Traveling around the world. It evokes images of exploring ancient villages enshrouded in jungle mists, dipping one’s feet in crystal-clear waters where exotic fish flit by, trekking a verdant mountain, sharing a moment with a foreign stranger with whom the only common exchange is the language of smiles. It is something that armchair travelers dream of and that many adventurers seek out. However, true circumnavigation is more than just romanticized travel. True circumnavigation means completing a great circle around the globe, passing through at least one pair of antipodal points. It is a phenomenon that only the most daring dreamers actually attempt. With the recent news of teenager Michael Perham breaking the record for youngest solo circumnavigation of the planet by sailboat, we were inspired by the dazzling feats of globetrotters past and present. The following documents history’s landmark circumnavigational expeditions, from sailboat to spacecraft to alternative-fuel vehicle. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the timeline of epic journeys!
Magellan, the First
Spanish sea explorer Ferdinand Magellan commanded the first recorded circumnavigation of the world, sailing on the Victoria between August 1519 and April 1521. Although Magellan gets all the glory, it was truly his second in command, Juan Sebastián Elcano, who successfully completed the journey, as Magellan was killed on a Philippine island in April 1521. The Victoria returned to Spain in September 1522.
Full Steam Ahead!
The HMS Driver was the first steamship to circumnavigate the world in 1847, marking the triumph of the cutting-edge navigational technology of the time.
Hanging Out
Otto Lilienthal, the German gliding pioneer who became known as the “Glider King,” was the first person to make repeated successful gliding flights. His personally-designed gliding crafts took him on over 2,000 flights until he tragically crashed to his death in 1896.
First in Flight
The first circumnavigation of the world by aircraft was completed in 1924 by aviators in the U.S. Army Air Service (the precursor of the U.S. Air Force). The flight covered 27,340 miles and took 175 days.
Lindbergh’s Spirit
With the advent of dirigible aircraft technology came the famous first solo non-stop crossing of the Atlantic by blimp, conducted by Charles Lindbergh. His flight from Long Island, NY to Paris in May 1927 on the single-engine monoplane Spirit of St. Louis won him the Orteig Prize and nearly instantaneous world fame.
Zeppelin Voyage
The first attempt at global circumnavigation by blimp was made in August 1929 on the Graf Zeppelin. The trip was partially sponsored by media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who requested that a female reporter be on board, making Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by air. The 30,831-mile trip took 21 days, 5 hours, and 31 minutes, departing from Lakehurst, NJ.
Amelia Takes to the Air
Although Drummond-Hay was the first woman to circle the globe, the inestimable Amelia Earhart was the first aviatrix to successfully fly solo across the Atlantic. She departed on a solo circumnavigational flight in 1937, but mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. Earhart was thus immortalized as a trailblazing figure in flight as well as in women’s achievements. The upcoming biopic Amelia, starring Hilary Swank and coming out in October 2009, captures Earhart’s meteoric rise as a leading aviatrix as well as her tragic demise.
Sub Kind of Wonderful
Submarines were initially developed for military use, but eventually became key to scientific research as well as tourism. In 1960, the USS Triton completed the world’s first submerged world circumnavigation, code-named Operation Sandblast, in order to perform oceanographic research. The voyage followed in the footsteps of an earlier seafaring circumnavigator, using Magellan’s famous navigation track.
Man on the Moon
In 1961, Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the planet on spacecraft within 108 minutes, a landmark flight that further spurred on the space race that had begun in the late 1950’s. In response, NASA launched American astronaut Alan Shepard on a suborbital flight in a Mercury space capsule. Shepard later commanded the Apollo 14 mission to the moon, making him the fifth person to walk on the lunar surface. It was during this voyage that Shepard planted the American flag on the moon–one of the most iconic images in world history.
Earthwalker
Dave Kunst, a.k.a. “Earthwalker,” an American, is the first verified person to completely walk around the Earth. His journey took place between June 1970 and October 1974, and began in Minnesota. Part of the journey was completed on mule-back, part on plane, but mostly on foot.
Ballooning into the Sky
Travel by hot-air balloon was a reality in 1783, fantasized by Frank L. Baum in his tales of Oz, and is a current popular tourist activity around the world. However, the world record for longest flight in a hot air balloon was completed in January 1991 by Swede Per Lindstrand and Briton Sir Richard Branson (also the Virgin Enterprises mogul). Their ride on the Virgin Pacific Flyer balloon traversed 4,767.1 miles from Japan to Northern Canada.
Powering Through
Briton Jason Lewis became the first person to complete an entirely human-powered journey around the world. Expedition 360, as the voyage was called, lasted from 1994 to October 2007 and covered approximately 46,505 miles by cycling, pedal boating, skating, and kayaking.
Easy Rider
Nick Sanders, of the United Kingdom, broke the record for fastest around-the-world trip by motorbike. His 19,930-mile ride, completed in June 1997, took 31 days and 20 hours, earning him the current Guinness World Record.
Running Down a Dream
Move over, Forrest Gump. Jesper Olsen, of Denmark, ran around the world in 22 months on a route totaling 26,000 kilometers. His trip, starting in London in January 2004, averaged 28 miles–slightly more than a marathon!–per day and ended in October 2005.
Windsurfing Wonders
The world record for longest windsurfing journey was attained by Brazilians Flavio Jardim and Diogo Guerreiro. Their 5,045-mile trip spanned May 2004 to July 2005 and took them from Chui to Oiapoque on the Brazilian Coast.
Cycling the Great Circle
Scottish long-distance cyclist Mark Beaumont earned the world record for circumnavigation by bicycle when he completed an 18,297-mile cycling route around the world in Feburary 2008, after 194 days and 17 hours of pedaling.
Going Green
2008 was also a landmark year for circumnavigation by alternative-fuel vehicle. In June 2008, Earthrace, a biodiesel-powered wave-piercing trimaran, completed a circle voyage in just under 61 days, setting a world record for powerboat using renewable fuels.
Activist Adventuress
British sexagenarian Rosie Swale Pope became the world record setter for longest documented journey on foot and by sailboat in August 2009. Her 20,000-mile journey spanning over 240 weeks began in 2003 after her husband succumbed to pancreatic cancer as an attempt to raise awareness about the disease. Rosie overcame countless obstacles along the way, including broken bones, pneumonia, frostbite, being swept to her death by a Siberian river, a breast cancer scare, and (count ‘em) 29 marriage proposals.
Teen Sailing Sensation
Although many before him had already accomplished a single-handed circumnavigation by sailboat, in August 2009, 17-year-old Michael Perham of England set the record for youngest sailor to complete a solo journey.
Peaking
Last but not least, Erden Eruç of Seattle, WA is currently attempting to complete the Six Summits Project, a circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle and rowboat. The journey will cover, not surprisingly, six of the world’s highest mountain summits, including Everest, Kilimanjaro, and Denali, as well as three oceans. continents
So whose epic journey inspired you the most? What type of transport would you take on your around-the-world adventure?