INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEYS

Which Are The 10 Travels That Changed History The Most?

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Today, our world is so globalized and hyper-connected that it is virtually impossible to find completely unknown places. But long before the internet and low-cost airlines, there was a time when the planet was a mysterious and unexplored territory. Back then, traveling was a real adventure in which even the most intrepid would risk their lives to discover new worlds. As a tribute to all those explorers who followed their instinct and went against the tide, in this article we’ll revisit some of the greatest expeditions in history.

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Perhaps the most controversial exploration voyage, and the one that changed the world's socio-political landscape forever, is the one that led Christopher Columbus to discover the American continent. The Genoese explorer and navigator reached America for the first time in 1492, following his "crazy" theory that the world was round. Columbus, who sought to reach the East Indies, found another vast continent instead, one that nobody had ever heard of before.

Then other Spanish conquistadors arrived in these faraway lands and new routes were opened for the rest of the European powers, which would ultimately cause numerous losses for the native peoples. Regardless of the historical and ethnic consequences, what is certain is that Christopher Columbus proved to be a visionary and courageous adventurer who continued to explore until the end of his days —in total, he made four voyages to America!

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If Columbus was the first to arrive in America, the Portuguese navigator and explorer Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach India through the South Seas. During his first expedition (1497-99) he sailed down the Atlantic to round the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa.

Three years later, he sailed the Indian Ocean and landed in Calicut. This voyage —the longest by sea until that time— allowed the expansion of Portuguese possessions in Asia and Africa. The great explorer made a second expedition to India, of which he would be named governor in 1524, shortly before contracting malaria and dying.

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If we are speaking of the most famous explorers in history, it is imperative to mention the name of Marco Polo. This Venetian merchant of the late 13th and early 14th centuries epitomized the adventurous spirit of the time and was responsible for introducing the wonders of Asia to the European continent. During his 23-year-long voyage, he traveled through what is now China, Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Tibet, India, and Myanmar.

Marco Polo had incredible experiences: he found remote cities and exotic palaces, discovered totally unknown religions, and met strange animals. Luckily for us, all these adventures were reflected, upon his return to the West, in the Book of the Wonders of the World, written by Rustichello of Pisa, with whom he shared a cell after falling prisoner during the Venetian–Genoese wars. But that is another story…

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French explorer and botanist Jeanne Baret is considered to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. But to do so, she had to disguise herself as a man! Dressed as a sailor, she joined Admiral Antoine de Bougainville's expedition in 1766.

The French Navy prohibited women from boarding its ships, so Jeanne tied a bandage over her breasts and enlisted as valet to the French naturist Philibert Commerçon. During her expedition, she collected samples of more than 6,000 plants from all over the world, some of which were later kept in the French National Herbarium at the Jardin des Plantes. We certainly must thank this courageous woman explorer for unearthing new and invaluable ground in the botany field.

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Another titan of maritime exploration was Captain James Cook. Adventurer, navigator, cartographer, and military man, Cook was a very complete human being. No other marine explorer traveled and discovered as many miles and lands as he did.

His biographers describe him as cultured, tough, indomitable, with a genuine interest in the foreign cultures of the places he discovered and, let’s be honest, a rather irascible temper. In 11 years, Cook completed three journeys across the Pacific, mapping coasts and islands that remained unknown. New Zealand, the east coast of Australia, the Hawaiian Islands —where he died after an altercation with the natives— and Easter Island are some of the places he discovered.

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In 1859, the foundations of science and accepted beliefs were completely overturned by the publication of Charles Darwin's seminal work, The Origin of Species. The seeds of his revolutionary theory can be found 24 years earlier, when Darwin arrived in the Galapagos Islands —located in the Pacific Ocean, 560 miles off the coast of Ecuador.

The British naturalist had been sailing for three years aboard the HMS Beagle, captained by Robert FitzRoy, before reaching the archipelago. Once there, he observed species of wildlife that had never been seen before. This unexpected encounter would inspire his studies for the next two decades. Thanks to his adventurous spirit Darwin became one of the most influential scientists in history and his work continues to be a cornerstone of biological science today.

