Vitus Bering and the European Discovery of Alaska

[@akyhne]

I live in the city of Horsens, where Bering was from in Denmark. There are several streets, monuments and buildings named after him. So he's not quite forgotten 🙂

[@mosskona]

Vitus is my 7th great grandpa so that’s cool to know!!!

[@taramis829]

And the Vitus Bering Park. In my childhood (70's) the main library of Horsens was situated in one corner and we went there twice a month for new books.

[@CecilieBering]

Ømmm hejsa! Jeg er Cecilie Bering og Vitus er min tip-tip-tip-tip-tip-tip-tip-tip oldemors nevø😂

[@brett4264]

I'm from Alaska and I like to learn about our history. I didnt know most of this. It was nice to learn something new about our land. Thanks History Guy.

[@mikemcintosh9933]

Me too. I was schooled as a youth in Alaska and had heard of Bering, but not the extraordinary hardship of his voyages of exploration.

[@jameskosusnik1102]

@mdo686 why not? Thats stupidly nationationalistic

[@jameskosusnik1102]

@mdo686 look up "excuse"

[@jameskosusnik1102]

@mdo686 ah there it is finally drew out that blatantly obvious anti American attitude. Way to finally be honest with people mr.twoface

[@northdakotaham1752]

Makes me feel very old when I recall that Alaska wasn't a state yet when I was born. There were only 48 states then.

[@dirtcop11]

I remember reading about him when Alaska became a state. What happened in those days make our struggles seem trivial.

[@joesterling4299]

Most of us have no idea what a struggle is, even after COVID. That's why there's so much bellyaching over trivial matters in the first world. We are weak and entitled. Past generations had it much rougher.

[@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647]

My parents and older siblings were there when it became a state

[@scottkoenig6326]

You are correct, JO. "We"- the collective we- are soft and pampered compared with these explorers.

[@stabbrzmcgee825]

ROFL. I was alive when it became a state, but not yet in my memory range. Old folks hang out on youtube? we used to have an old 48 star flag though, and I do remember that. Dad was probably annoyed that he had to go get a new flag when that perfectly good old one was still usable.

[@TheWilferch]

@@joesterling4299 - hard times make tough men - tough men make good times - good times make weak men - weak men make hard times..........

[@anti-Russia-sigma]

It takes an explorer to appreciate another.RIP Vitus Bering & James Cook.

[@goldgeologist5320]

The trip just to get to the coast to start the expedition was a heck of a challenge! I can not even imagine a person wanting to do it a second time!

[@shawnmiller4781]

A lot of that difficulty in supporting the colony also precipitated the failure of the Russian America company and subsequent sale of Alaska to the United States. In fact most of the Russian America company’s income came from fur sales to China not Russia and they had to put a rule in place requiring settlers to buy their supplies from them not from cheaper American sources coming up the coast You have to remember too the Russians got as far south as Northern California.

[@GeorgeSemel]

It still is a tough long trip even today, they finally cut a road that you can drive on to the port of Vladivostok but not during mud season. Riding the train from Paris to Moscow to Vladivostok is on my bucket list.

[@D-B-Cooper]

Check out the book by Mike Horn that walked around the globe above the Arctic Circle.

[@davidmcmahon4633]

After the first trip, I would have suggested sailing around Europe, Africa, India and China to get there. Magellan had proved it was possible before then. Or gone around South America. Whichever seemed fastest and safest.

[@Mtl-zf9om]

Without mentioning the struggle to get food, protection and avoiding getting sick which most of the times meant death. Walking ten thousands kilometers without toilet paper while wearing several layers of clothes must have felt like torture because you can't use water in extreme cold.

[@MrWATCHthisWAY]

I love the intro to today’s episode with the snow blizzard blasting across my screen! Nothing displays Alaska better than a blizzard that pops up out of nowhere to blind you from seeing what you need to see to survive!

