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Your Hall of Fame Nomination comments Updated 18 Feb 2001
back to nominations pageNEW! Alcock and Brown
You should have Alcock and Brown in the list. They were the first to fly the Atlantic Ocean (I'm not sure why Charles Lindbergh is in your list except that he is American.)Vasco Nunez de Balboa
A poor Spaniard who grew up to explore the Caribbean Sea and Central/South America. He discovered the Pacific Ocean, called the 'South Sea', by land, crossing Panama. I think he deserves to be in your 'Hall of Fame.' Thank you and congratulations on such a great job!Sir Richard Burton
I am partial to Burton over Speke since I've read his biography. Burton was a man of great ability and great accomplishment. Again he is an example of a successful loser since he lost the priority race in finding the headwaters of the Nile (to Speke). (Some, like the link I've given, attribute to him co-discovery of the Nile, but I believe that I recall that Speke claimed sole priority. I could be wrong--guess you'll have to read up on him.) But read about him and see that he was truly a geographic as well as a sociological explorer. Burton often "went native" to get to where he was going. Today that would be viewed as a positive thing, but I doubt it was as admired in Victorian England. To that end, you can consider him a relatively "open minded" explorer. Unlike others of eras gone by, I do not recall Burton enslaving or butchering native populations while exploring. True, he was an agent for the British Empire, but you have to believe that his successes couldn't have come about if he blindly held to Anglo chauvinism.NEW! Alvar Nunez, Cabeza de Vaca
I would like to support Alvar Nunez, Cabeza de Vaca, because living in South America in school we had to research people who explored in the western hemisphere. In my research I found that Cabeza de Vaca explored Florida, Texas and Mexico. I also found that the noble family name Cabeza de Vaca came from a peasant ancestor who marked a pass for a Christian army with the skull of a dead cow. He is a very interesting man and I believe that he should be in the Hall of Fame.Cheng Ho
I feel that Zheng He or Cheng Ho, a great Chinese explorer, deserves to be in the Hall Of Fame. I have served on the internet in order to find information on him, and I hardly found anything. All I can conclude, is that he is not that well known through out the internet and the world. I also went to the library, and I had to go through a lot to find just one book. I live near three libraries, and only found one book among the three. I turned to the intenet and found great dissapointment. I hope that at least you, please do reseash on him and share it with the world. I don't think I have much hope, but your information will be vital to others in the future.NEW! Zheng He (Cheng Ho) led an expedition of 23 "Treasure Ships" to extend the reach of China's Ming Dynasty, in 1405 to 1433. He went to Southeast Asia, India, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula, with a fleet of 62 ships, carrying 27,800 men. His flagship was 440 feet by 180 ft., dwarfing Columbus' later ships. When the emperor that sponsored his expeditions died, he was ordered by the next emperor to cease his explorations. If he had continued, perhaps Chinawould have dominated Europe, rather than the other way around.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
Please put Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in the nominations. He was the first European to do many things. He was the first European to go to the Grand Canyon. He was the first to go to the Palo Duro Canyon (in Amarillo, Texas.) He was the governer of New Glacia Province in 1538. I think he should be in the famous americans.NEW! I would like to say that Francisco Vasquez de Coronado should be in the Hall of Fame. He was a Spanish explorer. Born in Salamanca, Spain, In 1510.
