Henry Hudson

Very little is known about Henry Hudson, not even the year of his birth, but it was around 1565. The first time his name appears officially, it is as the captain of the Hopewell in 1607.

The Muscovy Company hired him to explore arctic waters in an effort to find a shorter route to China to trade for silks and spices. It was believed by many of the time that the ice caps would melt in the heat of the sun during the long summers of the far north. This was later proven false by explorers.

In 1607, Hudson and his son John, along with ten sailors, sailed the Hopewell northeast toward Greenland. The way was blocked by ice, so Hudson returned home to England.