarter of a century later they were brought back to the Bluegrass and laid to rest in Frankfort's cemetery. There they rest, on a bluff above the river and town, on a "high, far-seeing place" like the ones he always climbed to see the land beyond...a monument to the new country in the wilderness which they had helped to explore and settle.

Columbus the Navigator

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), was the son of a wool merchant and weaver, was born in Genoa, Italy and went to sea at the age of 14. Following a shipwreck off the coast of Portugal in 1470, he swam ashore and settled in that country. Christopher Columbus became one of the more famous Italian explorers sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, hoping to find a route to India (in order to trade for spices). Columbus never discover" North America, and the regions he did explore were already inhabited. He only discovered them from the viewpoint of the Europeans.

Between 1492-1504 he had made four trips to the Caribbean and South America , sailing for King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain. On his first trip, Columbus led an expedition with three ships, the Niña (his flagship), the Pinta, and the Santa Maria with 90 crewmen. On October 12, 1492, Columbus first saw the islands of the new world, landing in the Bahamas. Later, he sailed to Cuba, Hispaniola (now Haiti). The widely published report of his voyage of 1492. Columbus's first voyage did prove one thing for sure, that the earth was not only round, but that it was bigger than he had thought

Columbus, who never abandoned the belief that he had reached Asia, led three more expeditions to the Caribbean.

The Exploring Cook

James Cook

James Cook (October 27, 1728 - February 14, 1779) Cook rose rapidly through the ranks after joining the Royal Navy in 1755. Through sheer determination and ability, Cook rose in his military career. After serving in several battles against the French, his mapping abilities earned him a posting as surveyor of Newfoundland. A British explorer and astronomer he went on many expeditions to the Pacific Ocean, Antarctic, Arctic, and around the world.

Captain Cook is universally regarded as one of the most ambitious explorers of all time - in particular, his three expeditions in 1768-1771, 1772-1775, and 1776-1779 accomplished an impressive list of "firsts," including the first European sighting of Hawaii.

While his exploration of the coast of Alaska in 1778 was not one of his greatest accomplishments, it added an enormous amount of information to the blank spots on the maps of the northern coast. During this first voyage he conducted the first detailed mapping of Tahiti and New Zealand.

Cook's first journey was from 1768 to 1771, when he sailed to Tahiti in order to observe Venus as it passed between the Earth and the Sun. During this expedition, he also mapped northern Australia.

Cook's second expedition (1772-1775) took him to Antarctica and to Easter Island.

Cook was the first ship's captain to stop the disease scurvy (now known to be caused by a lack of vitamin C) among sailors by providing them with fresh fruits. Before this, scurvy had killed or incapacitated many sailors on long trips. He managed to prove that a high level of cleanliness and a proper diet, scurvy could be prevented, regardless of the length of time spent at sea.

Cook sailed again this time his last expedition in 1776 with the mission of locating the Northwest Passage from the east. In 1778 he visited and named the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) and unsuccessfully searched the northwest coast of North America for a Northwest Passage. On the return voyage in 1779 Feb. 14, 1779, he was killed by natives at Kealakekua Bay on the island of Hawaii. After he tried taking the local chief hostage to get the natives to return a sailboat they had stolen. Cook's body was dismembered and burned, but the remains were returned to Captain Clerke, who had taken over command on the Resolution and the expedition. On February 21, as much of Cook's remains as could be recovered were buried at sea.

Mt. Everest Conquered

Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary born in 1919 , Auckland, New Zealand. He made his living as a beekeeper, It was in New Zealand that he became interested in mountain climbing. He climbed mountains in New Zealand, then in the Alps, and finally in the Himalayas, where he climbed 11 different peaks of over 20,000 feet. The world's highest mountains .

Tenzing Norgay, born Namgyal Wangdi, (1919-1986) was a Nepalese professional mountaineer from a Sherpa village. During World War II (1939-1945) expeditions to Everest became scarce, but Norgay continued to climb in other places. He successfully climbed Nanda Devi, Tirich Mir, and Nanga Parbat. In 1952, with his sights still on Everest's peak, Norgay accompanied a Swiss expedition to Everest, not as a sherpa but as a fellow climber. During that expedition, Norgay climbed to a height of 28,260 feet.

