World Explorers
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a merchant* and explorer who traveled throughout the Far East and China for much of his life. His stories were the basis for what much of Europe knew about Ancient China for many years. He lived from 1254 to 1324.
Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy in 1254.Venice was a rich trading city and Marco's father was a merchant.Marco Polo's father and uncle wanted to try something different. They wanted to travel all the way to China and bring the goods back to Venice. They thought they could make their fortune* this way. It took them nine years, but they finally made it home.
Marco first left for China when he was 17 years old. His father and uncle decided to return. They had met the Mongol Emperor * Kublai Khan during their first trip and had told him they would return. Kublai was leader over all of China at the time.
It took Marco Polo three years to get to China. Along the way he visited many great cities and saw many places including the holy city of Jerusalem, the mountains of the Hindu Kush, Persia, and the Gobi Desert. He met a lot of different types of people and had many adventures.
Marco lived in China for many years and learned to speak the language. He traveled throughout China as a messenger and spy * for Kublai Khan. He even traveled far to the south to where Myanmar and Vietnam are today. During these visits he learned about different cultures, foods, cities, and peoples. He saw many places and things that no one from Europe had ever seen before. Marco saw many wonderful things in China like wide roads, animals like orangutans and rhinos .He also saw different people and tasted different food.
After twenty years of traveling, Marco, along with his father and uncle, decided to head home to Venice. They left home in 1271 and finally returned in 1295. A few years after returning home, Venice fought a war with the city of Genoa. Marco was put under arrest. While he was under arrest, Marco told detailed stories of his journeys to a writer named Rustichello who wrote them all down in a book called The Travels of Marco Polo.
Marco Polo January 8, 1324 Venice, Italy.
מקור נוסף: מרקופולו
James Cook
James Cook was born on October 27, 1728 in England. His father was a farmer, but as James grew older he wanted to sail in the sea. At around the age of 18 he took an apprenticeship* as a merchant seaman. Although he did well and was advancing in the merchant navy, Cook decided to goto the Royal Navy at the start of the Seven Years War.
It was during the Seven Years War that James became a master at map making. His ability at surveying, navigating*, and creating large accurate* maps was noticed by those high up in the Navy.
Captain Cook introduced some new and difficult rules in order to keep his crew healthy and safe. He required* his men to bathe every day, the ship to be kept very clean, and the bedding to be aired twice a week. He also brought lots of fresh fruit. These rules and planning helped his men to stay healthy throughout the long journeys ahead.
Cook's first journey on August 26, 1768. His main objective was to observe the planet Venus as it passed between the Earth and the Sun. This would help astronomers to calculate the distance of the Sun from the Earth. He also hoped to find the fabled southern continent.
During this trip he visited Tahiti , the Society Islands, and New Zealand. He mapped much of the two main islands of New Zealand, but also ended up fighting with the local Maori tribe.
Next stop on the journey was the east coast of Australia. Here James and his crew* found all sorts of interesting animals and plants including the kangaroo.
Finally they returned home in July of 1771, nearly three years after they left.
Cook's final journey lasted from 1776 to 1779. He found the Hawaiian Islands, however (they were named the Sandwich Islands at the time).
מקור נוסף: קפטןגיימסקוק
Christopher Columbus
מופיע בספר הלימוד עמוד-121
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 in northern Portugal. He grew up in a rich family and served as a page in the royal court. He enjoyed sailing and exploring and sailed for Portugal for many years.
Magellan had traveled to India by sailing around Africa, but he had the idea that there may be another way by traveling west and around the Americas. The King of Portugal did not agree and argued with Magellan. Finally, Magellan went to the King Charles V of Spain who agreed to fund the journey.
In September of 1519 Magellan set sail in his attempt to find another way to Eastern Asia. He sailed with 270 men and five ships. The ships were named the Trinidad, the Santiago, the Victoria, the Concepcion, and the San Antonio. They first sailed across the Atlantic and to the Canary Islands. From there they sailed south to Brazil and the coast of South America.
Magellan continued to sail south. Soon he found the passage he was looking for .He called the passage the All Saints' Channel. Today it is called the Straits of Magellan. Finally he entered into a new ocean on the other side of the new world. He called the ocean the Pacifico, meaning peaceful.
Now that they were on the other side of South America, the ships sailed for China. There were only three ships left at this point as the Santiago had sunk and the San Antonio had disappeared.
Only one of the original five ships made it back to Spain. It was the Victoria captained by Juan Sebastian del Cano. It returned in September of 1822, three years after first leaving. There were only 18 surviving sailors, but they had made the first trip around the world..Magellan died in a battle and did not see the end of his historic journey.
מקור נוסף: פרדיננדמגלן
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