Exploration
The urge to see what lies beyond the horizon. From Polynesian wayfinders to the Hubble telescope — exploration reshapes every map.
Exploration (48)
48 events
All Exploration Events
Opening of the Ice-Free Corridor
c. 14000 BCE · Prehistoric
ClimateExploration
Lapita People Expand Across the Western Pacific
c. 1500–800 BCE · Ancient World
ExplorationCulture
Ban Chao's Silk Road Missions
73-102 CE · Classical Antiquity
ExplorationWarPolitics
Xuanzang Departs China on Pilgrimage to India
629 CE · Late Antiquity
ExplorationCulture
Austronesian Settlers Arrive in Madagascar
c. 650-800 CE · Late Antiquity
CultureAgricultureExploration
Senegal River Gold Trade Route Established
c. 800 CE · Late Antiquity
EconomicsExploration
Rajendra Chola Launches Naval Expedition Against Srivijaya
1025 CE · Medieval
WarExploration
Polynesian Navigators Settle the Hawaiian Islands
c. 1000–1200 CE · Medieval
ExplorationCulture
Polynesian Navigators Settle Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
c. 1100–1200 CE · Medieval
ExplorationCulture
Al-Idrisi Completes the Tabula Rogeriana World Map
1154 · Medieval
ExplorationLanguage
Polynesians Make Contact with South America
c. 1150–1200 CE · Medieval
Exploration
Polynesian Ancestors of the Māori Settle Aotearoa New Zealand
c. 1250–1300 CE · Medieval
ExplorationCulture
The Travels of Marco Polo Published
1298-1299 · Medieval
CultureExploration
Ibn Battuta Departs Tangier
June 14, 1325 · Medieval
ExplorationCulture
Ibn Battuta Visits Kilwa and Documents the Swahili Coast
1331 CE · Medieval
ExplorationCultureEconomics
Zheng He Launches the Ming Treasure Fleet Voyages
July 11, 1405 – 1433 CE · Medieval
ExplorationPolitics
Zheng He's Fleet Reaches East Africa
1418-1419 · Medieval
ExplorationEconomics
Ming China Ends the Treasure Voyages and Destroys the Records
1433–1435 CE · Medieval
ExplorationPolitics
Columbus Departs Spain with the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María
August 3, 1492 · Early Modern
Exploration
Treaty of Tordesillas Divides the New World
June 7, 1494 · Early Modern
PoliticsExplorationReligion
John Cabot Voyage to North America
June 24, 1497 · Early Modern
Exploration
Vasco da Gama's Voyage to India
1497 · Early Modern
Exploration
Vasco Núñez de Balboa's Pacific Expedition
September 25, 1513 · Early Modern
PoliticsExploration
Magellan-Elcano Expedition Circumnavigates the Globe
1519-1522 · Early Modern
ExplorationEconomics
Harrison's H4 Marine Chronometer Sea Trial
November 18, 1761 · Early Modern
TechnologyEngineeringExploration
James Cook's First Voyage
1768-1771 · Early Modern
Exploration
First Hot Air Balloon Flight
1783 · Early Modern
TechnologyExploration
Northwest Ordinance Establishes Northwest Territory
1787 · Early Modern
PoliticsExploration
Alexander von Humboldt's South American Expedition
1799-1804 · Early Modern
ExplorationBiologyClimate
Louisiana Purchase
1803 · 19th Century
PoliticsExploration
Lewis and Clark Expedition Begins
May 14, 1804 · 19th Century
PoliticsEconomicsExploration
William Smith Publishes Geological Map of England
1815 · 19th Century
GeologyExploration
Discovery of Gold in Cherokee Territory
1828-1829 · 19th Century
EconomicsExploration
Henri Mouhot Brings Angkor Wat to Western Attention
January 1860 · 19th Century
CultureExploration
Suez Canal Opens
November 17, 1869 · 19th Century
EngineeringEconomicsExploration
International Meridian Conference
October 22, 1884 · 19th Century
EconomicsTechnologyExploration
Amundsen's Expedition Reaches the South Pole
December 14, 1911 · 20th Century
Exploration
Panama Canal Opens to Commercial Traffic
August 15, 1914 · 20th Century
EngineeringExplorationEconomics
Completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway
October 1916 · 20th Century
EngineeringEconomicsExploration
Clovis Site Discovered
1929-1932 · 20th Century
Human EvolutionExploration
Kon-Tiki Raft Crosses the Pacific Ocean
April 28 - August 7, 1947 · 20th Century
ExplorationCulture
Operation Deep Freeze
1955 · 20th Century
ExplorationTechnology
Establishment of McMurdo Station
February 16, 1956 · 20th Century
ExplorationEngineering
Voyager 1 Crosses into Interstellar Space
August 25, 2012 · 21st Century
AstronomyTechnologyExploration
NASA Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars
February 18, 2021 · 21st Century
EngineeringExploration
SpaceX Crew-2
April 24, 2021 · 21st Century
EngineeringTechnologyExploration
Chang'e 6 Returns Far Side Lunar Samples to Earth
June 25, 2024 · 21st Century
ExplorationEngineering
SpaceX Catches Returning Rocket Booster on Tower
October 13, 2024 · 21st Century
EngineeringExploration