March 24

Born in 1834 in Mount Morris, New York, John Wesley Powell served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. After the war, he became a pioneering geologist and led the landmark 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers. He was the first person to navigate the full length of the Grand Canyon, mapping its course and documenting its geology in detail. Powell later directed the U.S. Geological Survey and advocated for the conservation and scientific study of Western landscapes. His work laid the foundation for modern American geology and inspired future exploration of the American West.

Born in 1948 in Katowice, Poland, Jerzy Kukuczka gained renown in the 1970s and 1980s for pioneering new routes in the Himalayas. He completed all fourteen 8,000-meter summits by 1987, often without supplemental oxygen and via challenging faces. Kukuczka achieved several first ascents, including the South-West face of Dhaulagiri. Known for his endurance and innovation, he inspired climbers around the world. Tragically, he died in an avalanche on Lhotse in 1989 at age 40, but his legacy endures in the mountaineering community.