Famous American Explorers
Famous American Explorers
Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
Had it not been for Christopher Columbus would America exist today, leave alone be the address of several renowned explorers and discoverers? Vasco da Gama, Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Chaplain are some of the legendary explorers that the world takes pride in. It is to these noble souls that we owe the world today. For what would the world be without their indomitable attitude, never-say-die spirit and outrageously daring spirit? Explorers helped expand the border of the world by conquering new lands. What’s more, they added new cultures, traditions and heritage thus expanding the cultural legacy of the world. Through their voyages, they discovered the unknown. While it may look all fancy and extravagant, explorers go through a lot, while some survive the harsh conditions some give their life to it. Just like every other country in the world, America too has had pioneering explorers who expanded the horizon and undertook many expeditions. Some of them include Kit Carson, Robert Edwin Peary, John Wesley Powell, Meriwether Lewis, Daniel Boone and Sacagawea. Learn in details about the life and explorations of American explorers.
Vote for Your Favourite American Explorers
1
Nellie Bly
(Journalist and Writer Known for Her Record-Breaking Trip Around the World in 72 Days)
27
10
Birthdate: May 5, 1864
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: January 27, 1922
Nellie Bly was an American industrialist, journalist, inventor, and charity worker. She is remembered for her circumnavigation of the world in 72 days. She is also known for pioneering a new kind of investigative journalism as she worked undercover from within a mental institution to report on the institution. Nellie Bly’s life and work have inspired several works of art.
2
Sacagawea
(Interpreter)
32
12
Birthdate: 1788 AD
Birthplace: Salmon
Died: 1812 AD
Sacagawea, a Lemhi Shoshone woman, became a significant part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, helping its members connect with the Native Americans along the trail. The National American Woman Suffrage Association later honored her by erecting several statues in her memory. She finds mention in many books and films.
3
Daniel Boone
(American Frontiersman and One of the First Folk Heroes of the United States)
26
16
Birthdate: November 2, 1734
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Pennsylvania, United States
Died: September 26, 1820
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, woodsman, explorer, and frontiersman. His exploits as an American frontier made him one of the earliest folk heroes of the US. Widely regarded as the founder of Kentucky, Daniel Boone is popular for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky. His life and work have inspired several movies, such as the 1936 movie Daniel Boone.
Recommended Lists:
4
(American Adventurer Who Led a Nomadic Lifestyle and Trekked and Lived Alone through the Alaskan Wilderness)
Chris McCandless
28
15
Birthdate: February 12, 1968
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Inglewood, California, United States
Died: August 18, 1992
Chris McCandless, also known as Alexander Supertramp, was made famous by Jon Krakauer’s book Into the Wild, which was later made into a movie. The adventurer had hitchhiked through Alaska, and later took shelter in an abandoned bus, where he eventually died of starvation and poisoning, cut off from civilization.
5
(Journalist, Explorer, Writer)
Jon Krakauer
20
5
Birthdate: April 12, 1954
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States
Best known for his bestselling novels such as Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer is not just an author who writes about the outdoors but is also a mountaineer himself. He was part of the 1996 expedition to Mt. Everest which witnessed 4 of the team members dying in a storm.
6
(First American to Summit Mt. Lhotse)
Scott Fischer
20
5
Birthdate: December 24, 1955
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Muskegon, Michigan, United States
Died: May 11, 1996
American mountaineer Scott Fischer was known for scaling the highest peaks of the world, including Mt. Everest and K2, without using oxygen cans. He later became a mountain guide and co-launched his own adventure travel company Mountain Madness. He died in a blizzard while guiding a group of clients to Mt. Everest.
7
Kit Carson
(Explorer & Soldier)
23
5
Birthdate: December 24, 1809
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Madison County
Died: May 23, 1868
A frontiersman and a fur-trapper, Kit Carson played a major role in the US’s westward expansion. Mostly known for guiding explorer John C. Frémont, he was criticized for his contribution to the displacement of native Americans as an Indian agent. He became part of folk legend for his exploits as a fighter, too.
8
(Famous Mountain Man of the American Fur Trade Era)
Jim Bridger
21
5
Birthdate: March 17, 1804
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States
Died: July 17, 1881
Known as the ultimate American mountain man, Jim Bridger is remembered for his exploration of the Western United States. It is believed, the illiterate fur trader was the first white man to explore the Great Salt Lake and one of the first to visit Yellowstone. He also worked as a forest guide.
