Without the Russian discoverers, the world map would be completely different. Our compatriots - travelers and seafarers - have made discoveries that have enriched world science. The eight most noticeable are in our material.
Bellingshausen's first Antarctic expedition
In 1819, the navigator, captain of the 2nd rank, Thaddeus Bellingshausen led the first Antarctic round-the-world expedition. The purpose of the voyage was to explore the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, as well as to prove or disprove the existence of the sixth continent - Antarctica. Having equipped two sloops - "Mirny" and "Vostok" (under command), Bellingshausen's detachment went to sea.
The expedition lasted 751 days and wrote many bright pages in history geographical discoveries... The main one - was made on January 28, 1820.
By the way, attempts to open the white continent were made earlier, but did not bring the desired success: they lacked a little luck, or, perhaps, Russian tenacity.
So, the navigator James Cook, summing up the results of his second voyage around the world, wrote: "I went around the ocean of the southern hemisphere at high latitudes and rejected the possibility of the existence of a continent, which, if it can be discovered, then only near the pole in places inaccessible for navigation."
During Bellingshausen's Antarctic expedition, more than 20 islands were discovered and mapped, sketches of Antarctic species and animals living on it were made, and the navigator himself went down in history as a great discoverer.
“The name Bellingshausen can be directly put alongside the names of Columbus and Magellan, with the names of those people who did not give up before the difficulties and imaginary impossibilities created by their predecessors, with the names of people who followed their own independent path, and therefore were destroyers of obstacles to discoveries, which designate epochs, "wrote the German geographer August Petermann.
Discovery of Semyonov Tien Shansky
Central Asia at the beginning of the 19th century was one of the least explored regions of the world. An undeniable contribution to the exploration of the "unknown land" - the so-called Central Asia geographers - introduced by Peter Semyonov.
In 1856, the main dream of the explorer came true - he went on an expedition to the Tien Shan.
“My works on Asian geography led me to a thorough acquaintance with everything that was known about inner Asia. Beckoned me in particular to itself the most central of the Asian mountain ranges - Tien Shan, on which the foot of a European traveler had not yet set and which was known only from scant Chinese sources.
Semenov's research in Central Asia lasted two years. During this time, the sources of the Chu, Syrdarya and Sary-Jaz rivers, the Khan-Tengri peaks and others were mapped.
The traveler established the location of the Tien Shan ridges, the height of the snow line in this area and discovered the huge Tien Shan glaciers.
In 1906, by decree of the emperor, for the merits of the discoverer, the prefix was added to his surname - Tien Shansky.
Asia Przewalski
In the 70's and 80's. XIX century Nikolai Przhevalsky led four expeditions to Central Asia. This little-studied area has always attracted the explorer, and a trip to Central Asia was his old dream.
Over the years of research, mountain systems have been studied Kun-Lun , ridges of Northern Tibet, the sources of the Yellow River and Yangtze, basins Kuku-nora and Lob-nora.
Przewalski was the second person after Marco Polo to reach lakes-swamps Lob-nora!
In addition, the traveler discovered dozens of species of plants and animals that are named after him.
“Happy fate made it possible to carry out a feasible study of the least known and most inaccessible countries of inner Asia,” Nikolai Przhevalsky wrote in his diary.
Around the world of Kruzenshtern
The names of Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky became known after the first Russian round-the-world expedition.
For three years, from 1803 to 1806. - that is how long the first circumnavigation lasted - the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva", passing through Atlantic Ocean, circled Cape Horn, and then the waters The Pacific got to Kamchatka, Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. The expedition refined the map of the Pacific Ocean, collected information about the nature and inhabitants of Kamchatka and the Kuriles.
During the voyage, Russian sailors crossed the equator for the first time. Celebrated this event, according to tradition, with the participation of Neptune.
The sailor, dressed in the lord of the seas, asked Kruzenstern why he came here with his ships, because earlier Russian flag in these places have not been seen. To which the commander of the expedition replied: "For the glory of science and our fatherland!"
Expedition of Nevelskoy
Admiral Gennady Nevelskoy is rightfully considered one of the outstanding navigators of the 19th century. In 1849, on the transport ship "Baikal", he went on an expedition to Far East.
The Amur expedition lasted until 1855, during which time Nevelskoy made several major discoveries in the lower reaches of the Amur and the northern shores of the Sea of Japan, annexed huge areas of the Amur and Primorye to Russia.
Thanks to the navigator, it became known that Sakhalin is an island, which is separated by the navigable Tatar Strait, and the mouth of the Amur is accessible for ships to enter from the sea.
