1681-1741

Danish Explorer

One of the most celebrated endeavors of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century exploration was the search for the Northwest Passage, a route between Europe and Asia via the frozen seas north of Canada. Less famous was the quest for the Northeast Passage, or a means of navigating between the furthest eastern extremities of Asia and the western tip of North America. Perhaps the greatest figure in the search for the Northeast Passage was Danish navigator Vitus Bering. Sent on two expeditions by the Russian czars, he explored Russia's Far East and the offshore islands of Alaska, and proved the existence of a passage between Asia and North America.

Born in Horsens, Denmark, in 1681, Bering grew up around the sea, and as a young man joined the Dutch navy. At that time Holland had a vast international empire, and his work gave the young...