NEW! Hernando Cortes
I was shocked that you didn't have Hernando Cortes in your Hall of Fame. He was great explorer. He concord Mexico and helped civilizes some of the tribes of Mexico. He was very sick as a child but when he became 14 he turned into a very healthy man. People of Mexico thought he was a God because in a legend it said that a god would come from the east with a black beard. I think you should do a lot more resherch for I got my info. from a few good books. You cannot say that you got the answers from me because you could get sewed.Bartholomew Dias
I'd like to nominate Bartholomew Dias. I think Dias should be nominated because he was the first person to round the Cape of Good Hope (Africa.)Juan Sebastian Elcano
I would like to submit the name of another explorer. The name of the explorer is Juan Sebastian El Cano.He was an Spaniard in charge of Magellan's explorer expedition when Magellan died in one of the islands of the Pacific Ocean. When he arrived in Spain he received a banner with the inscription: "Tu fuiste el primero que me rodeo".A. P. Fedchenko
Besides the lady astronaut, you need another Russian. How about A. P. Fedchenko? I have you there, don't I? Big explorer of Central Asia in the last half of 1800s. He took a break to see the Swiss Alps, and died in a snowstorm. How about that? He was not even 30 years old. His wife was with him on the Asian explorations. Her name was Olga--she was a botanist. There is a giant crater on the planet Venus named for HER. Now that is really exciting. A. P. Fedchenko has a glacier named for him, in Central Asia. You can see all this on the internet, but it is not so well laid out as it would be on your Explorer's page.Enrico Fermi
I think Fermi, a scientist who pioneered in making the first nuclear reactor should be listed because technological explorers should be listed as well as those who explored the Earth and space.NEW! John Franklin
I think you should include John Franklin in the Hall of Fame. Although he did not technically discover the Northwest Passage, his last expedition of 1645 was a large enough naval/marine disaster that it brought many searchers to the Arctic, one of whom actually discovered the Northwest Passage. John Franklin's voyage was so well planned that the British government didn't even make any plans to rescue or come to his assistance because they thought nothing could go wrong. He had metal reinforced ships and even a 3000 book library on board with classroom time for the men who were illiterate. They even had canned food which was meant to increase the shelf life of their stores but which eventually killed them due to lead poisoning. If nothing else, he did chart another 3000 km of North American coast line.NEW! Sir Vivian Fuchs
Lived from 1908-November,10,1999. He is said to have conquered "the last great journey left to man". He led the overland Commonwealth Trans-Antartic Expedition which was the first successful crossing of Antartica. He completed his 2158 mile journey in 99 days. David Hempleman-Adams, the first British man to walk solo and unsupported tothe South Pole in 1995-96, said:"He was one of the great icons of Antarctic expeditions." Withe skill and vision he guided the BAS from its political origins to becoming a front-ranking Antarctic research organisation. Served as director of the British Antarctic Survey from 1958 to his retirement in 1975. Knighted in 1958.NEW! Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin is my nomination because what more exciting thing than to be the first person in space. Also without him we might not be where we are. I mean how would we be certain this thing called a space shuttle works? That is why I nominate him.You had loads of US astronauts in the list and only one cosmonaut. In terms of space exploration Gargarin MUST be the greatest ever.
John Glenn
First American to orbit the earth, and the oldest American to fly in space.Father Louis Hennepin
He discovered St. Anthony Falls in St. Paul, Minnesota.NEW! Prince Henry the Navigator
I think you should add Prince Henry the Navigator to your so called "Hall of Fame". There are so many explorers that have done greater things than those guys. And at least add Prince Henry to your information areas. He paid for the discovery of Porto Santo and Madeira and he led the expedition against the Muslim city of Ceuta in Morocco. Please take my advice and add him in.Matthew Henson
I would like to suggest that Matthew Henson be considered for addition to the Hall of Fame. While your story on Amundsen states that Robert Peary was the first to reach the North Pole, many historians credit Peary's assistant, Matthew Henson, as being the first person to reach the pole because Peary was delayed due to illness several hours from the actual pole. In order to make sure that his expedition was credited with being the first to reach the pole, Peary sent Henson ahead and Henson was standing at the site of the geographical North Pole when Peary and the rest of the expedition reached the pole. Thus, the actual first human to reach the North Pole was Matthew Henson.Douglas Houghton
How about Douglas Houghton? Responsible for the original meaningful exploration of Michigan's Upper Peninsula leading to the discovery of vast copper deposits, triggering northwest expansion and the development of the copper mining industry that helped supply the raw materials for the new technologies of electricity and automobiles.NEW! Alexander von Humboldt