In 1850, a detachment of Nevelskoy founded the Nikolaev post, which today is known as Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.
“The discoveries made by Nevelskoy are invaluable for Russia,” wrote Count Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky - Many previous expeditions to these lands could achieve European glory, but none of them achieved domestic benefits, at least to the extent that Nevelskoy did it. "
Vilkitsky North
The purpose of the hydrographic expedition of the Arctic Ocean in 1910-1915. was the development of the Northern Sea Route. By chance, the captain of the 2nd rank Boris Vilkitsky took over the duties of the head of the voyage. Icebreaking ships "Taimyr" and "Vaygach" went to sea.
Vilkitsky moved along the northern water area from east to west, and during his voyage he managed to compose a true description of the northern coast of Eastern Siberia and many islands, received the most important information about the currents and climate, and also became the first who made a through voyage from Vladivostok to Arkhangelsk.
The members of the expedition discovered the Land of Emperor Nicholas I. I., known today as Novaya Zemlya - this discovery is considered the last significant on the globe.
In addition, thanks to Vilkitsky, the islands of Maly Taimyr, Starokadomsky and Zhokhov were mapped.
At the end of the expedition, the First World War began. The traveler Roald Amundsen, having learned about the success of Vilkitsky's voyage, could not resist exclaiming to him:
"V Peaceful time this expedition would excite the whole world! "
Kamchatka campaign of Bering and Chirikov
The second quarter of the 18th century was rich in geographical discoveries. All of them were made during the First and Second Kamchatka expeditions, which immortalized the names of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov.
During the First Kamchatka Campaign, Bering, the leader of the expedition and his assistant, Chirikov, explored and mapped the Pacific coast of Kamchatka and Northeast Asia. They discovered two peninsulas - Kamchatka and Ozerny, Kamchatka Bay, Karaginsky Bay, Cross Bay, Providence Bay and St. Lawrence Island, as well as the strait, which today bears the name of Vitus Bering.
Companions - Bering and Chirikov - also led the Second Kamchatka Expedition. The goal of the campaign was to find a way to North America and explore the islands of the Pacific Ocean.
In Avacha Bay, the expedition members laid the foundation for the Petropavlovsk prison - in honor of the ships sailing "St. Peter" and "St. Paul" - which was later renamed Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
When the ships sailed to the shores of America, by the will of evil fate, Bering and Chirikov began to act alone - because of the fog, their ships lost each other.
"St. Peter" under the leadership of Bering reached the western coast of America.
And on the way back, the members of the expedition, who had a lot of difficulties, were thrown into a small island by a storm. Here Vitus Bering's life ended, and the island where the expedition members stopped for the winter was named after Bering.
"St. Paul" Chirikov also reached the shores of America, but for him the voyage ended more safely - on the way back, he discovered a number of islands in the Aleutian ridge and safely returned to the Peter and Paul prison.
Ivan Moskvitin's "Tumbling Lands"
Little is known about the life of Ivan Moskvitin, but this man still went down in history, and the reason for this is the new lands he discovered.
In 1639, Moskvitin, leading a detachment of Cossacks, set sail for the Far East. The main goal of the travelers was "to find new unseasoned land", to collect furs and fish. The Cossacks overcame the Aldan, Mayu and Yudoma rivers, discovered the Dzhugdzhur ridge, which separates the rivers of the Lena basin from the rivers flowing into the sea, and along the Ulya river entered the "Lamskoye", or Okhotsk Sea. Having explored the coast, the Cossacks discovered the Tauiskaya Bay and entered the Sakhalin Bay, circling the Shantar Islands.
One of the Cossacks reported that the rivers in open lands"Sable, there are many animals, and fish, and the fish is big, there is no such thing in Siberia ... there is so much of it - just run the net and you can't drag the fish out ...".
The geographical data collected by Ivan Moskvitin formed the basis of the first map of the Far East.
Russian navigators, along with European ones, are the most famous pioneers who discovered new continents, sections of mountain ranges and vast water areas.
They pioneered significant geographic sites, took the first steps in the development of hard-to-reach territories, traveled around the world. So who are they - the conquerors of the seas, and what exactly did the world know thanks to them?
Afanasy Nikitin - the very first Russian traveler
Afanasy Nikitin is rightfully considered the first Russian traveler who managed to visit India and Persia (1468-1474, according to other sources 1466-1472). On the way back, he visited Somalia, Turkey, Muscat. On the basis of his travels, Afanasy compiled the notes "Voyage across the Three Seas", which became popular and unique historical and literary textbooks. These records became the first book in the history of Russia, made not in the format of a story about a pilgrimage, but describing the political, economic and cultural characteristics of the territories.
