N

Gustav Nachtigal (Germany, 1834-1885)

1869-74: Crosses the Sahara from Tunis to Kuka (Nigeria). Functions as ambassador of the king of Prussia with the sultan of Bornu, and makes several voyages to the areas around Bornu. Returns to Egypt by way of Khartoum.

Michael Solka: Durch die Sahara und den Sudan: Gustav Nachtigal (in German)

JADU: Sahara (in German)

Karl Wüllenweber: Gustav Nachtigal (in German)

Gustav Nachtigal: Sahara und Sudan (in German)

Gustav Nachtigal: letters (in German)

Naddod (Norway, dates unknown)

ca. 860: Blown off course by a storm on his way to Faeroer, discovers Iceland.

Irish and Vikings

Fridtjof Nansen (Norway, 1861-1930)

1888: Makes the first crossing of Greenland

1893-6: With a specifically for this purpose designed ship, the Fram, tries to reach the North Pole by letting his ship be taken there by the ice. Reaches 85°55' North with the ship and a record of 86°13' on ski.

Chr.A.R. Christophersen: Fridtjof Nansen - A Life in the Service of Science and Humanity

James S. Aber: Fridtjof Nansen

Tore Gjelsvik: Fridtjof Nansen - Scientist, Diplomat and Humanist

The Nobel Foundations: Fridtjof Nansen

Linn Ryne: Fridtjof Nansen - Man of many facets

Fridtjof Nansen Photographic Archive

The Northern Lights Route: With Nansen to the North Pole

Bold Endeavours - Fridtjof Nansen

Man of many talents

Kåre Berg: The Polar Vessel "Fram"

K.Ya. Kondratyev, V.V. Malentyev and G.A. Ivanian: Nansen and Russia

Nansen's diary comes to light

Pánfilo de Narváez (Spain, ca.1470-1528)

1511-8: Participates in the conquest of Cuba.

1520: Sent out by Velásquez to call back Cortés, but in a fight is beaten by the latter.

1527-8: Tries to colonize Florida. Explores the area looking for gold. Builds boats to try to get back to Mexico, but those shipwreck near the mouth of the Mississippi. Only a few members of the expedition (most famously Cabeza de Vaca) survive.

Calderon's Company: Pánfilo de Narváez

Pensacola Archeology Lab: The Narvaez / Vaca Expedition

The Handbook of Texas Online: Narváez, Pánfilo de

Cornelis Corneliszoon Nay (Netherlands)

1594: Looking for the Northeast passage, manages to sail through Yugoysky Sar (between Waygatch and the mainland) into the Kara Sea.

Willem Barentsz

Nearchus (Greece, 360?-312 BC)

325: Leads Alexander the Great's fleet from the mouth of the Indus back to Persia.

Greek Explorers

Necho II (Egypt)

ca. 600 BC: Sends out a Phoenician fleet which sails around Africa, from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.

Phoenicia and Carthago

Jacob Cornelisz. van Neck (Netherlands)

1598-9: Captain of the second Dutch voyage to the East Indies. Trades in Bantam and makes a high profit.

1600-3: On a second voyage, visits the Moluccas and Macao and captures a Portuguese ship in the Straits of Malacca. First Dutch voyage to China.

Nehsi (Egypt)

1492 BC: Leader of an expedition sent out by Queen Hatshepsut to a country called Punt.

The first explorers

Robert Simpson Neighbors (USA, 1815-1859)

1849: Blazes the Northern route from San Antonio to El Paso.

1854: With Marcy, explores northwestern Texas, looking for sites for Indian reservations.

Nero (Rome, 37-68)

66: Sends an expedition up the Nile, which reaches current Sudan.

The Roman period

John Newberry (England, dates unknown)

1581-2: Travels through the Mediterranean to the Middle East and travels widely through Persia.

1583-4: Travels again to Persia. Is captured by the Portuguese in Hormuz and taken to Goa. Gets free, and travels to the court of the Moghuls. Leaves to return to England, but is never heared of again.

Jean Nicollet de Belleborne (also known as Jean Nicolet de Bellesborne, France, 1598?-1642)

1618: Goes to Canada to live among the Indians and learn their language and customs.

1634: Reaches Green Bay on Lake Michigan and travels down the Fox River.

Jerrold C. Rodesch: Jean Nicolet

Virtual Museuem of New France: Jean Nicollet. The Peacemaking Explorer (French version)

Henri Jouan: Jean Nicolet, Interpreter and Voyageur in Canada

Brett Rusch: La Vie et le Voyage de Jean Nicolet

Katie Weber: Jean Nicolet: Le père du Wisconsin

Reflets du Patrimoine: Jean Nicollet a la rencontre des autochtones

Le Nicoletain: L'histoire de Nicolet. Une ville et le nom d'un grand découvreur

Carsten Niebuhr (Germany, 1733-1815)

1761-7: (Only surviving) member of a scientific expedition to Yemen.

Marcos de Nizza

Alphabetized under the M.

Umberto Nobile (Italy, 1885-1978)

1926: With Amundsen and Ellsworth flies to the North Pole in a dirigible (airship).

1928: Tries again to reach the North Pole by dirigible, crashes on the ice, but is saved later.

Museum Leonardo da Vinci: La Tenda Rossa (in Italian)

Apoge Online: Umberto Nobile e la Tenda Rossa (in Italian)

PolarFlight: Ten Historic Plar Flights, Part 2

Olivier van Noort (Netherlands)

1598-1601: Sails through the Straits of Magellan, visits Chile, the Philippines, Borneo and Java and returns around the Cape of Good Hope. Fourth circumnavigation.

Uitgeverij SUN: Om de Wereld (in Dutch)

Herrmann Mückler: Noort, Oliver van (in German)

Sjoerd de Meer: De reis van Olivier van Noort (in Dutch)

Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (also known as A.E. Nordenskjöld, Finland, 1832-1901)

1858, 1861, 1864, 1868: Makes scientific expeditions to Spitsbergen.

1870: Leads an expedition to Greenland. First to reach the interior of Greenland.

1872-3: Wants to try to reach the North Pole from Spitsbergen, but problems stop him from making an actual attempt. Does explore northeastern Spitsbergen.

1875: Navigates to the mouth of the Yenisey, and up the Yenisey River.

1878-9: First to navigate the Northeast Passage.

1883: Leads another expedition to the Greenland interior.

Otto Nordenskjöld (Sweden, 1869-1928)

Nephew of A.E. Nordenskiöld

1901-3: Explores the east coast of Grahamland.

Adventures during the Antarctic Winter