Northward Bound Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hernan Cortes

Not much is known about Francisco de Ulloa's birth or when he came to Mexico for that matter. What is known is that he was commissioned in 1539 to sail north along the Pacific coast of New Spain, which is now known as Mexico. He sailed all the way up to the head of the Gulf of California, down the eastern side of the Baja California peninsula and rounded it before heading north again.

He was forced to turn back by rough seas and high winds before reaching modern day California. His expedition helped perpetuate the myth that California was an island.

This led people to continue to look for the mythic Strait of Anian, which would link back to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and prove the Northwest Passage. He died in 1540.

Answer: Francis Drake

Francis Drake was born around 1540, a certain date is not known, in Tavistock, Devon, England. He was the eldest of twelve sons. His father was Edmund Drake and his mother was Mary Mylwaye. He was a sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His nickname was "The Dragon".

After success against the Spanish in Panama he was sent by the queen into the Pacific to attack the Spanish there. It was during this time that he sailed as far north as present day California and claimed it for the crown. He ventured no further north and never found the western entrance to the Northwest Passage but he was able to circumnavigate the world and was knighted for doing this. Drake is most famous for defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588. He died in 1596.

Answer: John Cabot

John Cabot was born Giovanni Caboto in Genoa or Gaeta, Italy in 1450 AD. Not much is known about his parents or any siblings. As with Christopher Columbus, he was Italian but sailed for another country, in this case England. He made three attempts to find the Northwest Passage but none succeeded.

His first voyage met with rough seas and he was forced to turn back. His second voyage was successful in reaching Newfoundland in Canada but exactly where he landed is still an area of great controversy.

He perished on his third voyage, never to be heard from again.

Answer: Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier was born in St. Malo, Brittany on December 31, 1491. Nothing is known of his parents or siblings. In 1520, he married Mary Catherine des Granches. Cartier is responsible for claiming most of present day Canada for France and for mapping the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River.

Although he did not found any colonies, his maps were indispensible to those who followed behind him, namely Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City. He died on September 1, 1557 at his home in St. Malo.

Answer: Vitus Bering

Vitus Bering was born on Aug. 12, 1681 in Horsens, Denmark. Nothing is known of his parents or siblings. He served in the Russian Navy and was commissioned by Peter I in 1725 to lead the first Kamchatka expedition. In 1728, while travelling north along the Kamchatka coast and through the sea that now bears his name, he realized the land was trending westward which meant that it was not connected to North America.

He returned south for the winter. In 1741, he led an expedition that was able to land in what is now Alaska on Kayak Island.

This became known as the Great Northern Expedition. Bering died on December 19, 1741 on an island that now bears his name while returning from this expedition.

Answer: Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson's birth date is uncertain although it is thought to be sometime in the 1560s or 1570s. It is believed he started his life at sea as a cabin boy. His first voyages took place in 1607-1608 and explored the area around Greenland. In 1609, he attempted to navigate the Northeast Passage, through the Arctic Ocean above Russia to the Pacific Ocean. Ice blocked his passage so he turned his ship west and headed toward North America.

While here he journeyed up what is now the Hudson River. His 1610 expedition headed back to North America and into what is now known as Hudson Bay.

Here his crew mutinied and set him and his son adrift never to be heard from again.

Answer: Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen was born on July 16, 1872 in Borge, Østfold, Norway. His father was Jens Amundsen and his mother was Hanna Sahlqvist. He was the fourth son in a family of ship builders and captains. From 1903 to 1906, he led the first successful expedition to travel the Northwest Passage above Canada.

He is more famous for being the first to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911. Amundsen disappeared on June 18, 1928 while leading a rescue flight looking for a lost crew returning from the North Pole. Four geographical features in Antarctica are named after him: Amundsen Sea, Amundsen Glacier, Amundsen Bay, and Mount Amundsen.

Answer: William Parry

William Parry was born on December 19, 1790 in Bath, Somerset, England. He was the son of Dr. Caleb Hillier Parry and Sarah Rigby. He started his naval career at the age of 13. His first journey to the Arctic region was under the command of Captain John Ross in 1818.

He returned a year later leading his own expedition. During this expedition he covered half of the Northwest Passage but did not make it entirely through. He tried a second time to traverse the Northwest Passage in 1821 but failed again.

In 1827, he reached the furthest point north anyone had yet travelled at 82°45'N, a record that stood until 1875-76.

Answer: Robert Peary

Robert Peary was born on May 6, 1856 in Cresson, Pennsylvania. His first attempts to reach the North Pole came in 1886 and 1891. He was different from most explorers in that he adopted Inuit survival techniques, including using sled dogs, dressing in animal furs, and building igloos.

He also used Inuit guides and dog handlers on his expeditions. He finally reached the North Pole on April 6, 1909 after 23 years of trying. Today these claims are considered weak because he never submitted them for independent verification.

Answer: Richard E. Byrd

Richard E. Byrd was born on October 25, 1888 in Winchester, Virginia. His ancestors include John Rolfe and Pocahontas. He first studied at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) before switching to the US Naval Academy. On May 9, 1926, Byrd claimed that he and pilot Floyd Bennett flew over the North Pole. Byrd won the Congressional Medal of Honor for this flight but it still remains the issue of much controversy as to whether he really did it or not. Byrd's November 28, 1929 flight to the South Pole, however, is widely accepted as accurate and truthful.

He made many more expeditions to Antarctica between 1933 and 1956. He died on March 11, 1957 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.