Francisco de Orellana

Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish conquistador who carved his name into South American exploration through sheer endurance and accident. He founded Guayaquil in present-day Ecuador before circumstances thrust him into the expedition that defined him. In 1542, he became the first known European to navigate the Amazon from the Andes to the Atlantic, reaching the river's mouth on 24 August after months battling current, indigenous resistance, and starvation. He and his men then sailed up the coast to Cubagua Island near Venezuela. The triumph didn't last: he returned for a second Amazon expedition and died on the river in November 1546.