On this day in 1741, Danish explorer Vitus J. Bering and his crew became the first Europeans to reach Alaska. This was Bering's second attempt to reach Alaska from the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. The sea area between Siberia and Alaska was named after him.

Bering Bio. Vitus Bering was one of the world's famous explorers. In 1728, Bering discovered that Asia and America were two separate continents, and in 1741 he was the first one to map the west coast of Alaska. Just as Columbus tied the world together to the west, Bering tied it together to the east.

History Moment. In the early 18th century it was not known whether America was connected to Asia. Peter the Great, the Russian Czar who lived from 1672 to 1725, sent out an expedition to find an answer. The expedition ~ Vitus Bering's First Kamchatka Expedition ~ traveled by way of Siberia and reached Kamchatka. There they set up camp and built ships.

Sailing, Sailing. In August of 1728, Bering sailed around the northeast corner of Asia, proving that America and Asia were not connected by land. Water separated the two continents.

Spotting Land? Actually, no. The American coast was hidden in fog, and Bering returned St. Petersburg never actually having seen the American coast.

One More Time. Bering's second Kamchatka Expedition ~ the Great Nordic Expedition ~ lasted from 1733 to 1743. It was the largest expedition the world had ever seen, with 10,000 men. This time Bering's task was not only to oversee the expedition but to find and map the west coast of America.

Land Ho! Bering reached America in July of 1741. But when Bering and his crew tried to sail back to Kamchatka across what was later known as the Bering Sea, they were blown off course by fierce winter storms.

Bering's Grave.

Hard Times at Sea. The crew was suffering from scurvy and, by then, only three men were able to work on deck. In November, they finally sailed within sight of land, though it was still 16 miles away. The sails were tattered and the ship was in need of repairs. The crew desperately wanted the land they saw to be Kamchatka.

Kamchatka, Not. The arctic foxes and Steller's sea cows found there were the first clue that this was not the same place. Apparently they had blundered across an undiscovered island so remote that the animals showed no fear of man.

End of the Ship. It was too late to save the ship. Over the next week, the crew ferried themselves to shore by longboat, the strong helping the weak and dying. The few who were able built driftwood huts dug into the sand. That December, Bering died on what became known as Bering Island. The few survivors managed to reach Kamchatka in the summer of 1742.

Link for More.

Bering's route.

Vitus Bering. A brief bio.

Bering Island.

Arctic Ocean exploration.