Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03

Charles Wilkes Biography and Timeline

Follow Charles Wilkes through 2 dated historical records for United States of America.

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Charles Wilkes, historical timeline

A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.

2Distinct records

1 of 1Page

1839–1840Years on this page

1839

United States Exploring Expedition

Lieutenant · Southern Ocean · Exploration / Exploration and Discovery

Commands the United States Exploring Expedition as it enters Antarctic waters

1840

1 January 1840

Discovery of Antarctica

Lieutenant · Wilkes Land · Exploration / Exploration and Discovery

Charts a long stretch of Antarctic coastline later associated with Wilkes Land, strengthening the case for Antarctica as a continent

Records, sources and methodology

These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.