Famous Figures

Why Was Marco Polo Important?

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While Marco Polo is best known in modern popular culture as the namesake for a children’s swimming pool game, the Venetian explorer was a crucial figure in world history in the years leading up to the Renaissance. His popular book, commonly called The Travels of Marco Polo — though it was originally titled Livre des Merveilles du Monde (Book of the Marvels of the World) or Devisement du Monde (Description of the World) — was a lavish description of his journey through Central Asia and China in the late 13th century.  Polo’s travelogue was much ...Read More

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