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Intelligent, sword-wielding, bully, capable of speaking 30 languages, drunkard, diplomat, disloyal, and explorer. That's how scholars describe Sir Richard Burton, a British adventurer who was never afraid as he explored Arabia, Syria, India, East Africa, Brazil, and the western United States.

A shot in the jaw, syphilis, malaria, bandit attacks, and opium highs were among his travel ordeals. Not to mention the time he circumcised himself to pass as a Muslim. Despite being a controversial character, it is said that Burton was the first anthropologist of the modern era, so let’s just say, we owe him a lot.

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The frozen lands of Antarctica, one of the most inhospitable places on the planet, were one of Ernest Shackleton's most profound obsessions. The first time the Anglo-Irish adventurer attempted to reach the Antarctic continent was in 1901 when he joined Capt. Robert Falcon Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition. Unfortunately, a health condition forced him to abandon the crusade.

A few years later, he led the Nimrod Expedition which succeeded in arriving at the southernmost point ever reached by man. Then, in 1914, he set sail again intending to cross Antarctica from end to end. But the ship became trapped in the ice and the explorers had to manage to survive, totally isolated, for more than two years. It was his leadership and endurance that made him one of the most legendary adventurers who ever lived.

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It took three decades, many failed expeditions, and several lives taken before New Zealander climber Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay managed to finally crown the merciless summit of Everest. On May 29, 1953, they became the first climbers to reach the highest mountain on earth, which rises majestically over 29,000 feet above sea level.

Yet, Hillary's adventurous spirit did not stop there. Years later, in 1958, he reached the South Pole as a member of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, and in 1985 he made it to the North Pole, achieving another record: that of being the first person to get to know both poles.

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In the early morning of July 21, 1969, no one was able to take their eyes off the television set. What was about to happen was to become the greatest milestone in the history of humanity. The moment when Neil Armstrong would descend from Apollo XI to take that "small step for man", which in reality was a huge stride "for mankind".

That crew —completed by Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins— had gone farther than the vast majority of mortals ever dreamed of. From that moment on, the astronauts became true rock stars and an atmosphere of optimism pervaded everything. If they had managed to reach the moon, what else could human beings achieve from now on?

TAKE A TRIP DOWN FOODIE MEMORY LANE

Do You Remember These 10 Vanished Restaurant Chains?

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As the writer J.L. Borges said, "It is not the places that we miss, but the moments spent in them." We all have memories of family dinners and friend gatherings in places that no longer exist. Often located in mall food courts, but also in the middle of the city, in highway stops, or many other locations, these once popular places faded into obscurity, devoured by the competition or simply fell out of pace with the modern tastes.

From big celebrity-backed restaurants like Planet Hollywood to the more humble family-oriented Chi-Chi’s, many of these chains went quietly and without much notice but were once beloved meeting points. Read on and try to remember if you ever attended any one of these.

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Even if you’ve never been there, you probably have heard of this one: a wood-fired rotisserie chicken restaurant chain fronted by The Gambler himself, Mr. Kenny Rogers. That was the idea and, for several years, it worked quite well. The brand advocated healthy eating, by claiming that roasted chicken has less fat, salt, and calories than fried chicken.

The brand was a 90s creature, as it was born and saw its heyday in that decade, with locations all over the United States and even many abroad. But, as it happens, it filed for bankruptcy in 1998 and the last Kenny Rogers Roasters in America shut its doors in 2011.

Surprisingly, the brand is still very much alive and thriving in Asia, where it's still going strong.

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A staple of the so-called "fern bars" scene (upscale bars that featured plants, wooden bars, and fake Tiffany lamps in their decoration), Bennigan’s was born in the 1970s and it quickly grew with locations all over the country.

