Adventurer/explorer Famous Names Starting with Letter J

Was a Canadian sailor who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Was a Canadian sailor who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Was a Dutch mariner, who circumnavigated the earth in 1615-16. He discovered the strait between Tier

Was a Dutch mariner, who circumnavigated the earth in 1615-16. He discovered the strait between Tierra del Fuego and Staten Island, Argentina; that strait is now named the Le Maire Strait in his honour.

Was a Norwegian Olympian. Thams also won the individual large hill at the 1926 FIS Nordic World Ski

Was a Norwegian Olympian. Thams also won the individual large hill at the 1926 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1926 (the first true ski jumper to do so), and would develop the Kongsberger technique in ski jum

Was a French aviatrix who set several world speed records.She earned a military pilot license in 195

Was a French aviatrix who set several world speed records.She earned a military pilot license in 1950 then qualified as one of the first female test pilots. She was among the first women to break the sound barrier and set five world speed records.

Was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generat

Was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation. Her contributions to the formation of the wartime Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) and WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) were also significant.Known by her friends as "Jackie," and maintaining the Cochran name, she flew her first major race in 1934. In 1937, she was the only woman to compete in the Bendix race. She worked with Amelia Earhart to open the race for women. That year, she also set a new woman's national speed record. By 1938, she was considered the best female pilot in the United States. She had won the Bendix and set a new transcontinental speed record as well as altitude records (by this time she was no longer just breaking woman's records but was setting overall records). She was the first woman to break the sound barrier (with Chuck Yeager right on her wing), the first woman to fly a jet across the ocean, and the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic. She won five Harmon Trophies as the outstanding woman pilot in the world. Sometimes called the "Speed Queen," at the time of her death, no pilot, man or woman, held more speed, distance or altitude records in aviation history, than Jackie Cochran.

Was an Italian mountain guide.He was born in the Chamonix valley. A modest chamois hunter and collec

Was an Italian mountain guide.He was born in the Chamonix valley. A modest chamois hunter and collector of crystals, Balmat realized the first ascent of Mont Blanc with Michel-Gabriel Paccard on August 8, 1786.

Was a French sailor and olympic champion.

Was a French sailor and olympic champion.

Is Vice President Chief Test Pilot of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus. He has performed the maiden

Is Vice President Chief Test Pilot of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus. He has performed the maiden flights of several Airbus airliners, including the A318, A340-500, and A380 Superjumbo. He was born in 1949 in Valréas, France.

Was the French financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, who created the Schneider Trophy. He w

Was the French financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, who created the Schneider Trophy. He was the son of an armament manufacturer. For a long time, with 10,081 m he held the high altitude record in ballooning. His interest in engine powered heavier-than-air flights started when he saw Wilbur Wright performing a flight demonstration in Le Mans in August 1908. After he had to abandon flying due to a severe accident, he became the constant supporter of various flight contests. On September 5, 1912 at the Aéroclub de France

Was a French sailor who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.

Was a French sailor who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.

Is a Guatemalan mountaineer, the first Central American ever to climb the Earth's highest peak, Moun

Is a Guatemalan mountaineer, the first Central American ever to climb the Earth's highest peak, Mount Everest, and the only person from that region to have reached the Seven Summits, the highest mountains of each of the seven (sub-)continents.Viñals had c

Was the first American jet ace in history. Jabara is credited with 15 victories over MiG-15 jets in

Was the first American jet ace in history. Jabara is credited with 15 victories over MiG-15 jets in Korea, one below the tally of Joseph C. McConnell, although Jabara's 1.5 victories in World War II bring his career total to 16.5 victories. He was the sec

Is a professional American surfer, skimboarder and wakeboarder. His forays into board sports began w

Is a professional American surfer, skimboarder and wakeboarder. His forays into board sports began with surfing when he was 10 years old. Lovett went professional at age 14 which led him to compete and receive awards in many events. In 2007, Lovett was a

Was a famous Scottish pioneer aviator who set many records during the rapid development of aviation

Was a famous Scottish pioneer aviator who set many records during the rapid development of aviation in the 1930s.Gaining an unenviable reputation as a playboy and dilettante, Mollison was a skilled pilot who took to record breaking as a means of "making h

Was a British sailor who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.

Was a British sailor who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.

Was a steamboat captain in the Pacific Northwest from 1851 to 1903. He became well-known for his lon

Was a steamboat captain in the Pacific Northwest from 1851 to 1903. He became well-known for his long length of service, the large number of vessels he commanded, and the many different geographical areas in which he served. In the spring of 1850, Miller

Was a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot who, during the Second World War, shot down 34 confirmed enemy air

Was a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot who, during the Second World War, shot down 34 confirmed enemy aircraft, as well as seven shared victories, three shared probables, ten shared damaged and one destroyed on the ground. This score made him the highest scoring Western Allied pilot against Luftwaffe aircraft, thus officially becoming the British, and Western Allied flying ace, with the greatest number of victories in the European Theatre of World War II. Only Marmaduke Pattle claimed more kills in the RAF. (However not all of Pattle's claims can be verified and confirmed.)

Is a former American competitive sailor who won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelon

Is a former American competitive sailor who won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieuten

Was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. He earned the Medal of Honor for his valor and leadership as commander of the

Was one of the top scoring Royal Air Force fighter pilots of the Second World War and was the second

Was one of the top scoring Royal Air Force fighter pilots of the Second World War and was the second highest scoring RAF fighter pilot of the Battle of Britain, behind P/O Eric Lock of No. 41 Squadron RAF.

Was the Sixth Officer of the RMS Titanic and the only junior officer of the ship to die in the disas

Was the Sixth Officer of the RMS Titanic and the only junior officer of the ship to die in the disaster. Along with the other junior officers, Moody received a telegram early in 1912 ordering him to report to White Star's Liverpool offices on 26 March. Fr

Is an Australian sailor and Olympic Champion.

Is an Australian sailor and Olympic Champion.

Was an American aviator, sailor, and adventurer who became the first person to fly solo nonstop arou

Was an American aviator, sailor, and adventurer who became the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon. He made his fortune in the financial services industry and was best known for many world records, including five nonstop circumnavigations of the Earth: as a long-distance solo balloonist, as a sailor, and as a solo flight fixed-wing aircraft pilot.

Is an American mountaineer.As a member of the American Mount Everest Expedition 1963 led by Norman D

Is an American mountaineer.As a member of the American Mount Everest Expedition 1963 led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, he was the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He summited on May 1, 1963 with the Sherpa Nawang Gombu (a nephew of Tenzing No

Was an American sailor and Olympic champion.

Was an American sailor and Olympic champion.