Famous Russian travelers of the 21st century. The most famous travelers and their discoveries. Christopher Columbus - a mysterious person

These people sailed to the horizon, crossed oceans, unknown lakes and uncharted valleys in search of new countries, riches and adventures. Among the most famous travelers in world history who explored our planet, discovering new lands, are Roald Amundsen, Christopher Columbus and 7 other outstanding personalities.

A Norwegian explorer who undertook several expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic and, together with his team, on December 14, 1911, after an exhausting race with a competitor, Robert Falcon Scott, became the first person to reach the geographic South Pole. Previously, Roal was the first to cross the Northwest Passage (1903-1906).

He was born on July 16, 1872 in the Norwegian city of Borg and died on June 18, 1928 at the age of 55 near Bear Island in the Arctic.

An English polar traveler, a naval officer, who reached the South Pole with his escort on 01/17/1912, about a month after Amundsen's competitor. Robert's first expedition, during which he explored Victoria Land and the Ross Ice Shelf, took place in 1901-1904.

He was born on June 6, 1868 in Devonport (Plymouth, England). He passed away on March 29, 1912 (aged 43) at the base camp in Antarctica.

3. . The famous British navigator and discoverer, who first mapped Newfoundland and became the first European to discover east coast Australia and Hawaii. Over the course of three voyages, James explored Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic coast to the Bering Strait.

Born November 7, 1728 in Marton (Middlesbrough, England). 02/14/1779 was killed at the age of 50 by the natives of Hawaii in Kileikkua (Big Island, United States).

4. . Portuguese sailor, who, on the instructions of the Spanish king in 1519, went to circumnavigation heading west. So Fernand discovered the Strait of Magellan, later named after him, located at the upper tip of South America. He was not destined to tell about the discovery at home. In 1522, only a few members of the team returned to Portugal.

He was born in 1480 in Sabroz (Vila Real). On April 27, 1521, at the age of 41, he died at the hands of aborigines on the island of Mactan in the Philippines.

5. . One of the most famous Portuguese sailors and pioneers who found a sea route to India in 1498 on behalf of Henry the Navigator. On the flagship São Gabriel, accompanied by two other ships (São Rafael und Bérrio), Vasco rounded the cape Good Hope and returned in 1499 home to Lisbon. The sailors filled the holds to the top with sacks of spices.

Vasco was born in Sines (Setubal) in 1469 and died in Kochi (India) on December 24, 1524 at the age of 55.

6. . Florentine navigator, navigator, merchant and cartographer. For the first time he suggested that the part of the world found by Christopher Columbus and later called "America" ​​is a previously unknown continent. The name associated with the name "Amerigo" was proposed by the Freiburg im Breisgau cartographer Martin Waldseemüller.

A Florentine was born on March 9, 1451 in Florence (Republic of Florence, now Italy). He died at the age of 60 in Seville (Spain) on February 22, 1512.

7. . The most famous sea traveler from Genoa, who, on behalf of Spain, crossed four times Atlantic Ocean looking for something lighter sea ​​route to India, eventually opening the continent America for Europeans (1492), which began the era of colonization. During the first expedition, in which the ships Pinta, Niña and Santa Maria, Christopher after 36 days accidentally discovered the island of San Salvador in the Caribbean Sea.

He was born in 1451 in Genoa (Republic of Genoa, now a province of Italy). He died on May 20, 1506 in Valladolid (Spain), when he was 55 years old.

8. . A Venetian merchant who documented his travels and often backed up what he saw with evidence. Thanks to him, the inhabitants of Europe learned about Central Asia and China. According to Marco, he lived at the court of the Chinese emperor Kubla Khan for 24 years, but historians doubt this. The name Polo inspired the discoverers of the following generations.

Born in 1254 in Venice (Republic of Venice, now Italy) and died there at the age of 70 on January 8, 1324.

Scandinavian navigator who reached the North American continent 5 centuries before Columbus. In the 11th century, he sailed to it on his ship and became the first European to set foot on this land. Leif dubbed the found territory Vinland. The Scandinavian established trade relations between Greenland, Norway and Scotland.

Ericsson had a fiery temperament. Born in Iceland in 970, and died on the island of Greenland at the age of 50 in 1020.

(nicknamed Red). Norwegian-Icelandic navigator and discoverer. For the murder in 982 he was expelled from Iceland for 3 years and, making a sea voyage, came across the western coast of Greenland, where he founded the first Viking settlement in 985. Eirik called the discovered territory "green land".

