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History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration

Written by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
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Publisher's Summary

Mutiny. Disease. Starvation. Cannibals. From the ancient wayfarers to modern astronauts, world explorers have blazed trails fraught with danger. Yet, as History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration vividly demonstrates, exploration continues to be one of humanity's deepest impulses.

Across 24 lectures that unveil the process by which we came to know the far reaches of our planet, you'll witness the awe-inspiring and surprisingly interconnected tale of global exploration. An award-winning history professor from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, revolutionizes how you view the world as he introduces you to some of the greatest and most influential explorers ever known-successful as well as unsuccessful, admirable as well as flawed. You'll be spellbound as you learn of the treacherous, at times fatal, expeditions into the unknown these adventurers embarked upon, whether to the frozen Poles, Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the ocean's depths, or the final frontier of space.

Through it all, you consider what drove these intrepid individuals, from proselytizing and pilgrimage to the lure of wealth, conquest, fame, and new lands, as evidenced by the Vikings' arrival in North America; Marco Polo's journey along the Silk Road to China; Christopher Columbus' "Enterprise of the Indies"; the conquistadors' ravages in Latin America; and the tiny kingdom of Portugal's triumphant circumnavigation of Africa to seize control of trade in the Indian Ocean.

In every lesson, you'll follow these fascinating figures - including several remarkable women - as they venture into uncharted territory and put themselves, and often their crews, in dire peril. With Professor Liulevicius' uniquely global approach, you also get a meaningful portrait of the travels of non-Westerners, as well as the perspectives of discovered people.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2015 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2015 The Great Courses

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A concise history of discovery

I enjoyed this course very much. The course highlights historical instances of human curiosity, courage, greed, and nastiness. Having said that, one cannot deny the facts of what happened and is still to happen in the oceans and in space. I learned quite a lot. Highly recommendable.

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Here is What some old white guys did...

a very western view of exploration. The exceptions seem to be near add-ons.And of course the end is the Americans landing on the moon and planting an American flag. I guess history is just much easier to do if you stick to mainly western sources and sell to people who are in the West.The fact the American Lewis and Clark expedition was one of the stories versus Alexander McKenzie's prior crossing of North America is yet another example of an American bias that weighs this story down

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So interesting!

when I was younger I was never interested in history. I wish I could have listened to these lectures. Very interesting, very informative and the narrator was very passionate about the topics. Easy-to-follow and easy to understand. I'm definitely going to get more of these.

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