[@papaquonis]

I did know about him. He's a proud son of Horsens - the same town my father grew up in. He's still remembered there, even though he spent most of his life in the service of the Russian Tsars.

[@ralach]

Iirc, the local museum in Horsens have/had an exhibit devoted to him (Saw it a few years back)

[@akyhne]

I should probably chech that exhibition out, as I live in Horsens. Not from here, though. I don't think I even knew Bering was from here, until I moved here. But there are statues and streets named after him, so I looked it up, shortly after moving here.

[@goodintentionslifecoaching]

Hi, vitus is my great great great etc. grandfather and I was wondering where Horsen is? I love learning about him and would like to visit places where more of his history is.

[@goodintentionslifecoaching]

Vitus Bering is one of my great grandfathers . My mother is a Bering. It’s cool to learn about my relative. Thanks for the video. Most people don’t know but our last name use to have a “h” in it. Vitus dedicated his life to the navy and died for discovery. He should be more recognized.

[@trob0914]

Being from the Alaskan Interior, I was drawn to the Bering Sea, one trip and it was “Ok I’ve been!” Thanks THG, for the great lesson, as usual !!

[@josemoreno3334]

I spent some tours in Alaska when I was in The US Air Force in the early 1980's ( Cold War ). We did some work on the radars sites there . Some of stations faced the Bering sea and I never gave it much thought about why it named that way. Now I know. I will always remember that from now on. Alaska is a beautiful State. Great story History Guy, Thank You.

[@DawnOldham]

Bering paid a high price for his work. I noticed THG said, “he never saw his family again”.

[@central3425]

Similar to Captain James Cook. He traveled so much he barely saw his kids grow up. History remembers him as a good sailor but not a great father

[@greatskytrollantidrama4473]

Apparently my high school history teacher was the Real Deal. I learned about this from a public school teacher. Thank you Mr Dixon.

[@micfail2]

Congratulations on being so fortunate, it's too bad the overwhelming majority of public school teachers are so immoral and incompetent that they utterly overshadow teachers like the one you are talking about

[@dirus3142]

@@micfail2 Teachers are the servants of the city, and the citizens. If you have crap teachers look in the mirror, and what names are on the ballot to find who is responsible.

[@pnotuner1]

I'm interested to hear what city you went to school in

[@greatskytrollantidrama4473]

@@pnotuner1 a nowhere town in Georgia, once was a two horsetown, but General Sherman shot one and stole the other.

[@micfail2]

@@dirus3142 that's an awesome fantasy land that you live in. Do you want that Fantasyland to become reality? If so then you should be in favor of abolishing public sector unions. Almost every single problem with our public schools can be traced directly back to teachers unions. Public sector unions are antiliberal, unions are meant to protect workers from greedy bosses and companies. Public sector unions are a corruption of liberal principles, they exist only to extract money from the middle and working class for the benefit of people who contribute nothing to society, and in fact cause a great deal of damage to our social relationships and our republic.

[@davidziemer4283]

Having been born in Alaska I thought that I was well schooled in the history of the area. Once again you have done your usual excellent work and brought forth many facts that wasn't taught to me in school. Thank you!

[@mikes1345]

This tidbit of history is an amazing story in itself. I visited my sister in Alaska and found it fascinating and beautiful. If it hadn't been for having wife and kids in Texas I would have remained. My sister constantly sends pictures.

[@Impailer67]

it's incredible how far this fella traveled . in the early 1700s , most people never went further than 10 miles from home .

[@petergundel2956]

Kind of interesting, that Scandinavians, were so early on both shores of north America.

[@reallyseriously7020]

Not surprising given that Scandinavians had superior ships and a long history of sailing and exploration.

[@BeerStearns]

Aliens helped.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

Fascinating! Thank you! I'd like a video on the doomed northwest passage expedition too! I always found something so eerie about that expedition.

[@Marble-22]

Words fail to describe how you have changed my life and how I feel about history. Thank you for your labours.