Although in Russian the nickname of the Norman is translated as "red", historians believe that in fact it means "bloody". Thorvaldson was born in 950 in Jären (Norway). He died in 1003 at the age of 53 in Brattalida (Greenland).

These people made important discoveries, influencing the course of history. They explored the Arctic and Antarctic, "gave" the Europeans North America, Greenland and other lands. Travelers paved new sea and land routes that facilitated trade between countries.

If you think that with the departure of the Age of the Great geographical discoveries outstanding travelers have sunk into oblivion, then you are mistaken! Our contemporaries also made the most amazing journeys. Among them are scientists who went in search of confirmation of their theories, explorers of the deep sea, and just adventurers who ventured to travel around the world alone or with like-minded people. Much has been written about their travels. documentaries, and thanks to them, we can see the whole world through their eyes, real, alive, full of dangers and adventures.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Jacques-Yves Cousteau captivated millions of people by showing them on movie screens how beautiful undersea world, giving the opportunity to see what was still inaccessible to man.

Thor Heyerdahl

Together with his team, in 101 days, having sailed 4300 miles, he reached the atoll of Raroia. It was one of his most famous voyages, the Kon-Tiki Expedition, on a makeshift raft. The film he shot during his trip won an Oscar in 1951.

And in 1969, he went on a new dangerous expedition on a papyrus boat to prove, to prove the possibility of crossing the Atlantic Ocean by African peoples. However, the first journey of Thor Heyerdahl on the boat "Ra" ended in failure, the boat sank, not reaching just 600 miles from the island of Barbados.

A year later, the stubborn Norwegian repeated his journey and sailed from Morocco to Barbados in 57 days. By the way, our compatriot Yuri Senkevich was the doctor on this expedition. Heyerdahl later visited Maldives, in Peru and Tenerife.

Yuri Senkevich

as a doctor-researcher Senkevich was trained to participate in a space flight,
participated in the 12th Antarctic expedition to the station "Vostok" in order to study human behavior in extreme conditions,
traveled on papyrus boat"Ra", then on the "Ra-2" and in the Indian Ocean on the "Tigris".

Millions of Soviet TV viewers were able to see the world, as they joked then "through the eyes of Senkevich." By the way, the program "Cinema Travel Club" was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Nikolay Drozdov

Interesting fact about Nikolai Nikolayevich himself - his great-great-great-grandfather was Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow, and his maternal great-great-grandfather Ivan Romanovich von Dreiling was an orderly of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov.

Nikolai Drozdov traveled the whole world, all zoological and National parks, studying the habitats and habits of animals in natural conditions, climbed Elbrus, participated in a long expedition on the research vessel Callisto and in the first Soviet expedition to Everest, twice went to the North Pole, passed along the Northern Sea Route on an icebreaker " Yamal", sailed along the coasts of Alaska and Canada on the "Discoverer".

Fedor Konyukhov

But the life of our famous compatriot is not filled with travel alone - Fedor Konyukhov became the youngest member of the Union of Artists of the USSR and the author of twelve travel books. There were new plans ahead: a flight around the world on hot-air balloon and circumnavigating the world in 80 days for the Jules Verne Cup, as well as diving into Mariana Trench. However, having accepted the priesthood in 2010, Fedor Konyukhov decided not to travel anymore, but ... the ways of the Lord are inscrutable and famous traveler again at the helm. In the spring of this year, he "beat" the Russian record and stayed in the air on a balloon for 19 hours and 10 minutes.

Bear Grylls

The list of his travels is respectable: he sailed around british isles in thirty days, crossed in an inflatable boat North Atlantic, flew over the Angel Falls in a steam-powered plane, flew over the Himalayas on a paraglider, led an expedition to one of the furthest unclimbed peaks in Antarctica, and arranged ... a gala dinner in a balloon at an altitude of more than seven thousand meters! Most of Grylls' expeditions are for charitable causes.

Abby Sunderland

The journey turned out to be more dangerous than expected: between Australia and Africa, 2 thousand miles from the coast, the yacht's hull was damaged and the engine failed. After this message, communication was interrupted, the search for Abby's yacht was unsuccessful, and she was declared missing. A whole month later, Australian rescuers in the zone of the most severe storm found the lost yacht and Abby alive and unharmed. Who then will say that a woman has no place on a ship?

