INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEYS
Which Are The 10 Travels That Changed History The Most?
Published on August 3, 2024
Image: Hector John Periquin
Today, our world is so globalized and hyper-connected that it is virtually impossible to find completely unknown places. But long before the internet and low-cost airlines, there was a time when the planet was a mysterious and unexplored territory. Back then, traveling was a real adventure in which even the most intrepid would risk their lives to discover new worlds. As a tribute to all those explorers who followed their instinct and went against the tide, in this article we’ll revisit some of the greatest expeditions in history.
Christopher Columbus discovers America
Image: dp1616
Perhaps the most controversial exploration voyage, and the one that changed the world's socio-political landscape forever, is the one that led Christopher Columbus to discover the American continent. The Genoese explorer and navigator reached America for the first time in 1492, following his "crazy" theory that the world was round. Columbus, who sought to reach the East Indies, found another vast continent instead, one that nobody had ever heard of before.
Then other Spanish conquistadors arrived in these faraway lands and new routes were opened for the rest of the European powers, which would ultimately cause numerous losses for the native peoples. Regardless of the historical and ethnic consequences, what is certain is that Christopher Columbus proved to be a visionary and courageous adventurer who continued to explore until the end of his days —in total, he made four voyages to America!
Vasco da Gama Reaches India
Image: DanielWanke
If Columbus was the first to arrive in America, the Portuguese navigator and explorer Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach India through the South Seas. During his first expedition (1497-99) he sailed down the Atlantic to round the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa.
Three years later, he sailed the Indian Ocean and landed in Calicut. This voyage —the longest by sea until that time— allowed the expansion of Portuguese possessions in Asia and Africa. The great explorer made a second expedition to India, of which he would be named governor in 1524, shortly before contracting malaria and dying.
Marco Polo’s Silk Road
Image: Jack Anstey
If we are speaking of the most famous explorers in history, it is imperative to mention the name of Marco Polo. This Venetian merchant of the late 13th and early 14th centuries epitomized the adventurous spirit of the time and was responsible for introducing the wonders of Asia to the European continent. During his 23-year-long voyage, he traveled through what is now China, Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Tibet, India, and Myanmar.
Marco Polo had incredible experiences: he found remote cities and exotic palaces, discovered totally unknown religions, and met strange animals. Luckily for us, all these adventures were reflected, upon his return to the West, in the Book of the Wonders of the World, written by Rustichello of Pisa, with whom he shared a cell after falling prisoner during the Venetian–Genoese wars. But that is another story…
Jeanne Baret, Female Explorer
Image: Phillip Sauerbeck
French explorer and botanist Jeanne Baret is considered to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. But to do so, she had to disguise herself as a man! Dressed as a sailor, she joined Admiral Antoine de Bougainville's expedition in 1766.
The French Navy prohibited women from boarding its ships, so Jeanne tied a bandage over her breasts and enlisted as valet to the French naturist Philibert Commerçon. During her expedition, she collected samples of more than 6,000 plants from all over the world, some of which were later kept in the French National Herbarium at the Jardin des Plantes. We certainly must thank this courageous woman explorer for unearthing new and invaluable ground in the botany field.
James Cook Unravels the Mysteries of the Pacific
Image: Victor
Another titan of maritime exploration was Captain James Cook. Adventurer, navigator, cartographer, and military man, Cook was a very complete human being. No other marine explorer traveled and discovered as many miles and lands as he did.
His biographers describe him as cultured, tough, indomitable, with a genuine interest in the foreign cultures of the places he discovered and, let’s be honest, a rather irascible temper. In 11 years, Cook completed three journeys across the Pacific, mapping coasts and islands that remained unknown. New Zealand, the east coast of Australia, the Hawaiian Islands —where he died after an altercation with the natives— and Easter Island are some of the places he discovered.
Charles Darwin's Encounters in The Galapagos Islands
Image: Fernando Venzano
In 1859, the foundations of science and accepted beliefs were completely overturned by the publication of Charles Darwin's seminal work, The Origin of Species. The seeds of his revolutionary theory can be found 24 years earlier, when Darwin arrived in the Galapagos Islands —located in the Pacific Ocean, 560 miles off the coast of Ecuador.
The British naturalist had been sailing for three years aboard the HMS Beagle, captained by Robert FitzRoy, before reaching the archipelago. Once there, he observed species of wildlife that had never been seen before. This unexpected encounter would inspire his studies for the next two decades. Thanks to his adventurous spirit Darwin became one of the most influential scientists in history and his work continues to be a cornerstone of biological science today.
Sir Richard Francis Burton's Arabian Nights
Image: Halima Bouchouicha
Intelligent, sword-wielding, bully, capable of speaking 30 languages, drunkard, diplomat, disloyal, and explorer. That's how scholars describe Sir Richard Burton, a British adventurer who was never afraid as he explored Arabia, Syria, India, East Africa, Brazil, and the western United States.
A shot in the jaw, syphilis, malaria, bandit attacks, and opium highs were among his travel ordeals. Not to mention the time he circumcised himself to pass as a Muslim. Despite being a controversial character, it is said that Burton was the first anthropologist of the modern era, so let’s just say, we owe him a lot.
Ernest Shackleton Conquers Antarctica
Image: Una Miller
The frozen lands of Antarctica, one of the most inhospitable places on the planet, were one of Ernest Shackleton's most profound obsessions. The first time the Anglo-Irish adventurer attempted to reach the Antarctic continent was in 1901 when he joined Capt. Robert Falcon Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition. Unfortunately, a health condition forced him to abandon the crusade.
A few years later, he led the Nimrod Expedition which succeeded in arriving at the southernmost point ever reached by man. Then, in 1914, he set sail again intending to cross Antarctica from end to end. But the ship became trapped in the ice and the explorers had to manage to survive, totally isolated, for more than two years. It was his leadership and endurance that made him one of the most legendary adventurers who ever lived.
The Crowning of Everest by Edmund Hillary
Image: Parth Savani
It took three decades, many failed expeditions, and several lives taken before New Zealander climber Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay managed to finally crown the merciless summit of Everest. On May 29, 1953, they became the first climbers to reach the highest mountain on earth, which rises majestically over 29,000 feet above sea level.
Yet, Hillary's adventurous spirit did not stop there. Years later, in 1958, he reached the South Pole as a member of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, and in 1985 he made it to the North Pole, achieving another record: that of being the first person to get to know both poles.
Neil Armstrong Lands on the Moon
Image: NASA
In the early morning of July 21, 1969, no one was able to take their eyes off the television set. What was about to happen was to become the greatest milestone in the history of humanity. The moment when Neil Armstrong would descend from Apollo XI to take that "small step for man", which in reality was a huge stride "for mankind".
That crew —completed by Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins— had gone farther than the vast majority of mortals ever dreamed of. From that moment on, the astronauts became true rock stars and an atmosphere of optimism pervaded everything. If they had managed to reach the moon, what else could human beings achieve from now on?
