The Contributions of Female Explorers

Think of a few of the great explorers in world history. Are you thinking of any women? Chances are, probably not, and this will most likely be the case for many of your class members. But in many ways, female explorers may exemplify greater strength and passion than most explorers we commonly think of, as they challenged incredible social criticism and restrictions in order to pursue their adventurous spirit. Learn more about three women in particular—Marianne North, Mary Kingsley and Alexandra David-Neél—and how as a result of privilege, endurance, and not taking "no" for an answer, they made incredible contributions to the scientific and artistic communities.