Jason Lewis

The expedition started from Greenwich in 1994, in February 1995 the travelers reached the shores of the United States and after 111 days of sailing decided to cross America separately on roller skates. Lewis had to interrupt the journey for 9 months after an accident. After recovering, Lewis goes to Hawaii, from where he sails on a pedal boat to Australia, where he had to spend some time earning money for onward travel… selling T-shirts.

In 2005, he reaches Singapore, then crosses China and India on a bicycle. By March 2007, he reached Africa and also crossed all of Europe on a bicycle: Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany and Belgium. Having crossed the English Channel, in October 2007, Jason Lewis returned to London.

The exploration of our planet took place over several centuries, and many people distinguished themselves, whose names and merits are recorded in many historical books. All the great travelers sought to escape from the routine of existence and look at the world with different eyes. Thirst for new knowledge, curiosity, desire to expand known horizons - all these qualities were inherent in each of them.

About history and travelers

The history of mankind should be taken as a history of travel. It is impossible to understand what would be modern world, if previous civilizations did not send travelers to the borders then unknown world. The thirst for travel is in the DNA of man, because he has always sought to explore something and expand his own world.

The first people 100,000 years ago began to colonize the world, moving from Africa to Asia and Europe. In the era of the Middle Ages and modern times, travelers went to unknown countries in search of gold, glory, new lands, or they simply ran away from their miserable existence and poverty. However, all great travelers have possessed the impulse of force of the same nature, the never-ending fuel of explorers - curiosity. Just something that a person does not know or does not understand is enough to create an alluring and irresistible force that cannot be resisted. Further, the article presents the exploits of the great travelers and their discoveries, which had a huge impact on the process of the formation of mankind. The following individuals are noted:

• Herodotus;
• Ibn Battuta;
• Marco Polo;
• Christopher Columbus;
• Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano;
• James Cook;
• Charles Darwin;
• explorers of Africa and Antarctica;
• famous Russian travelers.

Father of modern history - Herodotus

The famous Greek philosopher, Herodotus, lived in the 5th century BC. His first journey was exile, as Herodotus was accused of plotting against the tyrant of Halicarnassus, Lygdamis. During this link, great traveler travels throughout the Middle East. He describes all his discoveries and acquired knowledge in 9 books, thanks to which Herodotus received the nickname of the father of history. It is interesting to note that another famous historian ancient Greece, Plutarch, gave Herodotus the nickname "father of lies." In his books, Herodotus tells about distant countries and about the cultures of many peoples, information about which the philosopher collected during his travels.

The stories of the great traveler are filled with political, philosophical and geographical reflections. They also contain sexual stories, myths and crime stories. Herodotus' writing style is semi-artistic. Modern historians consider the work of Herodotus to be a paradigm of curiosity. The historical and geographical knowledge brought by Herodotus had big influence for development Greek culture. Geographic map, which Herodotus compiled, and which included the limits from the Danube to the Nile, and from Iberia to India, over the next 1000 years determined the horizons of the world known at that time. It should be noted that the scientist was very worried that the knowledge he had gained would not be lost by mankind over time, and therefore he outlined them in detail in his 9 books.

Ibn Battuta (1302 - 1368)

Like every Muslim, twenty-year-old Battuta began his pilgrimage from the city of Tangier to Mecca on the back of a donkey. He could not even think that he would return to his hometown only 25 years later, with huge wealth and a whole harem of wives after he makes the journey for the most part peace. If you wonder what great travelers first explored the Muslim world, then you can safely call Ibn Battuta. He traveled to all countries, from the kingdom of Granada in Spain to China, and from Caucasus mountains to the city of Timbuktu, which is located in the Republic of Mali. This great traveler traveled 120,000 kilometers, met more than 40 sultans and emperors, was an ambassador to various sultans, and survived a number of disasters. Ibn Battuta always traveled with a large retinue, and in each new place he was treated as an important person.

Modern historians note that in the first half of the 14th century, when Ibn Battuta made his travels, the Islamic world was at the peak of its existence, which allowed the traveler to quickly and easily move through many territories.

Like Marco Polo, Battuta did not write his book ("Travel"), but dictated his stories to the Granadian erudite Ibn Khuzai. This work reflects Battuta's lust for enjoying life, which includes tales of sex and blood.

