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What Can We Learn from 10 of the World’s Most Famous Maritime Explorers?
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May 2, 2025
Sailing has shaped human history, leading to discoveries, trade routes, and cultural exchanges that defined civilizations. In this episode, we explore the lives of 10 famous maritime explorers and how their courage helped change the world. Listen in as we share stories of adventurers like Columbus, Magellan, and others who braved the seas with grit and determination. You can also read more about Sailing Through History: 10 Famous Maritime Explorers and Their Adventures here: 👉 https://abusonadustyroad.com/sailing-through-history-10-famous-maritime-explorers-and-their-adventures/ #ABusOnADustyRoad #MaritimeHistory #FamousExplorers #SailingLegends #HistoricalAdventures #OceanVoyages #GreatExplorers #SeaExploration We loved to hear from you! Check out our blog at ABusOnADustyRoad.com https://abusonadustyroad.com/ Find more great travel videos, recipes and food ideas, tips about ex-pat life, and ancestry travel.
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[Music]
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hi this is Anita from the Dusty Roads
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podcast At the Dusty Roads we believe in
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living our life as a global citizen We
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also love to talk a lot about history
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because we are great believers that to
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understand other cultures countries
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people or societies that history can
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help to show us the way If you've
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listened to me you know that one of the
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things that I love is sailing But today
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I'm not going to talk about sailing
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specifically but more about explorers
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and some of their adventures and how
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they really helped to shape um human
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history in a lot of ways I'm going to
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list out 10 of the more popular ones Of
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course one when we talk about it is
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Mellin Fernando Mellin from 1480 to uh
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1521 He was the first circumnavigator He
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was a Portuguese sailor and I this is
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what I love about the Portuguese is they
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were really great sailors and he led to
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the first successful circumnavigation of
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the globe His expedition in 1519 to
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1522 proved the world was round and much
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more extensive than previously thought
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So here's a man who wasn't afraid to
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think he was going to go off the deep
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end and disappear forever In fact he
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proved that the world was actually round
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He wasn't afraid of that I really love
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that about him because he really shows
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us the
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courage He he proved the feasibility of
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naval of global navigation He discovered
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the straight mellan and a central route
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connecting the Atlantic and Pacific
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oceans and he expanded European
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understanding of world geography You
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know some lessons we can learn today
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from him is that he teaches about the
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perseverance in the face of adversity
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His crew endured
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starvation mutinies and uncharted waters
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His journey reminds us that bold
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exploration requires both courage and
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meticulous planning And that's why he
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makes it as my number one as one of the
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explorers The other one of course is
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Christopher Columbus which was from 1451
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to 1506 He became known as a new world
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pioneer He was an Italian navigator He
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was sailing under the Spanish flag and
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he embarked on the famous voyage of
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1492 His aim was to find a westward
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route to Asia Instead he landed in the
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Caribbean opening the Americans to
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European exploration and colonization
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You know why he's important is he
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initiated the European colonization of
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America He demonstrated the possibility
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of transatlantic travel and he changed
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global trade and cultural exchanges
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forever So because of Christopher
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Columbus he really changed the world
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What we can learn from him is that
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Columbus's journey emphasizes the
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importance of taking calculated risks
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While controversially um due to the
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impact of colonization his voyage
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reminds us of the power of curiosity and
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the drive to push beyond perceived
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limits And of course because of
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Christopher Columbus we celebrate
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Thanksgiving Day and we also in America
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and we also have the colonization of
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America James Cook was from 1728 to
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1779 and he is known as a Pacific carder
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He was an explorer but he made three
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significant voyages to the Pacific
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mapping vast areas of the region
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including Australia New Zealand and
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Hawaii His meticulous charting and
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scientific approach revolutionized naval
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exploration He created some of the most
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accurate maps of the Pacific which of
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course allowed then other explorers to
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go after him He discovered and
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documented me many previously unknown
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lands and cultures and he advanced
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maritime navigation techniques even
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though he's a bit controversial because
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of the Hawaiian islands but he really
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was Cook was known to be methodical and
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scientific approach and he teaches the
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value of preparation and adaptability
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and he had a great commitment to
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knowledge and discovery that remains a
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model for even modern-day explorers
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Leaf Ericson He was a Viking and he was
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sort of a trailblazer for all of these
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He was a Norse explorer and believed to
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have reached North America around 1,000
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nearly 500 years before Columbus So you
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know he really was not afraid to go out
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into that deep ocean and go long way
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away He established a settlement of
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Vinland modern-day New Foundland Canada
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proving that the Vikings had the
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capability for transatlantic exploration
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He's important because one of the first
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Americans to reach North America he
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demonstrated the maritime proudness of
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the Vikings you know that the Vikings
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were not to be messed with that the
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Vikings were there that they were going
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to establish trade He established early
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trade and cultural exchanges to the
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North Atlantic His journey teaches us
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the significance of oral history and
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exploration beyond the familiar His
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story reminds us that discovery is not
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always about conquest but also the
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resilience of travelers seeking new
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lands Another one which most people
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don't even really know about is a is a
