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Exploration, Aviation & Space
54 people
Neil Armstrong 1930–2012Exploration, Aviation & SpaceAstronaut who commanded Apollo 11 and became the first person to set foot on the lunar surface.
Charles Lindbergh 1902–1974Exploration, Aviation & SpaceAviator who made the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927.
Buzz Aldrin b. 1930Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 11 lunar module pilot and second person to walk on the Moon.
John Glenn 1921–2016Exploration, Aviation & SpaceFirst American to orbit Earth and later the oldest person to fly in space at age 77.
Amelia Earhart 1897–1937Exploration, Aviation & SpaceAviation pioneer and the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
William Clark 1770–1838Exploration, Aviation & SpaceCo-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and later Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
Meriwether Lewis 1774–1809Exploration, Aviation & SpaceCo-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which mapped the American West to the Pacific Ocean.
Daniel Boone 1734–1820Exploration, Aviation & SpaceFrontiersman who blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky.
Sacagawea 1788–1812Exploration, Aviation & SpaceShoshone woman who guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the Louisiana Territory.
Chuck Yeager 1923–2020Exploration, Aviation & SpaceAir Force test pilot who first exceeded the speed of sound in level flight in 1947.
Alan Shepard 1923–1998Exploration, Aviation & SpaceFirst American in space and fifth person to walk on the Moon during Apollo 14.
Davy Crockett 1786–1836Exploration, Aviation & SpaceFrontiersman, soldier, and politician who became a folk hero of the American frontier.
Sally Ride 1951–2012Exploration, Aviation & SpaceFirst American woman in space and physicist who flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983.
Michael Collins 1930–2021Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 11 command module pilot who orbited alone behind the Moon while Armstrong and Aldrin walked below.
Jim Lovell 1928–2025Exploration, Aviation & SpaceCommander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, whose calm leadership brought the crew home safely.
Katherine Johnson 1918–2020Exploration, Aviation & SpaceNASA mathematician whose orbital trajectory calculations supported the Mercury and Apollo crewed flights.
Christa McAuliffe 1948–1986Exploration, Aviation & SpaceTeacher selected for the Teacher in Space program who died in the Challenger disaster.
Jimmy Doolittle 1896–1993Exploration, Aviation & SpaceAeronautical engineer, pioneer of instrument flight, and leader of the 1942 raid on Tokyo
Robert Peary 1856–1920Exploration, Aviation & SpaceNaval officer who led the disputed 1909 expedition that claimed to have reached the North Pole.
Kit Carson 1809–1868Exploration, Aviation & SpaceFrontiersman and scout who guided John C. Frémont and became a legend of the American West.
Bessie Coleman 1892–1926Exploration, Aviation & SpaceThe first Black woman and first Native American woman to hold a pilot's license
John C. Frémont 1813–1890Exploration, Aviation & SpaceExplorer and military officer whose five expeditions mapped much of the American West.
Matthew Henson 1866–1955Exploration, Aviation & SpaceArctic explorer who co-led Robert Peary’s 1909 expedition, which claimed to have reached the North Pole.
Gus Grissom 1926–1967Exploration, Aviation & SpaceOne of the original Mercury Seven astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 fire.
John Wesley Powell 1834–1902Exploration, Aviation & SpaceGeologist and explorer who led the first documented passage through the Grand Canyon.
Eddie Rickenbacker 1890–1973Exploration, Aviation & SpaceWorld War I ace of aces and longtime head of Eastern Air Lines
Richard Byrd 1888–1957Exploration, Aviation & SpaceNaval officer and explorer who claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole by air.
John Young 1930–2018Exploration, Aviation & SpaceSix spaceflights across three programmes, a walk on the Moon, and command of the first Space Shuttle launch.
Mae Jemison b. 1956Exploration, Aviation & SpaceFirst African American woman in space, physician, and advocate for science education and global health.
Gene Kranz b. 1933Exploration, Aviation & SpaceNASA flight director who led Mission Control through the Apollo 11 landing and the Apollo 13 rescue.
Eugene Cernan 1934–2017Exploration, Aviation & SpaceCommander of Apollo 17 and the last person to walk on the Moon.
Frank Borman 1928–2023Exploration, Aviation & SpaceCommander of Apollo 8, the first mission to orbit the Moon, and later CEO of Eastern Air Lines.
Sylvia Earle b. 1935Exploration, Aviation & SpaceMarine biologist and oceanographer known as Her Deepness for her record-breaking underwater explorations.
Zebulon Pike 1779–1813Exploration, Aviation & SpaceArmy officer who led expeditions to the Southwest and after whom Pikes Peak is named.
William Anders 1933–2024Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic Earthrise photograph, changing humanity's view of our planet.
Ed White 1930–1967Exploration, Aviation & SpaceGemini 4 astronaut who performed the first American spacewalk, dying in the Apollo 1 fire.
Scott Kelly b. 1964Exploration, Aviation & SpaceAstronaut who spent a year aboard the International Space Station, advancing long-duration spaceflight research.
Jim Bridger 1804–1881Exploration, Aviation & SpaceMountain man and guide who explored the Rocky Mountains and founded Fort Bridger.
Pete Conrad 1930–1999Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 12 commander and third person to walk on the Moon, known for his humor and skill.
Wally Schirra 1923–2007Exploration, Aviation & SpaceOnly astronaut to fly in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
Alan Bean 1932–2018Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 12 lunar module pilot and fourth person to walk on the Moon, later a celebrated space artist.
Gordon Cooper 1927–2004Exploration, Aviation & SpaceMercury Seven astronaut who flew the final Mercury mission and later commanded a Gemini flight.
Harrison Schmitt b. 1935Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 17 lunar module pilot and only professional scientist to walk on the Moon.
Scott Carpenter 1925–2013Exploration, Aviation & SpaceMercury Seven astronaut who became the second American to orbit Earth.
Jedediah Smith 1799–1831Exploration, Aviation & SpaceMountain man and fur trapper who was the first American to enter California by an overland route.
Fred Haise b. 1933Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 13 lunar module pilot who helped guide the crippled spacecraft back to Earth.
Deke Slayton 1924–1993Exploration, Aviation & SpaceOne of the original Mercury Seven who later directed astronaut selection and flew on the Apollo-Soyuz mission.
Charles Duke b. 1935Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 16 lunar module pilot and youngest person to walk on the Moon at age 36.
David Scott b. 1932Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 15 commander who conducted the first extended scientific exploration of the lunar surface.
Richard Halliburton 1900–1939Exploration, Aviation & SpaceAdventurer and writer who traveled the world and swam the Panama Canal.
Peggy Whitson b. 1960Exploration, Aviation & SpaceNASA astronaut who holds the American record for most cumulative days in space.
Ronald Evans 1933–1990Exploration, Aviation & SpaceApollo 17 command module pilot who holds the record for most time in lunar orbit.
Story Musgrave b. 1935Exploration, Aviation & SpaceNASA astronaut who flew on six Space Shuttle missions and performed the first Shuttle spacewalk.
Charles Wilkes 1798–1877Exploration, Aviation & SpaceNaval officer who led the United States Exploring Expedition, mapping the Pacific and Antarctica.