The discovery of America is one of the more important milestones in the history of the world. This is because reaching the Americas was the starting point of what would be called as the age of exploration, the era when the modern phenomenon of globalization can trace back its roots.

Most may not ask who discovered America since it has been drilled to us since preschool but it is still to important to learn more about the man who discovered America, as he not only discovered America, he discovered a New World and with it, opened new possibilities that had tremendous impact on the course of human history.

The man widely regarded as the one who discovered America as we all know, is Christopher Columbus. He wasn’t the first man to reach it though as there were numerous other people who beat him to it including the Native American Indians and the Eskimos. He wasn’t even the first European to set foot in the continent as seafaring Vikings have already reached North America five hundred years earlier.

So if Columbus is far from being the first man or even the first European on the America, why is it then that he is considered to be the one who discovered America? It is because only with his discovery did the whole of Europe became aware of a new continent, a continent they dubbed the New World.

Another logical query would be: if Columbus was the one who discovered America, then why wasn’t it named after him? Should it not be named Columbia in honor of the explorer who opened the eyes of Europe to a whole new continent? The answer to this question is simple: because another explorer, by the name of Amerigo Vespucci named the continent after him first when he went to the Americas after Columbus. Naming it after himself, mapmakers then followed by labeling the new continent as America and by then everyone have always referred to Columbus’ discovered continent as ‘America’.

After Columbus’ ‘discovery’ of America, all of Europe scrambled to carve up the newfound continent. It for this reason why Columbus is regarded as the man who discovered America since his discovery radically changed everything forever.

Christopher Columbus may always be simply as the explorer who discovered America but there is so much other things to learn from the story of the man who reached the New World and changed history.

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Alaska is one of the interesting and beautiful places to visit and a great spot for vacations. The beauty of the place would at times make people wonder who discovered Alaska. We can never really tell who it was exactly that discovered Alaska since there were already Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos who were already living there before the first white man came.

Outsiders Discover Alaska

From what we know, Vitus Jonassen Bering was the first outsider who discovered Alaska. He was a Danish explorer who found the place in 1728 on a voyage coming from Siberia while on service for Russia’s navy. He traveled along the lines of St. Lawrence Island. However, he was unable to reach Alaska’s mainland.

Second Expedition

Vitus Bering may be credited as the outsider who discovered Alaska. But there are those who can easily argue the point that there were already native settlers when they arrived. You can also add the fact that different peoples were already living in the vicinity even before he came.

Bering’s second expedition to Alaska was in 1741. This time he had two small ships for this trip. The first ship was the St. Peter and was under Bering’s command. The second of the two small ships was called St. Paul and was under Alexei Chrikov. Both ships got separated in storm, however, both were still able to reach their destination. Bering’s work can’t be simply overlooked and he can be credited as the modern day explorer who discovered Alaska.

Fast Facts

In 1784 Russian fur traders and whalers were able to establish the very first settlement in Alaska on Kodiak Island. In 1867 the United States, via their US Secretary of State offered to buy Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000. And in October 18 of that same year, Alaska finally became the official property of the United States. Many Americans since then called this purchase as Seward’s Folly named after the Secretary of State, William H. Seward, who proffered the deal.

A gold rush ensued in 1880 when Joe Juneau discovered gold. Later on, in 1943, the first battle fought on American soil came when Japanese troops invaded the Aleutian Islands. This was dubbed as the One Thousand Mile War.

In was on January 3, 1959 when Alaska was inaugurated as the 49th US State. Today, the state of Alaska is known for an important revenue source – natural gas and oil. The state produces 25% of the total oil that the United States produces.

We may never really tell who really was the very first person who discovered Alaska. We can only credit Vitus Bering to be the first outsider who discovered Alaska since there were already people who lived in the area when he arrived.

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Tags: Geography

As far back as the 16th century, researchers had speculated on the possibility that the North Pole existed. Based on known facts about the North Pole, it was called the Open Polar Sea in the 19th century. The question as to who got there first is subject to debate.

Early Expeditions

During the 1800s, several explorers tried to reach the North Pole. In 1827, British naval officer William Edward Parry tried, but was forced to turn back. In 1871, an expedition led by American Charles Hall also failed.

In 1895 Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen got to 86 degrees 14’ North prior to being forced back. The Italian whaler Stella Polare (led by Luigi Amedeo) got to 86 degrees and 34’.

The Early 1900s and Robert Peary

The facts about the North Pole expeditions started being disputed around this time. The American Frederick Cook declared he was able to reach the North Pole on April 21, 1908. But his claim is not taken seriously by historians due to lack of supporting evidence.

The American naval engineer Robert Peary claimed he reached the North Pole on April 6, 1909. However this claim is still being disputed. One of the objections was that none of Peary’s men were trained for navigation. Hence they could not authenticate their actual position. Peary’s journey was also three times quicker than any previously undertaken.

While Peary said they traveled by direct line, this was contradicted by one of his companions, Mathew Henson. Henson claimed that the team took numerous shortcuts and had to take numerous detours.

The facts about the North Pole and Robert Peary became more controversial in 2005. The British explorer Tom Avery along with four men recreated Peary’s journey. They used the same equipment that Peary used as well as the route. They reached the North Pole in 36 days and 22 hours, five hours quicker than Peary.