Afanasy Nikitin
He was able to prove that even being a member of a poor peasant family, one can become a famous explorer and traveler. Streets, embankments in several Russian cities, motor ship, passenger train and the airport
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Semyon Dezhnev, who founded the Anadyr prison
Cossack chieftain Semyon Dezhnev was an Arctic navigator who became the discoverer of a number of geographical objects. Wherever Semyon Ivanovich served, everywhere he strove to study new and previously unknown. He was even able to cross the East Siberian Sea on a makeshift koch, going from Indigirka to Alazeya.
In 1643, as part of a detachment of researchers, Semyon Ivanovich discovered Kolyma, where, with his associates, he founded the city of Srednekolymsk. A year later, Semyon Dezhnev continued his expedition, walked along the Bering Strait (which did not yet have this name) and discovered the easternmost point of the continent, later called Cape Dezhnev. Also, an island, a peninsula, a bay, a village are named after him.
Semyon Dezhnev
In 1648, Dezhnev hit the road again. His ship was wrecked in the waters located in the southern part of the Anadyr River. Having reached on skis, the sailors went up the river and stayed there for the winter. Subsequently, this place appeared on geographical maps and received the name Anadyr prison. As a result of the expedition, the traveler was able to make detailed descriptions, make a map of those places.
Vitus Ionassen Bering, who organized expeditions to Kamchatka
Two Kamchatka expeditions inscribed the names of Vitus Bering and his associate Alexei Chirikov in the history of sea discoveries. During the first voyage, the mariners carried out research and were able to supplement the geographic atlas with objects located in Northeast Asia and on the Pacific coast of Kamchatka.
The discovery of the Kamchatka and Ozerny peninsulas, the bays of Kamchatsky, Krest, Karaginsky, the Providence Bay, the island of St. Lawrence is also the merit of Bering and Chirikov. At the same time, another strait was found and described, which later became known as the Bering Strait.
Vitus Bering
The second expedition was undertaken by them with the aim of finding a way to North America and exploring the Pacific Islands. On this journey, Bering and Chirikov founded the Peter and Paul prison. It got its name from the combined names of their ships ("St. Peter" and "St. Paul) and later became the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
On the approach to the shores of America, the ships of like-minded people lost sight of each other, a heavy fog affected. "St. Peter", piloted by Bering, sailed to the west coast of America, but got into a violent storm on the way back - the ship was thrown onto the island. The last minutes of Vitus Bering's life passed on it, and the island subsequently began to bear his name. Chirikov also reached America on his ship, but successfully completed his voyage, having discovered several islands of the Aleutian ridge on the way back.
Khariton and Dmitry Laptev and their "named" sea
Cousins Khariton and Dmitry Laptev were Vitus Bering's associates and assistants. It was he who appointed Dmitry the commander of the ship "Irkutsk", and his double-boat "Yakutsk" was led by Khariton. They took part in the Great Northern Expedition, the purpose of which was to study and accurately describe and map the Russian shores of the ocean, from the Yugorsky sphere to Kamchatka.
Each of the brothers made a significant contribution to the development of new territories. Dmitry became the first navigator who made a survey of the coast from the mouth of the Lena to the mouth of the Kolyma. He made up detailed maps these places, taking as a basis mathematical calculations and astronomical data.
Khariton and Dmitry Laptev
Khariton Laptev and his associates conducted research on the northernmost part of the Siberian coast. It was he who determined the size and shape huge peninsula Taimyr - completed a survey of its eastern coast, was able to identify the exact coordinates of the coastal islands. The expedition took place in difficult conditions - a large number of ice, snowstorms, scurvy, ice captivity - Khariton Laptev's team had to go through a lot. But they continued their work. On this expedition, Laptev's assistant Chelyuskin discovered the cape, which was later named in his honor.
Noting the great contribution of the Laptevs to the development of new territories, members of the Russian geographic society decided to name one of largest seas Arctic. Also in honor of Dmitry, the strait between the mainland and the island of Bolshoi Lyakhovsky is named, and the name of Khariton is West Coast Taimyr islands.
Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky - organizers of the first Russian circumnavigation
Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky are the first Russian navigators who made trip around the world... Their expedition lasted three years (started in 1803 and ended in 1806). They set off with their crews on two ships, which bore the names "Nadezhda" and "Neva". The travelers passed through the Atlantic Ocean, entered the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The sailors sailed along them to the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka and Sakhalin.
