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Description
From ancient sea voyages to modern-day explorations of deep space, discover the expeditions that have shaped our world and the daring individuals who undertook them.
Extraordinary Expeditions highlights 27 of the most influential expeditions in history. While some will likely be familiar to readers, such as Christopher Columbus's journey to the New World or Charles Darwin's travels in the Galapagos Islands that inspired his theory of natural selection, others are less well-known but no less important. The book examines a diverse array of expeditions, spanning more than a millennium and including all seven continents and beyond. Care has been taken to include journeys conducted by women, people of color, and non-Westerners in order to provide a more comprehensive and inclusive volume.
The profiled expeditions are organized chronologically, although a geographical entry list ensures readers interested in a specific region can quickly find relevant material. Each entry includes a description of the expedition, as well as an analysis of its historical context and lasting impact.
History's greatest expeditions have been prompted by many motivations, from a love of adventure to a desire for fame, from the promise of economic prosperity to a thirst for scientific knowledge. Regardless of why it was undertaken, each of these expeditions had significant impact that endured long after the adventure was over.
Table of Contents
Geographical List of Expeditions
Acknowledgments
Author's Note
Preface
Introduction
1.. Xuánzàng Journeys to India Over Sixteen Years & Spreads Buddhism in China (629-643)
2.. Abu al-?asan ?Ali ibn al-?usayn al-Mas?udi's Travels Revolutionize the Social Sciences (c. 915–957)
3.. Norse Seafarers Traverse the Atlantic and Reach North America 500 Years Before Columbus (c. 970–1025)
4.. Marco Polo Follows the Silk Road and Explores the Mongol Empire As Kublai Khan's Emissary (1271–1295)
5. Mansa Musa's Pilgrimage to Mecca Spreads Islam and Highlights West African Wealth (1324–1325)
6. Christopher Columbus Encounters the Americas, Ushering in the Columbian Exchange (1492–1493)
7. Indigenous American Peoples Brave the Wilds of Europe (1493–early 1700s)
8. The Magellan-Elcano Expedition Circumnavigates the Earth (1519–1522)
9. Jacques Cartier Searches for the Northwest Passage and Forges the Way for French Colonization in North America (1534–1536)
10. Vitus Bering Leads The Great Northern Expedition Across Eurasia to Alaska (1733–1743)
11. Tupaia and Captain James Cook's Endeavour Voyage Charts New Zealand and Eastern Australia (1768–1771)
12. Bungaree Guides the Investigator's Circumnavigation of Australia (1802–1803)
13. The Lewis and Clark Expedition Searches for a Water Route Through the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Northwest (1804–1806)
14. Charles Darwin Collects Foundational Data for His Theory of Evolution Aboard HMS Beagle (1831–1836)
15. Mary Seacole Responds to Epidemics and Wounded Soldiers from the Caribbean to Crimea (1850–1856)
16. Sidi Bombay Guides Francis Burton and Hanning Speke's Expeditions to Find the Source of the Nile River (1857–1863)
17. Nellie Bly's 72-Day Journey Around the World Challenges Beliefs About Women's Capabilities (1889)
18. Harriet Chalmers Adams Breaks Barriers for Women and Travels Over 100,000 Miles in Latin America (1904–1920)
19. Four Inuit, Matthew Henson, and Robert Peary (Almost) Reach the North Pole (1908–1909)
20. The Race to the South Pole Expands Possibilities for Earth Sciences (1910–1912)
21. The Kon-Tiki Raft Crosses the Pacific from Peru to French Polynesia (1947)
22. Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary Are the First to Summit Earth's Highest Peak (1953)
23. The Trieste Submersible Makes the First Human Descent into Challenger Deep, the Deepest Known Valley on Earth (1960)
24. Freedom Riders Travel Through the Deep South Exposing Segregation (1961)
25. NASA's Apollo 11 Mission Lands the First Humans on the Moon (1969)
26. Mau Piailug Crosses the Pacific from Hawaii to Tahiti on the Hokule'a Voyaging Canoe (1976)
27. OceanGate's Titan Submersible Implosion in the Atlantic Raises Concerns About Expedition Tourism (2023)
Index
About the Author
Product details
| Published | 08 Jan 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 384 |
| ISBN | 9798765112649 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 27 bw |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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