Explorers | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/explorers/RSS feed for ExplorersenFri, 08 May 2026 19:05:25 +0000A Century Ago, an Explorer and His Pilot Claimed to Be the First People to Fly Over the North Pole. Here’s Why Experts Doubt That Achievementhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-century-ago-an-explorer-and-his-pilot-claimed-to-be-the-first-people-to-fly-over-the-north-pole-heres-why-experts-doubt-that-achievement-180988712/While the success of Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett’s polar flight has been disputed, the former went on to accomplish expeditions in AntarcticaFri, 08 May 2026 19:05:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-century-ago-an-explorer-and-his-pilot-claimed-to-be-the-first-people-to-fly-over-the-north-pole-heres-why-experts-doubt-that-achievement-180988712/This Sailor From the Franklin Expedition Died in the Arctic in a Uniform That Didn't Belong to Him. Now, DNA Has Revealed His Identityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-franklin-expedition-officer-died-in-the-arctic-in-uniform-that-didnt-belong-to-him-now-dna-has-revealed-his-identity-180988702/New research has identified four members of the doomed 1845 search for the Northwest Passage, including the owner of a paper-stuffed wallet that has long mystified historiansFri, 08 May 2026 16:07:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-franklin-expedition-officer-died-in-the-arctic-in-uniform-that-didnt-belong-to-him-now-dna-has-revealed-his-identity-180988702/Hundreds of Spanish Settlers Died at the 'Port of Famine.' This Newly Discovered Silver Coin Reveals Where the Doomed Colony Was Founded 400 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-spanish-settlers-died-at-the-port-of-famine-this-newly-discovered-silver-coin-reveals-where-the-doomed-colony-was-founded-400-years-ago-180988519/Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe was established on the north shore of Chile's Strait of Magellan in 1584. When an English navigator came across it several years later, few survivors remainedFri, 17 Apr 2026 17:42:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-spanish-settlers-died-at-the-port-of-famine-this-newly-discovered-silver-coin-reveals-where-the-doomed-colony-was-founded-400-years-ago-180988519/