1963 General Drafting World Map of Historical Exploration, Space Race

An inspirational 1963 map by General Drafting depicting voyages of discovery and exploration. It was made in the midst of the space race between the United States and Soviet Union, and more specifically, was prompted by the orbital space flights of Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn.

A Closer Look

The world is displayed with countries color-shaded. On the oceans, ships represent the voyages of great European explorers, from Leif Ericsson, through Columbus, Vasco de Gama, James Cook, and to the polar explorations of the late 19th century. Several 20th-century voyages are also depicted, including Roald Amundsen's successful charting of the Northwest Passage, the Lucky Lady II, a U.S. Air Force Boeing B-50 Superfortress that in 1949 became the first airplane to circle the world nonstop, the Pacific voyage of Thor Heyerdahl, which demonstrates the ability of ancient Polynesians to have crossed the Pacific.

However, the map's main focus and impetus are the orbital flights of Yuri Gagarin in April 1961 and the first American orbital flight by John Glenn in February 1962. At the bottom is a legend of all the journeys of discovery depicted, along with text and inset maps discussing the exploration of the North and South Poles, Early Spanish and French explorations of North America, and the contemporary Space Race.

'Friendship 7' and the Space Race

At this point in the Space Race, the U.S. was desperately trying to catch up to the Soviets, who enjoyed an early advantage. Although Alan Shepard was sent into space in May 1961, his sub-orbital parabolic flight path was less impressive than Gagarin's full orbit of the Earth. In August 1961, Gherman Titov orbited the Earth 17 times on Vostok 2, far surpassing Glenn's later three orbits, and soon after Glenn's flight, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, orbiting the Earth 48 times. Nevertheless, Glenn's flight was an important confidence boost for the still-young NASA and encouraged further government investment in space flight, allowing the Americans to gain the upper hand by the end of the decade.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by General Drafting Co. in 1963 in conjunction with the petroleum company Esso (previously Standard Oil of New Jersey). It is noted among the holdings of 14 institutions in the OCLC.