Discover how the greatest explorers in history plunged into the unknown and boldly pieced together the picture of the world we have today. With the help of masterful cross sections, dramatic storytelling, and sidebars that highlight key concepts, places, and technology, readers explore fourteen historic journeys.

Traces the life of the explorer, focusing on his grueling expedition across the frozen Arctic to become the first person to reach the North Pole.

A brief account of the life and accomplishments of Christopher Columbus.

Introduces the life of explorer Christopher Columbus, the first man known to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and discusses what he found when he reached the islands now known as the West Indies.

Introduces Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their expedition of 1804-6 through the Louisiana Territory, opening the land from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.

Traces the life of the Italian sailor who is most remembered for his voyages to the New World on behalf of Spain.

A biography of the Italian explorer who, in the fifteenth century, became the first European to discover the West Indies islands, located below the southernmost tip of the United States, in three historic voyages sponsored by Spain's monarchy.