Russian explorations, 1725-1743; Vitus Bering: the discoverer of Bering Strait

Vitus Bering - Danish-Russian navigator, explorer and cartographer in Russian service, an officer in the Russian Navy, captain-commander of the 18th century. He enlisted in the Russian Navy and fought against the Swedish Empire during the Northern War. In 1725-1730 and 1733-1741 he led the First and Second Kamchatka Expeditions (Great Northern Expedition). He passed through the strait between Chukotka and Alaska (later the Bering Strait), reached North America and discovered a number of islands in the Aleutian ridge. It took a long time before Bering's merits were fully recognized. The first of the explorers to confirm the accuracy of Bering's research was the English navigator James Cook. It was James Cook who suggested giving the name of Bering the Bering Strait (between Chukotka and Alaska). This remarkable biography of the historian and geographer Peter Lauridsen, published in English translation for the American market in 1889. This book includes extensive notes and an index.