7 Historic Expeditions that Influenced the World as We Know it
If you want to discover exotic cultures and countries it is as easy as booking your flight and accommodation. This was however not always the case and it was much more difficult to go to places around the world. Not to mention not knowing who or what you may find, nor the health threats that you faced during such an attempt.
In this post we take a look at some of the brave captains, historians and explorers and the expeditions they undertook.
1. Vasco da Gama: India Expedition
This historic expedition took place from the 8th of July 1497 to 7 January 1499 and cemented Europe’s ties with India. Da Gama faced a lot of setbacks on his return to Portugal where two of the boats and half the crew was lost.
2. Roald Amundsen: South Pole
Roald’s expedition took place from the 3rd of June 3 1910 to 25th January 1912, beating Scott’s expedition to the Arctic with 33 days. Amundsen and crew was well prepared for their expedition, and due to his great success, a lot of Antarctic sites are named after him.
3. Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary: Everest
Norgay and Hillary were the very first people to conquer Everest. It took the pair a total of 162 days from the 20th of February to July 1953. Apart from some frost troubles on the final day, the expedition was successful.
4. Dr. David Livingstone: Source of the Nile
Livingstone wanted to prove that the source of the Nile was south from Lake Victoria and Lake Albert. His expedition took place from January 1866 to 23 October 1871. Even though he was unsuccessful, Livingstone was the first Westerner to view the incredible Victoria Falls.
5. Christopher Columbus: West Indies
His first voyage took place from the 3rd of August 1492 to 15 March 1493. Columbus set out to find a safe route for spice trade from Spain, but failed to so. Instead, he stumbled upon South America, the West Indies and Central America.
6. Charles Darwin: HMS Beagle Voyage
The second HMS Beagle Voyage took place from 27th of December until the 2nd of October 1836. The voyage is noteworthy because of one of the passengers, Darwin. It is during this voyage that Darwin studied plant and wildlife and developed his theory of evolution.
7. Ferdinand Magellan: First Circumnavigation Around Earth
Portuguese outcast Magellan went on a quest to find a route via the ocean to the heart of the spice trade. Even though Magellan’s crew succeeded in becoming the first to circumnavigate the world and prove the earth is round, Magellan himself was killed. The expedition took place from the 10th of August to 8th of September 1522.
All of these great men played a major role in the way we perceive and understand the world around us. If it had not been for Darwin’s voyage, would he still have had the foundation to base his theories on? Would the West Indies have been discovered if not for Columbus?
From Visually.