James Cook was a Britain explorer and astronomer who
went on many expeditions to the Pacific Ocean, Antarctic,
Arctic and around the world. Cook’s one journey was
from 1768 to 1771, when he sailed to Tahiti. During this
expedition he also mapped New Zealand and East Australia.
Cook was killed by a mob in 1779 on Sandwich Island (Hawaii)
during his last expedition.
Marco Polo was a trader from Venice who visited Mongol
China in 1275 with his father and uncle. After meeting with China’s
Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan, Marco Polo traveled throughout his realm as his ambassador. For many years Marco Polo
recorded his impressions of this land seen by very few
Upon his return to Europe Polo described in his book the land and people of China as well as some interesting objects and technology.
Ferdinand Magellan discovered a route by which ships could
sail a complete circle around the world. He also named the
Pacific Ocean (the name means that it is a calm, peaceful ocean).
His voyage around the world lasted almost 3 years. He started
with 5 ships, but three years later only one ship made it back home, carrying only 18 of the original crew members. Magellan never returned home. He was killed in the Philippines.