Legendary Explorers: Conquering the World

Explanation: Marco Polo (1254-1324) spent 24 years in Asia, including 17 years in the service of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. His account inspired generations of explorers.

Explanation: Vasco da Gama opened the sea route to India by rounding Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, revolutionizing the spice trade.

Explanation: On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas he named San Salvador, believing he had reached the East Indies. This event marked the beginning of European colonization of the Americas.

Explanation: James Cook (1728-1779) made three voyages of exploration that greatly improved knowledge of the South Pacific, Hawaii, and Antarctica.

Explanation: Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, saying the famous phrase: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Explanation: Roald Amundsen and his Norwegian team reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, beating Robert Scott's British expedition by about a month.

Explanation: Hernán Cortés led the conquest of the Aztec Empire with about 600 men, taking advantage of local divisions and diseases brought from Europe.

Explanation: Henry Morton Stanley found David Livingstone at Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika, on November 10, 1871. This meeting became legendary.

Explanation: Magellan's expedition departed with 5 ships. Magellan died in the Philippines, but Juan Sebastián Elcano brought the Victoria back with 18 survivors.

Explanation: Samuel de Champlain, nicknamed the "Father of New France," founded Quebec and explored much of Canada, establishing alliances with indigenous nations.

Explanation: Thor Heyerdahl sailed from Peru to Polynesia on a balsa wood raft to prove that ancient South Americans could have colonized the Pacific islands.

Explanation: David Livingstone discovered Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River and named them after Queen Victoria. The locals called them "Mosi-oa-Tunya" (the smoke that thunders).

Explanation: Charles Darwin made a 5-year voyage (1831-1836) on the Beagle. His observations, particularly in the Galápagos Islands, led to his theory of evolution.

Explanation: Amelia Earhart crossed the Atlantic alone in 1932, five years after Lindbergh. She mysteriously disappeared in 1937 during an around-the-world flight.

Explanation: The Strait of Magellan, discovered in 1520, allows passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was the first passage found between the two oceans.