Discoverers Web: Alphabetical List: L

L


Charles-Marie de La Condamine (France, 1701-1774): 1735-1743: Member of an expedition that travels to Ecuador to measure the shape of the earth. Makes several other scientific observations as well.; 1743-4: Travels down the Amazon and conducts experiments in French Guiana.; Charles Marie de la Condamine4; Charles Marie de La Condamine; Potins d'Uranie - Condamine story; Charles-Marie de La Condamine
Juan de La Cosa (Spain, ?-1510): 1493: Joins Columbus on his second voyage.; 1499: With Ojeda, explores the coasts of Guiana, Venezuela and Colombia.; 1500: Draws the oldest extant map showing the New World.; 1501: With Bastidas, explores Colombia and discovers Panama.; 1504-6: Travels to Venezuela and Curaçao, makes some small trips inland near the Gulf of Urabá and raids villages in Darién. Twice rescues the Guerra expedition.; 1509-10: With Ojeda, attempts to establish a colony on the coast of Colombia.
Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce, Baron La Hontan (France, 1666-?): 1688-9: Makes a voyage to Lake Michigan and the area of the upper Mississippi.
Alexander Gordon Laing (Scotland, 1793-1826): 1822: Travels through Sierra Leone.; 1825-6: Crosses the Sahara from Tripoli to Timbuktu, but is killed by his guide two days after leaving the city for his return journey.
Richard Lemon Lander (England, 1804-1834): 1825-7: Servant to Clapperton on the latter's second and fatal expedition.; 1830-1: With his brother John Lander, descends the Niger River from Bussa to the coast.; 1832: Failed attempt to lead a trading expedition up the Niger.
James Lancaster (England, 1550?-1618): 1591-4: Sails to the Indies. Visits Malakka, the Nicobares and Ceylon.; 1601-3: Commander of the first voyage of the British East India Company. Visits Atjeh (Sumatra) and Bantam (Java).
Jean François de Galaup, Comte de La Pérouse (France, 1741-1788): 1785-8: Explores the Pacific, visiting Easter Island, Hawaii, Alaska, California, Macao and the Philippines. Explores the northeast Pacific, discovers La Pérouse Strait. From Petropavlovsk via Samoa travels to Australia. Shipwrecks on Vanikoro (Santa Cruz), never to be seen again.
Carl Anton Larsen (Norway, 1860-1924): 1892-3: Explores the Erebus and Terror Gulf. Lands on Seymour Island and brings back the first Antarctic fossils.; 1893-4: Discovers and explores the west coast of Graham Land. Discovers Christensen Island.; 1901-2: Captain on Otto Nordenskjöld's expedition to Graham Land.
Henry Asbjorn Larsen (Canada (born Norwegian), 1899-1964): 1940-2: First to navigate the northwest passage from west to east.; 1944: Navigates the northwest passage. First to navigate Prince of Wales Strait.