Marco Polo (1254 - 1324)

Marco Polo is one of the important names of great travelers. The book of the Venetian merchant Marco Polo, which tells in detail about his travels, became very popular even 2 centuries before the invention of printing. Marco Polo traveled the world for 24 years. Upon returning to his homeland, he was imprisoned during the war between the trading powers of the Mediterranean: Genoa and Venice. In prison, he dictated stories about his travels to one of his neighbors in misfortune. As a result, in 1298 a book appeared, which was called "Description of the world, dictated by Marco."

Marco Polo, along with his father and uncle, who were famous merchants in jewelry and silk, set off at the age of 17 on a trip to the Far East. During his trip, the great geographical traveler visited such forgotten places like the island of Hormuz, the Gobi desert, the coasts of Vietnam and India. Marco knew 5 foreign languages, was the representative of the great Mongol Khan Kublai Khan for 17 years.

Note that Marco Polo was not the first European to visit Asia, however, he was the first to draw up its detailed geographical description. His book is a mixture of truth and fiction, which is why many historians question most of its facts. On his deathbed, a priest asked Marco Polo, who was 70 years old, to confess his lies, to which the great traveler replied that he had not said even half of what he had seen.

Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506)

Talking about travelers great era discoveries, first of all, we should mention Christopher Columbus, who shifted the backbone of the human economy to the west and marked the beginning of a new era in history. Historians note that when Columbus sailed to the discovery of the New World, the word "gold" is most often found in the entries of his logbook, and not the word "land".

Christopher Columbus, given the information provided by Marco Polo, believed he could achieve Far East full of gold and riches, sailing west. As a result, on August 2, 1492, he sails from Spain on three ships and heads west. The journey across the Atlantic Ocean lasted longer than 2 months, and on October 11, Rodrigo Triana saw land from the ship La Pinta. This day radically changed the lives of Europeans and Americans.

Like many great travelers of the era of great discoveries, Columbus died in 1506 in poverty in the city of Valladolid. Columbus didn't know what he discovered new continent, but thought that he managed to swim to India through the west.

Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano (XVI century)

One of amazing routes of the great travelers of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, is the route of Ferdinand Magellan, when he was able to get through a narrow strait from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, which Magellan so named in honor of its calm waters.

In the 16th century, there was a serious race for dominance on the seas and oceans between Portugal and Spain, historians compare this race with the race for space exploration between the USA and the USSR. As Portugal dominated African coast, Spain was looking for ways to get to the spice islands (modern Indonesia) and to India through the west. Ferdinand Magellan became just the navigator who was supposed to find new way to the East through the West.

In September 1519, 5 ships with a total of 237 sailors set off for the West, led by Ferdinand Magellan. Three years later, only one ship returned with 18 sailors on board, led by Juan Sebastian Elcano. It was the first time that a man swam around everything the globe. The great traveler Ferdinand Magellan himself died in the Philippine Islands.

James Cook (1728-1779)

This British great traveler is considered the most famous explorer of the Pacific Ocean. He left his parents' farm and became a great captain in the Royal Navy. He made three great voyages from 1768 to 1779, which filled in many blank spots on the maps of the Pacific. All of Cook's travels were undertaken by the UK to achieve a range of geographic and botanical objectives in Oceania, Australia and New Zealand.

Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882)

Few people know that in the story of the great travelers and their discoveries, the name of Charles Darwin, who, at the age of 22, went on a trip on the Beagle brigantine in 1831 to explore east coast South America. On this journey, Charles Darwin sailed around the world in 5 years, while collecting huge information about the flora and fauna of our planet, which turned out to be key to Darwin's theory of the evolution of living organisms.

After this long journey, the scientist locked himself in his house in Kent in order to carefully study the collected material and draw the right conclusions. In 1859, that is, 23 years after the circumnavigation of the world, Charles Darwin published his work "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection", the main thesis of which was that it is not the strongest living organisms that survive, but the most adapted to environmental conditions. .

Exploring Africa

The great travelers who have distinguished themselves in the exploration of Africa are mainly the British. One of the famous explorers of the black continent is Dr. Livingston, who distinguished himself in research central regions Africa. Livingston owns the discovery of the Victoria Falls. This man is a national hero of Great Britain.

Other famous Britons who distinguished themselves in the exploration of Africa are John Speke and Richard Francis Burton, who made many trips to the African continent in the second half of the 19th century. Their most famous journey is the search for the source of the Nile.