Mt. Everest lies between Tibet and Nepal.

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, became the first to reach the roof of the world Mount Everest (Chomolungma) . Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world (29,028 feet = 8,848 m). Their climb was made from the Nepalese side. Hillary became a hero of the British empire—the news reached London just in time for Elizabeth II's coronation—and Norgay was touted as a symbol of national pride by three separate nations: Nepal, Tibet, and India.

While Hillary was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his achievement, Norgay became a worldwide celebrity, and received honors from world leaders and heads of state. Norgay's achievement became not only a victory for himself, but for Asia as well. Tenzing Norgay climbed to Everest's summit many times during the 20 years following his and Hillary's successful climb.

Undersea explorer

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910-1997) was a French undersea explorer, environmentalist, and innovator. In 1943, Cousteau and the French engineer Emile Gagnan invented the AquaLung®, a breathing apparatus that supplied oxygen to divers and allowed them to stay underwater for several hours. Cousteau traveled the world's oceans in his research vessel "Calypso," beginning in 1948. (Calypso was a converted 400-ton World War 2 minesweeper)

In the next four decades, Calypso sailed literally around the world exploring and filming the planet. Cousteau's popular TV series, films and many books [including "The Living Sea" (1963), and "World Without Sun" (1965)]. The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau introduced the public to a world of sharks, whales, dolphins, sunken treasure, and coral reefs. In 1974, Cousteau started the Cousteau Society to protect ocean life.

Jacques Cousteau produced more than 115 films, which have won numerous Emmys and other awards, including three full-length theatrical feature films: The Silent World (Oscar and Palme d'Or), World Without Sun (Oscar and Grand Prix du Cinéma Français pour la Jeunesse) and Voyage to the Edge of the World

Cousteau was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Reagan in 1985 and in 1989

Exploring the Orient

Marco Polo

Marco Polo, 1254–1324,was a Venetian (Italian) explorer who travelled through Central Asia and China.

His father, Niccolò Polo, and his uncle, Maffeo Polo, had made (1253–60) a trading expedition to Constantinople. A war blocked their return, and they journeyed eastward to reach Kublai Khan's eastern capital at Kaifeng in 1266.

They returned to Venice in 1269, and in 1271 they left with Marco for Kublai's court. The party reached Cambuluc (modern Beijing) in 1275.

Marco Polo became a favorite of the khan, who employed him on business in central and N China and in the states of SE Asia, including India. For three years he apparently ruled a Chinese city (Yangchow). In 1292 the travelers, acting as escort for a wife of the khan of Persia, left Kublai's realm and were back in Venice in 1295. Marco Polo soon joined the Venetian forces fighting Genoa and was taken prisoner (1296).

During his two-year captivity he dictated an account of his travels. The prologue of the work tells of Polo's life. The remainder of the book describes places he had visited and heard of and recounts the customs of the inhabitants. Polo made reference to much of Asia, including the Arab world, Persia, Japan, Sumatra, and the Andaman Islands, and to E Africa as far south as Zanzibar.

He told of paper currency, asbestos, coal, and other phenomena virtually unknown in Europe. Polo was wonder-struck at Asian splendors and was sometimes credulous of exaggerated accounts, but scholars agree that his accurate reports of the events he witnessed and people he met are of great value. During the Renaissance it was the chief—almost the sole—Western source of information on the East. Despite the fact that many claim his book to be unreliable, it was a sort of regional geography of Asia

Marco Polo died in 1324 when he was 70 years old. On his death bed, he said "I didn't tell half of what I saw, because no one would have believed me."

The Cold North Pole Reached

Robert Edwin Peary

Robert Edwin Peary, American arctic explorer lived 1856–1920, In 1881 he entered the U.S. navy as a civil engineer and for several years served in Nicaragua, where he was engaged in making surveys for the Nicaragua Canal.

He became interested in arctic exploration and made a trip to the interior of Greenland in 1886; later (1891–92), having secured a leave of absence from the navy, he led an expedition to Greenland for scientific study and exploration. Important ethnological and meteorological observations were recorded, a long sled journey to the northeast coast of Greenland was made, Peary Land was explored, and the insularity and approximate northerly extension of Greenland were confirmed.

