Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, under the patronage of the Spanish King and Queen, with the goal of finding a new route to Asia.

Vasco Nunez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer who is credited with being the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the New World.

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe. Although Magellan himself died during the voyage, his ship, the Victoria, completed the journey under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano.

Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who led the first expedition to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage, a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Archipelago.

Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who led the first expedition to reach the South Pole, on December 14, 1911.

Alexander von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer who is considered one of the founders of modern geography. He is best known for his expeditions to the Americas, particularly his exploration of the Amazon rainforest.

Hiram Bingham was an American explorer and historian who is credited with discovering the lost city of Machu Picchu in 1911.

Gerhard Rohlfs was a German explorer who is known for his extensive travels in the Sahara desert. He was the first European to cross the Sahara from north to south.

Edmund Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer who, along with Tenzing Norgay, became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, on May 29, 1953.

Robert Peary was an American explorer who is known for his expeditions to the Arctic. He is credited with being the first person to reach the North Pole, on April 6, 1909.

Howard Carter was a British archaeologist who is best known for discovering the intact tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings in 1922.

Ernest Shackleton was an Irish-British explorer who is known for his expeditions to the Antarctic. He is particularly remembered for his Endurance expedition, which aimed to cross the Antarctic continent but ended in disaster.

Heinrich Schliemann was a German archaeologist who is best known for discovering the ruins of the ancient city of Troy in Turkey.

Henry Morton Stanley was a Welsh-American explorer and journalist who is best known for his expeditions to the Congo River in Africa.

John Hanning Speke was a British explorer who, along with James Augustus Grant, discovered the source of the Nile River in Lake Victoria.