Exploration of Antarctica

Exploration of the icy southern continent - Antarctica marked new stage in the history of mankind. Briton Robert Scott and Norwegian Roald Amundsen distinguished themselves in the conquest of the South Pole. Scott was an explorer and officer in the Royal Navy of Britain, he led 2 expeditions to Antarctica, and on January 17, 1912, he, along with five members of his team, reached the South Pole, however, the Norwegian Amundsen was ahead of him by several weeks. The entire expedition of Robert Scott died, freezing in the icy desert of Antarctica. Amundsen, in turn, having visited the South Pole on December 14, 1911, was able to return to his homeland alive.

First female traveler

The thirst for travel and new discoveries was characteristic not only of men, but also of women. So, the first woman traveler, about whom there is reliable evidence, was the Galician (northwestern part of Spain) Echeria in the 4th century AD. Her travels were connected with the holy lands and pilgrimages. So, it is known that within 3 years she visited Constantinople, Jerusalem, Sinai, Mesopotamia and Egypt. It is unknown if Echeria returned to her homeland.

Great Russian travelers who expanded the borders of Russia

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area. In many ways, this fame is due to Russian travelers and researchers. Great travelers in the table below are given.

Russian travelers - explorers of the planet

Among them, Ivan Kruzenshtern should be noted, who was the first Russian to travel around the globe. We also mention Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay, who was a famous navigator and explorer of Oceania and South-East Asia. Let us also mention Nikolai Przhevalsky, who was one of the most famous explorers of Central Asia in the world.

9 chose

If you think that with the departure of the Age of Discovery, outstanding travelers have sunk into oblivion, then you are mistaken! Our contemporaries also made the most amazing journeys. Among them are scientists who went in search of confirmation of their theories, explorers of the deep sea, and just adventurers who ventured to travel around the world alone or with like-minded people. Many documentaries have been created about their travels, and thanks to them, we can see the whole world through their eyes, real, alive, full of dangers and adventures.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Captain Cousteau is a famous French explorer of the World Ocean, author of books and films, inventor. The oceans revealed many of its secrets, showed the beauty of its depths still inaccessible to people for a huge number of diving enthusiasts. We can say that Captain Cousteau is the father of modern diving, because it was he who created the main apparatus for diving. Being engaged in research of the underwater world of our planet, Cousteau created the famous floating laboratory "Callisto" and the first apparatus for diving "Denise". Jacques-Yves Cousteau captivated millions of people, showing them on movie screens how beautiful the underwater world is, giving them the opportunity to see what was still inaccessible to man.

Thor Heyerdahl

The name of the most famous Norwegian of the 20th century is spelled "Thor" in his native language, just like the name of one of the main gods of Norse mythology, Thor. He made many trips on makeshift watercrafts of contacts between ancient civilizations. Heyerdahl proved in practice his theory that the inhabitants of South America visited the islands of Polynesia, since the scientific world did not perceive his ideas. Together with his team, in 101 days, having sailed 4300 miles, he reached the atoll of Raroia. It was one of his most famous voyages, the Kon-Tiki Expedition, on a makeshift raft. The film he shot during his trip won an Oscar in 1951. And in 1969, he went on a new dangerous expedition on a papyrus boat to prove, to prove the possibility of crossing the Atlantic Ocean by African peoples. However, the first journey of Thor Heyerdahl on the boat "Ra" ended in failure, the boat sank, not reaching just 600 miles from the island of Barbados. A year later, the stubborn Norwegian repeated his journey and sailed from Morocco to Barbados in 57 days. By the way, our compatriot Yuri Senkevich was the doctor on this expedition. Heyerdahl later traveled to the Maldives, Peru and Tenerife.

Yuri Senkevich

The popular TV presenter of the "Club of Travelers" program Yuri Senkevich was included in the list of the most famous travelers not only as the doctor of the Thor Heyerdahl expedition. His "track record" of the traveler is respected:

as a medical researcher, Senkevich was trained to participate in a space flight, participated in the 12th Antarctic expedition to the Vostok station in order to study human behavior in extreme conditions, traveled on the papyrus boat "Ra", then on the "Ra-2" and in the Indian Ocean on the Tigris. Millions of Soviet TV viewers were able to see the world, as they joked then "through the eyes of Senkevich." By the way, the program "Cinema Travel Club", the program was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Nikolay Drozdov

