Exploration and Discovery

Question: Who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean?

Answer: The Spanish soldier and explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475–1519) was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. He explored Panama, where he accomplished this feat.

Question: Which Michigan city was founded by a French explorer named Cadillac?

Answer: Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac arrived at the site of present-day Detroit, Michigan, on July 24, 1701. The settlement he built there was named Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit.

Question: What was the first manned flight around the moon?

Answer: Apollo 8, launched in December 1968, was the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon.

Question: The Viking who discovered Greenland was named:

Answer: The Norwegian Erik the Red, a Viking warrior and explorer, visited Greenland in 982 CE, the first known European to do so.

Question: What was the first satellite?

Answer: In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first satellite.

Question: Which spacecraft was first to land on the moon?

Answer: Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, the first spacecraft to do so.

Question: Whose tomb was discovered in 1922?

Answer: The tomb of King Tutankhamen, or King Tut, remained intact for many centuries. Containing a solid gold coffin, among other treasures, the tomb was discovered in 1922.

Question: Who was the first European to sail to India?

Answer: Vasco da Gama made three voyages to India. The first was from 1497 to 1499, the second was from 1502 to 1503, and the third was in 1524.