While the concept was not new or special,Bennigan’s restaurants were popular hangouts in their respective locations, catering to families, after-office workers, and local clientele. To this day, there are still a few Benningan’s left in the United States and abroad, with plans to make a comeback sometime in the future.

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As the name implies, the premise was simple: a steak dinner experience at affordable prices. Steak and Ale restaurants featured an unlimited salad bar or a choice of soup with most of its entrees on the dinner menu. It also featured free drink refills, honey wheat bread, a lunch menu with many items for $6.99, and even wine samples for only 25 cents.

Despite all these amenities, the Tudor-styled chain’s market presence was eaten up by the competition and most of its restaurants closed its doors by the late 2000s.

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Howard Johnson’s might be a familiar name in the current hotel industry but, believe it or not, there was a time when the brand was known as a restaurant chain. Howard Johnson’s restaurants were as popular as McDonald’s and Starbucks are today. With more than 1000 locations in the 1970s, it was once the biggest food chain in America.

The first restaurant opened in the late 1920s and a few years later, franchises started opening all over the country. In 1954 the first Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge was opened in Georgia next to the restaurant and history was made. But, a few decades later, the restaurant business was separated from the hotel business and the eateries started losing its public until the final HoJo’s restaurant closed its doors in 2022.

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A restaurant chain famous for its barn-shaped locations, Red Barn was born in Ohio in 1961 and featured items like the "The Big Barney" and "Barnbuster" hamburgers and the first self-service salad bar.

After passing hands a few times, the food chain ended up being sold for the land and the franchises were allowed to expire but, to this day, many Facebook groups plead for a comeback of the Red Barn brand.

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With a very straightforward name, Burger Chef opened business in Indianapolis, in 1954, and expanded throughout the country until peaking in 1973 with 1050 locations. The restaurant offered a double burger, called the Big Shef, the quarter-pound hamburger, Super Shef, and the Works Bar, where customers added their own toppings to hamburgers.

In 1973 the chain introduced "Funmeal," a kids’ menu meal that included a small toy. A few years later, in 1979, McDonald’s introduced its own Happy Meal. Burger Chef sued the big M but ultimately lost the case. The brand was sold to Hardee’s and the name phased out in favor of the latter.

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If you went out for Mexican food in the Midwest in the 80s and 90s, there was a big chance you were going to a Chi-Chi’s. While the food might not have been the most authentic Tex-Mex you could find, it provided an introduction to Mexican flavors for many families.

By the early 2000s, the brand filed for bankruptcy but the final blow came the year after that, when a major hepatitis epidemic in the Pittsburgh area was traced back to a batch of green onions in one of the chain’s restaurants.

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Did anyone call for weird animatronic stage shows? Showbiz Pizza Place was a family restaurant pizza chain that entertained its guests with a large selection of arcade games, coin-operated rides, and stage shows featuring singing and dancing robots disguised as animals.

The chain saw its heyday during the 80s thanks to the rising popularity of arcades but, a decade after that, it rebranded all its locations to the Chuck E. Cheese we know today.

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Maybe you even owned a hat or a T-shirt with this logo. Few restaurant chains started as big as Planet Hollywood. Backed by heavy hitters like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis, among many others, each location was decorated with memorabilia from movies, famous actors and actresses, music stars, and more.

The first location opened its doors in New York City in 1991 and it continued an aggressive expansion and diversification into other themed restaurants including the All-Star Cafe, a sports-themed restaurant, superstores, and even television game shows. But, a mere 8 years later, in 1999, the company filed for bankruptcy. As of today, only a handful of Planet Hollywood Restaurants remain open.

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Keeping on with the big themed restaurant chains, ESPN Zone was a major operation, also including arcades, TV and radio studios. It started with a modest sports bar in Disney World, but quickly developed into a full chain of sports-themed restaurants all over the United States.

One might be forgiven to think that a sports-themed restaurant backed by such a prestigious brand as ESPN would have been a huge hit in such a sports-loving country but, alas, by June 2010, all but two locations were closed -the parent company citing the financial crisis as the cause.