Question 1

True or false: Bering died of scurvy on an island that now bears his name.

Accepted Answer

True. After a shipwreck on the Commander Islands in 1741, Bering succumbed to scurvy. The largest island is named Bering Island.

Question 2

True or false: A sea, a strait, an island, and a glacier are all named after Vitus Bering.

Accepted Answer

True. The Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Bering Island, and Bering Glacier all honor him, reflecting his major geographic legacy.

Question 3

True or false: Bering discovered Alaska while trying to find a land bridge to Asia.

Accepted Answer

False. Bering proved Asia and America are separate by sailing through the strait in 1728. He did not discover Alaska until his second expedition in 1741.

Question 4

True or false: Bering brought cows and horses on his second expedition to colonize Alaska.

Accepted Answer

False. His ships carried supplies, not livestock for colonization. The expedition was scientific, aiming to map coasts and study native peoples.

Question 5

True or false: Vitus Bering was Danish, not Russian, despite leading Russian expeditions.

Accepted Answer

True. Bering was born in Denmark in 1681 and served in the Russian Navy under Peter the Great. His Danish origin surprises many.

Question 6

True or false: Bering's crew ate raw walrus meat to survive their final winter.

Accepted Answer

False. They survived by hunting arctic foxes and seabirds, not walruses. Walrus meat was too tough and dangerous due to parasites.

Question 7

True or false: The Bering Strait is named after Vitus Bering, but he never actually saw it.

Accepted Answer

False. Bering sailed through the strait in 1728, though fog prevented him from seeing the North American coast. He definitely saw the waterway.

Question 8

True or false: Bering's first expedition was ordered by Peter the Great just weeks before the czar's death.

Accepted Answer

True. Peter the Great commissioned the First Kamchatka Expedition in January 1725, only weeks before his death in February. Bering set out shortly after.

Vitus Bering Trivia Questions