Describes the history of voyages to the United States and Canada, including those of Alexander Mackenzie, John Cabot, Giovanni da Verrazano, Jacques Cartier, and David Thompson. Opens with Alexander MacKenzie's 1793 journey across North America to the Pacific Ocean and covers discovery and exploration in North America from 1497 through 1800. An examination of some of the earliest accounts of Egyptian and Mesopotamian explorations. An account of Dr. David Livingstone's search for the source of the Nile River in the jungles of central Africa in 1871. The exciting story of the ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. A description of the race to the North Pole and all that it entailed, including various explorers' theories on how to achieve this goal. The epic saga of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery and their journey across America. The dramatic story of the explosion that damaged Apollo 13 and the three-day struggle of the men inside, along with those in mission command on the ground, culminating in their safe return to Earth, and more. Each book's gripping narrative shares these events appeal with readers while firsthand accounts of characters, climate, and terrain will help them see discovery and exploration from a fresh perspective. Includes black-and-white illustrations, maps, sidebars, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.