Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen was born on September (9) 20, 1778 on the Saaremaa Island. He graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps and commanded ships of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. 

In 1819 Bellingshausen headed the Russian circumnavigation to Antarctica. The global cruise that lasted for 751 days was crowned with discovery of the sixth continent of the planet, mapping of 28 Antarctic geographical objects, which got Russian names, and finding 29 earlier unknown islands in equatorial and tropical latitudes. Upon returning to Russia Bellingshausen put the results of this Antarctic expedition, which was the greatest one in the 19th century, in his book Double Investigation of the Southern Polar Ocean and the Voyage Around the World that was published in 1831 and then repeatedly republished.