Explorers

Before he was a famous explorer, Sir Francis Drake was involved in one of the most horrific massacres of the entire Elizabethan era.

“Ambition leads me not only farther than any other man has been before me, but as far as I think it possible for man to go.”—Captain James Cook.

Drake was a sea captain who indulged in both privateering for the English and exploring the globe in their name as well. England’s enemies grew to loathe Drake for the former actions, considering him a despicable pirate. Find out how he come to be so loved and hated at the same time.

The Danish explorer Peter Freuchen had a fascinating life—but in an odd twist, his most shocking moment came just a year before his death.

Before Christopher Columbus even thought to enter the picture, a little-regarded adventurer became the first European to reach North America. This is his remarkable untold story.