Ivan Kruzenshtern This journey allowed to collect important information... Based on the data obtained by the sailors, a detailed map of the Pacific Ocean was compiled. Another important result of the first Russian round-the-world expedition was the data obtained on the flora and fauna of the Kuriles and Kamchatka, local residents, their customs and cultural traditions.
During their voyage, the sailors crossed the equator and, according to maritime traditions, could not leave this event without a well-known ritual - a sailor, disguised as Neptune, greeted Kruzenshtern and asked why his ship had arrived where the Russian flag had never been. To which he received the answer that they were here exclusively for the glory and development of national science.
Vasily Golovnin - the first navigator who was rescued from Japanese captivity
Russian navigator Vasily Golovnin led two expeditions around the world. In 1806, while in the rank of lieutenant, he received a new appointment and became the commander of the sloop "Diana". Interestingly, this is the only case in the history of the Russian fleet when a lieutenant was entrusted with the control of the ship.
The leadership set the goal of a round-the-world expedition to study the North Pacific Ocean, with special attention to that part of it, which is located within the borders of the native country. Diana's path was not easy. The sloop passed the island of Tristan da Cunha, passed the Cape of Hope and entered a port belonging to the British. Here the ship was detained by the authorities. The British informed Golovnin about the beginning of the war between the two countries. The Russian ship was not declared captured, but the team was not allowed to leave the bay either. After spending more than a year in this position, in mid-May 1809 "Diana", led by Golovnin, tried to escape, which the sailors successfully succeeded in - the ship arrived in Kamchatka.
Vasily Golovin The next important task Golovnin received in 1811 - he had to compose descriptions of the Shantar and Kuril Islands, the shores of the Tatar Strait. During his travels, he was accused of violating sakoku principles and captured by the Japanese for more than 2 years. It was possible to rescue the command from captivity only thanks to the good relations between one of the Russian naval officers and an influential Japanese merchant, who was able to convince his government of the harmless intentions of the Russians. It is worth noting that before that, no one in history had returned from Japanese captivity.
In 1817-1819 Vasily Mikhailovich made another round-the-world voyage on the ship "Kamchatka" specially built for this.
Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev - discoverers of Antarctica
Captain Second Rank Thaddeus Bellingshausen was determined to find the truth in the question of the existence of the sixth continent. In 1819 he set out on the open sea, carefully preparing two sloops - "Mirny" and "Vostok". The latter was commanded by his associate Mikhail Lazarev. The first Antarctic round-the-world expedition set itself other tasks. In addition to finding irrefutable facts confirming or refuting the existence of Antarctica, the travelers were going to explore the waters of three oceans - the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian.
Thaddeus Bellingshausen The results of this expedition exceeded all expectations. For 751 days, which it lasted, Bellingshausen and Lazarev were able to make several significant geographical discoveries. Of course, the most important of them is the existence of Antarctica, this historical event took place on January 28, 1820. Also, during the trip, about two dozen islands were found and mapped, sketches with views of Antarctica, images of representatives of the Antarctic fauna were created.
Mikhail Lazarev
It is interesting that attempts to discover Antarctica were made more than once, but none of them was successful. European seafarers believed that either it does not exist, or it is located in places that simply cannot be reached by sea. But Russian travelers had enough perseverance and determination, therefore the names of Bellingshausen and Lazarev are included in the lists of the greatest navigators in the world.
Yakov Sannikov
Yakov Sannikov (about 1780, Ust-Yansk, Russian Empire - after 1811) - Russian merchant from Yakutsk, fox, mammoth tusks and explorer of the New Siberian Islands.
He is known as the discoverer of the ghost island "Sannikov Land", which he saw from the New Siberian Islands. Discovered and described the islands of Stolbovoy (1800) and Faddeevsky (1805).
In 1808-1810 he took part in the expedition of the exiled Riga Swede M. M. Gedenshtrom. In 1810 he crossed the island of New Siberia, in 1811 he bypassed the island of Faddeevsky.
Sannikov expressed his opinion about the existence to the north of the New Siberian Islands, in particular from the Kotelny Island, a vast land called "Sannikov Land".
