Marco Polo

1254–1324 · Venetian (Italian) · Late Medieval

Known for: Merchant-explorer whose 24-year journey to China produced the most influential travel book in European history

Marco Polo traveled overland from Venice to China at age 17 with his father and uncle, spending 17 years in the Mongol Empire and reportedly serving as a diplomat for Kublai Khan. His accounts of China's cities, commerce, and technology astonished Europeans—describing paper money, coal, postal systems, and enormous cities that dwarfed anything in Europe.

Many contemporaries disbelieved him, calling him 'Il Milione' for his supposed exaggerations. He dictated his famous account while imprisoned in Genoa. On his deathbed, asked to retract his stories, he reportedly said: 'I have not told half of what I saw.' His book inspired generations of explorers, including Columbus, who carried a copy.

Browse all 1,000 figures by category

Enable JavaScript to view the full "if they lived today" Q&A and personality profile.