He made eight Arctic voyages before becoming the first person to reach the North Pole, on 6 April 1909.

Granted another leave of absence from naval duty, he again led an expedition (1898–1902), this time to search for the North Pole. He was only able to reach lat. 84°17'N, but he made important surveys of Ellesmere Land and a study of the surface and drift of the polar ice pack. His Nearest the Pole (1907) recorded the events of his 1905–6 expedition, when he attained lat. 87°6'N, which was only c. 174 mi (280 km) from his objective.

On March 1, 1909 he and his entourage of 23 men, 133 dogs, and 19 sleds set off from Ellesmere Island for his third and final quest of the North Pole. By the time April 6, 1909, rolled around, only six men, Peary, Henson, and four Eskimos -- Oatah, Egingwah, Seegloo, and Ookeah -- were left to witness the planting of the American flag on the North Pole.

Peary's wife, Josephine Diebitsch Peary,. 1863–1955, accompanied him on several of his expeditions and gave birth in the arctic to Peary's daughter, Marie Ahnighito Peary.

His tombstone today bears the Latin inscription: "Inveniam Viam Aut Facium," meaning "I shall find a way or make one." These words describe Peary's quest to find the North Pole, and his staunch determination to overcome all obstacles.

Conquering the Explorations

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great or Alexander III, 356–323 B.C., king of Macedon, conqueror of much of Asia.

Though he only lived 33 years, he conquered most of the world known by the Ancients. Upon one occasion when he needed a bridge, his troops knocked down a nearby village and threw it into the river, thus providing a means of passage. But, you know, that's why they call him Great.

In his youth, Alexander was tutored by none other than Aristotle.

Alexander captured Gaza, the main spice entrepot for the whole Middle East. As always, he sent presents home to his mother and his sister.

Alexander would wear the sacred clothes of the gods at dinner-parties, sometimes the purple cloak, the slippers and horns of Ammon, sometimes the dress of the goddess Artemis, which he would often wear even on his chariot... Sometimes, he would also dress as Hermes, especially at parties when he would wear the winged sandals and the broad hat and hold a caduceus in his hand: often he carried a lion-skin and a club, like Heracles.

Race for the South Pole

Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen (Roald Engelbregt Grauning Amundsen), (1872–1928) Norwegian polar explorer; the first person to reach the South Pole.

He then purchased Fridtjof Nansen's Fram and prepared to drift toward the North Pole and then finish the journey by sledge.

The news that Robert E. Peary had anticipated him in reaching the North Pole caused Amundsen to consider going south ,the Antarctic region instead. Another team led by an Englishman, Robert Scott was also heading to the South Pole. The race to reach the South Pole began.

Amundsen spent three months preparing supplies for the trip. He set out with four men, four sledges and forty-eight dogs. Scott was using motor sleighs and ponies for travelling. Amundsen knew that the motors in Scott’s sleighs would break down in the fierce cold. In January 1911 Amundsen and Scott set off on their journey to the South Pole. Amundsen’s companions had to wear dark goggles to protect their eyes from the glare of the bright sun on the white snow. They had to wear many different layers of clothing. During the journey blizzards slowed them down and their noses and cheeks froze.

At last on the 14 th of December 1911 Amundsen and his four companions - Hansse, Hassel, Bjaaland and Wisting - pushed the flag of Norway in the snow. It had taken ninety-nine days to travel 3000 kilometers across the snow. When Amundsen reached home he was a Hero! His book, “My Life as an Explorer”, told people all about his many adventures

He was successful in reaching the South Pole on Dec. 14, 1911, after a dash by dog team and skis from the Bay of Whales (an inlet of Ross Sea). He arrived there just 35 days before Robert F. Scott. This story he told in The South Pole (tr. 1913). In the course of these expeditions, he added much valuable scientific and geological information to the knowledge of Antarctica.

