Junior Scholars (Ages 9-12): Famous Explorers of History Trivia Word Search

This American astronaut walked on the Moon right after Armstrong during the same mission.

This Spanish explorer led an expedition that took over the Aztec Empire in Mexico.

This explorer, who accompanied Robert Peary, may have been the first person to actually reach the North Pole.

This Italian sailor's 1492 voyage for Spain led Europeans to the Americas.

This French explorer helped invent modern scuba gear and made films about ocean life.

Explorer Shackleton led daring Antarctic survival missions; his first name was '_ _ _ _ _ _.'

This English colonist led the Jamestown settlement and mapped the Chesapeake Bay area.

This Italian explorer sailed for England in 1497, reaching the coast of North America.

This English adventurer sailed around the world and captured Spanish treasure ships along the way.

This French-Canadian trader traveled the Mississippi River and recorded what he saw of Native communities.

This American explorer claimed to be the first person to reach the North Pole, in 1909.

This English explorer searched the icy Canadian Arctic for a Northwest Passage to Asia.

This Italian traveler spent over 20 years journeying to China along the Silk Road.

This Spanish explorer was the first European to travel the full length of the Amazon River.

This American explorer led an expedition through the Louisiana Territory and spotted a famous Colorado peak.

Nicknamed 'The Pathfinder,' this American explorer mapped the Oregon Trail and the Great Basin.

This Portuguese explorer sailed along the Congo River and the west coast of Africa.

This Norse explorer reached North America around the year 1000, long before Columbus.

This French explorer sailed up the St. Lawrence River and claimed land in Canada for France.

Explorer Albuquerque captured trading ports across Asia for Portugal; his first name was '_ _ _ _ _ _.'

This Soviet cosmonaut became the first human to travel into outer space, in 1961.

This French explorer claimed the huge Louisiana territory for France after exploring the Mississippi.

This Portuguese navigator led the first expedition that sailed all the way around the world.

This Norwegian explorer led the first team to reach the South Pole, in the year 1911.

This American naval officer's expedition confirmed that Antarctica was truly a continent.

This Scottish-Canadian explorer was the first European to cross North America north of Mexico.

This Italian explorer realized the Americas were a new continent, which was later named after him.

This French explorer founded a fort that later grew into the city of Detroit, Michigan.

Explorer Livingstone searched Africa for the source of the Nile River; his first name was '_ _ _ _ _.'

This Dutch explorer was the first European to see a southern island later named after him, plus New Zealand.

This English sea captain led the second voyage ever to sail all the way around the world.

This American mountain man explored the Rocky Mountains and discovered key passes for later settlers.

This Portuguese explorer landed in Brazil in the year 1500 and claimed it for Portugal.

This British explorer traced the courses of rivers to help map the Australian outback.

This medieval scholar traveled thousands of miles across Africa and Asia, writing about his journeys.

This American explorer co-led a famous expedition across the Louisiana Territory with William Clark.

This Portuguese explorer found a sea route from Europe all the way to India.

This American astronaut became the first U.S. woman to travel into space, in 1983.

This Chinese admiral led huge fleets that sailed to Southeast Asia and East Africa in the 1400s.

This American astronaut became the first human to walk on the Moon in 1969.

This English navigator proved Australia was a single continent by sailing all the way around it.

This Spanish navigator finished the trip around the world after his captain died on the voyage.

This Sherpa mountaineer climbed to the top of Mount Everest alongside Edmund Hillary in 1953.

This French explorer founded the city of Quebec and is called the Father of New France.

This Canadian explorer charted a major British Columbia river that was later named after him.

This Spanish explorer searched the American Southwest and helped map Arizona and New Mexico.

This British naval officer carefully charted the Pacific Northwest coast of North America.

This American explorer led the first airplane flight over the South Pole, in 1929.

This British captain mapped the coasts of New Zealand, Hawaii, and eastern Australia.

This New Zealand climber was one of the first two people to reach the top of Mount Everest, in 1953.

This Portuguese explorer was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa.

Explorer Verrazzano mapped the Atlantic coast for France; his first name was '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

This Spanish explorer was the first European to cross the mighty Mississippi River.

This Spanish explorer led the conquest of the Inca Empire high in the Andes Mountains.

This English explorer gave his name to a river in New York and a huge bay in Canada.

This American explorer co-led the famous expedition across the American West with Meriwether Lewis.

This French missionary explored the Mississippi River together with the trader Louis Jolliet.

This Danish explorer, working for Russia, mapped the narrow strait between Asia and North America.