January 21

Born in 1489 in Seville, Spain. In 1518, he led an expedition that first visited the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. He made contact with Maya communities and mapped key coastal regions. His voyage provided crucial information that later enabled Hernán Cortés’s conquest of the Aztec Empire. He continued exploring the Gulf of Mexico until his unexpected death in 1527. His work marked one of the earliest European incursions into Mesoamerica.

Samuel Wallis joined the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of captain by the mid-18th century. In 1766, commanding HMS Dolphin, he became the first European to reach Tahiti and chart its coastline. His interactions with Tahitian inhabitants introduced European audiences to Polynesian culture. Wallis’s voyage contributed significantly to European geographic knowledge of the Pacific. Upon returning in 1768, he was hailed for his navigation skills and bold exploration. He continued to serve in naval expeditions until his death in 1795.