[@hbtrustme7196]

Bering shared the fate of at least two other famous explorers. Magellan and Cook didn’t survive their most famous voyages either.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qabUpYmtnZ2CbcU

[@mylucidlife495]

He DOES reply!!!! Pretty cool. I know he says he will happy to personally reply, but I hardly ever see that being the case. Just a little bit of history that deserves to be remembered.

[@stevedietrich8936]

Yep, and Magellan is renowned as the first person to circumnavigate the globe, although he didn't actually do it. A small number of his crew members did, but few people know their names without looking them up.

[@shawnmiller4781]

Interesting side note on Cook’s expedition. The sailing master on his third voyage was a guy named Bill and he got an island in Prince William Sound named after him, a reef just off the island also got named for him. He also had a big hand in getting The HMS Resolution back to England after Cooks Death. 1787 after the war with France Bill got was selected to command a mission to move breadfruit trees from Otaheite aka Tahiti to the west indies to use as food for slaves on the various plantations there. A ship the Bethia was acquired by the RN for this mission and retrofitted for the task. It was commissioned into the RN as HMS Bounty. Yes....THAT BOUNTY. The reef that was named after Bill (William Bligh) became infamous on March 24, 1989 when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez grounded on it spilling 11 million gallons of oil, the largest US oil spill until Macondo (aka Deepwater Horizon) in 2010

[@DawnOldham]

@@mylucidlife495 in the first couple of years he was able to reply to each person who wrote to him. But I noticed that once the number of subscribers grew rapidly that he no longer could reply. (His outro just needs to be updated so that people don’t expect a reply now!)

[@michaelinminn]

Prof. History, Thanks for this post and others. You do a lot of research. I am always amazed at the great hardships endured in the Age of Discovery. Really brave people. This one and the Franklin Expedition are the most heart wrenching,

[@Kim-the-Dane-1952]

Great treatment of the subject. As a fellow Dane I am pleased that he too was part of exploration history and naturally all Danish school children are taught this story. Fittingly and in true Danish fashion a very nice beer was named after his as well. Ha ha ha

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

I do enjoy your work. Most of the stories I know a little about and learn more. This one I knew practically nothing about, other than the strait having been named after Bering. Excellent video. Take Care and be safe, John

[@Mujangga]

I'll never look at the International Date Line the same way again.

[@markwarren7157]

I see a sextant on the shelf to your right. That is such a important instrument in the exploration of the earth and heavens, it's invention and development is "history that deserves to be remembered" and shared.

[@raymondevans205]

Excellent! As always, look forward to your next, my favorite series.

[@dieforthedow5768]

Thanks for being such a great educator and story teller! Your work is hugely appreciated!

[@billbeyatte]

I remain enthralled with the history of all things Alaska. Thanks.

[@timfarrell6968]

Yours is about the only site I click thumbs up on a video even before I watch it. Love your content, THG.

[@clauslundberg9224]

Slightly proud here: Vitus Bering was born in my home town of Horsens, Denmark

[@Theogenerang]

Antique maps are my hobby and your video has some of the best Ive seen yet.

[@geoben1810]

Unbelievable! The sheer, unmitigated willpower to undertake such an arduous task. His personal sacrifice and that of the others in the expedition leading to his discoveries can't be ignored or denied. I don't know if I would have that amount of fortitude and determination. Thanks H.G ! RIP Mr. Bering SIR!

[@danischeel4846]

Very informative. Great work as usual!

[@CecilieBering]

I’m littraly In Vitus Bering’s family. My 8th grandmother’s Nephew was him. I feel like its kinda Wild actually❤

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

This is a piece of fascinating history. I really love the artwork displayed in the video.

[@MNmostly]

One of your best videos, excellent work! It still amazes me how you can completely tell a story that spanned decades in 15 minutes. Thank you.

[@louisludlum8030]

Great story. I was a Russian/Russian History major back in the ‘70’s. This was a good review along with great new information. Hearing you speak of lands of Russia such as Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka, brings back memories of my USN days. Not fond, since I was shot at near both areas.

