H

Richard Hakluyt (England, 1551?-1616)

1582: Wrote Divers Voyages touching the discovery of America.

1589-90: Wrote The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation.

Both of these books are now important sources for information on 16th century voyages of discovery, especially the English ones. Hakluyt was a great promotor of English voyages to and colonization of North America.

Introduction to Discourse of Western Planting, 1584

Hakluyt Society - publishes reports from discoverers

Charles Francis Hall (USA, 1821-1871)

1859-62: Lives among the Inuit of Baffin Island, and finds the remains of Frobisher's mining activities on Frobisher Bay

1864-9: Travels over King William Island, and gathers stories and artifacts about Franklin's last expedition.

1871: Explores northern Greenland, and tries to reach a farthest North.

Explorers Voyage Toward North Pole (1871 expedition)

Charles Francis Hall - 1860-1862, 1864-1869

Hendrick Hamel (Netherlands)

1653-66: Shipwrecks on the island of Cheju (Quelpaert). Lives for thirteen years in Korea.

Jacques Felix Emmanuel Hamelin (France)

1800-3: Captain of the second ship on Baudin's voyage to Australia. When the ships are blown apart by a storm, charts the Australian coast from Geographe Bay to south of Swan River and Rottnest Island.

France's Role in Exploring Australia's Coastline

Hanno (Carthago, dates unknown)

ca. 480 BC: Establishes various colonies on the Atlantic coast of Morocco and Western Sahara, and follows the coast further, possibly upto Cameroon.

Phoenicia and Carthago

Harkhuf (also known as Herkhuf, Egypt)

ca. 2270 BC: Makes several trading voyages southward, into what is now Sudan.

The First Explorers

Walter B. Harris (England, 1866-1933)

1892: Visits Sana (Yemen).

Dirk Hartog (also known as Dirck Hartogh, Netherlands, dates unknown)

1616: Discovers land on what later is shown to be the Australian west coast, in Shark Bay.

Dirk Hartog

Hartog Encounters a Western Shore

Hartog, Dirck

Hawai'i Loa (also known as Ke Kowa i Hawai'i, Polynesia)

In Hawaiian tradition the discoverer and colonizer of Hawaii.

Hatshepsut (Egypt, reign 1503-1482 BC)

1492: Sends an expedition southward to a land called Punt.

The First Explorers

John Hawkins (England, 1532-1595)

1562-3: Ships a cargo of slaves from West Africa to Hispaniola

1564-6: Makes a slave trading voyage from West Africa to Spanish America, visits the French colony in Florida and loads stockfish in Newfoundland.

1567-9: Trades in Spanish America, but has several of his ships captured in a fight with the Spanish is San Juan de Ulloa (Mexico).

1595: Is sent on an expedition to the West Indies with Drake, but dies of dysentery near Puerto Rico.

Sir John Hawkins

The Hawkins Dynasty: Three Generations of a Tudor Family (excerpts)

Admiral Sir John Hawkins 1532-1595 and Descendants (genealogy)

Isaac Israel Hayes (USA, 1832-1881)

1860-1: Travels to Baffin Bay, trying to reach the North Pole.

Samuel Hearne (England, 1745-1792)

1769-1770: Makes two failed attempts to find rumoured copper mines northwest of the Hudson's Bay Company's areas.

1770-2: On a third attempt, he discovers the Coppermine River and follows it to its mouth.

Overland to the Sea - Samuel Hearne's Search for the Coppermine River

Samuel Hearne

Arctic Dawn - The Journeys of Samuel Hearne (Hearne's own writings)

a drawing

Sven Anders Hedin (Sweden, 1865-1952)

1890-1: Travels to Tashkent and Samarkand, crosses the Pamir range and reaches Kashi, the westernmost city of China.

1894-7: Explores the Takla Makan desert, and discovers an ancient town.

1899-1902: Makes more explorations in Central Asia, and undertakes a failed attempt to reach Lhasa.

1906-8: Explores large parts of the Himalaya mountains

1933-5: Leader of a combined Chinese-Swedish expedition to map the former Silk Road.

Sven Hedin, der letzte Forschungsreisende

picture

Jacob van Heemskerck (Netherlands, 1567-1607)

1595: Trader on Barentsz's first voyage.

1596-7: With Barentsz, discovers Beren Island (Berenøya) and Spitsbergen (Svalbard) and rounds the northern tip of Nova Zembla. Winters on Nova Zembla.

See Barentsz for links.

Louis Hennepin (France, 1626-1705?)

1678: Serving La Salle, builds a fort and ship on the Niagara River. First European to describe and draw the Niagara Falls.

1680: Explores the Mississippi for La Salle. Claims to have reached its mouth, but given the timespan of his voyage this is considered impossible.

1680-1: Captive of the Sioux Indians. Studies their customs and language. Released by Dulhut.

Louis Hennepin

"Hennepin's Story of La Salle in Indiana"

maps

Henry the Navigator (Portugal, 1394-1460)

Prince of Portugal, establishes a navigational academy in Sagres, and from 1426 onwards sends out ship south along the African coast.

The coast of Africa

Matthew Alexander Henson (USA, 1866-1955)

Servant of Peary, and an important aid on his travels. Was with Peary when the latter reached the North Pole.

Matthew Henson memorial website

Dark Companion: The Story of Matthew Henson (official biography)

Matthew Henson

Matthew Henson

Matthew Henson: Arctic Explorer

resources and links

Robert Edwin Peary

Walter William Herbert (UK, born 1934)

1968-9: Crosses the Arctic Ocean by dog sledge, from Alaska over the pole to Spitsbergen.

