Jeanne Baret

Explorer

Birthday July 27, 1740

Birth Sign Leo

Birthplace La Comelle, France

DEATH DATE Aug 5, 1807 (67)

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About

French citizen who is known as the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. She was onboard the La Boudeuse and Étoile ships of Louis Antoine de Bougainville, which traveled from 1766 to 1769. She did so disguised as a man, though she was on board the vessel to continue her role as an assistant to the French naturalist Philibert Commerçon.

Before Fame

Her other occupations included being a housekeeper, valet, botanist, and tavern keeper.

Trivia

The IAU (International Astronomical Union) named a mountain range on Pluto for her in 2018. She was also called Jeanne de Bonnefoi.

Family Life

Jean Baret and Jeanne Pochard were the names of her parents, but she was orphaned by the age of fifteen. Through her relationship with Philibert Commerçon, it is suspected she had two sons named Jean-Pierre Baret and Aimé Eugĕne Prosper Bonnefoy.

Associated With

Other French explorers during this era include Rene Caillie and Louis Defreycinet.