Explorers

Falling stars as seen on a balloon journey in pioneering aeronaut James Glaisher's book Travels in the Air. A record-setting balloon flight manned by Glaisher is the subject of the new movie The Aeronauts.

The True History of the Aeronauts Who Transformed Our View of the World Above

For early balloonists like James Glaisher, the sky was uncharted—and dangerous—territory

A print from an oil painting attributed to J Clevely, showing Captain James Cook arriving at Queen Charlotte's Sound in New Zealand.

British Government ‘Expresses Regret’ for Māori Killed After James Cook’s Arrival in New Zealand

The statement comes as New Zealand prepares to grapple with the 250th anniversary of the first meetings between Captain Cook and the Māori

The Hondius map of 1589 inset depicts Drake's encampment at New Albion, Portus Novas Albionis.

Did Francis Drake Really Land in California?

New research suggests that one of the state’s greatest historians had a hand in perpetrating an infamous hoax

Marine archaeologists explore the HMS Terror on the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean. To get a look inside the ship, divers deployed a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV.

Divers Get an Eerie First Look Inside the Arctic Shipwreck of the HMS Terror

Marine archaeologists exploring the 19th-century vessel could discover clues about what befell the sailors of the Franklin expedition

Ameila Earhart standing in front of the Lockheed Electra in which she disappeared in 1937.

Why the Much-Publicized Mission to Find Amelia Earhart's Plane Is Likely to Come Up Empty

The explorer who discovered the 'Titanic' is searching for the lost aviator. A Smithsonian curator doesn’t think he’ll find it.

Photography was so expensive when it was first introduced that people treated getting their photo taken like a once-in-a-lifetime portrait opportunity.

Why Don't People Smile in Old Photographs? And More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Expanding access to the deep ocean will spark interest in exploration, Rush believes: Getting underwater is “such an amazing emotional experience.”

A Deep Dive Into the Plans to Take Tourists to the 'Titanic'

For a handsome price, a daredevil inventor will bring you aboard his groundbreaking submarine to put eyes on most famous shipwreck of all

This lunar extravehicular visor assembly, photographed by Cade Martin at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar- Hazy Center, was worn by Neil Armstrong on the Moon in July 1969. Armstrong’s helmet visors were designed to protect against hazards, from micrometeoroids to infrared light.

What You Didn't Know About the Apollo 11 Mission

From JFK's real motives to the Soviets' secret plot to land on the Moon at the same time, a new behind-the-scenes view of an unlikely triumph 50 years ago

Wainright watches over Livingstone's body on the trip back to Britain.

Diary of Livingstone's Intrepid African Attendant Jacob Wainwright Digitized

He traveled with the Scottish missionary and explorer searching for the source of the Nile, and he's responsible for bringing his remains to Britain

Salvagers Accidentally Found the Netherlands' Oldest Shipwreck

Dated to around 1540, the ship carried a load of copper plate that was likely for the country's earliest copper coins

Nepal's first solo mission to measure its iconic peak will determine whether Mount Everest lost some of its height after an earthquake in 2015.

Nepalese Expedition Seeks to Find Out if an Earthquake Shrunk Mount Everest

Scientists and climbers have trained for three years to prepare to take various types of survey's from the summit of the world's highest peak

Book of Lost Books Discovered in Danish Archive

The index is part of the Libro de los Epítomes, an effort by Christopher Columbus' illegitimate son to create a searchable index of the world's knowledge

Melting Glaciers on Denali Will Unleash Tons of Human Poop

An estimated 66 tons of feces left behind by climbers is coming out of the deep freeze on North America's highest peak

International Expedition Will Excavate the Dino-Rich 'Jurassic Mile'

More than 100 paleontologists are heading to the fossil-filled Morrison Formation

Mariner's Astrolabe Recovered From Shipwreck Is the World's Oldest

The navigational gadget comes from the wreck of the <i>Esmerelda</i>, part of Vasco da Gama's fleet that sunk off the coast of Oman in 1503

Gibbs aboard the USS Bear, which made the voyage to Antarctica

George Washington Gibbs Jr. Defied Danger and Racism to Become the First African-American to Visit Antarctica

"He had bigger visions and would not be contained in a box," his daughter says

American adventurer and archaeologist Wendell Phillips may have provided inspiration for the character of Indiana Jones.

The Complex Legacy of America's Lawrence of Arabia

Archaeologist Wendell Phillips traveled throughout Yemen in the 1950s, where he found ancient treasures and controversy

A sculpture of Louise Arner Boyd alongside the subject herself. This bust is part of the Marin History Museum collection in Novata, California.

The Double Life of a California Socialite Who Became a Leading Arctic Explorer

In the early 20th century, Louise Arner Boyd lived as a philanthropist in the United States and a hero on the high seas

Names smoked into the ceiling date back to the 1800s

Enslaved Tour Guide Stephen Bishop Made Mammoth Cave the Must-See Destination It Is Today

In the 1830s and '40s, the pioneering spelunker mapped out many of the underground system's most popular spots

The 'Pole of Inaccessibility' Has Eluded Adventurers for More Than a Century

This winter, explorers will once again set out for the most remote part of the Arctic Ocean

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