There is also controversy as to the first flight over the North Pole. The most frequent claim was that of US naval officer Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett. The two made the flight on May 9, 1926. However this claim is being disputed as well.

Climate

Several facts about the North Pole’s climate have been discovered. During the winter (January) the temperature reaches -45 F to -15 F. Summer takes place from June to August. The temperatures are about 32 F, or the freezing point. It isn’t as cold as the South Pole. The reason is that it is situated in the middle of an ocean, which locks in heat.

The average sea ice is 3 meters thick. In recent years the thickness has decreased due to global warming and climate change. Scientists also believe that the ice around the Arctic Ocean will continue to decrease in the coming years.

Although the facts about the North Pole’s discovery are being disputed, the facts concerning its situation are not. The ice around it continues to decrease and this could have considerable effects on the environment.

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The facts about the South Pole show that James Cook was the first to circumnavigate Antarctica. He wasn’t able to land, but seeing the rocks in the ice, realized that there was land beyond it.

Some claim American John Davis was the first to land on continental Antarctica on February 7, 1821. It should be noted that Davis’ landing is not accepted by all historians.

The Early 1800s

Following Cook, several seafarers ventured forth to explore the continent and its surroundings. Among the earliest ones were Capt. Thaddeus Bellingshausen (January 27, 1820), the British explorer Will Smith and Nathaniel Palmer, an American.

Another interesting fact about the South Pole is that prior to 1821, no one stayed for extended periods. This changed in the winter of 1821 when 11 British men aboard the British ship Lord Melville stayed there for a winter season. They stayed at the South Shetlands Group, north of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The Mid to Late 1800s

By this time the existence of Antarctica was confirmed by numerous sailing expeditions by the American, British and French. In 1840, James Ross came to within 80 miles of the coast. He came across an ice shelf as well as volcanoes. He also saw over a hundred types of fish swimming there.

Some of the facts about the South Pole can be hard to verify because of conflicting claims. In 1899, Captain Borchgrevink made it to Cape Adare and set up an establishment there. Some historians accept this as the first landing on Antarctica. The reason for the contradictory reports is due to the numerous explorations that took place, almost at the same time.

1900s and Onwards

In the early 1900s, numerous expeditions to the South Pole continued. In January 1909, Australian Douglas Mawson reached the South Magnetic Pole. On December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen and his team made it to the South Pole. On January 18, 1812, Mawson made his way back. He not only discovered new coasts but he was also the first to use radio.

Two other facts about the South Pole are worth mentioning: by the 1920s, factory whaling ships were coming out at the Ross Sea, and in 1928, George Wilkins (Australia) and Carl Eielson (America) became the first to fly over the continent.

Climate

From March to September there is no Sun in the South Pole. It is completely dark from May to July. The only time it gets sunlight is from September to March. It has an altitude of 9,186 ft. The summer temperature is -12 F.

After six months it goes down to -49 F. During the wintertime it goes down to -85 F. The highest temperature reached was 7.5 F. There is very little humidity in the air. There is very little precipitation. But there are high winds. This has been known to cause snowfalls, reaching up to 20 cm a year.

Hundreds of expeditions have been conducted and more are taking place. This will undoubtedly provide more facts about the South Pole.

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At the southernmost portion of the Earth lies a continent known as Antarctica. It is a landmass that is underlying the South Pole, encircled by the Southern Ocean, and lies completely south of Antarctic Circle in the Antarctic region. The continent of Antarctica is considered to be the driest, coldest, and windiest of all the continents on the Earth and it also has the highest average elevation. Permanent residents are nowhere to be found in this area but there are thousands of researchers who are spread out across the continent residing at their various research stations.

Who Discovered Antarctica

Since the time of Ptolemy, there is already an existing notion that Southern Land or Terra Australis existed to balance the landmasses of the north. Maps during the 16th century were already depicting large landmass on the southern part of the Earth. This hypothetical landmass is constantly present in any European map until the 18th century.

Captain James Cook is the one who discovered Antarctica while crossing the Antarctic Circle on January 17, 1773 with the ships HMS Resolution and Adventure. There are confirmed first sightings of persons who discovered Antarctica in the 1820s. These are Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on January 27,1820, Edward Bransfield on January 30, 1820, and Nathaniel Palmer on November 1820. On February 7, 1821, an American sealer by the name of John Davis made the first documented landing in West Antarctica though there are some controversy regarding this claim.

Other People Who Discovered Antarctica

An expedition supervised by the United States Navy is done from 1838-42 called the Wilkes Expedition. On December 1839, this expedition is the one who discovered Antarctica while sailing into the Antarctic Ocean from Sydney, Australia and they name that part of land as Wilkes Land.

James Clark Ross is an explorer who discovered Antarctica in 1841 by passing through the part known today as Ross Sea. He also discovered the Ross Island, Ross Ice Shelf, Mount Terror, and Mount Erebus. And on January 26, 1853, a man named Mercator Cooper made his landing in East Antarctica.

Even if there are many claims with regards to the discovery of Antarctica, the whole continent has been neglected up to the 19th century because of isolation, scarcity of resources, and hostility of the environment. The name ‘Antarctica’ was first use formally during the 1890s with credits for John George Bartholomew, a Scottish cartographer. The word ‘Antarctica’ is a Greek compound word of ‘feminine of’ that has the meaning of ‘opposite to the north’.

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