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A Venetian traveller and writer born in 1254. He travelled to China with his father and uncle where he served the emperor Kublai Khan. Who was he?

Marco Polo. He wrote an account of his travels while in prison (1296-1298).

He was born in 1841 in Denbigh, Wales. Served in the armies of both sides in the American Civil War. Served in the Union Navy. Later he became a reporter for the New York Times and later still a member of the British Parliament. His career culminated in a knighthood in 1899. Who was he?

Henry Morton Stanley. At the age of 17, he sailed as a cabin boy on a ship bound for the US. He first became a Confederate soldier but was captured by the Union Army and to avoid a prison term changed sides. After being discharged from the army due to ill health he joined the Union Navy. A year later he deserted. He then got a position as a field reporter for the New York Herald which led to the event for which he is best remembered - his meeting with the famous explorer David Livingstone at the town of Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika in 1871 and the now famous phrase 'Dr. Livingstone, I presume?'

Born in Yorkshire he joined the Navy in 1755. His expeditions set new standards for scientific work. He was killed in Hawaii in 1779. Who was he?

James Cook. He did too much for me to describe here. If you don't know of his achievements then go and read up about him immediately. One curious fact is that his Yorkshire home has been taken to Australia and reconstructed in Melbourne.

Born in 1874, he commanded an expedition that climbed Mt. Erebus and claimed to have found the location of the South Magnetic Pole. He was knighted in 1909. Who was he?

Ernest Henry Shackleton. He was born in County Kildare, on February 15, 1874. In 1884 he moved with his family to London where he spent the remainder of his boyhood years. At 16 he went to sea and by the age of twenty-four he was certified as Master and thus he was qualified to command a British ship anywhere on the seven seas. He was a member of Scott's Antarctic expedition (1901-1904) before commanding his own expeditions. He died during his fourth expedition in 1922.

Born in Devon in 1540. He made the second circumnavigation of the globe (the first was by Magellan's expedition) in his ship Golden Hind. He helped to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588 as a Vice Admiral. Who was he?

Francis Drake. He financed most of his voyages by relieving Spanish ships of their gold - which was okay because they had stolen it in the first place.