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Henry Hudson - Explorer (c1565 -
1611) |
Henry Hudson was an English explorer who made
several attempts to find a northern passage
from the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific, in order
to get to Asia. During his expeditions, he explored
the area around what was to become New York.
This page details facts about Henry Hudson's
life and the events that shaped his history.
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Henry Hudson the Explorer -
Fun Facts for Kids ! |
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Henry Hudson Fact
1: |
There is little evidence of the early
life of Henry Hudson, though it is thought he was born around
1565, and probably spent a good deal of time at sea. It’s
speculated that he started out as a cabin boy and progressed
to become a ships captain. |
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Henry Hudson Fact
2: |
In 1607, Henry Hudson was employed by
the Muscovy Company (an English trading company) to find
a northern route to Asia via the Arctic Ocean. He set sail
with a small crew on a small ship, the ’Hopewell’, on 1st
May. |
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Henry Hudson Fact
3: |
On 14th June 1607, Henry Hudson arrived
at the east coast of Greenland before heading north and
sailing into an area with numerous whales. It’s believed
that following his reports this area became a new hunting
ground. Shortly after, Henry Hudson came up against pack
ice which prevented him going any further. Consequently
he returned to England, arriving at Tilbury on 15th September. |
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Henry Hudson Fact
4: |
In 1608, Henry Hudson was, once again,
sent by the Muscovy Company to find passage to Asia in the
‘Hopewell’, this time by sailing east across the north of
Russia. This expedition was also forced to return to England
after encountering impenetrable ice. He arrived back in
Gravesend in August 1608. |
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Henry Hudson Fact
5: |
In 1609 Henry Hudson was employed to
find a north eastern route to Asia, this time by the Dutch
East India Company. He sailed from Amsterdam aboard the
Halve Maen (Half Moon) on 4th April. Henry Hudson had been
instructed to sail north of Russia through the Arctic Ocean
and into the Pacific, however his passage was again blocked
by ice. |
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Henry Hudson Fact
6: |
Henry Hudson decided to disregard his
instructions and headed west to attempt to find a passage
to the Pacific in that direction. Henry Hudson had heard
of a passage to the Pacific, via North America, from the
English explorer John Smith. John Smith had gained this
information from the Native Americans. |
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Henry Hudson Fact
7: |
By mid-July 1609, Henry Hudson had arrived
in Nova Scotia. They stayed there while they repaired a
mast and on 25th July a small party of men from the ship
attacked a nearby village, driving the inhabitants away
and stealing their property. |
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Henry Hudson Fact
8: |
By 3rd September, travelling via Cape
Cod, Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay, Henry Hudson had reached
the estuary of the river that would become known as the
Hudson. Following the death of one of his crew, John Colman,
by an Indian arrow in his neck on September 6th, Henry Hudson
began to explore the river. |
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Henry Hudson Fact
9: |
On 23rd September, having reached the
point where Albany, the capital of New York now stands,
Henry Hudson decided to return to Europe. He sailed into
Dartmouth, England on 7th November and was promptly held
by the authorities, who wanted access to his log. However,
he'd managed to get the log to the Dutch Ambassador to England,
who sent it on to Amsterdam. |
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Henry Hudson Fact 10: |
The expedition, that Henry Hudson had
undertaken, led to Dutch claims over the region, and in
1614 a trading post was set up in Albany. In 1625 New Amsterdam,
on Manhattan Island, became the capital of New Netherland. |
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Henry Hudson Fact 11:
In 1610, Henry Hudson set off on another
expedition, this time on the ‘Discovery’, funded by the
British East India Company and the Virginia Company. He
sailed, via Iceland and Greenland, to the strait now known
as Hudson Strait, and on 2nd August entered Hudson Bay.
He explored and mapped the coast for several months without
finding a way through to the Pacific, and in November, the
ship became trapped in ice in James Bay.
Henry Hudson Fact 12:
In the
spring of 1611 the ice cleared and Henry Hudson
planned to continue his expedition, however, the
majority of the crew wanted to return home. This led
to a mutiny in June and, as a consequence, Henry
Hudson, his teenage son John and a few others were
set adrift in a small open boat. Henry Hudson was
never seen or heard from again. |
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Henry Hudson the Explorer
(c1565 - 1611) Fun Facts Info for Kids ! |
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