* Pytheas of Massalia (c. 325-250 BCE) was a Greek explorer who sailed around the British Isles and discovered Iceland and Norway.
* Eratosthenes of Cyrene (c. 276-194 BCE) was a Greek mathematician and astronomer who calculated the circumference of the Earth and proposed the idea that the Earth was round.
* Hipparchus of Nicaea (c. 190-120 BCE) was a Greek astronomer who developed the first star catalog and discovered the precession of the Earth's axis.
* Strabo of Amaseia (c. 63 BCE - c. 24 CE) was a Greek geographer and historian who wrote an influential book called Geographica, which described the known world of his time.
* Pliny the Elder (c. 23-79 CE) was a Roman writer and natural philosopher who wrote an encyclopedia called Natural History, which contained information about the geography, animals, and plants of the known world.
* Claudius Ptolemy (c. 100-170 CE) was a Greek astronomer and geographer who developed a geocentric model of the universe and wrote an influential book called Almagest, which described his astronomical theories.
* Marco Polo (c. 1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled through Asia along the Silk Road and wrote a book called The Travels of Marco Polo, which described his experiences.
* Christopher Columbus (c. 1451-1506) was an Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered the Americas.
* Vasco da Gama (c. 1469-1524) was a Portuguese explorer who sailed around Africa and reached India.
* Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480-1521) was a Portuguese explorer who sailed around the world and discovered the strait that bears his name.
* John Cabot (c. 1450-1498) was an Italian explorer who sailed for England and discovered Newfoundland.
* Jacques Cartier (c. 1491-1557) was a French explorer who sailed up the St. Lawrence River and discovered Canada.
* Samuel de Champlain (c. 1567-1635) was a French explorer who founded Quebec City and helped establish New France.
* Henry Hudson (c. 1565-1611) was an English explorer who sailed up the Hudson River and discovered the Hudson Bay.
* John Smith (c. 1580-1631) was an English explorer who founded Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America.
* William Bradford (c. 1590-1657) was an English Puritan who led the Pilgrims to America and helped found Plymouth Colony.
* Roger Williams (c. 1603-1683) was an English Puritan who founded Providence, Rhode Island, and helped establish religious freedom in America.
* Anne Hutchinson (c. 1591-1643) was an English Puritan woman who was banished from Massachusetts for her religious beliefs and helped found Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
* John Winthrop (c. 1588-1649) was an English Puritan who led the Great Migration to America and helped found the Massachusetts Bay Colony.