[@davidsmith731]

I learned most of this from James Mitchner in his book “Alaska”.

[@justinkase7763]

Mitchner was a great story teller.

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

So did I. Great book...so much we should have learned in History and Geography classes. We received more details during my graduate research work in Denmark and Norway. It was so real.

[@davidblank9043]

Thank you really appreciate the education.

[@60079regulatorylaw]

Always a pleasure to listen to your very interesting and animated critique. Thank you for sharing.

[@GermanShepherd1983]

One of the nicest bow ties I have ever seen. Love it.

[@rudolfyakich6653]

Outstanding presentation H.G. Having spent time on "Berings' Sea" I am not compelled to return.

[@stanrayborn926]

Another excellent lesson. Greatly appreciated. You have single handedly revived the spark of couriosity of all the world's history. Many thanks.

[@m39fan]

Well done. I am quite the history buff but with this episode you taught me from start to finish.

[@franknicholson6108]

Fantastic episode. Keep up the great work.

[@profharveyherrera]

No doubt, history that deserves to be remembered

[@shawnmiller4781]

Nice to see some ALaska stories...we will have to get you some more for the station

[@Tmrfe0962]

The trials and tribulations that these men endured are horrific....today’s youth, or for that matter me, when I was young, wouldn’t last a day...amazing stuff. As always, thank you sir.

[@alecfromminnenowhere2089]

Beringa wasn't a land bridge but a continent according to the geologists. Generations of people were born, lived and died on this land. It finally flooded with the sea levels rise after the last glacial age unlocked all the water trapped in the ice.

[@joeyjamison5772]

Was Vitus Bering related to Ball Bearing? I once contracted scurvy on a trans-Atlantic crossing. However, the doctor wasn't able to explain how such a thing could have occurred on a 9 hour British Airways flight between London and New York City.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

LOL

[@Disruptedgarage]

Awesome episode!

[@kristianhn2479]

Great episode, thank you! You should do an episode on another interesting dane, Jürgen Jürgensen (or Jorgen Jorgensen in some languages). Son and brother to famous watchmakers who was among the first to establish the new colony Tasmania, fought against the Britain as a french captain, then fought for Britain and ender up king of Iceland for a few months. Sarah Blakewell wrote a great book about him "The english dane".

[@EricDKaufman]

this is the craziest story of exploration I have heard....

[@keithgregory8982]

Did you ever consider doing a story about the old great lakes ships that were purchased, and turned into aircraft carriers, to teach pilots to land, on ships. One was the Seaandbee, which became the U.S.S Wolverine, and another that became the U.S.S. Sable, which is the ship that George H.W. Bush landed on, in training, during the second W.W. I was always interested in this story, being not far from Lake Erie. Have a good day.

[@stevearchtoe7039]

He did that I think

[@Packless1]

...the only paddle-wheel-propelled carriers...!

[@davidtucker3729]

You did it again. Knowledge passed down to now be able to know why we have a "Bering" strait on our northwest shoulders of our continent. Not on the Canadian school curriculum circa 1970. Thanks HG as always for filling my mind where it might have remained blank on this subject.

[@garymartin9777]

Most people don't realize that the closest the US and Russia (Siberia) are located is about 2.5 miles between the two Bering Strait islands of Big and Little Diomede. That distance is often traversable in winter as the sea is frozen over. The island of Big Diomede is Russian and uninhabited while the island of Little Diomede has a population of about 110 native Inuit persons.

[@bepbep7418]

Sure they do. In fact Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house. (Apparently)

[@peterfeltham5612]

Fascinating as usual.

[@ethhein5460]

Loved the video and love the videos you do on Arctic & Antarctic Expeditions. You should make a video about the Shackleton/Imperial Trans Atlantic Expedition to Antarctica.

[@briangarrow448]

Having many friends and family who have lived in Alaska, any stories about the discovery of it is much appreciated. As my Alaskan buddies say, Alaska is as big as your imagination.

