Explorers and Discoverers

Question 1

Vikings

Answer 1

Labrador, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and New England ca. A.D. 1000. They named their settlements Helluland, Markland and Vineland.

Question 2

Prince Henry the Navagator

Answer 2

(1394-1460) Great Portuguese patron of exploration; expeditions financed by Henry explored the Madeiras, the Azors, the Canaries and the West African Coast.

Question 3

Bartolomeu Dias

Answer 3

First to pass the Cape of Good Hope, 1488, for Portugal.

Question 4

Cristopher Columbus

Answer 4

Italian (Genoa); discovered America for Spain, 1492. He made four voyages and discovered many of the major Caribbean islands (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Hispaniola). Born Cristopher Colombo; known in Spanish as Cristoforo Colon.

Question 5

John Cabot

Answer 5

Italian (Venetian); Newfoundland or Nova Scotia, northeast coast of North America, for England, 1497-98. Cabot was born Giovanni Caboto.

Question 6

Vasco da Gama

Answer 6

Portuguese; First to reach India, 1498, for Portugal.

Question 7

Pedro Cabral

Answer 7

Portuguese; Discovered Barzil, for Portugal, 1513.

Question 8

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Answer 8

Spanish; First European to lead an expidition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World, for Spain, 1513.

Question 9

Hernando Cortez

Answer 9

Spanish; Conquered Aztec Empire of Mexico, for Spain, 1519.

Question 10

Ferdinand Magellan

Answer 10

Portuguese; First circumnavigation of the globe, for Spain, 1519-1520. Expedition discovered Straits of Magellan and the Philippines, where Magellan was killed (Battle of Mactan). His crew finished the voyage afterward.

Question 11

Giovanni Verrazano

Answer 11

Italian (Florence); Discovered New York harbor, for France, 1524. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island across the mouth of New York harbor is named for him.

Question 12

Francisco Pizarro

Answer 12

Spanish; Conquered Inca Empire of Peru, for Spain, 1524. Was with Balboa on expedition to Pacific.

Question 13

Jacques Cartier

Answer 13

French; Discovered Gulf of St. Lawrence, etc., for France, 1532. Named Canada.

Question 14

Hernando de Soto

Answer 14

Spanish; Discovered the Mississippi River (by land), for Spain, 1539-41. Captain under Pizarro in conquest of Peru.

Question 15

Francisco de Coronado

Answer 15

Spanish; Led expedition across much of what is now the southwest United States, for Spain, in search of Cibola, the Seven Cities of Gold, 1540.

Question 16

Samuel de Champlain

Answer 16

French; Canada and Lake Champlain, for France, 1603-1609. “The Father of New France”

Question 17

Henry Hudson

Answer 17

English; Discovered Hudson River, for Dutch East India Company; Discovered Hudson Bay, for England, 1609-10, while searching for northwest passage. Crew mutinied in 1611.

Question 18

Jacques Marquette, Louis Joliet

Answer 18

French (Laon, Quebec); Explored the Northern Mississippi River, for France, 1673.

Question 19

Sieur de La Salle

Answer 19

French; Explored the length of the Mississippi, for France, 1682; Laid claim to all lands touching the river, which he called Louisiana for King Louis XIV.

Question 20

Vitus Bering

Answer 20

Danish; Explored the northern Pacific and the Aleutian Islands, for Russia, 1728, 1741.

Question 21

James Cook

Answer 21

English; Three voyages of exploration across the Pacific for Britain, 1768-79. He discovered the east coast of Australia, was the first to sail across the Antarctic Circle, and discovered Christmas Island and the Hawaiian (Sandwich) Islands, where he was killed.

Question 22

Alexander Mackenzie

Answer 22

Scottish; Explored the Canadian northwest, for Britain, 1789. First East to West crossing of North America North of Mexico (predated Lewis and Clark by 10 years).

Question 23

Mungo Park

Answer 23

Scottish; Explored the Gambia and Niger Rivers, for Britain, 1795-98, 1805.

Question 24

Dr. David Livingstone

Answer 24

Scottish; Crossed Africa, discovered Victoria Falls, for Britain, 1853-1856. His meeting with H.M. Stanley gave rise to the line “Dr. Livingstone, i presume.”

Question 25

Richard Burton, John Speke

Answer 25

English; Exploration of Nile, including source of the White Nile, for Britain, 1858-59.

Question 26

Henry Stanley

Answer 26

Welsh; Led expedition to find David Livingstone, 1871.

Question 27

Robert Peary

Answer 27

American; First to reach North Pole, for the United States, 1909; there is now some question as to whether he actually reached the Pole. Accompanied by black American explorer, Matthew Henson.

Question 28

Roald Amundsen

Answer 28

Norwegian; First to reach the South Pole, for Norway, 1912, beating the British expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott, all of whose members perished.

Question 29

Richard Byrd, Floyd Bennett

Answer 29

American; First flight over the North Pole, for the United States, 1926.

Question 30

Richard Byrd

Answer 30

American; First flight over the South Pole, for the United States, 1929. Received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Question 31

Yuri Gagarin

Answer 31

USSR; First man in space, 1961.

Question 32

Alan Shepard

Answer 32

America; First American in space (suborbital), 1961.

Question 33

John Glenn

Answer 33

American; First American in space (orbital), 1961.

Question 34

Valentina Tereshkova

Answer 34

USSR; First woman in space, 1963.

Question 35

Sally Ride

Answer 35

American; First American woman in space, 1983.

Question 36

Aleksei Leonov

Answer 36

USSR; First space walk, 1965.

Question 37

Edward White

Answer 37

American; First American space walk, 1965.

Question 38

Apollo 8

Answer 38

American; First flight to the moon (no landing), 1968 (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, William Anders).

Question 39

Apollo 11

Answer 39

American; First moon landing, 1969 (Neil Armstrong (first), Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin, Michael Collins (command module).

Question 40

Soviet Space Program

Answer 40

Vostok (1 cosmonaut, 6 missions)
Voshkod (2-3 cosmonauts, 2 missions)
Soyuz (1-3 cosmonauts, 8 missions)
Salyut (3 cosmonauts, 1 mission)
Mir (space station 1986-2001)

Question 41

U.S. Space Program

Answer 41

Mercury (1 astronaut, 6 missions) (Mercury capsule with Atlas booster)
Gemini (2 astronauts, 9 missions) (Gemini capsule with Titan booster)
Apollo (3 astronauts, 12 missions) (Apollo capsule with Saturn Booster)
Skylab (3 astronauts, 3 missions) (1973-79)
Space Shuttle (First, Columbia, April 21, 1981)

Question 42

Other Space Programs

Answer 42

Joint U.S./USSR; Apollo 18-Soyuz 19, 1975.

International Space Station (1998-Present)

Question 43

Space Shuttles

Answer 43

Columbia (1981-2003 Destroyed)
Challenger (1983-1986 Destroyed)
Discovery (1984-2011 on display in VA)
Atlantis (1985-2011 on display at Kennedy Space Center) (135th and final shuttle launch)
Endeavour (1992-2011 on display in LA)
Enterprise (Test only)

Question 44

Mars Rovers

Answer 44

Mars 2; USSR (1971) Failed landing.
Mars 3; USSR (1971) Lost 20 sec. after landing.
Sojourner-Mars Pathfinder; USA (1997 July-Sep.)
Beagle 2; European (2003); Lost on separation.
Spirit; USA (2004-2010); Drove 4.8 mi.
Opportunity; USA (2004-Present)
Curiosity; USA (2012-Present)