More than 40 years ago, Nikolai Nikolaevich Drozdov became the host of the popular TV show "In the Animal World". An avid traveler, a "gallant know-it-all", who spends hours talking about animals as the most wonderful and beautiful creatures in the world - be it an elephant, a bug, or even a poisonous snake. An amazing and wonderful person, the idol of millions of viewers of our country, listening to stories about interesting facts from the life of birds, reptiles, domestic and wild animals, about the beauty of our nature - and incomparable pleasure, because only a person in love with life can tell like that. An interesting fact about Nikolai Nikolayevich himself is that his great-great-great-grandfather was Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow, and his maternal great-great-grandfather Ivan Romanovich von Dreiling was an orderly of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov.

Nikolai Drozdov traveled the whole world, all zoological and national parks, studying the habitats and habits of animals in natural conditions, climbed Elbrus, participated from a long expedition on the Callisto research vessel and in the first Soviet expedition to Everest, twice went to the North Pole, passed along the Northern Sea Route on the icebreaker "Yamal", sailed along the coasts of Alaska and Canada on the "Discoverer".

Fedor Konyukhov

A lone traveler who cut what seemed impossible to conquer, more than once overcame a path that could not be walked alone - the great contemporary Fyodor Konyukhov. The first among travelers who conquered the North and South Poles, seas, oceans and the highest peaks of the world, which is proved by more than 40 expeditions made by him to the most inaccessible places on our planet. Among them are five round-the-world trips, a solo voyage across the Atlantic (which, by the way, he crossed more than once) on a rowboat. Konyukhov was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean from continent to continent. But the life of our distinguished compatriot is not filled with travel alone - Fedor Konyukhov became the youngest member of the Union of Artists of the USSR and the author of twelve travel books. There were also new plans ahead: flying around the world in a balloon and circumnavigating the world in 80 days for the Jules Verne Cup, as well as diving into the Mariana Trench. However, having received the priesthood in 2010, Fedor Konyukhov decided not to travel anymore, but ... the ways of the Lord are inscrutable and the famous traveler is again at the helm. In the spring of this year, he "beat" the Russian record and stayed in the air on a balloon for 19 hours and 10 minutes.

Bear Grylls

Fame came to the young English traveler thanks to the highest-rated TV show on the Discovery channel, Survive at Any Cost, which first aired in October 2006. The TV presenter and traveler does not just "entertain" the audience with beautiful views of the most amazing places on the planet, his goal is to bring to the audience life recommendations that can come in handy in unforeseen situations.

His list of travels is respected: he sailed around the British Isles in thirty days, crossed the North Atlantic in an inflatable boat, flew over the Angel Falls in a steam-powered plane, flew over the Himalayas in a paraglider, led an expedition to one of the furthest unclimbed peaks in Antarctica and arranged ... a gala dinner in a balloon at an altitude of more than seven thousand meters! Most of Grylls' expeditions are for charitable causes.

Abby Sunderland

Not only men can boast of friendship with the wind of wandering - Abby Sunderland, a young traveler who at the age of 16 alone made a trip around the world on a yacht, will give odds to many men. The determination of Abby's parents is surprising, because they not only allowed her to participate in such a dangerous enterprise, but also helped to prepare for it. Alas, the first start on January 23, 2010 was unsuccessful and Abby made a second attempt on February 6. The journey turned out to be more dangerous than expected: between Australia and Africa, 2 thousand miles from the coast, the yacht's hull was damaged and the engine failed. After this message, communication was interrupted, the search for Abby's yacht was unsuccessful, and she was declared missing. A whole month later, Australian rescuers in the zone of the most severe storm found the lost yacht and Abby alive and unharmed. Who then will say that a woman has no place on a ship?

Jason Lewis

And, finally, the most original of modern travelers, who spent 13 years on a round-the-world trip! Why so long? The simple fact is that Jason refused any kind of technology and all sorts of achievements of civilization. The former janitor, along with his friend Steve Smith, went around the world on a bicycle, boat and rollerblades! The expedition started from Greenwich in 1994, in February 1995 the travelers reached the shores of the United States and after 111 days of sailing decided to cross America separately on roller skates. Lewis had to interrupt the journey for 9 months after an accident. After recovering, Lewis goes to Hawaii, from where he sails on a pedal boat to Australia, where he had to spend some time earning money for his further trip ... selling T-shirts. In 2005, he reaches Singapore, then crosses China and India on a bicycle. By March 2007, he reached Africa and also crossed all of Europe on a bicycle: Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany and Belgium. Having crossed the English Channel, in October 2007, Jason Lewis returned to London.