1977: Leads the first circumnavigation of Greenland by dog sledge and skin boat.

Icetrek.org: Wally Herbert

Bjarni Herjulfsson (also known as Herjolfsson or Herjolfson, Norway)

986: Blown off course while travelling to Greenland, discovers America.

Irish and Vikings

Jacques l'Heremite (Netherlands, ?-1625)

1623-5: Leader of a Dutch fleet to fight the Spanish in South America. Captures or sinks a number of ships, but fails in his attempt to take the Peruvian harbour of Callao. After his death, the expedition crosses the Pacific to the Marianas and the East Indies.

Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greece/Turkey, 484?-420? BC)

Describes the Greco-Persian war, also giving extensive descriptions of the various countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. Visits several countries himself, in particular Egypt.

Greek Explorers

Bruno de Hezeta (also known as Heçeta and Ezeta, Spain, 1750?-?)

1775: Follows the American Northwest coast upto 49° North (near Nootka). On the return voyage discovers the mouth of the Columbia.

Edmund Percival Hillary (New Zealand, born 1919)

1953: With Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay, first to reach the summit of the Mount Everest.

1957-8: Sets out depots between Ross Sea and the South Pole to aid Fuchs on his crossing of Antarctica.

1967: Climbs Mount Herschel (Alaska) and collects rock samples for scientific research.

interview

Himilco (Carthage)

5th century BC: Sails north from the Straits of Gibraltar and reaches England.

Phoenicia and Carthago

Hina-fa'aura-va'a (Polynesia)

According to Polynesian tradition, explored the world with her brother Ru.

Hippalus (Greece/Egypt)

ca. 45 BC: Uses the monsoon winds in a voyage to India; believed by some to be the first to have done so.

The Roman period

Friedrich Konrad Hornemann (Germany, 1772-1801)

1797-1801: Travels through the Sahara, looking for the Niger, disguised as an Arab. Disappears, apparently having died in Nigeria, possibly of dysentery.

Daniel Houghton (Ireland, 1740?-1791)

1790-1: Travels inland from the mouth of the Gambia, and reaches the Niger river. Dies after having been robbed by his guides.

Cornelis de Houtman (also known as Cornelius de Houtman, Netherlands, 1540?-1599)

1595-7: Commercial leader of the first Dutch voyage to the East Indies. Visits Java, Bali and the Moluccas.

1598-9: Visits Madagascar, Cochin China and Sumatra. Killed by the sultan of Atjeh.

Frederik de Houtman (also known as Frederick de Houtman, Netherlands, 1571-1627)

1595-7: With his brother Cornelis present on the first Dutch voyage to the East Indies.

1598-9: With his brother Cornelis present on another voyage to the East Indies.

1619: Lands on the Australian coast near present-day Perth. Discovers a group of shoals, the Houtman Abrolhos.

Open Your Eyes!

Frederick de Houtman

Evariste Huc (France, 1813-1860)

1844-6: With Gabet, travels from Beijing through Inner Mongolia and Central China to Lhasa to do missionary work. After three months forced to leave the country and returns to eastern China.

Evariste Régis Huc

Travels in the Chinese Empire or The Adventures of Huc

Henry Hudson (England, ?-1611)

1607: Follows the coast of Greenland to 80deg; North before being stopped by the ie. Also visits Spitsbergen. Discovers Jan Mayen.

1608: Looking for the Northeast Passage, reaches Nova Zembla.

1609: Sent out by the Dutch East India Company to find the Northeast Passage, but looks for a Northwest Passage north of Virginia instead. Explores Chesapeake Bay, discovers the Hudson River, and sails up the Hudson to present-day Albany.

1610-1: Sails through Hudson Strait and discovers Hudson Bay. Reaches James Bay (the southern end of Hudson Bay), but is set adrift in a small boat by mutineers.

Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson: an Englishman in Dutch service

Half Moon History

The Ghost of Henry Hudson

Antonio Gutiérrez de Humaña (Spain, ?-1601?)

1594-1601: Second-in-command of the expedition of Bonilla to New Mexico and Arkansas. Kills Bonilla and takes over command, but is later, together with all his men, killed by indians.

Alexander von Humboldt (Germany, 1769-1859)

1799-1800: With Bonpland, explores the Orinoco and confirms the existence of the Casiquiare, a 'natural channel' connecting the Orinoco and the Rio Negro. Makes important biological observations.

1801-3: With Bonpland, travels through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Makes scientific observations.

1829: Travels to Siberia on a mining survey for czar Nicholas I.

Alexander von Humboldt - Networks of Knowledge

Baron Alexander von Humboldt

Alexander von Humboldt

Alejandro de Humboldt - Viajes Americanos (in Spanish)

Humboldt & Bonpland

Alexander von Humboldt - naturalist and explorer

Cómo Alejandro de Humboldt llegó a ser naturalista y explorador, en sus propias palabras (in Spanish)

Humboldt on Tenerife

Socio-political Views of the Americas

Hamilton Hume (Australia, 1797-1873)

1824: With Hovell, explores the mountains between Sydney and Port Phillip. Discovers the Murray river.

1828-9: Joins Sturt on his expedition to the Macquarie.

Hamilton Hume

Hume and Hovell

Wilson Price Hunt (USA, 1782?-1842)

1810-1: Travels overland to the mouth of Columbia for Astor. Discovers Union Pass and the western part of the later Oregon Trail.

Journal