UNBELIEVABLE ADVENTURES
Do you know who were the first ones to summit Mount Everest?
Published on December 28, 2024
Credit: Museums Victoria
Throughout history, humans have always had an innate desire to venture into the unknown, continuously pushing the boundaries of exploration, even when it means taking enormous personal risks.
From conquering the highest peaks to traversing hostile and uncharted territories, these 10 expeditions redefined human limits and expanded our understanding of the world.
The Corps of Discovery
Credit: Brooks Rice
Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson in 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition sought to explore the uncharted American West. Over two grueling years, the Corps of Discovery—a select group of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers—traversed the vast American wilderness, studying its geography, nature, and making contact with local Native American tribes.
This grand adventure would become a pivotal point in the history of the United States, and both Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are remembered as true pioneers who shaped the nation's destiny.
The Conquest of Everest
Credit: Michael Clarke
In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to summit Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak. Their historic ascent marked a milestone in mountaineering history, showcasing the triumph of human determination and teamwork.
For Hillary—who Queen Elizabeth II promptly knighted—and many other participants of the expedition, however, this achievement was just the beginning of their stellar mountaineering careers.
Finding the Northwest Passage
Credit: Annie Spratt
Roald Amundsen's quest to traverse the treacherous Northwest Passage in the Arctic waters is truly a testament to human determination. In 1903, aboard the Gjøa, his crew became the first to successfully traverse this perilous Arctic route, thus unlocking a coveted maritime passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
To achieve this feat, they had to endure incredibly harsh conditions while navigating through icy waters, relying significantly on crucial Arctic survival skills learned from the local Inuit population, which played a vital role in their survival.
Amelia’s Transatlantic Flight
Credit: Harris & Ewing
In 1932, Amelia Earhart made history as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In a single-engine Lockheed Vega 5B, and a mere five years after Charles Lindbergh's groundbreaking solo flight, she embarked on a difficult journey that spanned over 14 hours.
Battling fierce winds and a host of mechanical challenges, she persevered until touching down safely in a pasture in Northern Ireland. Despite her tragic disappearance a few years later, Earhart's remarkable feats shattered gender stereotypes of the time and she still is an enduring inspiration for aviators everywhere.
The Kon-Tiki Expedition
Credit: Nasjonalbiblioteket from Norway, CC BY 2.0
In 1947, Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl embarked on a daring voyage across the Pacific Ocean aboard a primitive raft named Kon-Tiki. Heyerdahl's expedition sought to prove that ancient civilizations could have made transoceanic voyages, challenging historical knowledge of the time.
Even though the voyage didn’t prove that any significant migration of humans could have happened this way, Heyerdahl’s journey is remembered to this day for its audacity in the pursuit of knowledge and its great spirit of adventure.
The Silk Road Expeditions
Credit: Abhisek Hazra
Inspired by the expeditions of 19th-century Swedish geographer Sven Hedin, the archaeologist Aurel Stein embarked in the 1930s on a series of expeditions along the ancient route of the Silk Road—the trading network that connected Europe with Eastern Asia in the 15th century.
Along the way, he uncovered a treasure trove of artifacts and manuscripts from forgotten civilizations, shedding light on the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Reaching the South Pole
Credit: Olav Bjaaland (1873–1961)
Famously stubborn Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen beat his rival Robert Falcon Scott in the race to the South Pole in 1911. Despite facing almost insurmountable obstacles, Amundsen's meticulous planning and leadership ensured the success of his expedition without loss of life, securing his place in history.
Tragically, the rival Terra Nova Expedition led by Scott met a dark fate, highlighting the harsh realities and unforgiving nature of polar exploration.
The Last Antarctic Odyssey
Credit: State Library of New South Wales
Despite falling short of its original goal to traverse the Antarctic continent, Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition of 1914-1917 is indelibly etched in history due to its heroic nature. Stranded in the icy waters of Antarctica after their ship was crushed by unexpectedly thick ice, Shackleton and his crew endured unimaginable hardships, yet miraculously all survived.
It would take more than forty years before the first successful crossing of Antarctica was achieved, accomplished by the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition from 1955 to 1958.
Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Credit: Brian McGowan
No exploration-themed article would be truly complete without a mention of NASA’s Apollo program. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin accomplished the unimaginable, stepping onto the lunar surface after traversing vast expanses of void space.
Their monumental achievement marked a breaking point in human history, igniting a newfound confidence in humanity's ability to reach beyond earthly confines.
A Path Towards the Red Planet
Credit: NASA
Although no humans were aboard this mission, it still was a groundbreaking achievement for humanity. In 1997, NASA's Pathfinder mission launched the Sojourner rover, marking the first successful deployment of a robotic rover on the surface of Mars.
Sojourner, a compact six-wheeled vehicle equipped with scientific instruments, paved the way for future Mars exploration by demonstrating the feasibility of mobile robotic exploration on the rocky Martian terrain.