Travel has always attracted people, but before they were not only interesting, but also extremely difficult. The territories were not explored, and, setting off on a journey, everyone became an explorer. Which travelers are the most famous and what exactly did each of them discover?

James Cook

The famous Englishman was one of the best cartographers of the eighteenth century. He was born in the north of England and by the age of thirteen he began to work with his father. But the boy was unable to trade, so he decided to take up navigation. At that time everything famous travelers of the world went to distant countries on ships. James became interested in maritime affairs and moved up the career ladder so quickly that he was offered to become a captain. He refused and went to the Royal Navy. Already in 1757, the talented Cook began to manage the ship himself. His first achievement was the drawing up of the fairway of the St. Lawrence River. He discovered in himself the talent of a navigator and cartographer. In the 1760s he explored Newfoundland, which attracted the attention of the Royal Society and the Admiralty. He was assigned to travel across the Pacific Ocean, where he reached the shores of New Zealand. In 1770, he did something that other famous travelers had not achieved before - he discovered new mainland. In 1771, Cook returned to England as the famous pioneer of Australia. His last journey was an expedition in search of a passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Today, even schoolchildren know the sad fate of Cook, who was killed by cannibal natives.

Christopher Columbus

Famous travelers and their discoveries have always had a significant impact on the course of history, but few have been as famous as this man. Columbus became a national hero of Spain, decisively expanding the map of the country. Christopher was born in 1451. The boy quickly achieved success because he was diligent and studied well. Already at the age of 14 he went to sea. In 1479, he met his love and began life in Portugal, but after the tragic death of his wife, he went with his son to Spain. Having received the support of the Spanish king, he went on an expedition, the purpose of which was to find a way to Asia. Three ships sailed from the coast of Spain to the west. In October 1492 they reached Bahamas. This is how America was discovered. Christopher mistakenly decided to call the locals Indians, believing that he had reached India. His report changed history: two new continents and many islands, discovered by Columbus, became the main travel destination of the colonialists in the next few centuries.

Vasco da Gama

Portugal's most famous traveler was born in Sines on September 29, 1460. From a young age, he worked in the Navy and became famous as a confident and fearless captain. In 1495, King Manuel came to power in Portugal, who dreamed of developing trade with India. For this, a sea route was needed, in search of which Vasco da Gama had to go. The country had more famous sailors and travelers, but for some reason the king chose him. In 1497, four ships sailed south, rounded and sailed to Mozambique. I had to stay there for a month - half of the team had scurvy by that time. After a break, Vasco da Gama reached Calcutta. In India, he established trade relations for three months, and a year later he returned to Portugal, where he became a national hero. The opening of the sea route, which made it possible to get to Calcutta past the east coast of Africa, was his main achievement.

Nikolay Miklukho-Maclay

Famous Russian travelers also made a lot of important discoveries. For example, the same Nikolai Mikhlukho-Maclay, who was born in 1864 in the Novgorod province. He could not graduate from St. Petersburg University, as he was expelled for participating in student demonstrations. To continue his education, Nikolai went to Germany, where he met Haeckel, a naturalist who invited Miklouho-Maclay to his scientific expedition. So the world of wanderings opened up for him. His whole life was devoted to travel and scientific work. Nicholas lived in Sicily, Australia, studied New Guinea, embodying the project of the Russian Geographical Society, visited Indonesia, the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula and Oceania. In 1886, the naturalist returned to Russia and proposed to the emperor to establish a Russian colony across the ocean. But the project with New Guinea did not receive royal support, and Miklouho-Maclay fell seriously ill and soon died, without completing his work on a travel book.

Ferdinand Magellan

Many famous navigators and travelers lived in the era of the Great Magellan is no exception. In 1480 he was born in Portugal, in the city of Sabrosa. Having gone to serve at court (at that time he was only 12 years old), he learned about the confrontation between his native country and Spain, about traveling to the East Indies and trade routes. So he first became interested in the sea. In 1505, Fernand got on a ship. Seven years after that he furrowed sea ​​spaces, participated in expeditions to India and Africa. In 1513, Magellan went to Morocco, where he was wounded in battle. But this did not curb the craving for travel - he planned an expedition for spices. The king rejected his request, and Magellan went to Spain, where he received all the necessary support. Thus began his world tour. Fernand thought that from the west the route to India might be shorter. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reached South America and discovered the strait, which would later be named after him. became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. On it, he got to the Philippines and almost reached the goal - Moluccas, but died in battle with local tribes, wounded by a poisonous arrow. However, his journey opened Europe new ocean and understanding that the planet is much larger than scientists previously thought.

