In 1673 French explorers Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette paddled up the Mississippi on their way back to Quebec.

FORBES: A most unromantic river

Images of hardy, intelligent and impressive explorers such as Jacques Cousteau were used as reference points of this new, aspirational way of perceiving customers.

FORBES: Keeping B2B Enthusiasts Enthused

After negotiating their way down a series of steps carved into the steep rock face, explorers of the Blue Lake Grotto are faced with a deceptively deep pool of limpid blue-green water.

BBC: Livin�� la vida Bonito

The forging of a new way of life, combined with the constant improvement of 20th-Century technology, seemed to inspire explorers as never before.

BBC: Moscow Diary: The icy frontier