Vitus Bering

August 1681 – 19 December 1741

Vitus Jonassen Bering was a Danish-born navigator in the service of the Russian Navy who led the First and Second Kamchatka Expeditions. He sailed through the strait between Asia and America that now bears his name and in 1741 reached the coast of Alaska. He died of illness on an uninhabited island, later named Bering Island, during the return voyage.

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Life events

Born in Horsens, Denmark
August 1681

Vitus Bering was born in the port town of Horsens and was baptized there in August 1681.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Joined the Russian Navy
1704

After early voyages with Dutch shipping, Bering enlisted in Tsar Peter the Great's newly built Russian Navy as a sub-lieutenant.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married Anna Christina Pülse
1713

Bering married Anna Christina, daughter of a Swedish merchant in Vyborg, with whom he had several children.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Appointed leader of the First Kamchatka Expedition
1725

Peter the Great chose Bering to lead an expedition across Siberia to determine whether Asia and America were joined by land.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Sailed through the strait between Asia and America
August 1728

Aboard the ship Sviatoi Gavriil, Bering passed through the strait later named after him, showing that Asia and America were not connected.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Given command of the Second Kamchatka Expedition
1733

Bering was placed in charge of the Great Northern Expedition, one of the largest exploration enterprises in history, tasked with mapping Siberia's Arctic coast and reaching America.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Sighted the coast of Alaska
16 July 1741

Sailing from Kamchatka aboard the St. Peter, Bering's expedition sighted Mount Saint Elias on the Alaskan mainland.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Shipwrecked on an uninhabited island during the return voyage
November 1741

Storms and scurvy forced the St. Peter's crew ashore on an island in the Commander group, where they wintered in dugouts.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died on Bering Island
19 December 1741

Bering died of illness on the island that now bears his name, along with many of his crew.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