After 1811, traces of Yakov Sannikov are lost. No further occupation or year of death is known. In 1935, the pilot Gratsiansky, who flew in the lower reaches of the Lena River, near Kyusyur discovered a tombstone with the inscription "Yakov Sannikov". The strait, through which a section of the Northern Sea Route passes today, is named in his honor. Opened in 1773 by the Yakut industrialist Ivan Lyakhov. Initially, the strait was named after the expedition doctor E.V. Tollya V.N. Katina-Yartseva F.A. Mathisen. The current name was given to K.A. Vollosovich on his map, and in 1935 it was approved by the government of the USSR.
Grigory Shelikhov
Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov (Shelekhov; 1747, Rylsk - July 20, 1795, Irkutsk) - Russian explorer, navigator, industrialist and merchant from the Shelekhov family, who since 1775 was engaged in the arrangement of commercial merchant shipping between the Kuril and Aleutian island ridges. In 1783-1786 he headed an expedition to Russian America, during which the first Russian settlements in North America were founded. He organized several trading and fishing companies, including in Kamchatka. Grigory Ivanovich mastered new lands for the Russian Empire, was the initiator of the Russian-American company. Founder of the North-East Company.
The bay was named in his honor. Shelikhov Bay (Kamchatka Region, Russia) is located between the Asian coast and the base of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Refers to the water area of the Sea of Okhotsk.
Ferdinand Wrangel
Wrangel showed himself from the best side, and he, tested in a difficult circumnavigation, instruct to lead an expedition to the extreme northeast of Siberia, to the estuaries of the Yana and Kolyma, in order to map the coast of the Arctic Ocean up to the Bering Strait, and in addition to this, test the hypothesis of the existence of an undiscovered land connecting Asia with America.
Wrangel spends three years in the ice and tundra with his companions, among whom his main assistant was Fyodor Matyushkin - Lyceum comrade A.S. Pushkin.
In the intervals between the campaigns to the North under the leadership of Wrangel and Matyushkin, a topographic survey was made huge coastline covering 35 degrees in longitude. On the territory of the recently white spot, 115 astronomical points were identified. For the first time, studies were carried out on the influence of climate on the existence and development sea ice, and in Nizhnekolymsk was organized the first meteorological station in this region. Thanks to meteorological observations of this station, it was established that in the interfluve of the Yana and Kolyma rivers there is a "cold pole" of the Northern Hemisphere.
Ferdinand Wrangel described the expedition and its scientific results in detail in a book that was first published in 1839 and was a huge success. The renowned Swedish polar explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskjöld called it "one of the masterpieces among the writings on the Arctic."
The expedition to the Chukotka-Kolyma Territory put Wrangel on a par with the largest explorers of the harsh Arctic. Later, becoming one of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society, he thought out a project for an expedition to North Pole... He proposes to go to the Pole on a ship, which is to spend the winter off the northern coast of Greenland, to prepare food warehouses along the route of the Pole Party in the fall, and in March people go out exactly in the direction of the meridian on ten sledges with dogs. Interestingly, the plan to reach the pole, drawn up by Robert Peary, who entered the pole 64 years later, repeated Wrangel's old project in the smallest detail. An island in the Arctic Ocean, a mountain and a cape in Alaska are named after Wrangel. Having learned about the sale of Alaska by the Russian government in 1867, Ferdinand Petrovich reacted very negatively to this.
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I. Kruzenshtern and Yu. Lisyansky In 1803 an expedition was undertaken to explore the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. It was the FIRST RUSSIAN EXPEDITION. It was headed by I. Kruzenshtern. For the first time, more than a thousand km of the coast of about. Sakhalin. Lisyansky discovered one of the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago. We have collected a lot of data on the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, the islands of the Pacific and Arctic oceans. These materials served as the basis for Atlas South Seas". In 1803, an expedition was undertaken to explore the North Pacific Ocean. It was the FIRST RUSSIAN EXPEDITION. It was headed by I. Kruzenshtern. For the first time, more than a thousand km of the coast of about. Sakhalin. Lisyansky discovered one of the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago. We have collected a lot of data on the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, the islands of the Pacific and Arctic oceans. These materials served as the basis for the Atlas of the South Seas.