Amundsen teamed up with Lincoln Ellsworth in 1925 and failed to complete a flight across the North Pole, but the next year in the dirigible Norge, built and piloted by Umberto Nobile, they succeeded in flying over the pole and the hitherto unexplored regions of the Arctic Ocean N of Alaska. A bitter controversy followed with Nobile as to the credit for the success. Yet in 1928, when Nobile crashed in the Italia, Amundsen set out on a rescue attempt that cost him his life.

Medieval Explorer

Ibn Batuta

Ibn Batuta lived somewhere between 1304–1378, Muslim traveler. Batuta was born in Tangier, Morocco. His full name was Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Batuta (also spelled Battuta). He was educated in Islamic law and religion, and began traveling in 1325.No other medieval traveler has journeyed so extensively.

In 30 years ( from 1325 to 1354) he made a series of journeys recorded in a dictated account.At age 20 he traveled overland in North Africa and Syria to make the pilgrimage to Mecca which is now Saudia Arabia. Afterward he visited Arabia, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Asia Minor. He made a journey by way of Samarkand to India, where he resided for almost eight years at the court of the sultan of Delhi, who sent him to China as one of his ambassadors.He covered a total of 75,000 miles visiting the equivalent of 44 modern countries in all.

Ibn Batuta visited the Maldives, the Malabar coast, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Sumatra. He returned in 1350 to Tangier. Later he went to Spain, then to Morocco, and from there he crossed the Sahara to visit Timbuktu and the Niger River. Batuta is still considered a most reliable source for the geography of his period and an authority on the cultural and social history of Islam.

Near the end of Ibn Battuta's own life, the Sultan of Morocco insisted that Ibn Battuta dictate the story of his travels to a scholar and today we can read translations of that story called "Rihla - My Travels". It has served as a valuable and interesting record of places which add to our understanding of the Middle Ages.

The Early Circumnavigator

Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan a Portuguese navigator lived from 1480–1521, Born of a noble family, he was reared as a page in the royal household. He served (1505–12) in Portuguese India under Francisco de Almeida and later under Alfonso de Albuquerque.

The first circumnavigation of the globe was led by Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west. He knew he would have to sail around or through the

New World to do so. Like so many explorers before him, he thought the earth was much smaller than it actually is.

While in service (1513–14) in Morocco, he was accused of financial irregularities; he lost the favor of Manuel I, who rejected his proposal to reach the Moluccas by a western route. In 1517 he went to Spain, where his plan was approved (1518) by Charles I (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles V).

Portuguese efforts failed to prevent the voyage.

In September Sept. 20,1519, he set sail with 270 in his fleet The Trinidad, the San Antonio, the Concepcion, the Victoria, and the Santiago. Magellan sailed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda Sighting the South American coast near Pernambuco, he searched for the suspected passage to the South Sea. In Jan., 1520, the Río de la Plata was explored. While wintering in Patagonia (Mar.–Aug., 1520), he summarily put down a mutiny of some of his officers.

On Oct. 21, Magellan discovered and entered the strait which bears his name, and on Nov. 28 he reached the Pacific. Since not one storm was encountered during that period, they named the ocean "Pacific," meaning "peaceful." His fleet, by then consisting of three vessels, the Concepción, the Trinidad, and the Victoria, sailed NW across the Pacific. No land was sighted for nearly two months, no provisions obtained for three; the men suffered intensely.

Magellan reached the Marianas and on Mar. 6, 1521, the Philippines, where he was killed (Apr. 27) while supporting one group of natives against another. Soon after, the Concepción was burned as unseaworthy, but the remaining two vessels visited Borneo and then the Moluccas, where they loaded spices. The Trinidad sailed for Panama but was wrecked; only four of her crew eventually reached Spain. The Victoria, commanded by Juan Sebastián del Cano, sailed across the Indian Ocean and rounded the Cape of Good Hope. The Portuguese detained 13 of her crew at the Cape Verde Islands, but finally, with only 18 men, she reached Sanlúcar on Sept. 6, 1522, thus completing the first voyage around the world.

Although he did not live to complete the journey, Magellan provided the skill and determination that took the vessels over the great unknown portion of the globe, one of the greatest achievements of navigation. The voyage proved definitely the roundness of the earth, it revolutionized ideas of the relative proportions of land and water, and it revealed the Americas as a new world, separate from Asia.Though Magellan's route proved impractical for the spice trade, his voyage has been called the greatest single human achievement on the seas.