9
Meriwether Lewis
(Explorer, Politician)
21
8
Birthdate: August 18, 1774
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Ivy, Colony of Virginia
Died: October 11, 1809
Best known for his exploration of the Pacific Northwest and Oregon, Meriwether Lewis led the legendary Lewis and Clark Expedition. He had also been the governor of Louisiana. His mysterious death at age 35, due to gunshot wounds, sparked a huge debate on whether it was a murder or a suicide.
10
(American Naval Officer and Explorer Known for His Expedition of the Antarctic Plateau)
Richard E. Byrd
18
5
Birthdate: October 25, 1888
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Winchester, Virginia, United States
Died: March 11, 1957
American naval officer Richard E. Byrd is remembered for his pioneering expeditions to Antarctica, using airplanes. Though he was awarded a US Congressional Medal of Honor for completing the first flight over the North Pole, it was later revealed that he had returned when he was 150 miles away from the destination.
11
Robert Peary
(Explorer)
21
5
Birthdate: May 6, 1856
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Cresson, Pennsylvania
Died: February 20, 1920
US naval officer Robert Peary is credited with discovering the North Pole, with explorer Matthew Henson as his attendant, though he was challenged by Frederick A. Cook, who claimed to have achieved the feat independently before him. Later, diary entries revealed Peary may have been 100km short of the pole.
12
(Explorer)
Michael Rockefeller
18
8
Birthdate: May 18, 1938
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Died: November 19, 1961
The youngest child of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, Michael Rockefeller shunned his family’s legacy and decided to become an explorer. He went missing while on an expedition to the Asmat region of southwestern Dutch New Guinea and was declared dead 3 years later, raising speculations of cannibalism.
13
William Clark
(Explorer)
23
8
Birthdate: August 1, 1770
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Caroline County
Died: September 1, 1838
Frontiersman William Clark is remembered for his iconic expedition to the Pacific Northwest along with Meriwether Lewis, in what is known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He had also been a US Army soldier and the governor of Missouri Territory. He named his first-born after Lewis.
14
Matthew Henson
(African American Explorer Who Accompanied Robert E. Peary on Most of His Expeditions)
21
4
Birthdate: August 8, 1866
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nanjemoy, Maryland, United States
Died: March 9, 1955
Orphaned, Matthew Henson began his journey as a cabin boy at age 12 and was later hired by Robert E. Peary as an attendant for his expeditions. He, along with Peary and 4 Inuit, were the first men to set foot on North Pole. The African-American explorer later won a Congressional Medal.
15
(The First Person to Fly Solo Nonstop Around the World in a Balloon and in a Fixed-Wing Aircraft)
Steve Fossett
18
6
Birthdate: April 22, 1944
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Jackson, Tennessee, United States
Died: September 3, 2007
Apart from being the first solo balloonist to circumnavigate the world, Steve Fossett also competed the first non-stop solo flight across the world. The adventurer also owned a securities company. His plane went missing on a 2007 mission in western Nevada, and he was declared dead on the discovery of the wreckage.
16
(American Cave Explorer)
Floyd Collins
16
4
Birthdate: July 20, 1887
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Auburn, Kentucky, United States
Died: February 13, 1925
Cave explorer Floyd Collins is remembered for an ill-fated solo cave exploration in Kentucky, when he lost his balance and got stuck in a tight tunnel. His rescue attempt was widely covered by the media, but the tunnel collapsed and he died eventually. His body was recovered after 2 months.
17
(Explorer, Military personnel)
Zebulon Pike
22
4
Birthdate: January 5, 1779
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lamberton, New Jersey
Died: April 27, 1813
American army officer Zebulon Pike is best remembered for his exploration of areas around the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. While traversing through the southern Colorado region, he was detained by Spanish colonial authorities. He lent his name to the famed Pikes Peak in Colorado.
18
(The First Female Chief Scientist of the ‘U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’)
Sylvia Earle
19
16
Birthdate: August 30, 1935
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Gibbstown, Greenwich Township, New Jersey, United States
Sylvia Earle is known for her research on marine algae and she was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Earle held the world record for the deepest untethered dive and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet, in 1998. She also featured in Netflix Original documentary Seaspiracy.
