Vitus Bering Facts For Kids: Learn All About His Famous Expedition

The Bering Sea and the Bering Strait, the two iconic geographical features located in between North American and Asia, are both named after the Danish explorer, Vitus Bering.

Vitus Jonassen Bering, or as he is commonly known, Vitus Bering, was born in Horsens, Denmark in the year 1681. Bering died in 1741 during his return from his second expedition.

It was Bering's exploration of Alaska and the discovery of the now known as Bering Strait which paved way for the Russian empire to get a foothold on the Northern American coast.

Vitus Jonassen Bering is most notably known for being the leader of two major exploratory expeditions which eventually led to the discovery of North America's western coast, Alaska, and the northeastern coast of Asia.

Prior to being appointed as the person in charge of these two expeditions, Vitus Bering had served in the Russian navy but had later resigned. Both of Bering's voyages provided great information and strategic leverage to the Russian empire, and Vitus Bering was greatly rewarded for this.

An interesting fact about Bering Vitus is that the land on which he took his last breath was later on called Bering Island in honor of Bering along with the likes of the Bering Glacier, the Bering Land Bridge, the Bering Sea, and the Bering Strait.

He is known to be the first white man to explore the farthest western part of America.

Vitus Bering's Life History

Vitus Bering was born in the summer of 1681 in Denmark, and he was first appointed as a lieutenant in 1704 in the Russian navy where he was a part of the Great Northern War serving in the Black and Baltic Seas.

It was in 1724 when Peter the Great, the then Tsar of Russia asked Bering to head an expedition with the aim of knowing whether Asia and North America were connected at any point.

This was the first one of Bering's expedition and it was called the First Kamchatka Expedition.

It took Bering and his companions 19 months to reach the Siberian coast from St Petersburg, this was where the ship Gabriel was built and the Bering-led voyage began on July 14, 1728.

Bering returned to Russia after his first expedition due to bad weather but in 1733 he led another expedition, spent around eight years away from Russia but couldn't make it home due to ship wreckage, and died on an island which is now called the Bering Island.

This second expedition was a pretty ambitious expedition, and it was named the Great Northern Expedition.

During his return to St Peter, Bering also discovered a piece of land which is now known as Kayak Island, and after he was buried on Bering Island, the ones who survived shared all the valuable information they gathered on the expedition.

Vitus Bering's Voyage Details

Bering's first voyage began in 1728 where Gabriel sailed northward along the east coast of Asia rounding the east cape on August 14. The ship had set sail from the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Siberia and the voyage reached the Arctic Ocean passing through the Bering Strait during the travel.

Due to bad weather conditions, Bering turned back towards Russia and couldn't have a thorough observation but he concluded that Asia and America weren't connected at any point.

On his return, although Bering was greatly rewarded for his findings, some criticized him for not proving if East Cape was the last point on the Asiatic coast.

In his defense, Bering decided to go on another expedition known as the Great Northern Expedition during the reign of Empress Anna. The motive of Bering's proposal was to gain some more knowledge about the northern Pacific region but the Russian government added unrealistic tasks to the expedition.

Along with mapping the North Pacific region, Bering Vitus Jonassen was also given the responsibility to start economic development in eastern Siberia.

The expedition sailed from St Peter in 1733, crossing Siberia along with several other officers, workers, and scientists. In 1740, Bering Vitus Jonassen along with the rest sailed for the Kamchatka Peninsula where they also spent the winter.

It was in 1741 when Bering set out with two ships from Kamchatka, unfortunately, the two of them got separated and Bering along with his shipmates continued to sail towards St Peter.

Midway, Bering changed his ship's course towards the north and sighted land; it was an uninhabited island which is today known as Kayak Island.

Bering then decided to go back to Kamchatka, terrified of the contrary winds towards St Peter. Unfortunately, midway through, some men on his ship died due to illness and ultimately Bering succumbed to death on the Komandorskie Islands.

Explorations Made By Vitus Bering

Even though Vitus Bering could not return to Russia alive, his subordinates shared his findings and all the other scientific and geographical information they had gathered. The strait which divided Asia and America was then named Bering Strait as he was the one who had discovered and identified it. It is not known if he ever went to California.

As a result of Bering's explorations, the Siberian coast, ranging from the Kolyma River to the White Sea was charted, and the American coast, spanning from Prince of Wales Island to the Komandorskie Islands, found its place on the world map. Bering is also the one who is credited for discovering Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

Vitus Bering's Service

Vitus Bering served in the Imperial Russian Navy for 37 years from 1704 to 1741. Vitus had joined at the age of 23. He was born in the year 1681 in Horsens, Denmark. Bering died aged 60 on December 19, 1741, on Bering Island while returning from his second expedition.

Bering is highly honored for his services towards the Russian empire and the impact his findings had on the expansion of Russia. Did you know, during his second expedition, Bering was accompanied by Aleksey Chirikov who was commanding St Paul?