Famous explorers quiz
Checked on 11 November 2026
Question 1 of 10
Discover
In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic with the backing of which country's monarchs?
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The answer is Spain.
Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II of Spain agreed to sponsor the voyage, and Columbus left the port of Palos in August 1492.
Discover
In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to reach the summit of which mountain?
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The answer is Mount Everest.
On 29 May 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stood together on top of Mount Everest.
Discover
Who was the first person to walk on the Moon?
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The answer is Neil Armstrong.
As commander of Apollo 11 in July 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon and called it one small step for a man.
Discover
Which explorer set out in 1519 leading the expedition that became the first to sail all the way around the world?
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The answer is Ferdinand Magellan.
Magellan led the fleet out of Spain in 1519, and his crew completed the first trip around the Earth in 1522.
Practise
Who led the first expedition to reach the South Pole, in December 1911?
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The answer is Roald Amundsen.
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and four companions reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911, ahead of Captain Scott.
Practise
Which Portuguese explorer was the first to sail directly from Europe to India, on his 1497 to 1499 voyage?
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The answer is Vasco da Gama.
Vasco da Gama's first voyage linked Europe and Asia by an ocean route around the southern tip of Africa.
Practise
The Venetian traveler Marco Polo served as an envoy for which Mongol ruler?
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The answer is Kublai Khan.
After a four-year journey to China, Marco Polo impressed Kublai Khan, who sent him on missions across his empire.
Expert
Which Portuguese mariner became the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, in 1488?
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The answer is Bartolomeu Dias.
Bartolomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa in early 1488, and the point was named the Cape of Good Hope.
Expert
Which navigator commanded the crew that finished the first trip around the world, arriving back in Spain in 1522?
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The answer is Juan Sebastián Elcano.
Juan Sebastián Elcano took command of the fleet and brought the ship Victoria home to Spain in 1522.
Expert
Which Norse explorer is thought to be the first known European to set foot in continental North America?
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The answer is Leif Erikson.
Leif Erikson, son of Erik the Red, reached North America centuries before Columbus.