Table of Contents

Introduction
 
Nellie Bly 14
Round the world in 72 days
 
Captain Robert Falcon Scott 20
Race to the Pole: Terra Nova expedition
 
Roald Amundsen 30
Race to the Pole: Norwegian expedition
 
Lieutenant Colonel Percy Fawcett 38
Search for the lost city of ‘Z’
 
Eva Dickson 46
First woman to cross the Sahara by car
 
Clärenore Stinnes 52
First circumnavigation of the globe by production car
 
Amelia Earhart 60
First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
 
Thor Heyerdahl 68
Kon-Tiki expedition
 
Jacques Cousteau 78
First underwater archaeology operation
 
Sir Edmund Hillary 84
Everest first ascent
 
Tim Slessor 94
London to Singapore by Land Rover
 
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston 104
First solo-sailed circumnavigation of the globe
 
Robyn Davidson 114
Trek across the deserts of west Australia using camels
 
Sir Ranulph Fiennes 126
Transglobe expedition
 
Reinhold Messner 136
First ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen
 
Jason Lewis 144
First human-powered circumnavigation of the globe
 
Alastair Humphreys 154
Cycle around the world
 
Rune Gjeldnes 162
Longest solo ski journey
 
Ed Stafford 170
Walking the Amazon
 
Sarah Outen 180
London2London
 
Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg 190
First round-the-world solar flight
 
Fedor Konyukhov 200
Fastest round-the-world balloon flight
 
Olly Hicks and George Bullard 208
Greenland to Scotland by kayak
 
Apa Sherpa 218
Twenty-one Everest ascents
 
Laura Bingham 224
First team to locate the source of and navigate the Essequibo River, Guyana
 
Index 234
Picture credits 238
 

About the Author

Ed Stafford is the Guinness World Record-holding first person to walk the Amazon River. Sir Ranulph Fiennes described his expedition as being 'truly extraordinary... in the top league of expeditions past and present.' A former British Army captain, Ed filmed and blogged his deadly journey and engaged followers all over the world for almost two-and-a-half years. His footage was made into a Discovery Channel documentary and was sold to over 100 countries and he authored the best-selling book, Walking the Amazon. Ed has gone on to film seven survival series and is now an established face of Discovery Channel, and his seventh series, Ed Stafford: First Man Out, aired in late 2018 globally.

Reviews

‘A fascinating and unique look at these celebrated expeditions. Ed Stafford knows all too well how important an explorer’s kit can be and this brilliant book gives great insight into the role it plays.’
*Sir Ranulph Fiennes*

"This book is perfect for anyone fascinated by the evolution of outdoor gear and/or inspired by the stories of the people who set out on the most daring first attempts."
*Hammock Living*