7 Lesser-known Explorers

I wasn’t sure whether to put this in science or history, but since it is more about the people doing the exploring I went with history. On Wednesday I’ll cover expeditions themselves. For today though, my focus is on lesser-known explorers. By lesser-known I basically mean anybody but Cortez, Columbus and Magellan. These three are heavily covered in most high school and college history courses, but for less academic reasons than you might think. Below are 9 explorers who seem to left out of most of the textbooks or have been relegated to footnote status. Hopefully this will inspire some of you to do a little reading of your own on this topic. Expedition journals can be great reads if they are edited well. Enjoy.

7. Himilco the Navigator

The age of discovery may have begun in the 1400’s, but exploration has been around since the second man arrived on the planet. Ancient history is full of explorers, but many of them are left out of the history books. One such man was Himilco. Everyone has heard of the Roman Republic, but some people may have slept through the bit about Carthage. Carthage was Rome’s rival in North Africa and until their destruction in the Punic Wars, they accomplished many great feats. Himilco was a Carthaginian navigator who lived in Carthage during the fifth century BC. He was the first to record his exploration of the Mediterranean and supposedly made it all the way to Northwestern Europe. A pretty impressive feat, but unfortunately he was playing for the wrong team and his accomplishments were swept away in a tide of Roman conquest. You’ve heard it a thousand times, but history really is written by the victors.

6. Abu Bakr II

Abu Baker II was the ninth mansa, or leader, of the Mali Empire. In the 1300’s, Abu Bakr II gave up his power in order the go and explore the extent of the oceans. History tells us that Abu set out, but was never seen again. Why then is he on a list of explorers you ask? Because there is a theory that Abu Bakr did not simply wash out to sea and die, but instead discovered Brazil. Most historians refute this claim, but a small group defend the idea that the transatlantic currents would have most likely carried Bakr to the the New World. For now the fate of Bakr remains a mystery, but it is always interesting to hear new theories and alternative history.

5. Zheng He

A eunuch in the court of the Ming dynasty, Zheng He eventually became a legendary explorer and admiral in Chinese history. Zheng He took massive fleets around the China Sea, down to South East Asia, west to India and as far as the Horn of Africa. While Zheng He was not the first to use these routes, what he did on them was unprecedented. On his seven naval expeditions, Zheng He had a number of responsibilities. He was in charge of dispersing and collecting goods, treasures and rarities. This period saw an influx of exotic clothes, foods and animals into China. He was also tasked with spreading the word of China’s power and displaying their military force around Asia, Arabia and East Africa. There is also speculation that he was sent to hunt for the former emperor who had fled after the Ming had taken over. If you can find a good biography on this guy give it a read. A fascinating story you’d never hear in school.

4. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

When it comes to the men that explored the New World, de Vaca generally gets overshadowed by names like Columbus, Cortez and Pizzaro. However, de Vaca’s story is perhaps the most interesting. He is famous for his account of the 1527 Narvaez expedition, La Relacion. de Vaca set out to colonize Spanish Florida in 1527 with 600 other Spanish explorers. The expedition was a colossal failure. First a hurricane stranded them near Tampa Bay where a combination of Native attacks, starvation and sickness forced the surviving Spaniards to flee in 1528. They set sail for Mexico, but met more troubles at sea and were washed up in modern day Texas, near Galveston. The eighty survivors began to travel by foot all the way back to Mexico City where they hoped to find safety among their countrymen. Until their arrival in 1536, the men lived with the local natives as hunters and slavers. By the time de Vaca was found by fellow Spaniards, he was one of only four remaining men from the Narvaez expedition. While his expedition failed, de Vaca has provided us with one of the most incredible and interesting accounts of any the New World explorers.

3. Abel Tasman

Tasman was a Dutch sailor and explorer under the employment of the United East India Company, who explored Oceania in the 1640’s. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Oceania refers to the areas of Australia, New Zealand, Micronesia, Melanesian and Polynesia (clusters of islands east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean). Ever wondered how Tasmania got it’s name. Think on it. Tasman was not only the first recorded European on the devilish island that bears his name, but the first to reach New Zealand as well. He came close to reaching Fiji but was turned back by dangerous reefs along the northern coast of the islands. On his second voyage he charted the northern coast of Australia which he dubbed ‘New Holland’ (nice try buddy). The one criticism Tasman drew even during his lifetime was his lack of thoroughness. While he may have mapped and charted many coasts in Oceania, he rarely ventured into the interiors of any of the places he found. This led him to eventually be removed from his post and thus he faded from history. He shouldn’t feel too bad though. James Cook (a far more famous explorer of the area) never had a Looney Toon named after him.

2. David Livingstone

“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

There’s a good chance you’ve heard this said before and may even know that the question refers to an explorer, but you would be in the minority on that one these days. David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary who explored the African interior in 1800’s. When Livingstone’s mission was closed down he opted to explore Africa rather than return home. He was the first European to discover the natural wonder known today as Victoria Falls. He was also the first European to make a transcontinental journey across central Africa. Many had tried over the centuries, but the European susceptibility to malaria, sleeping sickness and other diseases kept them from completing the passage. What gave Livingstone the ability to make his journey was a combination of immunities and common sense. He may have picked up the immunities to the common African diseases during his missionary work or just been lucky enough to not get sick. The common sense half is far more impressive. Most expeditions of the time were military in nature and caused problems with local tribes. Livingstone traveled light with only a few servants and porters at his side. Eventually his luck ran out and was overcome by malaria and dysentery in 1873. Although he has been immortalized via a strange piece of pop culture, his actual accomplishments are extraordinary and well worth further research.

1. Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay

I added these guys at the end because they were the first guys to ever climb Mt. Everest. I almost skipped these guys because I figured everyone knows about Everest and a bunch of people had climbed it. Then I did a little research and was pretty blown away. The team of Hilary and Norgay were the first to reach the summit in 1953, but only after 8 other expeditions had tried and failed. In fact, scientist at the time were still debating whether people could even reach the summit by foot. And do you know what Hilary said once he got off the mountain? “Well, George, we knocked the bastard off.” British people are ridiculous. Everyone since Hilary and Norgay has known it was possible because these two guys climbed up there and found out for them. It takes a real brave person to go and climb the tallest mountain on earth, but it takes a couple of insane ones to find out if it’s possible.

I hope this list was enjoyable and really do encourage readers to go do outside research if any of these topics spark your interest. The whole point of this site is to engage people with useful (mostly) information that they may not be presented with otherwise. As always I hope you are enjoying and learning something.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this list check out 6 Astounding Exoplanets, 9 of Earth’s Most Extreme Places and 5 Amazing Caves from Around the World.

For something a little different try 8 Native American Tribes (Pt. 1), 10 Classic Films Worth Checking Out or 13 Extraordinary Arctic & Antarctic Animals.

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