Born November 19, 1199,
Mauze, France
Died c. 1838,
La Badere, France

Dead or alive, the prize shall be mine,” so wrote 17-year-old René Caillié in his journal when he heard in 1826 that the French Geographical Society was offering a prize of 10,000 francs for the first European who could travel to the fabled city of Timbuktu. He fulfilled that vow, but skeptics and doubters made it difficult for him to collect his prize. The difficulties Caillié endured to reach his goal were typical of those many explorers encountered, whatever the prize. More often than not, as in Caillié’s case, the personal victory proved to be hollow.

René-Auguste Caillié was the son of a poor Parisian baker. At an early age he started reading travel books, which inspired him to become an explorer. It was a...