Henry Hudson's Daring Exploits

Hudson hoped to find a short route to Asia by going over the North Pole Copyright/Source

First and Second Voyages
1607 and 1608

Hudson's first journey was to find a short route to Asia by going over the North Pole. They travelled farther north than any European explorer had gone before, but they were stopped by the ice north of Norway and had to go back.

Using the same ship, Hopewell, Hudson tried again in 1608. He failed.

	Food on board early ships was pretty awful. Biscuits, called hardtack, were often infested with weevils and maggots. Sailors would often give their biscuits a good tap on the table before eating them, to encourage the bugs to come out before they ate them.

Whistle While You Work…
Whistles were used to give orders on ships. They could be heard above the sounds of the wind and crashing waves. Loudspeakers are used on today's ships. The Canadian navy still uses whistles to wake up sailors, call them for meals, or pipe a visitor aboard.