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Explorers of the 20th Century

Created on Oct 17, 2016 by Kathy Pinna

See the true faces of the men and women explorers who pushed the limits of our knowledge by daring to dream and challenge our boundaries.

These historic explorers and adventurers helped us understand more about our own world and about outer space. They were brave men and women who dared to do things most of us won't even try.

What motivated these explorers to risk their lives to discover something new? Many explorers were often driven by nationalism, pride, financial opportunities and/or faith.

These are photos and stories of the adventurers of the early 20th century. You may know some of them but many (we're sure) you won't recognize!

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Images of Explorers and Adventurers

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This brave little boy grew up to be . . .

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Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon!

Harriett Chalmers Adams, 1920

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She explored South America, Asia, and the South Pacific and wrote about it in National Geographic.

Amelia Earhart

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When women weren't considered fit to pilot a plane, she challenged the idea in a big way.

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And then came Sally Ride

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Who flew into outer space!

Edward Wilson, Antarctica

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He took part as a physician, natural historian, and artist in 2 British expeditions to Antarctica. He died on the 2nd expedition.

Howard Carter

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He discovered Tutankhamun's tomb.

George Wallace Melville in 1910

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One of only 13 survivors of an expedition to find a quick way to the North Pole.

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South Pole explorers, 1912

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Collecting penguin eggs

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British Antarctic Expedition, 1911.

Donald MacMillan, 1922

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He made over 30 expeditions to the Arctic.

Oscar Iden-Zeller, 1905

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The first white man to cross the Tschaun Mountains in Siberia.

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Frederick Cook, 1917

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Physician and explorer, he claimed that he reached the North Pole a year before the accepted claim of Admiral Peary.

Matthew Henson,1910

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A member of the Peary expedition, this man had quite a life. Orphaned as a young boy, he went to sea at age 12, rising from a cabin boy to a navigator.

Amazon explorer in a suit

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In the early 20th century, the Amazon was a mysterious place. Large portions of it still are.

Rollin Fountain, 1940's

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Photo of Henry Fountain Henry Fountain
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Those diving suits were cumbersome!

Jacques Cousteau

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About 40 years later - what a difference and how much more of the ocean could be seen.

Frits Vilhelm Holm,1915

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Known as an adventurer, he sounds more like a high end thief. He set out to obtain the Nestorian Stele from China. The local authorities found out about the plot and foiled it but that didn't deter him. He had a copy made . . .

The Lost Adams Digging

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Many over the past 150 yrs have looked for a lost goldmine in the Southwest of the U.S. All based on a man named "Adams" who had a gold nugget "the size of a hen's egg" that he said he had found in a mine in the desert. They're still looking!

Heroes come in all forms - click "next page" below to see photos of some first responders from the past century.

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