Examines ten major exploring expeditions which had an impact on the world and were intended as explorations, rather than conquest or commerce, from the first human migrations to the flight of Yuri Gagarin.

Describes the top ten explorers whose expeditions changed the world.

Penetrating biographies written by a group of distinguished travel writers, broadcasters, and historians reveal the lives, motives, and passions of forty major explorers in history. It has always been mankind’s gift, or curse, to be inquisitive, and through the ages people have been driven to explore the limits of the worlds known to them—and beyond. Here are the stories of forty of the world’s greatest explorers from Europe, America, Asia, and Australia. These are men and women who changed our perception of the world through their courageous adventures. Organized thematically, the book opens with the oceanic journeys of five hundred years ago, when the great era of recorded exploration began. The following sections look at The Land, Rivers, Polar Ice, Deserts, Life on Earth, and New Frontiers. Many of these explorers recounted their journeys in vivid firsthand accounts; others were superb artists or photographers. The book features quotes from their journals and reports, and it is illustrated with paintings, photographs, engravings, and maps, so that we can experience their adventures through their own eyes and in their own words. Featured explorers include: Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, James Cook, Lewis and Clark, Richard Burton, Samuel de Champlain, David Livingstone, Roald Amundsen, Gertrude Bell, Alexander von Humboldt, Yuri Gagarin, and Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

Describes ten of the most influential leaders, both good and bad, that changed the world with vibrant illustrations and detailed descriptions.

Describes ten of the most important scientific discoveries that changed the world.

Every so often there is an event that is so earth shattering it has the power to completely change the world. These events range from when man first walked on the moon to the detonation of atomic bombs. These occurrences proved the atmospheric power of man, either for good or corruptive means, and altered our universal understanding. Other cataclysmic events, such as the Black Death and the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event are also explored. Readers will be astonished at the events that were felt across the globe.

Describes ten of the most important battles that changed the world.