19
John Wesley Powell
(Explorer, Geologist)
17
4
Birthdate: March 24, 1834
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Mount Morris
Died: September 23, 1902
John Wesley Powell was a geologist and explorer of the American West. He undertook a series of adventures as a young man and later joined the military. He is best known for the three-month-long geographic expedition he undertook down the Green and Colorado rivers. He was made the director of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1881.
20
(American Mountain Man, Fur Trader, and Explorer)
James Beckwourth
18
4
Birthdate: April 26, 1798
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Frederick County, Virginia, United States
Died: October 29, 1867
Born to a white man and a mulatto slave woman, Jim Beckwourth was practically born into slavery. While he looked like an American Indian, he was known as a “free Negro” after being released. Known as Bloody Arm, he is credited with exploring the Beckwourth Pass.
21
(First Person in Recorded History to Sail Around the World Single-handedly)
Joshua Slocum
17
4
Birthdate: February 20, 1844
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Mount Hanley, Canada
Died: November 14, 1909
Joshua Slocum was a seaman who became the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was also a noted writer and wrote a book about his journey, Sailing Alone Around the World; the book became an international bestseller. He disappeared in November 1909, during one of his sailing adventures. He was declared legally dead after a few years.
22
Henry Morton Stanley
(Welsh-American Explorer Who Was Famous for His Exploration of Central Africa and His Search for Missionary David Livingstone)
4
2
Birthdate: January 28, 1841
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales
Died: May 10, 1904
Henry Morton Stanley was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, colonial administrator, soldier, politician, and author. He is remembered for his exploration of central Africa and his search for the source of the River Nile. Stanley received an honorary title of knighthood in 1899. His life and career inspired the 1939 movie Stanley and Livingstone, where Stanley was played by Spencer Tracy.
23
(American Explorer, Physician, and Ethnographer)
Frederick Cook
17
3
Birthdate: June 10, 1865
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Hortonville, New York, United States
Died: August 5, 1940
Apart from being a qualified physician, Frederick Cook was also a passionate explorer. He was initially the surgeon on explorer Robert E. Peary’s team. He later created controversy by conflicting with Peary, saying it was him and not Peary who had first explored the North Pole, though his claims were denounced.
24
(Explorer, Painter)
Thomas Moran
15
4
Birthdate: February 12, 1837
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bolton
Died: August 25, 1926
Landscape painter Thomas Moran is best known for his paintings that depicted the Rocky Mountains. After being part of a government surveying expedition to the then-uncharted Yellowstone area, he documented the woods and thus motivated the authorities to establish the US’s first national park in the area.
25
(American Explorer and the First White Man to Have Seen and Described ‘Yellowstone National Park’)
John Colter
18
5
Birthdate: 1774 AD
Birthplace: Stuarts Draft, Virginia, United States
Died: November 22, 1813
Trapper-explorer John Colter, who was part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is remembered as the first white man to visit and describe the Yellowstone National Park. He had a brush with death on three occasions, when he came face-to-face with Indian tribes. He later settled in a Missouri farm.
26
(American Author, Adventurer and the First Woman to Finish a Number of Expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic)
Ann Bancroft
16
5
Birthdate: September 29, 1955
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mendota Heights, Minnesota, United States
Ann Bancroft grew up with a learning disability but later became a physical education teacher. She eventually quit her job and scripted history by becoming the first woman to reach the North Pole. She also led the first women’s group that reached the South Pole on skis.
27
(Explorer, Writer)
Frederick Russell Burnham
16
3
Birthdate: May 11, 1861
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Blue Earth County
Died: September 1, 1947
American scout and adventurer Frederick Russell Burnham had served the British Army in colonial Africa. He had started his career as a teenager, assisting the US Army in the Apache and Cheyenne Wars, as a tracker. He apparently also taught woodcarving to Robert Baden-Powell the founder of modern scouting.
28
(American Explorer, Adventurer and Naturalist Known for His Discovery of First-Known Fossil Dinosaur Eggs)
Roy Chapman Andrews
14
3
Birthdate: January 26, 1884
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Beloit, Wisconsin, United States
Died: March 11, 1960
Roy Chapman Andrews was an American adventurer, explorer, and naturalist. He is best remembered for his association with the American Museum of Natural History where he also served as the director. Andrews is credited with bringing to the museum the first-known fossil dinosaur eggs. His life and career are said to have inspired George Lucas’ famous character, Indiana Jones.