René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (France, 1643-1687): 1669-71: Travels to the Ohio, possibly exploring it partway downstream.; 1678: Builds a ship, Le Griffon on the Niagra. This is the first ship to sail the Great Lakes.; 1679: Builds Fort Miami on the south coast of Lake Michigan.; 1679-80: Travels to the Illinois River and builds Fort Crèvecoeur there.; 1680: Travels back to Montreal to raise money for the continuation of his expedition. Returns to Fort Crèvecoeur, but finds it abandoned. In vain searches for the men he had left behind there.; 1681-2: Descends the Mississippi to its mouth.; 1684-7: Lands in Texas, looking for the mouth of the Mississippi. Is killed by his own men.; Cavelier de La Salle - Intrepid Explorer; La Salle, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de; La Salle (Robert Cavelier, sieur de) (in French); Robert Cavelier, Sieur (Lord) de La Salle; Cavelier de la Salle (in French); René Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle (in French); Letters on the Texas Explorers - La Salle; René-Robert-Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle; La Salle Claims Louisiana for France; Hennepin's Story of La Salle in Indiana; A La Salle Chronology; La Salle expedition (last voyage); the La Salle Shipwreck Project - archaeology on La Salle's ship of his last voyage; Raising the Belle
Bartolomé de Las Casas (Spain, 1484-1566): Priest, championing the case of the Indians from 1514 onwards.; 1542: Writes the Brevissima relación, a short but influential description of the autrocities committed by the Spanish in America.; 1550: Debates with Juan Gin&eeacute;s de Sepúlveda in Valladodid on behalf of the Indians.; Bartolome de las Casas Homepage; Bartolome de Las Casas: Father of Liberation Theology; The Tale of Bartolome de las Casas; Bartolomé de las Casas (in German); Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (in Spanish); Bartolome de las Casas, Missionary, Priest, Defender of the Oppressed; Bartolome de las Casas Defends the Rights of Native Peoples; Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566); Bartolomé de Las Casas and the Tradition of Medieval Law; "Of the Island of Hispaniola"
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes Sieur de La Vérendrye (France, 1685-1749): 1731: Travels to Lake Winnipeg, and trades in furs and explores in the regions around the lake for the next ten years.; 1738-9: Reaches the Mandan villages on the Missouri.; 1742-3: Travels west in what is now Dakota, looking for a route to the Pacific. Possibly sights the Rocky Mountains.; La Vérendrye - Explorer of the West; La Vérendrye - explorateur, commerçant et soldat; Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de La Vérendrye (French version)
William Lawson (England, born 1774): 1813: With Blaxland and Wentworth, crosses the Australian Blue Mountains; Blaxland, Wentworth & Lawson; Were Blaxland, Lawson & Wentworth really the first?
Miguel López de Legazpi (Spain, 1510-1572): 1564-5: Travels to the Philippines to establish a colony. Conquers Cebu and founds Cebu city.; 1571: Founds Manila.
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (Prussia, 1813-1848?): 1844-5: Finds a route overland from Sydney to Port Essington (Northern Australia).; 1846: Tries to make a large expedition from east to west through Australia, via the north, but gives up when after 6 months he has still covered only 500 miles.; 1848: Tries again to cross Australia from east to west. Disappears.; Pacific Explorers Library: Ludwig Leichhardt; Ludwig Leichhardt - explorer - 1813 to 1848; Ludwig Leichhardt; Ludwig Leichhardt - easier version; The Lost Leichhardt (poem)
Leif Erikson (first name also Leifr or Leifur, last name also Ericsson, Ericson, Eiriksson, Norway, 980?-1020?): 1001-2?: Explores the coast of America and winters in Vinland.; Irish and Vikings
Jacob Le Maire (Netherlands, 1585-1616): 1615-6: With Schouten, discovers Le Maire Strait (south of Cape Horn) and sails through it, discovers various Pacific Islands and charts the north coast of New Guinea. Is imprisoned by the VOC (Dutch East India Company), and dies on the voyage back home.; Schouten, Cornelis Willem van - Le Maire, Jakob (in German); In the Name of the Son - Isaac Le Maire's fight to get credit for his son's discovery; The First Cape Horners
Leo Africanus (born as al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wezzan al-Fasi, also known as Giovanni Leone, Morocco, 1495?-1554?): Travels widely through Arabia, Persia and Africa.; 1523: Is captured by Venetian pirates, freed by Pope Leo X, and lives in Rome for many years, studying and writing books on his adventures.; Several years later, he moves to Tunis, renounces Christianity and returns to the Islam.; Description of Timbuktu (alternative translation); another fragment of his book
Alonso de León (Spain/Mexico, 1639?-1691): 1686-9: Makes four expeditions to Texas to check the possible French presence there.; 1690: With Massanet, founds the first Spanish mission in East Texas.