Roald Amundsen

The Norwegian was born at the very end of an era in which many famous travelers became famous. Amundsen was the last of the navigators who tried to find undiscovered lands. From childhood, he was distinguished by perseverance and self-confidence, which allowed him to conquer the South Geographic Pole. The beginning of the journey is connected with 1893, when the boy left the university and got a job as a sailor. In 1896 he became a navigator, and the following year he went on his first expedition to Antarctica. The ship was lost in the ice, the crew suffered from scurvy, but Amundsen did not give up. He took command, cured the people, remembering his medical background, and brought the ship back to Europe. Becoming a captain, in 1903 he went in search of Northwest Passage at Canada. Famous travelers before him had never done anything like this - in two years the team covered the path from the east of the American mainland to its west. Amundsen became known to the whole world. The next expedition was a two-month trip to the South Plus, and the last venture was the search for Nobile, during which he went missing.

David Livingston

Many famous travelers are connected with seafaring. he became a land explorer, namely the African continent. The famous Scot was born in March 1813. At the age of 20, he decided to become a missionary, met Robert Moffett and wished to go to African villages. In 1841 he came to Kuruman, where he taught local residents agriculture, served as a doctor and taught literacy. There he learned the Bechuan language, which helped him in his travels in Africa. Livingston studied in detail the life and customs of the locals, wrote several books about them and went on an expedition in search of the sources of the Nile, in which he fell ill and died of a fever.

Amerigo Vespucci

The most famous travelers in the world were most often from Spain or Portugal. Amerigo Vespucci was born in Italy and became one of the famous Florentines. He received a good education and trained to be a financier. From 1490 he worked in Seville, in the Medici trade mission. His life was associated with sea ​​voyages for example, he sponsored the second expedition of Columbus. Christopher inspired him with the idea of ​​trying himself as a traveler, and already in 1499 Vespucci went to Suriname. The purpose of the voyage was to study the coastline. There he opened a settlement called Venezuela - little Venice. In 1500 he returned home with 200 slaves. In 1501 and 1503 Amerigo repeated his travels, acting not only as a navigator, but also as a cartographer. He discovered the bay of Rio de Janeiro, the name of which he gave himself. Since 1505, he served the king of Castile and did not participate in campaigns, only equipped other people's expeditions.

Francis Drake

Many famous travelers and their discoveries have benefited mankind. But among them there are those who left behind a bad memory, since their names were associated with rather cruel events. An English Protestant, who had sailed on a ship from the age of twelve, was no exception. He captured local residents in the Caribbean, selling them into slavery to the Spaniards, attacked ships and fought with Catholics. Perhaps no one could equal Drake in terms of the number of captured foreign ships. His campaigns were sponsored by the Queen of England. In 1577 he went to South America to defeat the Spanish settlements. During the journey, he found Tierra del Fuego and the strait, which was subsequently named after him. Rounding Argentina, Drake plundered the port of Valparaiso and two Spanish ships. When he reached California, he met the natives, who presented the British with gifts of tobacco and bird feathers. Drake crossed Indian Ocean and returned to Plymouth, becoming the first British citizen to visit world tour. He was admitted to the House of Commons and awarded the title of Sir. In 1595 he died in the last campaign in the Caribbean.

Afanasy Nikitin

Few famous travelers in Russia have achieved the same heights as this native of Tver. Afanasy Nikitin became the first European to visit India. He traveled to the Portuguese colonizers and wrote "Journey Beyond the Three Seas" - the most valuable literary and historical monument. The success of the expedition was ensured by the merchant's career: Athanasius knew several languages ​​and knew how to negotiate with people. On his journey, he visited Baku, lived in Persia for about two years and reached India by ship. Visiting several cities exotic country, he went to Parvat, where he stayed for a year and a half. After the province of Raichur, he headed to Russia, paving the route through the Arabian and Somali Peninsulas. However, Afanasy Nikitin never made it home, because he fell ill and died near Smolensk, but his notes survived and provided the merchant with world fame.