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Chinese explorer named uh Zong Hu and
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he's was China's great admiral He was
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from 1371 to 1433
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And during the early 15th century
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Chinese explorer Zong Ha led seven
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massive expeditions across the Indian
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Ocean reaching as far as Africa and the
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Middle East His fleet more significant
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than any other that Europe had helped
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expand Chinese influence throughout
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diplomacy and trade He showcast a lot of
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China's advanced naval technology which
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at this time was quite advanced compared
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to the rest of the world He fostered
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trade and diplomatic ties with distant
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regions and he demonstrated peaceful
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exploration and cultural exchange Zong
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Ha's expeditions exemplify the power of
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diplomacy and exploration and his legacy
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teaches us that expanding knowledge and
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influence does not always require
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conquest That he really was a true and
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pure explorer Next on my list is a
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Francis Drake And Francis Drake was from
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1540 to
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1596 He was known to be the daring
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privateeer and he was a sir Francis
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Drake He was an English sea captain and
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privateeer He became the first
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Englishman to circumvent the globe and
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his raids against Spanish ships and
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colonies made him a hero in England and
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a villain of course in Spain He
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strengthened England's naval power He
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disrupted Spanish dominance in the
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Americas and he established English
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reputation as a significant maritime
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force Teaches us that the role of
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strategic thinking and navigation and
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conflicts and his ability to adapt to
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changing circumstances made him
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formidable explorer and leader
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Bartholomew Diaz was from 1450 to the
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1500s He was the first to round Africa
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and he was a Portuguese explorer He was
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the first European to sell around the
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southern tip of Africa the Cape of Good
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Hope He proved that a sea route to Asia
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was possible He facilitated Portuguese
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dominance to the spice trade and
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advanced European knowledge of the
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Atlantic and Indian oceans He shows us
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how important persistence was He took
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the risks and he was able to navigate
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this very important horn around Africa
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Henry Hudson became the Arctic explorer
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He sought the elusive Northwest Passage
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to a Asia Though unsuccessful he
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explored vast areas of North America
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including the river and bay that now
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bears his name Hudson Bay of course And
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he's important because he mapped parts
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of North America and the Arctic He
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contributed Dutch and English
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territorial claims and he expanded
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geographical knowledge despite his
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tragic disappearance You know today we
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can learn from him his fate that a crew
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mutiny reminds us of the risks of
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leadership and uncharted territories His
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persistence in seeking new routes
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remains an inspiration Vaso de Gama he
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was an Indian ocean trailblazer and he
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was from 1460 to 1524
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He was a first European to reach India
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by sea establishing a direct maritime
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trade route between Europe and Asia He's
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important because he opened up the spice
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trade for Portugal He bypassed overland
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routes controlled by other powers and he
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strengthened European presence in the
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Indian Ocean He demonstrates the
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economic impact of exploration and his
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success paved the way for global trade
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demonstrating long-term benefits of
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strategic
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navigation Jean Barllet from 1740 to
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1870 Now I love her because she's the
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first woman to circumvent the globe A
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woman that was way ahead of her time She
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was a French botonist and disguised
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herself as a man to join an 18th century
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expedition became the first woman to cir
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circumvent the world Why she's important
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is because she broke gender barriers in
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exploration She collected valuable
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botanical specimens and proved that
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curiosity and resistance know no bounds
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A lesson we can learn from her today is
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to show determination in breaking
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societal norms And her contribution
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reminds us that expiration should be
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open to all to all genders You know even
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especially uh women where women at the
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time were not it was not open to them at
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this time But yet she made sure that it
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was
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If you'd like to be able to read my blog
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on this there'll be a link in the the
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description for this my U post which is
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called Sailing Through History: 10
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Famous Maritime Explorers and Their
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Adventures I love these maritime
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explorers because I feel like they're
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really the true adventures These were
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people that went to unknown territory
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didn't know where they were going didn't
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know what they would find did not even
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know if they'd return I mean imagine
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their families It's like you know you
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leave for 3 years four years have no
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idea whether you're going to ever see
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them again and you just wait and wait
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and wait for them to return to see if
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they're ever going to return home again
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So these are really the true explorers
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who really went out there and explored
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the world And because of them we owe
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them a great debt of gratitude for the
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things that they were explored the
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routes that they opened up and all the
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many other things that they did Thank
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you so much for listening We tr truly do
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appreciate you listening to the Dusty
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Roads podcast And if you'd like to we
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hope that you'll join our community um
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become part of us and that you'll press
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that subscribe button Thank you so much
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[Music]
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