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Explorers & Exploring
1492 Exhibit - This Library of Congress display examines Columbus, the man and the myth. Why do we talk about the "discovery" of America when people were living there all along? What was life like in the America that Columbus encountered? What changes, immediate and long term, befell both the Europeans and the people of the Americas?
Antartic Explorers - Soon after the North Pole was reached by Robert E. Peary in 1909, the race was on to see who could get to the South Pole first. This page looks at three explorers: Ernest Shackleton, Robert Scott, and Roald Amundsen. All three attempted to reach the South Pole in the early 1900s, but only Amundsen and Scott made it. Investigate their strategies and what went wrong, or right, in each case.
Bancroft Arnesen Expedition - Join Ann Bancroft (USA) and Liv Arnesen (Norway) in their quest to be the first women to ski and sail across Antarctica — 2400 miles, 100 days, 250 pound sleds, 30 degrees below zero. Track their progress and view images and stories about their historic trip.
Conquistadors - Join Michael Wood as he sails back half a millennium to a time when the Americas were "new" and Spain was a superpower, a nation of crusading adventurers whose quest for gold, land and souls destroyed ancient civilizations and created the modern globe.
Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark - In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson looked out the window and said, "Hmm, I wonder if there is a water route, maybe a river or something, that goes all the way across the continent and ends up at the Pacific Ocean? Something we could navigate with boats, so we could get supplies there, and settle, and eventually build theme parks." OK, so he didn't really say that. But he did want the West explored, and Lewis and Clark were just the guys to take on the task. Want to join their expedition and see what happens?
Forbidden Territory @ Nationalgeographic.com - "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Who said those famous words, and what were the circumstances? Between 1841 and 1873, a Scots missionary named David Livingstone made several journeys to Africa, at a time when the continent was largely unexplored. He was the first European to see many of Africa's sights, including Victoria Falls, which he named in honor of his sovereign, Queen Victoria. His writings about his exploits were always eagerly awaited back home. In 1866, Livingstone set off to discover the source of the Nile, the world's longest river. He was 53. No news came for years. Finally, in 1869, a reporter named Henry Morton Stanley was sent to look for Livingstone. According to this site, "On October 27, 1871, Stanley `discovered' Livingstone at the village of Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika, greeting him with the now-famous words: `Dr. Livingstone, I presume?'" What happened next? Visit this Web page to find out.
Global Online Adventure Learning Site - Magellan, de Soto, Columbus. You've already heard of these famous explorers from the past. Right now, all over the world, people are still exploring and having adventures! You can catch up with them and read their travel reports on the Net. For example, there's the Laffitte family, sailing the South Pacific for two years. You can read about their experiences, plus lots of other trips, here.
Jamestown Settlement - Relive the adventure of 1607 when 104 Englishmen dropped anchor and began to build America's first permanent English colony in Jamestown, Virginia. Explore life at the dawn of the 17th century inside the palisade of a re-created colonial fort, discover the world of Pocahontas in the Powhatan Indian village, and experience the four-month passage to the New World on board re-creations of the three ships that brought the settlers to Virginia.
JASON Project - Ever heard of The JASON Project? It was founded in Massachusetts in 1989, and here's how it got started. Dr. Robert D. Ballard had just discovered the wreck of the RMS Titanic . When he got back, he was overwhelmed by the letters he received from interested kids. He decided to develop a way for kids to interact with real science and take part in global field trips. Past JASON projects have let kids control deep-sea submarines and make other real observations. You never know what JASON's going to do next!
Journeys and Expeditions of Marquette, Drake, Columbus, Cortez, and DeSoto - You've heard good and bad things about Columbus, but how much do you know about these other explorers: de Soto, Cortez, Drake, and Marquette? At this site, each explorer tells of his life and exploits in his own words. Kids illustrated the stories with crayon drawings. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest Junior competition.
La Salle Shipwreck Project - The Texas Historical Commission has quite a find on their hands! They are excavating a shipwreck believed to be that of the Belle, one of the ships brought by the French explorer Ren Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle. La Salle was the explorer who claimed the Mississippi and all its tributaries for France. His ship was lost in 1686. It lies in about 12 feet of water in a bay about halfway between Galveston and Corpus Christi. Archaeologists built a special double-walled coffer dam around the wreck, then pumped out the water in the middle of this "doughnut." They were then free to explore and carefully record their findings. You can read about La Salle and the recovery of his ship and its artifacts at this very special site.
Mariners' Museum - Newport News, Virginia - This is a very handy time line of exploration, which starts with 3200 B.C., when Pharaoh Snefru brought 40 ships from Byblus to Phoenicia. From there, you can trace events and explorers, including Marco Polo, Magellan, and James Cook, among others. Some explorer descriptions have additional links where you can go to find out more. For example, Cook was one of the first to carry a chronometer--a special device that helped captains figure out their positions on the sea, before the days of GPS satellite navigation.
National Geographic.com - Take a road trip with National Geographic as they take you on a series of adventures around the world. Tour the fantastic forest, discover dinosaur eggs, and even stop at the White House. These people are exploring professionals!
New South Polar Times - This site offers a dramatic account of man's touch on the Antarctic continent, from the earliest explorers, who went by dogsled, to modern scientists in airplanes. Fascinating stuff--the story is better than Saturday superhero cartoons, and it's all true! There are a lot of great stories on traveling to the South Pole, so plan on spending some time at this site.
Quia! Explorers of North America - If you need to learn your explorers and what regions they discovered, test yourself at this site. There are flash cards you can flip, a word search, Concentration, and matching games to make sure you know your de Soto from your Cartier.
Raising the Mammoth-Discovery Online - An expedition to raise an intact mammoth from the Siberian permafrost, complete with detailed material on the century-old search for mammoths.
Tales From the Peruvian Amazon - Have you ever dreamed about exploring the Amazon jungle? Ron Belliveau, Project Amazonas staff biologist, did more than dream--he packed his bags and did it! Ease your canoe into the water and join him as he tells his tale in words and pictures. Climb onto the river bank and into the dense rain forest that envelops you. You almost hear the songs and screeches of exotic Amazon birds. You almost feel one unlucky adventurer's shock of running his metal collection net into an electric eel! Whether you're looking at a photo of butterflies quietly sipping in a pool or the grin of a saber-toothed characin (enough to make a piranha envious), you'll hardly believe your eyes.
Terraquest - Tired of reading about all those musty old explorers from long ago? This site allows you to go along on some fantastic present-day journeys. You'll find pictures, virtual reality panoramas, audio, and text that document real expeditions with real people just like you! Try virtual Antarctica and discover the wonders of the South Pole. Or perhaps you'd like a sea voyage to the virtual Galapagos Islands--learn about how these remote islands' unique animals helped Charles Darwin formulate his theories of evolution. If that's not enough, tag along with blind mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer as he scales the 3,000-foot sheer wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
Volcano Expedition - Come explore the volcanos of Costa Rica. You'll find lots of information, photos, movies and information in this close up look of volcanic activity. Spectacular photos throughout the site and daily journals from the research team really make this site spectacular to see.
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