Experts Finally Pieced Together The Grim Fate Of One Of History’s Most Groundbreaking Explorers
From bridges and towns to an entire bay in northeast Canada, Henry Hudson’s name is everywhere. But though the explorer crops up in school books the world over, we know surprisingly little about the man himself. And just as his early years are shrouded in mystery, his eventual disappearance remains unsolved to this day. So what really happened to the man who changed how we see the world?
The determined man on a mission
At the height of his fame, Hudson was a renowned explorer, determined to find the Northwest Passage through the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But as time passed, he grew obsessed with success, dragging his men through lengthy and unwarranted ordeals. Is it any wonder, then, that they apparently turned against him in the end?
Vanished without a trace
In June 1611, the history books tell us, Hudson’s crew mutinied while locked in pursuit of the elusive Northwest Passage. After that, the explorer was never heard from again. Did he live out the rest of his life as an honorary member of some far-flung indigenous tribe? Or did he perish adrift at sea, a victim of the harsh landscape that he had fought so long to conquer?
Solving the riddle
To this day, nobody is totally sure what happened to Hudson during his final voyage. But over the years, scattered clues have turned up that hint at his ultimate fate. Yes, thanks to everything from a mysterious rock found at an Ontario roadside to the findings of a modern explorer, the riddle has finally begun to unravel.
A passion for the sea
Strangely, we can’t even pin down Hudson’s life before he made history in the early 17th century. According to some, he was born in 1565, although others have suggested that he entered the world in the 1570s. What most historians agree on, though, is that he grew up in England. And he soon developed a passion for the sea.