John W. Lewis (UK): 1873: With Warburton, crosses west Australia from Alice Springs to the Oakover River.; Crossing West Australia
Meriwether Lewis (USA, 1774-1809): 1804-6: With Clark, travels up the Missouri River, crosses the Rocky Mountains, and reaches the Pacific along the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia Rivers. On the return route explores the Marias River.; The History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition; Lewis & Clark Internet Archive (links); Lewis and Clark; Educator's Choice Search (links); First across the continent; the story of The Eeploring expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1803-4 (1902 book on Lewis and Clark)
Jan Huyghen van Linschoten (Netherlands, 1563-1611): 1583-9: Serves as bookkeeper to the archbishiop of Goa. Collects information on the Asian trade. When back in the Netherlands writes two books about Asia.; 1594: With Barentsz, tries to look for the Northeast Passage. Enters Kara Sea, east of Nova Zembla.; 1595: With Barentsz, again looks for the Northeast Passage. Unable to enter the Kara Sea because of ice.; Författare - Linschoten
Manuel Lisa (Spain/Louisiana, 1772-1820): 1807: Travels up the Missouri with a group of traders and builds various trading forts. Remains an important trader in the region until his death.; History and Stories of Nebraska: Manuel Lisa; Manuel Lisa (1772-1820)
David Livingstone (Scotland, 1813-1873): 1841: Joins the mission post in Kuruman (Botswana). Makes several trips into the Kalahari desert.; 1844: Builds a mission post in Mabotsa, 220 miles north of Kuruman.; 1849: Crosses the Kalahari to Lake Ngami.; 1851: Travels further north from Lake Ngami and reaches Linyanti on the Zambezi.; 1853-6: From Linyanti travels west to Luanda, back to Linyanti and then down the Zambezi to Quelimane.; 1858-64: Explores the Shire, discovers Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and explores the region around the lake. Protests the slave trade.; 1867-73: Explores the headwaters of the Congo and Lake Tanganyika.; David Livingstone Centre; Dr Livingstone - Man of Africa; David Livingstone; Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa (Livingstone's own writing); A Popular account of Dr. Livingstone's expedition to the Zambesi and its tributaries (Livingstone's own writing); They purchase salaves - Livingstone's speech upon receiving the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh
Garcia Jofre de Loaysa (Spain, ?-1526): 1525-6: Leads an attempt to repeat Magellan's expedition to the Moluccas. Failing to enter the Strait of Magellan for three months, his ships make several discoveries in the region. Dies during the crossing of the Pacific.
Jeronimo Lobo (also known as Jerome Lobo, Portugal, 1593?-1678): 1624-34: Works as a missionary in Abessynia. Second European to see the sources of the Blue Nile.; A Voyage to Abessynia - Lobo's own writings
Stephen Harriman Long (USA, 1784-1864): 1817: Travels up the Mississippi to the place of present-day Minneapolis.; 1819-20: Follows the Platte upstream to the Rocky Mountains and the Arkansas to the Royal Gorge. Follows a river downstream that he believes is the Red River, but finds it is actually the Canadian.; 1823: Follows the Minnesota River to its headwaters.; Stephen Harriman Long; Long, Stephen Harriman
Andrew of Longjumeau: 1238-40: As an envoy of Louis IX, visits Mongolia.; Exploration in the Medieval Period
Diogo Lopes de Sequeira (also known as Diego Lopez de Sequira, Portugal, ?-1520?): 1509: Leader of the first Portuguese to visit Malacca.; The Portuguese Empire
Nicolás López (Spain, dates unknown): 1683: With Juan Diego de Mencdoza establishes mission posts among the Jumano Indians and explores Texas.; López, Nicolás; Fray Nicholas Lopez
Francisco López de Gamarra (Spain, ?-1693): 1687: With de Pez explores the coast of Texas, looking for the expedition of La Salle and for Rivas and Iriarte.
Tristán de Luna y Arellano (Spain, ?-1573): 1557-61: Tries to build a colony on Pensacola Bay, and find a route from there to the Atlantic coast.; The Luna Expedition; Luna y Arellano, Tristán de; The Voyage of Don Tristan de Luna; An Analysis of Spanish Colonization Fleets: The Luna Example; The Emanuel Point Ships - Archaeological Investigations 1992-1995
Fyodor Petrovich Lütke (also known as Fedor Petrovich Litke, Russia, 1797-1882): 1826-9: Maps parts of the coast of Bering Strait. Visits the Carolines (discovering some islands), Guam and the Bonin Islands.