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*
Martin
Waldseemüller
was a German cartographer, who was regarded as one of Worlds finest
cartographers, best known for his Universalis Cosmographia, a 12-sheet
woodblock map dated 1507. Not only was it one of the first maps to
precisely chart latitude and longitude, but it was the first to reference the
name "America" (honoring Amerigo Vespucci). One of
Waldseemüller's
gore globes sold for
$1002,267 USD, thus
fetching a world
record price for such items.
**
Vincenzo
Coronelli
born in Venice in 1650, was a highly regarded Italian
cartographer. His construction of two globes for the Duke of Parma
earned him an invitation to Paris, where a pair of globes built for
King Louis XIV
were of such a grand scale that they were constructed
with trap doors so craftsmen could enter and work from inside. As
Royal Cartographer, he was granted access to the latest documentation
sent from the colonies to the French Academy of Sciences.
Nicolo Da Conti
was a Venetian merchant who explored the possibility of
trading routes to India and Southeast Asia during the early 15th century. His
voyages greatly influenced European understanding of the areas around the Indian
Ocean. Da Conti is said to have described that part of the world as "exceeding
all other regions in wealth, culture and magnificence. The accounts of his
travels greatly influenced 15th century cartography.
Rene-Robert de LaSalle
was a French explorer who sailed to Canada when he was 23
years old. He learned from the Iroquois people of a grate river which led to the
sea. Assuming the river in question flowed into the Gulf of California,
the enticing thought of a possible profitable western trade route to China
arose. LaSalle led an expedition to the Great Lakes in 1679, and four years
later sailed down the Illinois River to the Mississippi River and all the way to
the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the entire Mississippi River Basin - what he called
the Louisiana Territory - for France.
Sir Francis Drake was a famous English navigator, who
took to sea at the age of 13, becoming mater of a cargo barge at 20 and honing
his sailing skills. Piloting a ship eventually renamed the "golden Hind",
Drake was sent by Queen Elizabeth to start an expedition against the Spanish,
and set sail from England on December 13, 1577. He eventually returned to
Plymouth in 1580, and was proclaimed to be the first Englishman to
circumnavigate the Earth. Queen Elizabeth knighted Drake aboard the Golden
Hind on April 4, 1581.
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