Marco Polo

Marco Polo's 24-year journey to China (1271-1295) and his subsequent account, Il Milione, gave medieval Europe its first detailed description of China, Japan, India, and the Spice Islands. His descriptions of the wealth and sophistication of the Mongol Empire and China's cities inspired generations of European explorers seeking direct trade routes to Asia — including Columbus, who sailed with an annotated copy of Polo's book.