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1200 BCE
Phoenicians
Phoenicians were the first to build ships and set sail. This way, they could travel and trade much easier. -
325 BCE
Pythias
Pythias made several voyages around Europe. He also predicted Atlantic tides based on the moon. -
194 BCE
Eratosthenes
Calculated, although incorrectly, the circumference of the earth and invented latitude/longitude lines. -
709
Vikings (Middle Ages)
Vikings were primarily raiders who traveled by sea and traded with norther continents. Most of viking life was based around seafaring. -
1117
Chinese (Middle Ages)
The Chinese built complex ships that could maneuver easily. They were also the first to invest compasses, then the first to use them for ocean navigation. -
1492
Christopher Columbus
Set out to find a way around the world to Asia, but ended up landing in the Caribbeans. Because of this, he is credited with discovering the Americas. -
1497
Vasco de Gama
Took many expeditions, credited for discovering new lands and carved out trade routed to Africa and India. -
1513
Vasco Nunez Balboa
Discovered South America in the name of Spain, leading to further exploration and conquest in the area. -
1577
Francis Drake
Created new routed to Africa, and became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the earth. -
Captain James Cook
Devoted to Oceanography, Cook helped to invent the chronometer and traveled to every continent minus Antarctica. -
Charles Wilkes
Led several scientific expeditions, including finding a route to Antarctica. -
Charles Darwin
Oceanographer who, on the HMS Beagle, studied ocean life. Specifically coral reefs. Also sailed to many new islands. -
HMS Challenger
Devoted to marine sciences, the Challenger had many expeditions, helping to discover around 4,700 new marine species. -
Mathew Maury
To make sailing faster and more efficient, he helped predict wind patters out at sea.
