In the 15th century, Europeans began to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new routes to China and the East, but in the process they discovered what they labeled a "New World," although Indigenous people had lived there for centuries. Other explorers have pushed the limits of flight and seafaring, and traversed the frozen Continent of Antarctica.
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Marco Polo: The Early Years Marco Polo was born around 1254 into a prosperous merchant family in the Italian city‑state of Venice. His father, Niccolò, and his uncle Maffeo had left the year before on a long‑term trading expedition. As a result, he was raised by extended relatives following his mother’s death at a young […]
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From John Cabot to Bartolomé de las Casas, learn more about notable explorers NOT named Christopher Columbus in this web exclusive.
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From hot‑air balloons floating over Paris to a dirigible crashing over New Jersey, here are some of the biggest moments of aviation history.
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