Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon
After the astronauts returned safely to Earth, another five NASA crewed lunar missions followed in their footsteps. The last, Apollo 17, landed on December 14 1972.
Discovery & exploration
Sir Wally Herbert of the United Kingdom becomes the first human to walk to the North Pole
From 1968 to 1969, Wally led the British Trans-Arctic Expedition, a 3,800-mile surface crossing of the Arctic Ocean, from Alaska to Spitsbergen, which some historians had billed as ‘the last great journey on Earth.’
Nicholas Clinch of the United States becomes the first to summit Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif is a large mountain massif and the highest peak in Antarctica.
Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal become first humans to summit Mt. Everest
Mount Everest had long been considered unclimbable by some and the ultimate climbing challenge by others.
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen leads the first expedition to reach the South Pole
He and four other crew members made it to the geographical south pole on 14 December 1911, which would prove to be five weeks ahead of the competitive British party led by Robert Falcon Scott as part of the Terra Nova Expedition. Amundsen and his team returned safely to their base, and about a year later heard that Scott and his four companions had perished on their return journey.
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen becomes first to traverse the Arctic’s Northwest Passage
For centuries, European explorers sought a navigable passage as a possible trade route to Asia. An ice-bound northern route was discovered in 1850 by the Irish explorer Robert McClure.
Russian explorers Bellingshausen and Lazarev are first confirmed to sight Antarctica
The first confirmed sighting of mainland Antarctica is attributed to a Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, discovering an ice shelf at Princess Martha Coast..
Captain James Cook becomes first human known to cross Antarctic Circle
In 1773, James Cook and his crew crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time; however, although they discovered nearby islands, they did not catch sight of Antarctica itself.
Jacob Roggeveen of The Netherlands becomes the first European to visit several South Pacific islands
Jacob Roggeveen was a Dutch explorer who was sent to find Terra Australis, but instead became the first European to visit Easter Island, Bora Bora, Maupiti of the Society Islands, and Samoa.
Abel Tasman becomes first European to explore New Zealand
Abel Tasman was the first known European explorer to reach the islands of Tasmania and New Zealand, and to sight the Fiji islands.