Explorers & Expeditions
Ice, altitude and the unknown: the journeys that pushed to the edges of the map, and what they cost.
- exploration
- adventure
- expeditions
Some of the stories included
Peary vs Cook: Who Reached the North Pole?Peary and Cook each claimed the North Pole in 1909, and a 1988 review found Peary likely missed it by 30 to 60 miles.
Christopher ColumbusThe life of Christopher Columbus, from his 1492 contract with Spain's monarchs and first Atlantic crossing to his arrest in chains and death still believing he had reached Asia.- The Silk Road: A Journey Across ContinentsThe Silk Road, the network of trade routes that linked China to the Mediterranean and carried silk, paper, religions and ideas for 1,500 years.
The Legend of El DoradoThe story of the mythical city of gold, which began with a Muisca ritual where a leader offered gold dust as a sacrifice to the gods.
The Race to the South PoleTwo rival teams led by Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott battle deadly cold to reach the South Pole between 1911 and 1912.
Son Doong: The Cave a Farmer LostHo Khanh found a cave in 1990, lost the way back, and in 2008 found it again: Son Doong, the largest known cave on Earth.
Michael Rockefeller Vanishes in New GuineaMichael Rockefeller tied two red jerry cans to his belt on Nov. 19, 1961, and swam for shore. He was never seen again.
The Darién Gap: The Break in the Pan-American HighwayThe Darién Gap, the roadless stretch of jungle between Panama and Colombia that is the only break in the Pan-American Highway, and why it has never been built through.
The Lewis and Clark ExpeditionThe epic journey of over two years to explore the American West and find a water route to the Pacific Ocean.
The Vinland VoyagesAround 1000 CE Norse Greenlanders sailed to North America. This is the story of the saga voyages to Vinland, the camp found at L'Anse aux Meadows, and the tree rings that date it to 1021.
The Matterhorn TragedyOn July 14, 1865 Edward Whymper won the Matterhorn race, then a snapped rope sent four of his six companions to their deaths.
The Real Lord of the Flies: Six Boys on 'AtaSix Tongan boys stranded on ʻAta for 15 months kept a work rota, a time-out rule and a fire burning the whole time.
The Franklin ExpeditionSir John Franklin's 1845 Arctic expedition to find the Northwest Passage: how both ships and all 129 men were lost, what searchers and Inuit testimony revealed, and the wrecks found in 2014 and 2016.
The Worst Journey in the WorldThree men hauled 757 pounds of gear through Antarctic winter darkness to collect Emperor penguin eggs.
The Galápagos Affair: Murder on FloreanaIn November 1934, a tuna boat found two bodies on Marchena. Four days later, Floreana lost Friedrich Ritter.
Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay: Everest's SummitHow Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit of Everest on 29 May 1953, and who really stepped on top first.
The Eiger North Face: Toni KurzIn 1936 Toni Kurz died five metres above his rescuers on the Eiger North Face after a night hanging in a blizzard.
The Lost Colony of RoanokeIn 1587, 115 settlers landed on Roanoke. When their governor returned in 1590, he found the word CROATOAN on a post.
Zheng He's Treasure FleetsBetween 1405 and 1433, Admiral Zheng He's massive ships sailed to Africa, but China then let its fleet rot.
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