F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev F. Bellingshausen headed a new round-the-world expedition. The plan was drawn up by I. Kruzenshtern. In F. Bellingshausen he headed a new round-the-world expedition. The plan was drawn up by I. Kruzenshtern. The purpose was designated "the acquisition of the fullest knowledge about our globe" and "the discovery of the possible proximity of the Antarctic Pole" On January 16, 1820, the expedition approached the shores of Antarctica, then, after anchorage in Australia, the ships moved to the tropical part of the Pacific Ocean, where they discovered a group of islands called the islands of the Russians The goal was “to acquire the fullest knowledge about our globe” and “the discovery of the possible proximity of the Antarctic Pole” On January 16, 1820, the expedition approached the shores of Antarctica, then, after anchorage in Australia, the ships moved to the tropical part of the Pacific Ocean, where they discovered a group of islands called the islands of the Russians
A. Baranov and the development of Russian America In search of new hunting areas A. Baranov studied in detail the Kodiak Island. It was he who, for the first time, managed to truly secure Russia's vast territories on the Pacific coast. North America... In 1799 he became the ruler of the Russian-American Company, and in 1803 he was appointed ruler of Alaska. In 1815 he undertook an expedition to the Hawaiian Islands with the aim of their annexation to Russia. In search of new hunting areas, A. Baranov studied the Kodiak Island in detail. It was he who, for the first time, managed to truly secure Russia's vast territories on the Pacific coast of North America. In 1799 he became the ruler of the Russian-American Company, and in 1803 he was appointed ruler of Alaska. In 1815 he undertook an expedition to the Hawaiian Islands with the aim of their annexation to Russia.
G. Nevelskoy and E. Putyatin G. Nevelskoy is the largest researcher of the Far East. In 2 expeditions (s) he succeeded in discovering new territories and entering the lower reaches of the Amur. G. Nevelskoy is the largest researcher of the Far East. In 2 expeditions (s) he succeeded in discovering new territories and entering the lower reaches of the Amur. E. Putyatin - discovered the Rimsky-Korsakov Islands. And he was the first Russian who visited Japan and signed an agreement there. E. Putyatin - discovered the Rimsky-Korsakov Islands. And he was the first Russian who visited Japan and signed an agreement there. The result of the expedition of G. Nevelsky and E. Putyatin, in addition to purely scientific ones, was the consolidation of the Primorsky region in the Far East for Russia. In 1845 the opening of the Russian Geographical Society. The result of the expedition of G. Nevelsky and E. Putyatin, in addition to purely scientific ones, was the consolidation of the Primorsky region in the Far East for Russia. In 1845 the opening of the Russian Geographical Society.
Fanatical people, these scientists, researchers. How do you read what had to be experienced and experienced in distant geographical expeditions, what do you ask yourself - why did they need it? Part of the answer probably still refers to these people like Fyodor Konyukhov - it's in their blood. And the other part, of course, is the service to the Motherland, the Fatherland, the country. I think they fully understood that they were increasing the greatness, wealth and prosperity of their state. If it were not for them, a citizen of another country would have done it, and the maps of the World might have looked different.
Here are some things you might not know ...
The 18th century was noted in Russian geographical history primarily by the Great Northern Expedition. Started in December 1724 by a personal decree of Peter I (Vitus Bering's First Kamchatka Expedition), it continued in 1733-1743, already under Anna Ioannovna. The expedition consisted of seven independent missions moving along the Arctic coast of Siberia to the shores of North America and Japan. The result of this large-scale project was the publication of the first complete geographic map Russian Empire.
Vasily Pronchishchev. Great Northern Expedition. 1735-1736
One of the participants of the Great Northern Expedition. A legendary personality among Russian polar explorers. Legendary and romantic. Midshipman. He studied at the Maritime Academy with Semyon Chelyuskin and Khariton Laptev, who also took part in this expedition under his leadership. And earlier, in 1722, he took part in the Persian campaign of Peter. And outwardly, by the way, he was very similar to the emperor.
Together with him, his wife Tatiana took part in the expedition. It was so incredible for the time that her presence on the ship was unofficial.
During the Great Northern Expedition, Pronchishchev's detachment, consisting of 50 people, left Yakutsk in June 1735 on the Yakutsk sailboat rowing boat, made accurate map the channel and mouth of the Lena River, a map of the Laptev Sea coast and discovered many islands lying north of the Taimyr Peninsula. In addition, Pronchishchev's group advanced northward much further than other detachments: up to 77 ° 29 ′ n. sh.
But Pronchishchev also entered the history of the development of the Arctic thanks to his romantic history. Together with him, his wife Tatiana took part in the expedition. It was so incredible for the time that her presence on the ship was unofficial. In August 1736, during one of his sorties to the polar islands, Pronchishchev broke his leg and soon died from a complication caused by an open fracture. His wife survived him by only a few days. They say that she died of grief. They were buried in one grave at Cape Tumul near the mouth of the Olenek River (today the village of Ust-Olenek is located here).
