Ellsworth joined the first expedition to try to fly over the North Pole in 1925. His father spent US$100,000 ($1.79 million in 2024) to fund Roald Amundsen's 1925 attempt to fly from Svalbard to the North Pole.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Ellsworth

Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage (1768–1771), visiting Brazil, Tahiti, and after 6 months in New Zealand, Australia, returning to immediate fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Banks

Sir Richard Francis Burton, KCMG, FRGS, (19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, army officer, writer and scholar. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa and South America, as well as his extensive knowledge of languages and cultures, speaking up to 29 different languages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton

Frederick Courteney Selous, DSO (/səˈluː/; 31 December 1851 – 4 January 1917) was a British explorer, army officer, professional hunter, and conservationist, famous for his exploits in Southeast Africa. His real-life adventures inspired Sir Henry Rider Haggard to create the fictional character Allan Quatermain.

His travels added greatly to the knowledge of the country now known as Zimbabwe. He made valuable ethnological investigations, and throughout his wanderings—often among people who had never previously seen a white man—he maintained cordial relations with the chiefs and tribes, winning their confidence and esteem, notably so in the case of Lobengula.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Selous

Tom Scott video: Maybe rich people should build weird fountains again