Chronicles the history of human exploration, from the Silk Road travels and early exploration of the Atlantic Coastline to the age of discovery, the colonial exploration eras, and modern expeditions to the North and South Poles.

The Age of Exploration, which spanned roughly from 1400 to 1550, was the first time in history that European powers—eyeing new trade routes to the East or seeking to establish empires—began actively looking far past their own borders to gain a better understanding of the world and its many resources. The individuals who set out on behalf of the countries they represented came from a variety of backgrounds, and included master navigators such as Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan—the latter of whom was the first to circle the globe—as well as the often ruthless conquistadors of the New World such as Francisco Pizarro and Hernan Cortes. The exciting and sometimes tragic lives and journeys of these and many others as well as the battles for empire that arose are chronicled in this engaging volume.

People have been pushing boundaries in search of fame and fortune for centuries, from ancient times to the present day. A quest for knowledge has been another impetus for testing personal and universal limits, as has the thrill of adventure. Within these pages, readers will discover detailed accounts of the lives of explorers and adventurers throughout the ages, men and women whose journeys have been remarkable, whatever their motivation. * Maps provide visual context * Vivid illustrations depict seminal figures and events * Glossaries explain key terms and ideas

Land ho! Discover what the Age of Exploration was all about in this wonderful addition to the bestselling Who HQ series! Before the fifteenth century, European sailors were unsure what waited for them beyond their well-known travel routes around the Mediterranean Sea, so they kept within sight of land. But all of that changed after Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal started sending ships down the coast in the hope of finding a sea route to India and Africa. This was the beginning of a giant leap toward understanding what the globe actually looked like. Certain European nations grew rich and powerful from the New World gold and lands they claimed, while advanced, long-standing civilizations like the Aztecs and Incas were destroyed in the cruelest of ways. This book also features the fun black-and-white illustrations and engaging 16-page photo insert that readers have come love about the What Was? series!

Technological advances—including pressurized cabins for hot air balloons, rocketry that powers spacecraft, and deep-sea diving gear—have changed the face of exploration. What hasn’t changed since ancient times, however, is the bravery and inquisitiveness of intrepid individuals at the forefront of modern-day exploration and adventure. Those who have challenged conventional thinking, and sought to test physical limits of human endurance in the 20th and 21st centuries are the subjects of this exciting collection of biographies.

“More than 60 years ago,” remembered Mr. Stvarnik, “I read the books From Ancient Philosophy to Modern Science of Atoms by prof. dr. Ivan Supek, and the Images from the Lives of Great Scientists by prof. dr. Milutin Milankovic, and for me these are still the most beautiful scientific texts.” From that time, as a much loving hobby, Mr. Stvarnik has studied biographies of great scientists. “I have grown up in an atheistic country,” he once said, “and therefore it was a surprise to find that there were very few atheistic or agnostic scientists; the majority of them were some kind of believers in God. Actually, a good number of the greatest scientific minds were or are Bible-believing Christians.” That realization, along with discoveries of some deliberate distortions of historical facts that made certain Bible-believing scientists look as having an atheistic bent, prompted writing a book The Portraits of the Great Bible-believing Scientists that was published in Croatian and in Serbian languages. Now he has written the same in English, but since many years elapsed from the mentioned publications, he enriched the text with new findings and added 12 new portraits into the book.