EXPLORERS AND EXPLORATION

MOUNT DISAPPOINTMENT IN AUSTRALIA GOT ITS

NAME WHEN THE EXPLORERS WHO STUMBLED

ACROSS IT FOUND THE VIEW TO BE LESS THAN STELLAR

VENEZUELA GOT ITS NAME WHEN AMERIGO VESPUCCI

SAW HOW THE NATIVES HAD ELEVATED THEIR

HOUSES ABOVE THE WATER, SIMILAR TO VENICE.

HENCE "LITTLE VENICE", OR "VENEZUELA"

COLUMBUS'S SHIP CAPTAIN, RODRIGO DE TRIANA, WAS

THE FIRST TO SPOT LAND BUT COLUMBUS CLAIMED HE

HAD SEEN IN SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER ALREADY. IN THIS

WAY HE SECURED THE LIFETIME PENSION PROMISED BY

KING FERDINAND FOR BEING THE FIRST TO MAKE THE SIGHTING

WHILE EXPLORING SOUTH DAKOTA, HUGH GLASS

WAS LEFT FOR DEAD BY HIS GROUP AFTER BEING

MAULED BY A GRIZZLY BEAR. HE THEN CRAWLED

200 MILES TO THE NEAREST SETTLEMENT

DURING THE 1600’S, BRITISH EXPLORERS CAME

ACROSS SOMETHING CALLED “KÊ-CHIAP” IN CHINA.

IT WAS A BLEND OF PICKLED FISH AND SPICE.

IT WAS LATER BROUGHT TO THE NEW WORLD AND

CAME TO BE KNOWN AS KETCHUP

AUSTRALIA IS ALSO HOME TO LAKE DISAPPOINTMENT.

IT WAS NAMED AFTER AN EXPLORER FOLLOWED

NUMEROUS RIVERS AND CREEKS TO FIND A SOURCE

OF FRESHWATER ONLY TO FIND THAT THE LAKE

WAS FULL OF SALT WATER

RICHARD FRANCIS BURTON WAS AN ENGLISH

EXPLORER WHO SPOKE MORE THAN 40 LANGUAGES.

HE ONCE SNUCK INTO MECCA IN DISGUISE AND

ALSO TRANSLATED THE KAMA SUTRA INTO ENGLISH

IN 1925 BRITISH SOLDIER PERCIVAL HARRISON

FAWCETT DIED IN THE AMAZON WHILE LOOKING

FOR EL DORADO. OVER THE PAST CENTURY, MORE

THAN ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE HAVE DIED TRYING

TO FIND HIS REMAINS AND THE LAST EXPEDITION

ONLY GOT OUT ALIVE AFTER PAYING A RANSOM

TO THEIR NATIVE CAPTORS