Exploring the world

Who got to the Americas first? The unique journeys of 10 iconic explorers

Image: Nathan Hurst

Nowadays, you can buy your ticket, take a plane, and fly almost anywhere in the world. But this was not always the case. Throughout history, some people have dedicated their lives to exploring unknown parts of the Earth, getting on big ships, and setting sail with little more than hopes and a few wild theories. Today, we're revisiting the journeys of 10 iconic explorers who changed the course of history, making huge contributions to culture, trade, and science. Let's start this adventure!

Image: Tim Foster

Let's travel more than 1000 years into the past to talk about Leif Erikson, one of the earliest renowned explorers in history.

Erikson, a Norse born around 970 CE in what is now Iceland, is recognized as the first European to set foot on mainland America. That's right! Archaeological evidence suggests he had been here almost 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Impressive, isn't it?

In the 11th century, Erikson explored the coasts of North America and is thought to have established a Norse settlement in an area known as Vinland, which many historians believe was located in present-day Newfoundland, Canada.

Image: Egor Myznik

Do you remember what you were doing when you were 17? Most of us were in high school, but that was not the case for Marco Polo, who, at the age of 17, was starting an epic journey from Venice, Italy, to China!

Marco Polo's expedition to Asia began in the year 1271. Although trade had provided Europe with some knowledge about Asia, their understanding of "the East" was quite limited- at that time, Europeans weren't even aware of the existence of the Americas!- In this context, Marco Polo's journey was not only important but also innovative and risky.

Together with his father, he traveled overland along the Silk Road and reached the Chinese Empire in 1275. But that's not all: he spent 17 years there! You can read everything he saw, learned, met, and experienced there in the famous The Travels of Marco Polo.

Image: Kevin Olson

Sometimes, mistakes or unforeseen events end up bringing big changes. That's what happened when the famous Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean coast, thinking he had arrived in Asia.

As you probably already know, the Genoese set sail from Spain in 1492 in search of a westbound route to Asia. However, a few months after setting sail, Columbus and his ships arrived not in Asia but in the Caribbean on October 12, 1492. Unaware of his amazing finding, Columbus made 3 more voyages to the "New World."

Image: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

The Age of Exploration wouldn't have been the same without the iconic Vasco da Gama. Born around 1460 in Portugal, he's famous for nothing less than being the first European to reach India by sea.

At that time, trade between Europe and India was only by land, with many intermediaries involved. Therefore, establishing a safe sea route for trade was a crucial achievement at the time.

Da Gama set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, in 1497. He skirted the coasts of Africa and successfully reached India in 1498. But this major feat didn't end there; da Gama made two more voyages in 1502 and 1524, expanding Portugal's power over the region.

Image: Dmitrii Eliuseev

In 1497, another European set sail in search of Asia, but he ended up exploring the coasts of North America instead.

John Cabot was born in Venice as Giovanni Caboto around 1450. In 1497, he was sent by the English crown to seek a westbound route to reach Asia, but just like Columbus, he encountered America. He arrived in Newfoundland, Canada, without being fully aware of where he was, and he claimed part of present-day Canada and the United States for England.

Cabot is considered the first European to explore the coasts of North America since the Norse voyages, which marked the beginning of England's exploration and land claims in the New World.

Image: Delaney Van

Ferdinand Magellan is a familiar name, right? He was born around 1480 in northern Portugal and would become one of the most famous explorers in history.

In 1519, he set sail from Spain towards the West in search of the "Spice Islands," which was the name for present-day Indonesia. Along the way, he discovered a passage connecting the Atlantic Ocean to another body of water that he named "The Peaceful Sea," known now as the Pacific Ocean. That passage would later take his name: the Strait of Magellan.

In 1521, he and his crew reached The Philippines. Although he lost his life there, the expedition continued and returned to Spain in 1522, completing the very first successful circumnavigation of the globe!

Image: Vincent Yuan

More than 50 years after Magellan, Sir Francis Drake also completed the feat of circumnavigating the globe, becoming the first Englishman to achieve this.

He and his 5 ships began their voyage from Plymouth, England, in 1577. They crossed the Atlantic to what is now the east coast of Argentina. Drake traveled through South America, facing Spanish troops settled in the area.

In 1578, they were crossing the Strait of Magellan. But, before they reached the Pacific, a huge storm hit Drake's crew. Only his ship was able to make it through. With just one vessel, he sailed along the west coast of the Americas, reaching modern California to claim that territory for England. The voyage continued to the Philippines, then crossed the Indian Ocean, the coasts of Africa again, and finally returned to Plymouth in 1580.

Image: Suhash Villuri

Undoubtedly one of the greatest explorers and navigators of the 18th century, James Cook was born in 1728 in Yorkshire, England. But Cook was not just an explorer; he was also an artist! From a young age, he developed skills in navigation and cartography, mapping large areas with incredible accuracy.

On the first of his major voyages, from 1768 to 1771, he traveled the South Pacific, becoming one of the first Europeans to circumnavigate New Zealand and make a detailed map of the entire region.

On a second voyage, from 1772 to 1775, he traveled South and crossed the Antarctic Circle! On his third and last voyage, from 1776 to 1779, he reached the Hawaiian Islands, making detailed maps of the area and contributing enormously to the geographic knowledge of the Earth and the Pacific Ocean, specifically.