The new head of the detachment was navigator Semyon Chelyuskin, and after he went with a sled train to Yakutsk with the expedition's reports, he was replaced by Khariton Laptev. Surprisingly, the names of Chelyuskin and Laptev were much more vividly reflected in the public consciousness than the name of their commander Pronchishchev. True, in the spring of 2018, the film "The First" will be released, which tells about the fate of the Pronchishchevs. The role of Vasily will be played by Evgeny Tkachuk (Grigory Melekhov in "Quiet Don" and Mishka Yaponchik in the series of the same name). Perhaps Pronchishchev's name will still take its rightful place among other great researchers of the Arctic.
Fedor Soimonov. Map of the Caspian Sea. 1731
The life of this person just begs for a movie screen. He, like Pronchishchev, participated in the Persian campaign of Peter I. He was also a midshipman. But his fate connected him not with the Arctic, but with the Caspian Sea. Fyodor Soimonov went down in Russian history as the first Russian hydrographer.
Oddly enough, but the length and breadth of the Caspian Sea familiar to us today in the 18th century was still a continuous terra incognita. Yes, since ancient times dashing Volga people - ushkuiniks - have walked along it to Persia for princesses, in order to throw them overboard into the oncoming wave, and of other other goods. It was called “going for zipuns”. But all this was sheer amateur performance. Fedor Soimonov was the first to draw the Caspian Sea with all its bays, shoals and peninsulas on the map of the Russian Empire.
In Nerchinsk and Irkutsk, Soimonov organized the first navigation schools in Siberia, in which he taught personally. Then for six years he was the governor of Siberia
Also under his leadership, the first detailed atlas was published Baltic Sea and prepared for publication atlas Of the White Sea, but then the strange begins. Of course, this was due to the undercover political games. In 1740 Soimonov was stripped of all ranks, beaten with a whip (!) And exiled to hard labor. Two years later, Elizabeth I returned him to the service, but left him in Siberia. In Nerchinsk and Irkutsk, Soimonov organized the first navigation schools in Siberia, in which he taught personally. Then for six years he was the governor of Siberia. At the age of 70, he was finally allowed to return to Moscow. He died at the age of 88 on his estate near Serpukhov.
Interesting fact. Soymonovskiy proezd in Moscow, not far from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, is named after Soymonov's son, Mikhail, a remarkable person in his own way, one of the organizers of mining in Russia.
Savva Loshkin. New Earth. Mid-18th century
G. A. Travnikov. Russian North
If the previous two of our heroes were sovereign people and made their travels on duty, the Pomor Savva Loshkin, a native of the village of Olonets, acted only at his own peril and risk. He was the first person in the history of the development of the Russian North who bypassed New earth from the north.
Loshkin is an almost mythological person, but any self-respecting northern sailor knows his name, despite the fact that the only official source telling about his three-year journey is the story of Fedot Rachmanin, recorded in 1788 by Vasily Krestinin, a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Even the years of Savva Loshkin's travel are not exactly known to us. Some researchers believe that this is the beginning of the 1760s, others that the 1740s
Nikolay Chelobitchikov. Malacca, Canton. 1760-1768.
While some mastered the North, others moved south. The merchant Nikolai Chelobitchikov from the city of Trubchevsk, Oryol province in 1760-1768, made a complete unique journey on South-East Asia, which, alas, remained unappreciated by his contemporaries. Most likely, he was the first Russian to visit the Malay Peninsula and reach by sea, not by land, the Chinese Canton (now Guangzhou)
The merchant Chelobitchikov made his journey with a completely practical purpose and, it seems, did not give him any historical significance... He contracted for 300 rubles. go to Calcutta and collect a four thousandth debt from a Greek merchant stuck there
The merchant Chelobitchikov (although it would be more correct to call him a collector) made his journey with a completely practical purpose and, it seems, did not attach any historical significance to it. He contracted for 300 rubles. go to Calcutta and collect a four thousandth debt from a Greek merchant stuck there, who owed this amount to his fellow countrymen. Passing through Constantinople, Baghdad and Indian Ocean, he reached Calcutta. But it turned out that the debtor had already died, and Chelobitchikov had to return home in an incredibly roundabout way: through Malacca, which was owned by the Dutch at that time, the Chinese Canton and the English island of St. Helena (!) To London, and then to Lisbon and Paris. And, finally, to Petersburg, where I visited for the first time in my life.
