Stephen R. Bown has been writing about adventurers, travelers, and explorers for many years. He is the author of "1494: " "How a Family Feud in Medieval Spain Divided the world in Half; ""Madness, Betrayal and the Lash; Scurvy; A Most Damnable Invention; "and "Merchant Kings. "He lives in the Canadian Rockies with his wife and two children.