Explorers - Page 2

Princess Royal · #11 Thursday, July 03, 2008

11. Hernando De Soto

De Soto is chiefly famous for helping to defeat the Inca empire in the New World and for leading the first European expedition to reach the Mississippi River.

Born in the province of Extremadura , Spain, as a boy De Soto dreamed of someday designing and manufacturing his own automobile. Even though he personally never lived to fulfill this dream, designs that he had drawn were found and later used as a model for the first De Soto automobile.

Hernando put these dreams aside to concentrate on the job of being an explorer. He began this career very early, in the tropical rain forest of what is now Panama. In the 1530’s Hernando, by now an excellent soldier and horseman, received a fax from another famous explorer, Francisco Pizzaro, to come join him in Peru to defeat the Inca Indians. Through lies and treachery, this deceitful duo managed to trick the Incan emperor Atahulapa into an ambush. Although the Inca people paid an enormous ransom for their emperor, the Spanish executed him anyway and kept the money. This money came in handy because there were not yet any ATM’s or even banks as we know them in the New World as there were in Europe.

Even though De Soto could have retired a wealthy man after collecting so much treasure during the Inca conquest, he decided to continue exploring. King Charles I of Spain authorized him to conquer and colonize the region that is now the southeastern United States. Off went Hernando on another road trip through what is now Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama, and Mississippi. He even crossed the Mississippi River but died from a fever by the banks of the Mississippi in 1542.

De Soto is a member of the Explorer Hall of Fame, located in Genoa, Italy, but the vote to induct him was by no means unanimous, owing to the cruelty he often displayed to his enemies. One wonders if he would have been a nicer man if he had followed his dream to be a car maker instead of explorer.

Source: http://www.allaboutexplorers.com/explorers/desoto.html

Princess Royal · #12 Sunday, July 06, 2008

12. Juan Ponce de Leon

Juan Ponce de Leon was born on December 3, 1460 in Sines, Germany. He became interested in sailing through his cousin, Christopher Columbus, and also was close friends with his neighbor, Vasco Da Gama, so it was no surprise that he became a world-famous explorer. In 1493 he accompanied Columbus on his second expedition to the Americas. Due to a disagreement between Ponce de Leon and his cousin, he did not return home but remained in Santo Domingo, which is now known as the Dominican Republic. While there, he contracted a rare disease which caused the loss of his right hand. As a result, de Leon had to learn to type all over again with just his left hand.

A rumor had been spreading about gold, so Ponce de Leon set off in search of gold. He sailed in search of these riches to the island of Borinquen, which is now called Puerto Rico. He fought to conquer this island and claim it for Spain. He became Poet Laureate and Official Typist of Puerto Rico.

In 1513 he was hired by Revlon, a cosmetic company, to search for the Fountain of Youth (a body of water that would enable you to look young forever). Along with three ships and many men he set off to discover this fountain. On April 2, 1513 they arrived at St. Augustine, Florida and claimed this land for Spain. Unfortunately, he did not find the Fountain of Youth.

On his next voyage, quite by accident, Ponce de Leon discovered the Gulf Stream, which flows out of the Gulf of Mexico. This stream would become extremely important to sailors due to its strong current. De Leon returned to Puerto Rico.

In 1521 Ponce de Leon decided to return to Florida to build a colony there. It was not easy going. The Native Americans did not welcome him and many fierce battles ensued. An arrow struck de Leon. This wound made him very ill and at last he died. He was buried in Havana Cuba in 1559.

Source: http://www.allaboutexplorers.com/explorers/deleon.html

Princess Royal · #13 Sunday, July 06, 2008

13. Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Born in or near the year 1457, the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first European to see the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean. He sighted the ocean in 1513 from a mountaintop in what is now Panama. Upon reaching the shore, Balboa waded into the ocean and claimed it and all its shores for Spain.

