Dreams of undiscovered continents or hidden hinterlands have fired the imaginations of people since time immemorial. There has always been a new place to discover, which means resources to exploit, fortunes to be made, and new customs and cuisines to encounter.

For Europeans, the first new continent was Asia, particularly due to the silk from China and the spices of the East Indies. Then came the New World—North and South America. Africa remained largely a mystery to people living elsewhere, even after the twentieth century arrived. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that now, with the age of rockets, sights are set on the Moon, the planets, and ultimately, the stars.