[@mikeklein5184]

“For ten months the rest of the crew were too sick before they could construct another ship”. Bloody hell.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

They literally built another ship from the shattered remnants of the first, while, essentially, slowly starving and freezing. It was an extraordinary feat indeed.

[@TheSageThrasher]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel While foxes ate the sick & dying. It was horrible.

[@trackerlounge5356]

Thanks for the summary. I was first introduced to this account from the book "Where the sea breaks its back" by Cory Ford. Interesting read. I think it is crazy that the expedition had to cross all of Russia without good roads, then build a post office, rope works, build their ships, etc. Oh and go on an expedition. All the while people asking "why aren't you making more progress?" Amazing what they got done against that backdrop.

[@JariB.]

This and the previous few stories of explorers in the arctic keep reminding me of the Barentsz Expedition of 1596-98, a Dutch expedition to find rhe North-East passage around Russia, to East Asia. The whole jouney was written down by Gerrit de Veer, who was aboard Willem Barentsz and Jacob van Heemskerck's ship, and has been published as book. If you like I could help translating the book if ever you decided to make a video on it.

[@tedjones3955]

I did a project in grade school on Arctic explorers. Vitus Bering was in it. We learned about explorers in the 60s. They were not colonizers they were brave men who opened up the hidden parts of the world.

[@jameskosusnik1102]

@Biden BlowsGoats not the russians in alaska....

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

@Biden BlowsGoats I’m sure that the “local population” would raise an eyebrow to that comment.

[@emmitstewart1921]

You mentioned that Captain Cook gave Bering's name to the strait. I've always associated Captain Cook with exploration in the South Pacific. Looks like there's more of Cook's life that deserves to be remembered.

[@24602400]

Love the show!

[@Larry82ch]

I love them old maps

[@TRHARTAmericanArtist]

Thank you Virus Bering for your bravery and tenacity in the discovery of Alaska amongst your other discoveries which would otherwise be unknown to the entire world. The title of "Discoverer" belongs to you alone.

[@unclebob6728]

Thank You!

[@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647]

Hey, History Guy, I always love these.

[@glenschumannGlensWorkshop]

Thanks for what you do.

[@robertreisner6119]

How about a podcast on the Russian America Company? This one, as always was accurate with the actual records of history. Great job! From Alaska.

[@robertreisner6119]

I have a book in my library entitled A History of the Russian- America Company By P. A Tikhmenev. Translated and edited by Richard A. Pierce and Alton S. Donnelly in 1978 from the original release of 1888. It is an accounting the company's operations while in Russian America now known as Alaska.

[@mikemcguire1160]

Lauridsen's Book on Bering is available for download from Gutenberg Project--very worthwhile read with much background to add to this lecture.

[@lizj5740]

When you get to the Project Gutenberg "first page", just type "Lauridsen Bering" in the search box and the links to the book will appear.

[@timlecount8690]

Thank you so much for all your videos, I really appreciate them!

[@jimmyteerex2177]

Cook naming the Baring Sea after a man from a foreign country was a real act of chivalry and respect.

[@grapeshot]

I'm going up to Alaska to see the sunset at midnight. And travel up the Alcan Highway. I talked to a Black veteran who's engineer regiment help build the Alcan Highway.

[@alfredpeasant5980]

He was an engineer, and he was green. Leave that race recognition shit at the door.

[@Chris_at_Home]

If you go north of the Arctic Circle you won’t see it set.

[@davidsmith731]

@@alfredpeasant5980 bit of history for you. During WWII segregation took place in the military. The Engineer units that were all black are a large part of that history. The deserve the recognition.

[@alfredpeasant5980]

@@davidsmith731 is this now? Doctrines change

[@alfredpeasant5980]

@@davidsmith731 once Irish people were discriminated against too, make sure to mention Irish people separately and identify them too, and their % of victimhood so we can all make sure to properly worship at the church of woke. You have wasted synapse.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

I want to give you something to think about. Queen Elizabeth and Marilyn Monroe were both born in the same year 1926!

