Famous Explorers - KS1 Resources

MD 2010 

Famous 




Explorers Explorers 

Explorers 



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Sir Ranulph Fiennes was born 

on March 7 th 1944. 

He is a modern day explorer who led over 30 

expeditions to the North and South Poles, the 

Arabian desert, the River Nile and many other 

far away places. 



Jacques Cousteau helped to 

invent the SCUBA – the self 

contained underwater 

breathing apparatus – which 

meant undersea divers could 

explore deep down in the 

ocean. 

On July 16th 1969, 

a huge American 

rocket launched a 

spacecraft called 

Apollo Apollo Apollo 11 11 towards 

the Moon. 

Thousands of people 

watched it take off. 

What What is is an an explorer? 

explorer? 

Here Here are are some some definitions definitions definitions of of the the word word explorer. 

explorer. 

• An explorer explores unknown places and 

discovers new things. 

• An explorer is a person who goes to unknown 

places to find out what they are like. 

• An explorer is someone who goes looking for new 

things that have not been found yet. 


Sir Ranulph Fiennes was the first man to have 

reached both the North and South Poles on foot 

and to walk across Antarctica. 


The film was called 

‘The Silent World’. 



He used a specially 

designed underwater 

camera to make a film 

about his explorations. 

Onboard Apollo 11 were astronauts, Michael 

Collins, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. 

Here Here are are some some famous famous explorers. 

explorers. 



Sir Sir Ranulf Fiennes 

Fiennes 

Jacques Jacques Cousteau 

Cousteau 

Apollo Apollo 11 11 Moon Moon Landing 

Landing 

Sir Sir Sir Edmund Edmund Edmund Hillary Hillary Hillary and and and Tenzing Tenzing Norgay 

Robert Robert Falcon Falcon Scott 

Scott 

Roald Roald Roald Amundsen Amundsen 

Amundsen 

Time Time line line and and The The End End ……….. 

……….. 

In May 2009, at the age of 65, he became the 

oldest man to have reached the top of Mount 

Everest. This Everest climb was his third attempt 

to reach the top and raised a lot of money for 

charity. 

Millions of people 

watched his 

television series 

‘The Undersea 

World of Jacques 

Cousteau’ as he 

explored the ocean 

and marine life and 

learned more about 

what was under 

the sea. 


On July 20 th , 1969, Commander 

Neil Armstrong became the first 

human being to land on the Moon. 

As he stepped onto the 

Moon’s surface he said, 

“One One small small step step for for man, 

man, 

one one giant giant leap leap for 

for 

mankind mankind”. mankind 


Sir Sir 

Sir 

Sir Ranulph Ranulph 

Ranulph 

Ranulph Fiennes Fiennes Fiennes Fiennes (1944 (1944 

(1944 

(1944 – ) 

In 1984, the 

Guinness Book 

of Records described 

the Englishman 

Sir Sir Ranulph Fiennes 

Fiennes 

as ‘the world’s 

greatest living 

explorer’. 


Jacques Jacques Jacques Jacques Cousteau Cousteau Cousteau Cousteau (1910 (1910 

(1910 

(1910 – 1997) 

1997) 

1997) 

1997) 

Jacques Cousteau 

was born in France 

on June 11 th 1910 

and became the 

most famous 

undersea explorer 

in the world. 




This is the lunar module 

that was used to take the 

astronauts down to the 

Moon’s surface. It was 

nicknamed the the Eagle Eagle. Eagle 

As Neil Armstrong 

climbed down onto 

the Moon he said, 

“The The Eagle Eagle has 

has 

landed landed”. 

landed landed

Neil Armstrong was the first man on the Moon. 

He was followed moments later by Buzz Aldrin. 


Sir Sir Sir Sir Edmund Edmund Edmund Edmund Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary (1919 (1919 

(1919 

(1919 – 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 ) 

) 

) 

) 

Sir Edmund Hillary was born 

in Auckland, New Zealand on 

July 20 th 1919. As a boy he 

was very shy but he 

dreamed of having lots 

of adventures. 

When he grew up he 

became a famous 

mountaineer. 


He led two expeditions 

to Antarctica, a place 

where not long before, 

only sealers and 

whalers had ever been. 

No one lived in 

Antarctica - it was too 

cold and covered in ice! 


The astronauts sent pictures of the Moon back to 

Earth. They were pictures that had never been 

seen before. 


On June 2 nd , 1953, Sir Edmund 

Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were 

the first two men to successfully 

climb to the top of Mount Everest, 

the tallest mountain in the world. 


The purpose of the expeditions was to explore the 

part of Antarctica around the Ross Sea and to 

find out more about the animals, the weather and 

the land of Antarctica. Scott and his fellow 

explorers also wanted to be the first to reach the 

South Pole. 


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Roald Roald Roald Roald Amundsen Amundsen Amundsen 

Amundsen 

Amundsen (1872 (1872 

(1872 

(1872 – 1928) 

1928) 

1928) 

1928) 

Roald Amundsen was born in Norway in 1872. 

On December 

14th, 1911 he 

beat Robert 

Falcon Scott to 

the South Pole. 



When they finally reached the 

South Pole in January 1912, 

they found that the Norwegian 

explorer, Roald Amundsen and 

his men had got there first. 


They 

also 

collected 

samples 

of Moon 

rock, 

dust and 

soil to 

take 

back to 

Earth. 

Route to the top 

This photograph shows Amundsen and his team 

onboard their ship on the way to Antarctica. 


On July 24 th 1969, eight days after the launch, their 

command module floated gently towards Earth and landed 

in the ocean where boats picked up the astronauts. 


Robert Robert Robert Robert Falcon Falcon Falcon Falcon Scott Scott Scott Scott (1868 (1868 

(1868 

(1868 – 1912) 

1912) 

1912) 

1912) 

Robert Falcon Scott was 

born in Devon in 1868 

and became an officer 

in the Royal Navy. 


To reach safety, Scott and his men had to go back 

800 miles through freezing temperatures and ice. 

They had a disastrous time with blizzards, gale 

force winds, poor clothing and little food. 

Eventually they all died. 

Many months later, a search 

party found their bodies 

wrapped them in their tent 

and buried them in the snow. 



Amundsen and his dog 

team at the South Pole.

Roald Amundsen was famous for other expeditions. 

Between 1903 and 1905 he 

crossed the Northwest passage 

which is the sea route between the 

Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 

It was another 34 years before 

anyone else made the same journey. 




In 1918, he set off on his ship, the Maud to the 

North Pole. His idea was to freeze his ship into 

the ice and then float to the Pole with the ice. 

After three 

winters frozen 

in the ice, 

Amundson and 

his men finally 

got through the 

Northeast 

passage to the 

North Pole. 


1850 1900 1950 

2000 

Robert Falcon Scott 

1868 - 1912 


1875 1925 1975 2025 

Roald Amundsen 

1872 - 1928 

Sir Edmund Hillary 

1919 - 2008 

Moon Landing 1969 

Jacques Cousteau 

1910 - 1997 

Ranulf Fiennes 

1944 - 

For For as as long long long as as people people have have lived lived on on on Earth 

Earth 

there there have have have been been explorers. explorers. Many Many have 

have 

gone gone to to places places that that other 

other 

people people have have never never been 

been 

before. 

before. 

Why Why do do people people become 

become 

explorers? explorers? 

explorers? 

That’s That’s That’s another another story! 

story! 

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Famous Explorers - KS1 Resources

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