The British Explorer

Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake lived (1545-1596) was a British explorer, slave-trader, privateer

Drake grew up in a seafaring atmosphere. While still a boy he worked as a sailor. When he was 20 he sailed with his cousin, Sir John Hawkins, to Guinea on the west coast of Africa to obtain slaves. He rose to command a ship under Hawkins and was with him when Spaniards attacked the fleet off the port of Veracruz in Mexico. All but two of the English ships were destroyed in this battle, and Drake lost nearly everything he possessed. Drake never forgave the Spanish for their treachery on this occasion or for their cruel treatment of their English prisoners. He devoted the rest of his life to a relentless war against Spain. Drake gathered together his own band of adventurers and made three profitable voyages to the New World, plundering Spanish settlements and destroying Spanish ships.

Drake led the second expedition to sail around the world in a voyage lasting from 1577 to 1580 (Magellan led the first voyage around the world).

Among many adventures, the 'famous voyage', his successful circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580.

In 1577 Francis Drake set sail from England with a handful of small ships on what became one of best known but least understood circumnavigations of the world. The primary destination was the Pacific coast of South America, the private and incredibly rich domain of Spain.

Drake set out sailing with five ships. He intended to pass through the Strait of Magellan, near the southern tip of South America, and then explore the waters he had seen from the Isthmus of Panama. When the straits were passed, Drake's ship, the Golden Hind,pushed on alone, the other vessels having either turned back or been lost. As he went up the coast, he plundered Spanish settlements in Chile and Peru and captured treasure ships bound for Panama

In June, 1579, Drake landed off the coast of present-day California and sailed as far north as the area that would become the United States-Canadian border. He then turned southwest and crossed the Pacific Ocean in two months time. It took another year to make his way through the Indies, across the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope and back to England.

Upon arrival, the Queen knighted Drake aboard the Golden Hind.

Great Viking Exploration

Leif Ericsson

Leif Ericsson (also spelled Eriksson) the Lucky (980?-1020?) was a Viking (Norse) explorer

The Vikings were great explorers who lived between the 8th and 11th centuries. Many of them lived in Iceland and Norway and were known for their fanciful boat and seamanship skill.

He was possibly the first European to sail to North America. Leif sailed north from the southern tip of Greenland, then went south along the coast of Baffin Island down to Labrador, and then landed in what is now called Newfoundland (which he called Vinland). Ericsson sailed around the year 1000.
Ericsson was born in Iceland and was one of the sons of the explorer Eric the Red.

Ericsson sailed for North America in the year 1000 with a crew of 35. He landed in what is probably southern Baffin Island (which he called Helluland, meaning the "land of the flat stone"). He then went on the what is now Labrador (which he called Markland, meaning "forest land"). In 1001 they reached Vinland (perhaps the southern tip of Newfoundland), where remains of an ancient Norse settlement have been found). Ericsson and his crew returned to Greenland in the spring of 1002.

In Search of a Route

Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) was a Portuguese explorer who discovered an ocean route from Portugal to the East.

In the winter of 1497-1498, a Portuguese explorer named Vasco da Gama made a voyage that forever changed the balance of trade around the world. A fleet of ships under his command was the first to sail from Europe to Asia around the Cape of Good Hope on the southern trip of Africa. At that time, many people thought that this was impossible to do because it was assumed that the Indian Ocean was not connected to any other seas.

Da Gama's patron was King Manuel I of Portugal, who sent da Gama, then an Admiral, on another expedition to India (1502-1503). After King Manuel's death, King John III sent da Gama to India as a Portuguese viceroy (the King's representative in India). Da Gama died in India in 1524.

Vasco da Gama returned to Lisbon in 1499 with a cargo of spices that pad for his expedition's coast sixty times over.

Before the discovery of this new route, Europeans has been dependent of traders in the Middle east who brought spices from Asia partway by sea, then by long overland caravan treks.

Dr Livingstone, I presume?”

