Exploration

On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, beginning the California Gold Rush. Thousands quickly flocked to the area in hopes of striking gold.

On November 14, 1889, Nellie Bly embarked on a trip around the globe, inspired by Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days.

British explorer and navigator Captain James Cook was born on November 7, 1728 (October 27 in the Old Style calendar), in Marton, Yorkshire, England. 

On October 15, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation establishing the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the shore of Lake Superior. It was the first national lakeshore in the United States.

On September 16, 1620, the Mayflower left England. The Pilgrims braved rough seas and a harsh winter in search of religious freedom and founded the settlement of Plymouth.

On September 12, 1609, explorer Henry Hudson reached the river that would bear his name.  

On August 30, 1984, the Space Shuttle Discovery made its first launch into space, two months later than initially planned.  It would go on to make more flights than any other shuttle in its fleet. 

On July 24, 1701, French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac established a fort on the site of what would become the city of Detroit.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was established on June 11, 1940, along the Kentucky-Virginia border. The park preserves and honors the “first great gateway to the West.”