[@greatskytrollantidrama4473]

Eating babies keeps her young

[@greatskytrollantidrama4473]

@Morse Anthony yeah those too

[@bepbep7418]

And.... So was David Attenborough, Hugh Hefner, Andy Griffith, Fidel Castro, Chrolis Leachman, Mel Brooks.... It's just a coincidence. 😁

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@bepbep7418 Notice that David Attenborough and Mel Brooks are the only ones still alive!

[@bepbep7418]

@@constipatedinsincity4424yeah Chloris Leachman died earlier this year.

[@njpaddler]

In "Down to the Sea in Ships" Lionel Barrymore played old 19C. whaler Capt. Bering Joy. The character said he was so named because his mother gave birth to him there aboard ship, thus setting the course his life would take as a man of the sea.

[@Echowhiskeyone]

Many of the explorers of the past have amazing stories. While most know of their names, their journeys of exploration are the stuff of story and movie.

[@garydean0308]

Greetings from Anchorage, AK.

[@yurypozdnyakov5177]

Well, it is not forgotten here, in Russia and Bering considered on the russian great explorers and sailors. As you may see in video, Bering and his expeditions were well celebrated and immortalized many times on banknotes, books, movies e.t.c.

[@TheSageThrasher]

Stellar deserves his own video. Guy was amazing.

[@robertpierce1981]

Always learning from you

[@warrenewoldt5352]

I was stationed in Alaska at Ft Wainwright near Fairbanks from 83-86 as a Arctic Paratrooper. History of our Airborne forces past and present along with the Canadian mishap in Jan 1989 would be a great show.

[@jollyroger7624]

The History Guy; deserves to be remembered, brilliant !?

[@brantbrumbeloe9853]

Thank you for so much history in one little story.

[@bigmikeh5827]

Thanks for the lesson. Always enjoy your videos.

[@akyhne]

4:30 Yes, you heard it right. It took two years to travel from St. Petersburg, to the eastern coast of Russia. Something I did not quite pick up, the first time, I watched the video. It's a 5000 mile journey, through Russia. No roads lots of the way, in that period.

[@robertturner6651]

Sometimes you try so hard to get information in that it's hard to comprehend your train of thought and keep up with it.

[@frankgulla2335]

Nicely done, sir. Thank you for informing me with a great tale of accomplishment and whoa.

[@onliwankannoli]

Great episode! I’d be interested to see a follow up episode of what Russia did with this newly discovered land up to the selling of it to the U.S. Have you ever done an episode on “Seward’s Folly”?

[@rexmyers991]

VERY interesting. I have been to Alaska many times. It truly is history worth remembering.

[@andrewgreen7234]

Great video!

[@kaelshade4275]

I appreciate your sharing of history. Keep up the good work.

[@mikemcclure9983]

I love your show and history is my favorite subject. I was a Navy Hospital Corpsman and would like to see the history of Navy Corpsman especially the corpsmen serving as medics to the U.S. Marines. If you have already covered this topic I'm sure I will find it. TY, Mike

[@prettypic444]

Such a cool episode! I’d love to see another on fort Ross and Russians in California

[@billness2635]

Thanks for the refresher course about my home state!

[@georgeluna5845]

Always watch several time. I learn so much.

[@johnspizziri1919]

Unreal!!

[@ice9594]

Boy, @1:20 in that painting Ivan really DOES look Terrible!😁

[@warrenosborne6044]

While on Adak in 1975, I took a very, very, very short dip in the Bering Sea. Today, I found out the source of that damn cold water. Thank you!

[@torgeirbrandsnes1916]

Great vlog as always!

[@juanrolmos7209]

Love your program, but have a question, what happened to the model classic corvette i used to see on a shelve, in back of you, blue i think it was

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I still have it. I shuffle things around on set. It will come back eventually.