This amazing journey of the Trubchevsky merchant became known relatively recently, when a petition was discovered in the Central State Archives, which he sent in 1770 to Catherine II, with a request to transfer him to the Petersburg merchants. In it, he described his route in sufficient detail. It is surprising that his report is absolutely devoid of any pretentiousness. He describes his nine-year journey rather sparingly, like some kind of out-of-town trip. And he offers himself as a consultant for trade with eastern countries.
Philip Efremov. Bukhara - Tibet - Kashmir - India. 1774-1782
The further fate of Chelobitchikov remains unclear (most likely, his message never reached the empress), but the servant, non-commissioned officer Philip Efremov, who made a similar journey a decade later, was introduced to Catherine II and even elevated to the nobility by her.
The adventures of Philip Efremov began in July 1774, when he was captured by the Pugachevites. He fled, but was captured by the Kirghiz, who sold him into slavery to the Bukhara emir
The adventures of Philip Efremov began in July 1774, when he was captured by the Pugachevites. He fled, but was captured by the Kirghiz, who sold him into slavery to the Bukhara emir. Efremov was forced to convert to Islam and was subjected to severe torture, but he did not betray the Christian faith, and then the emir, admiring his courage, made him his centurion (yuz-bashi). For participating in several battles, he received a large allotment of land, but still dreamed of returning to his homeland. Having bought a fake passport, he fled again. All roads to the north were closed, so he went south. Through Tibet and Kashmir, closed to Europeans, he got to India, and from there to London, where he met with the Russian consul, who introduced him directly to Catherine's eyes.
Later, Efremov served as a translator in the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in 1786 the first edition of his travel diary was published: “Russian non-commissioned officer Efremov, now a collegiate assessor, nine-year wandering and adventures in Bukharia, Khiva, Persia and India and returning from there through England to Russia, written by him. " At the end of the 18th century, the book became a bestseller and went through three editions, but by the middle of the 19th century it was almost forgotten, like its author. Now the notebook, passed with Efremov half the world, is kept in the manuscript department of the Pushkin House.
P. S. Soon many other travelers followed in the footsteps of Chelobitchikov and Efremov. The most famous of them are Gerasim Lebedev, the first Russian Indologist, who founded the first European-style drama theater in India in the 1790s in Calcutta, the Armenian merchants Grigory and Danil Atanasov, and the Georgian nobleman Rafail Danibegashvili.
Dmitry Rzhannikov
sourceshttps://www.moya-planeta.ru/travel/view/zabytye_russkie_puteshestvenniki_xviii_veka_36544/
And let's remember and, well, a little
In the 19th century, Russian explorers made a number of outstanding geographical discoveries. In 1803 I. Kruzenshtern on the "Nadezhda" and "Neva" made the 1st Russian round-the-world expedition exploring northern part Pacific Ocean, Sakhalin, Alaska, Aleutian Islands. Y. Lisyanaky opened one of the Hawaiian Islands... In 1819-21 F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev on the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" made the 2nd Arctic expedition. During its 16.1.1820 ships approached Antarctica, which Bellingshausen called the "ice continent." After resting in Australia, the expedition moved to the tropical Pacific Ocean and discovered islands in the Tuamotu archipelago. They were named in honor of Kutuzov, Lazarev, Raevsky, Barclay de Tolly, Ermolov and others. After resting in Sydney, the ships returned to Antarctica and discovered about. Peter I and the land of Alexander I. In July 1821 the ships returned to Kronstadt, bringing a huge amount of materials and collections. The development of Russian America is associated with the name of A. Baranov. A merchant from Kargopol traded in Alaska since 1790. He made detailed maps of Alaska and the surrounding islands. In 1799 Baranov became the ruler of the colonies in America. B1804 He founded Novoarkhangelsk. Baranov tried to annex Hawaii to Russia, but failed. Despite his illness, he remained in office until his death. The territory of the Far East remained a blank spot on the Russian map. In 1848 Nicholas 1 sent G. Nevelskoy's expedition to the Far East. He proved that Sakhalin is an island and explored the lower reaches of the Amur. E. Putyatin during the expedition around the world in 1822-25. discovered the Rimsky-Korsakov Islands and entered into an agreement with Japan. Round-the-world expeditions committed by V. Golovin-1807-11, F. Litke-1826-29 and made 50 maps. I. Voznesensky in 1839-40 described Alaska, the Aleutian and Kuril Islands. In 1809 A. Kolodkin began to study the Caspian. In 1848 E. Hoffman and M. Kovalsky explored Sev. Ural. In 1845 the Russian Geographical Society was created.
