Background The “Corps of Discovery” expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the years 1804-1806 was instrumental in opening up western North America to settlement. After this defining exploration, fur companies further investigated westward routes. Financed by John J. Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, an 1812 expedition led by Robert Stuart began on the west coast…
How I reached the Pole audio recording by Frederick Albert Cook Frederick A. Cook primary source set Cook polar diary Frederick A. Cook & the North Pole front-page newspaper coverage More newspaper articles about Frederick A. Cook & the North Pole Topics in Chronicling America – The Race to the North Pole Today in History: Robert…
Today in History–September 27–the Library of Congress features Juan Ponce de León, who was granted permission to settle Bimini Island and Florida on this day in 1514. Seven years later, in 1521, Ponce de León sailed from Puerto Rico to Florida with two ships, two hundred men, fifty horses, as well as other domestic animals and agricultural tools….
Who do you think is pictured on the cover of this atlas? Why do you think that? How many years does this atlas cover? Review the list of pages below and choose one title to investigate further. Click the image above to access the digital pages. What did you discover about the topic and time…
Today in History–June 9–the Library of Congress features French navigator Jacques Cartier, who sailed into the St. Lawrence River on this date in 1534. The explorer was commissioned by King Francis I of France to explore the area in hopes of finding gold, spices, and a northern passage to Asia. Find out more about Cartier’s three visits to Canada…
Today in History–May 6–the Library of Congress features explorer Robert E. Peary, born on this date in 1856. Trained as a civil engineer, Peary first traveled to Nicaragua in 1884 to survey a route for a canal. In 1886, Peary ventured north and began his polar expeditions in Greenland, where he and his assistant Matt Henson learned arctic…
Today in History–November 28–the Library of Congress features the Straits of Magellan. On this day in 1520, three ships under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed into the “Sea of the South”. The fleet reached the island of Guam just four months later thanks to a remarkably smooth voyage that led the explorers to…
Today in History–August 3–the Library of Congress features Christopher Columbus, who set sail for what would later be known as the new world on this day in 1492. Columbus had the most modern maritime tools on his ship, including a mariner’s compass, an astrolabe, a cross-staff, and a quadrant and, quite possibly, the popular mariner map Ptolemy’s Geography or Cosmography. A little…
Today in History–January 31–the Library of Congress features John C. Frémont, who was court-martialed on grounds of mutiny and disobeying orders on this day in 1848. This decision was later reversed by President James Polk and did little to thwart the progress of this explorer turned politician known as the “pathfinder”. Learn more about the extraordinary fortunes…
Today in History–October 12–the Library of Congress features Columbus Day, celebrating the date in 1492 when Christopher Columbus sighted land in the Bahamas. Learn more about the man and the national holiday by visiting the Today in History section then click the links below to access more primary sources related to Columbus. Christopher Columbus Saw Land! from America’s Library Columbus Day primary source…
Today in History–August 18–the Library of Congress features explorer Meriwether Lewis, born on this day in 1774. Together with William Clark, Lewis set out on May 14, 1804 at the behest of President Thomas Jefferson to look for a Northwest Passage, or water route to the Pacific Ocean. Find out more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below…