Vitus Bering 1728 1741
The Northeast Passage 2
With Peter the Great the systematic exploration of the Siberian North coast began. The Dane Bering, a Russian naval officer, passed through the Bering Street (which is named after him) on the first of his two expeditions in 1728, starting from Kamchatka. During the10 years lasting second expedition, in which more than 3,000 people were involved, entire Siberia and large parts of the polar coastline were investigated. Bering reached America going eastwards as the first European. On the return trip he and half of his crew died of scurvy.