Born 1778,
Ösel Island, Estonia
Died 1852,
Kronshlot, Russia

Although Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen made pioneering explorations of the waters around the Antarctic continent, the significance of his voyage was not appreciated during his lifetime. In 1820 he sighted the Antarctic mainland—perhaps the first person ever to do so—but more than a hundred years would pass before his name would be associated with the discovery of Antarctica.

Bellingshausen was born on Ösel Island in the Baltic Sea, which lies between Sweden and the countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. His family belonged to the German gentry, who had long been prominent landholders and merchants in Estonia, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire. In the Russian language he was known as Faddey Faddeyevich Bellingshausen. As a young man, Bellingshausen attended the Russian Naval Academy at Kronshlot...