Image: Tommy Bond

In 1803, the United States doubled the size of its territory thanks to what we know as the Louisiana Purchase. With so much new territory in our country, someone had to explore it properly. President Thomas Jefferson entrusted this job to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, began in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1804. They traveled up the Missouri River, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and reached the Pacific Ocean! Then, they successfully returned to Missouri in 1806.

These two explorers traveled enormous distances and examined key areas in our territory, discovering new routes and thus helping to improve the country's understanding and knowledge of its lands.

Image: NASA

Our adventure has now reached the 20th century, specifically the year 1969. Since we had already explored almost every corner of the Earth, we humans decided to look up and go for interstellar conquests.

In those years, there was an explorer who, instead of setting sail on tumultuous seas, boarded a spacecraft to cross outer space and reach the Moon!

We're talking about the American Neil Armstrong, astronaut, engineer, and naval aviator. His most famous mission was Apollo 11, thanks to which he became the first human being to set foot on the Moon. You know: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

A hairy business

Let your hair down: 10 amazing facts about human hair

Image: Ali Pazani

The human body is incredible, from its mechanics to its ability to heal and adapt to multiple environments and situations. Hair, as part of our body, is no exception to this complexity and wonder. Let’s take a look at 10 amazing facts about our hair that you may not know!

Image: Ian Talmacs

The word hair is used to describe two separate and distinct components: the follicle and the shaft. The follicle—what we commonly refer to as the root—is a living organ located in the dermis of the scalp. It’s responsible not only for growing hair but also for helping regenerate skin after a wound.

On the other hand, the shaft—often referred to as the strand—is a filament composed of layers of keratin, the same protein that makes up our nails. Unlike the follicle, the hair shaft is technically dead because it consists of dead cells.

Image: Joyful Bird

Each hair strand is composed of three layers. The innermost layer is the medulla, and even scientists are still uncertain about its exact function. Surrounding the medulla is the cortex, which absorbs water and provides strength to the strand. The cortex also contains melanin, the pigment that determines hair color, and its shape plays a major role in whether hair is straight or curly. The outermost layer is the cuticle, which serves primarily to protect the hair shaft.

Image: Tyler McRobert

Hair color is primarily influenced by several genes, including MC1R, which plays a key role in melanin production. However, not everyone produces the same type or amount of melanin. Higher amounts of melanin result in black hair, while varying levels and types of melanin—along with genetic variations—produce brown, blond, and other shades.

Red hair, the rarest natural color, is caused by a mutation in the MC1R gene and is inherited in a recessive pattern. This means a person must inherit two copies of the mutated gene (one from each parent) to have red hair, though many people carry the gene without expressing the trait.

Image: William Warby

Growing at a rate of about 0.2 to 0.5 inches per month, hair is the second-fastest growing tissue in the human body—surpassed only by bone marrow. This rate is influenced by factors such as genetics and ethnic background. Other variables, such as age, lifestyle, or health, can also have an impact on our hair growth and density.

Image: Sohan Rahat

We usually think of cats or dogs when it comes to shedding, but humans also shed hair regularly. After all, hair is a trait shared by all mammals. The average person sheds between 50 and 100 strands of hair per day, though this number can increase in response to stressors such as illness, hormonal changes, or emotional stress. Once the stress subsides and the body readjusts, the excess shedding typically stops.

Image: Joseph Chan

Commonly associated with aging, grey hair isn’t a color in itself but rather the result of a loss of pigment. As part of the natural aging process, melanin production in the hair follicle gradually decreases and eventually stops, causing strands to appear grey or white.

Genetics and ethnic background play a major role in determining when and how the greying process begins. Some people are even genetically predisposed to start greying at a very young age.

Image: Jaroslav Devia

Hair texture is commonly associated with ethnic background, but that’s not the only factor involved. Texture is primarily determined by genetics, and while genetics are closely tied to ancestry, all hair textures can be found across different populations.

Scientists believe that hair texture—specifically curl pattern and volume—is a result of the shape of the shaft. A round shaft typically produces straight hair, while flatter or more oval-shaped shafts tend to create curls and waves.

Image: Amritanshu Sikdar

Depending on the structure of your hair cuticle, your hair may be more or less water-repellent. Hair shafts with a more porous cuticle absorb water easily but also lose moisture quickly. In contrast, shafts with a tighter-packed cuticle struggle to get wet and are slow to dry.

Image: Sonja Langford

Hair doesn’t grow continuously or all at once—each strand follows a cycle with distinct phases. First comes the growing phase, which varies depending on the type of hair (for example, facial hair grows faster and for a shorter period than scalp hair). Eventually, growth slows down, and the strand detaches from the root.

After this, the hair enters a resting phase, during which it remains in place until it is naturally shed. At any given time, we have hairs in all stages of this cycle, which is why we regularly shed hair without going bald.

Image: Hans Reniers

Like any other part of the body, hair contains DNA and genetic material, which means a person can be genetically identified from a single strand, provided it includes the root. But hair holds even more information. The analysis of a hair strand can reveal substances that were present in a person’s bloodstream over time, including vitamins, minerals, medications, alcohol, and other substances.