29
(Painter, Photographer, Explorer, Artist, Mountaineer)
William Henry Jackson
14
3
Birthdate: April 4, 1843
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Keeseville
Died: June 30, 1942
30
(Naval Officer)
Charles Wilkes
13
3
Birthdate: April 3, 1798
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: February 8, 1877
31
(US Geologist and Mountaineer Who Was the 1st Director of the US Geological Survey)
Clarence King
11
2
Birthdate: January 6, 1842
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Newport, Rhode Island, United States
Died: December 24, 1901
US geologist, mining engineer, and mountaineer Clarence King was the 1st director of the US Geological Survey. While preparing his report, Systematic Geology, he found the first US glaciers. Mostly known for his exploration of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, he penned the iconic work Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada.
32
(Frontiersman)
Mike Fink
13
3
Birthdate: 1770 AD
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: 1823 AD
33
(The First Naturalist Who Penetrated the Dense Tropical Forests of Florida)
William Bartram
12
2
Birthdate: April 20, 1739
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: July 22, 1823
William Bartram was an American ornithologist, botanist, explorer, and natural historian. He is best remembered for authoring an acclaimed book, which is now known as Bartram’s Travels. The book chronicles Bartram’s explorations of the British colonies in North America. William Bartram was also one of America’s first ornithologists.
34
(Filmmaker)
Osa Johnson
11
2
Birthdate: March 14, 1894
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Chanute, Kansas, United States
Died: January 7, 1953
35
(Army Officer)
Adolphus Greely
12
2
Birthdate: March 27, 1844
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States
Died: October 20, 1935
36
(Explorer)
Robert Gray
11
3
Birthdate: May 10, 1755
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Tiverton, Rhode Island, United States
Died: June 30, 1806
37
(Paleoanthropologist)
Lee Rogers Berger
11
2
Birthdate: December 22, 1965
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Shawnee Mission, Kansas, United States
38
(Explorer)
Charles Francis Hall
10
2
Birthdate: 1821 AD
Birthplace: Rochester, New Hampshire, United States
Died: November 8, 1871
39
(Explorer)
Lincoln Ellsworth
9
2
Birthdate: May 12, 1880
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: May 26, 1951
40
(Engineer)
Frank Piasecki
8
1
Birthdate: October 24, 1919
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: February 11, 2008
Aeronautical engineer Frank Piasecki was the first American to get a helicopter pilot’s license. Remembered as the pioneer of the tandem rotor design of helicopters, also known as the Flying Banana model. The National Medal of Technology winner had also designed the first helicopter for the American navy.
41
(US Mountaineer, Cartographer, and Photographer Who Established the Boston Museum of Science)
Bradford Washburn
7
2
Birthdate: June 7, 1910
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Died: January 10, 2007
US mountaineer, photographer, and cartographer Bradford Washburn was the founder-director of the Boston Museum of Science. A pioneer of aerial photography, he also created maps for ranges such as Mt. Everest. Some of his cameras, which he had dumped on a glacier due to bad weather, were recovered 85 years later, in 2022.
42
(Navy officer)
George W. De Long
9
2
Birthdate: August 22, 1844
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: October 31, 1881
43
(Explorer)
John Bozeman
9
1
Birthdate: 1837
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Pickens County, Georgia, United States
Died: April 20, 1867
44
(Explorer)
Christopher Gist
9
2
Birthdate: 1706 AD
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Died: 1759 AD
45
(Hunter)
Nathaniel Palmer
8
2
Birthdate: August 8, 1799
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Stonington, Connecticut, United States
Died: June 21, 1877
46
(Explorer)
Manuel Lisa
8
1
Birthdate: September 8, 1772
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Died: August 12, 1820
47
(Aviator)
Carl Ben Eielson
7
1
Birthdate: July 20, 1897
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hatton, North Dakota, United States
Died: November 9, 1929
48
(Explorer)
John Ledyard
7
1
Birthdate: 1751
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Groton, Connecticut, United States
Died: January 10, 1789
49
(Explorer)
Jonathan Carver
7
1
Birthdate: April 13, 1710
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Weymouth, Massachusetts
Died: January 31, 1780
50
(Educator)
Francis Wayland Parker
7
1
Birthdate: October 9, 1837
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bedford, New Hampshire, United States
Died: March 2, 1902
