Showing results for "Mind" in Exploration & Discovery

Benjamin Franklin was often curious about the world around him. Utilizing observation and testing of the scientific method, he was able to invent many new items that improved the world for others. These inventions include his famous bifocal glasses, lightning rod, and even a long extension arm.

In 1803, Meriwether Lewis was offered the chance of a lifetime. The president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, asked him to lead an expedition across North America, through the Louisiana Territory and Oregon Country to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis jumped at the opportunity and called on his friend William Clark to share in the command of the exploration. The two men organized a small unit of volunteers they called the Corps of Discovery. They had little idea of what dangers lay ahead in the mysterious lands.

Follow the saga of American exploration, from Jefferson and Monroe securing the Louisiana Purchase through the bold explorations of Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea. Experience the dawning of a new age aboard Robert Fulton's steamboat, and ride the rumbling wagons of the Oregon Trail pioneers. Feel the devastating effects faced by proud Native American warriors, and witness the mammoth undertaking of the transcontinental railroad. Journey with the brave souls who hung out the sign, "Gone West".

When Columbus landed on the islands in the Caribbean Sea, he thought he was off the coast of China. A few years later, Amerigo Vespucci sailed west, hoping to find a new route to the East. Instead, he discovered new lands that nobody at home knew about. What did he see? Who did he tell? And why is America named after him?