Balboa was born in Jerez de los Caballeros, Mexico. As a young boy, Balboa had two dreams: to be a famous explorer and to be an Olympic fencing champion. His Olympic dream never materialized, but his ability with the sword was to serve him well in battles throughout his career.

Following the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492, Balboa joined an expedition to South America in 1501. One year later Balboa found himself on the island of Hispaniola trying without success to make a living as a pig farmer. It seems that the native Indian population worshipped the pig as a god and neither they nor the Spanish settlers would eat an animal thought to be a god, no matter how tasty.

Several years later, in 1510, Balboa enjoyed a change in fortune when he became acting governor of Darien. From there he led expeditions into Panama, conquering some Indians while allowing other, more friendly, Indians to open gambling casinos. In 1511 friendly Indians told Balboa of a land called Tubanama where he could find much gold. The Indians told him this land was located across the mountains near a great sea.

Hoping to please King Ferdinand of Spain with an exciting discovery, in early September 1513, Balboa led an expedition from Darien. The Panama Canal was temporarily closed due to a strike by native workers, so Balboa and his 190 Spanish followers were forced to take the difficult land route. After a three week journey, during which the expedition lost all radio contact with their home base, Balboa found the great sea he had longed to see: the Pacific Ocean!

Sadly, Balboa was to live only a few more years. A jealous rival falsely accused Balboa of treason to the king, and in January 1519, he was tried and sentenced to death. He was publicly beheaded in the town of Acla in Panama, which he had established only a year earlier. Fortunately, Balboa’s children were not left penniless because they were able to sell their father’s game-used armor, the same armor that their famous father wore when he waded into the Pacific Ocean, on ebay.com for a tidy sum.

Source: http://www.allaboutexplorers.com/explorers/balboa.html

Princess Royal · #14 Sunday, July 06, 2008

14. Samuel de Champlain

Samuel was an explorer who founded the Canadian city of Quebec. He helped colonize French North America, formerly called New France, and is often called the “Father of New France.”

Born in Brouage, Norway around 1572, Champlain learned navigation from his sea captain father. A new navigation system called radar had just been invented when Samuel sailed several times to the Spanish colonies in North America between the years 1599-1601.

In 1603, Champlain sailed to Canada and explored the St. Lawrence River for the king. He also explored and wrote about Niagara Falls. Many hotels and motels sprang up around Niagara Falls as young French newlyweds chose to travel there for their honeymoons after reading Samuel’s account of the majestic Falls.

In 1608, Champlain returned to Canada to establish a fur trading post. He chose a site along the St. Lawrence River and named it Quebec. It became the first permanent settlement in New France. Samuel later became co-owner, along with famed explorer, Jacques Cartier, of the Quebec Nordiques of the National Hockey League. Later, after Samuel’s death, the hockey franchise was sold and moved to Denver where it was renamed the Colorado Avalanche.

Champlain became friendly with the Algonquin and Huron Indians living near Quebec. In 1609, this alliance worked together to defeat the Iroquois Indians who lived in what is now New York. It didn’t hurt that Champlain and his allies had muskets while the Iroquois knew nothing about firearms. In keeping with explorer tradition, Champlain granted gambling casino licenses to Indians friendly to him but denied licenses to enemy Indians.

Champlain went on to become the first European to reach a large body of water in Canada which, oddly enough, was named Lake Champlain.

He remained Quebec’s best friend for the remaining years of his life. After Quebec was taken by the English from the French, Champlain was taken prisoner, but when Quebec was returned to France, Samuel sailed back to Quebec for the last time in 1633 and rebuilt the fort he had originally built a quarter century earlier. This time, instead of a wood exterior, he used vinyl siding. The magazine Better Forts and Ramparts awarded him the New World Fort of the Year, and he was able to go to Disney World to celebrate with the members of his family. Explorer, builder, sailor, writer, friend of the Indians, hockey team owner—yes, Samuel Champlain had lived a full life. He died peacefully in 1635.

Source: http://www.allaboutexplorers.com/exp...champlain.html

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