History of Exploration Timeline

Found Cuba, all of the islands around it, south America, Trinidad, encountered Tainos

est. first colony in Panama, explored South America
1st to see Pacific-1513

fountain of youth
interested in new geographical discovery
wanted slaves for caribbean colonies
named Florida
went as far as Virginia and the US Southwest

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Goal: map Louisiana Purchase, demonstrating US sovereignty
seek route to Pacific by water
flora/fauna collection
cultural / diplomatic interests in natives
continental symmetry: since South America narrowed at bottom, then North America must also
collect info: Baconian style
Expedition:
rockies sent them North
subduing natives would be utter failure
collected a lot of data
described it as the land of "endless opportunity"

charting coastlines, producing maps, hydrographic / oceanographic studies

Corps of Discovery est. Military precedent for western exploration
military men of science
purpose: topographical mapping, surveying boundaries and routes
1850: Pacific Railroad surveys
^{^} find a route for transcontinental railroad

trained in scientific surveying, bush craft
42 to 43: surveys for Orgeon Trail for government
encouragement and aid to immigrant west
worked in the Great Basin:
knowledge: no Pacific route, water flowed inland
accurate scientific mapping for westward movement

promoted surveying of the route south of the Rockies
increased natural history inventories

Post Civil War
4 Great Surveys: led by Ferdinand Hayden, Clarence King, John Wesley Powell, George Wheeler
Purpose: produce reliable, detailed maps; in depth scientific investigations (zoology, biology, geology, etc.)

Photos, paintings descriptions led to the mystique of the west

US Coastal Survey had effectively mapped all coast lines

The American Frontier is closed

Geographer who dubbed it the end of the age of global exploration

Arctic expedition, set the record for farthest north, failed to hit the pole

Also claimed to have hit the north pole, went with a small group of natives, like Peary, he didnt have true proof

claimed to have hit the North Pole for America

Dawn of the age of the Geography militant: end of voyages of exploration by land and sea, quest for knowledge about blank spaces of the map no longer exist
Geography Triumphant: blank spaces completely filled in, ease of mass travel, modernization/ globalization reigns

Successful trip to the bottom of Marianas Trench by the Trieste

US landed on moon and took first picture of Earth

America wins space race, Neil Armstrong steps on the moon

found Newfoundland, claimed Canada as French, brought home Iroquois
Sailed Gulf of St. Lawrence
Went with intentions to colonize
Native treebark cured scurvy
3 voyages:
1st. friendly natives
2nd. not so friendly
3rd. completely inhospitable and not colonizable due to conditions, scurvy, and cold winters. Natives run away

founded Quebec City,
importance: made first accurate map of the coast and helped establish settlements
killed 3 Iroquois chiefs
**started the negative French-Indian relations for the next century

trip to Tahiti
Tahiti= Edenic paradise
Natural history gains
called natives "Noble Savages"- not corrupted by a bad society
caused Enlightenment thinkers to criticize Europeans and exoticized life in the Pacific

confirmed America is NOT an island, its a continent
First to call it the New World
its NOT Asia
developed basic but not bad way to calculate Longitude

Italian, sailed for Portuguese
Found South African route (around Cape of Good Hope) to India. This was a big deal because the Portuguese would later control this route, forcing European explorers to travel west to go to Asia. Spawned the search for Northeast and Northwest Passages.
expedition to indian Ocean
for TRADE purposes
had bad relations with india. To indians, Europeans stuff was worthless
Significance: took navigators to Africa and helped them learn the Monsoon Seasons
figured out a way to India during right time of the season

sailed to and coined the Pacific's name.
traveled around the world
PROVED the earth was round
PROVED you can get to the indies by going west
only 18 of his crew made it back

NE Passage
went straight north. Discovered island of Swalband (probably wrong spelling)
Noted: great whaling, mining, walrus
went east towards NE Passage, got shipwrecked
caught 26 arctic foxes
3 voyages: 1. turned back by ice 2. encountered "Wildmen" 3. States-general was sick of funding his voyages, would give a reward to someone who successfully found the NE passage

worked for United East India Company
search for Terra Australis
found Mauritius, Tasmania, New Zealand
In New Zealand. he was attacked by Maori
2nd voyage: mapped north coast of Australia, called it New Holland

NE Passage
FOUND BERING STRAIT on accident on 1st voyage.
Motives: silver, fur, ivory
Confirmed: North America and Asia were separated

NE Passage
crossed Siberia, charted / recorded things, sent to find fur, FOUND ALASKA but was covered in fog.

had to go back again because Peter the Great was not happy with his bad records. hit Alaska - didnt explore. found TONS of otters. Started an otter trapping craze in Russia. Russia colonized Alaska.

First satellite in space, part of the cold war space race