The firsthand accounts of the explorers and conquerors that are excerpted and discussed in the following pages represent the period of early European exploration of the New World. Some accounts are from letters directed toward a patron or monarch,...

Until the mid-sixteenth century Spain and Portugal were the two main European seapowers; the English had little interest in overseas exploration. Yet, by the end of the seventeenth century, England had become a powerful presence on the seas with a...

Throughout the centuries human curiosity about the unknown has led individuals on adventures to the far reaches of the globe. Ancient exploration was largely in the context of military conquest. Perhaps the best early example is that of Alexander the...

One of the greatest thrills man can experience is the discovery of something that no one has ever seen. The exhilaration of traveling a wild unexplored locale, facing hazards natural and native while discovering the hitherto unknown, has attracted...

Explorers throughout history have been driven by a desire for discovery that has incorporated a multitude of objectives both personal and nationalistic. From the conqueror to the adventurer, all types of explorers, both men and women, have traveled to...

Lost far back in time are the names of the earliest explorers who roamed in search of game and edible plants across land they had not yet learned to cultivate. Many generations later, man drifted across great landmasses, populating Europe, Asia,...

One of the driving forces behind exploration and discovery is the overwhelming curiosity of certain men and women who are not content to sit at home with unanswered questions about Earth's mysteries. Throughout the ages, men and women have...

The human motivation for exploration has always been clear: hope for national and individual profit or acclaim, the simple gratification of geographical curiosity, and the discovery and identification of the unknown. While these motives were still...

Our early ancestors migrated across plains and jumped from continent to continent. Our more recent relatives set forth on great voyages of exploration, by ship and by caravan. For the past hundred years, we have been able to don deep-sea diving gear...

Exploration is the act of searching or traveling for the purpose of discovery, e.g. of unknown regions, including space (space exploration), for oil, gas, coal, ores, caves, water (Mineral exploration or prospecting), or information. Exploration in...