David Livingstone

David Livingstone (1813-1873) was a British missionary and explorer who explored the interior of Africa. He arrived as a misionary in Africa in 1841, but began to explore the land in 1853.

Dr. David Livingstone (1813-1873) was one of the greatest explorers of the African continent, along the way pioneering the abolition of the slave trade.

For over two decades he traveled over land, walking across the continent, and exploring the Zambezi River. He searched for the source of the Nile River. Livingstone was the first European to see the enormous Victoria Falls.

Few Europeans have contributed as much to the exploration of Africa as this missionary named David Livingstone.

Although popular among native tribes in Africa, Livingstone made enemies of some white settlers there because he learned African languages and had an unusually keen understanding and sympathy for native people and cultures. In 1843, while settling the Mabotsa valley, Livingstone shot a lion. Before it died, however, the lion attacked Livingstone, costing him the use of his left arm.

While he was exploring the interior of the continent in the 1860s his last and most famous journey. He lost his medicine, animals and porters, but struggled on almost alone and his long absence became a matter of international concern, Livingstone was thought to be dead (because of rumors started by deserters of his expedition). Then the New York Herald sent explorer Henry M. Stanley with supplies to find him in 1869.

Stanley finally found Livingstone in November 10, 1871 in the village of Ujiji, a small town on Lake Tanganyika. He greeted Livingstone with the famous words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume." These were the first words spoken by a white man that the famous British explorer David Livingstone had heard in five years. With Stanley's supplies Livingstone continued his explorations, but he was weak, worn out and suffering from dysentery.

Livingstone died a year later in Africa. On the morning of April 30, 1872, his two African assistants found him kneeling at his bedside, dead. They dried his body and carried it and his papers on a dangerous 11-month journey to Zanzibar, a trip of 1,000 miles.His heart was buried there, but his body was buried in Westminster Abbey, London, England.

The Deepest Explorer

Jacques Ernest-Jean Piccard

Jacques Ernest-Jean Piccard (1922- ) is a Swiss ocean explorer and scientist who was the first person to go to the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean.

On January 23, 1960, he and U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh descended over 35,802 feet or 7 miles (10,912 m) in a pressured bathyscape, called Trieste which withstood over 16, 000 pounds per square inch of water pressure (more than a thousand times greater than the pressure at sea level).

The bathyscape was built by Piccard and his father, Auguste Piccard (1884-1962), a notable Belgian physicist and inventor. They went to the bottom of the Challenger Deep of the Marianas Trench (200 miles southwest of Guam), the deepest place on Earth. The trip took five hours.

Piccard and Walsh touched down onto the floor of the very deepest part of the ocean where Piccard reported seeing a fish swimming by. The divers then released the steel shot, and began their rise to the surface.

The Trieste was later used to locate the sunken nuclear submarine U.S.S. Thresher, and collected photos and other data from another sunken submarine, U.S.S. Scorpion, but it would never again touch the bottom of the sea. The original Trieste is now on display at the Navy Museum in Washington, DC.

El Dorado

Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh (1554-1618) was a British explorer, poet, historian, and soldier.

Raleigh led expeditions to both North America and South America; he was trying to found new settlements, find gold, and increase trade with the New World.

The first voyage, in 1584, was commanded by members of Ralegh’s own household. In 1585, Raleigh sent colonists to the east coast of North America; Raleigh later named that area Virginia, in honour of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen.

He is often credited with bringing tobacco and potatoes from the New World to Britain, but they were already known there.

Indian tales of a fabulous city of gold, Eldorado, in the South American interior caught the adventurer’s fancy, and led him to explore further at great peril. Although he did discover gold mines, he was unable to obtain funding for further expeditions inland . El Dorado, was this 'Golden Land' situated somewhere beyond the mouth of the Orinoco river in Guiana, now Venezuela. After his release from the Tower, Ralegh took an expedition there and tried without success to get evidence of this gold, but had to abandon his plans. It was only after the death of Queen Elizabeth that he was ordered back to Guiana on a mission for King James.

Sir Walter Raleigh’s adventurous life in 16th century England focuses on his seafaring explorations of the Americas

Raleigh was later executed by King James I for treason.