I think that Alexander von Humboldt (1769 - 1859) has excellent qualities to be a member of your hall of fame. More information on AvH you may find here: http://www.humboldt.edu/~german/Alex/index.htmlNEW! Cristovao de Mendonca
I nominate Cristovao de Mendonca. He was supoosed to have found Australia a couple hundred years before Vasco da Gama discovered the west coast. You can find out about him in a book by K. G. McIntyre (1977).John Muir
I'd like to nominate John Muir, the naturalist of the latter 19th century. He walked all over the west coast of the USA, from California to Alaska. As testament to the breadth of his exploration, world-class natural sites are named for him in California (Muir Woods) and Alaska (Muir Glacier). He was a prolific writer who was instrumental in fostering the awakening of an appreciation for the diversity and beauty of nature. Committed to his field, he was a founder of the Sierra Club.NEW! Børge Ousland
Hey.. I love your site, BUT!!! I definitely think you should add Børge Ousland to your list. After all...he's the first man in history to reach the North Pole and to cross Antarctica without supplies....I think that's an astonishing achievement. He has done what no other person thought would be possible. Check out his journals, and you'll see what I mean.Fransisco Pizarro
You forgot to nominate Fransisco Pizarro. Spanish explorer who discovered and explored much of the west coast of South America. He was also the ruler of Peru for a while.John Wesley Powell
I would like to nominate Major John Wesley Powell. He was the first person to explore the canyons of the Colorado River. Thanks!NEW! Gene Savoy
I would like to nominate American explorer GENE SAVOY (1927-) for inclusion in your explorers' Hall of Fame.Since 1957, Savoy, now a living legend, has explored South America in search of lost cities of the Incas and pre-Inca civilizations. He achieved fame in 1964 with the discovery of Vilcabamba, Last City of the Incas, and went on to discover Gran Pajaten (1965), Gran Vilaya (1985) and Gran Saposoa (1999) in addition to over 40 other important settlements, cities and citadels. He has also captained three research/exploration vessels, including the Feathered Serpent I (KuViQu) in 1969, a reed double-hulled raft that sailed from Peru to Panama and Feathered Serpent III (Ophir) in 1997-98, a 73-foot wooden catamaran that sailed by stars and currents from Peru to Hawaii.
Gene Savoy is the founder of the Andean Explorers Foundation & Ocean Sailing Club (previously Andean Explorers Club) and is the author of several books, including the indispensible "Antisyo: Search for the Lost Cities of the Amazon". His memberships include the Explorers Club (NYC), the LA Yacht Club, the Geographical Society of Lima, etc.
For more info on Gene Savoy, see www.aefosc.org or read Who's Who in the World, America, etc. Thank you for your consideration.
Ernest Shackleton
I think that you should put sir Henry Ernest Shackleton in your hall of fame.Ernest Shackleton was an Irish explorerborn in Kilkee,county clare,Ireland.He joined the British merchant Navy and in 1901 sailed on his first expedition to Antarctica with the british explorer Robert Falcon Scott.In 1907 Shackleton commanded the first announced attempt to reach the south.He came within a record breaking 156km (97miles)of his goal on January 9 1909.His party and himself also suceeded n climbing the 4023m high Mount Erebus. Anyway I hope that you do put him in your hall of fame because he is an amazing explorer that deserves to be there.Sir Ernest Shackleton -- Antartic explorer. He is most famous for his failed South Pole expedition of 1914, and the book about it by Alfred Lansing has always been considered a classic and is undergoing somewhat of a revival thanks to independent publishers like "A Common Reader" and The Adventure Library. Interestingly, I have read articles where the resurgence in interest in Shackelton is due to his leadership model which is "suited for the '90's". Regardless of his qualities as a role model, Shackelton was a key figure in pushing Artic and Antartic exploration as a worthy and admirable goal. He is also a good example of a successful "failure". (For example, Grissom, Chaffee, and White are no less pioneers because they died testing a space capsule on the ground, but people focus on Armstrong because he "did it" first. Armstrong did do something laudable, but we should focus on character and drive rather than priority of accomplishments if we want to find the true greatness in our explorers.)
NEW! Henry Morton Stanley
I would like to put in a vote for Henry Morton Stanley. Not only the first to explore the Congo, but he confirmed (scientifically) that Lake Victoria was indeed the source of the Nile. Livingstone (who didn't like most of his fellow explorers), looked upon him favorably, and wanted him to continue the work he (Livingstone) had begun. Stanley was the second white man to traverse Africa from East to West, although Livingstone had done so where the continent was much narrower.David Thompson
I think David Thompson should be in the wall of fame because he made maps of Canada and found new routes.NEW! John Young
Have you considered astronaut John Young? First man to fly into space 6 times, only man to liftoff 7 times, counting his lunar liftoff -moonwalker - oldest current astronaut..