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Martin Frobisher

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The Resume

    (circa 1538-November 15, 1594)
    Born in Altofts, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
    Led three voyages to Canada searching for a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean (1576-78)
    Namesake for Frobisher Bay

Why he might be annoying:

    For several years in the 1550s, he was a pirate, operating from southern Ireland.
    He never came close to actually finding the Northwest Passage.
    Efforts to found a permanent settlement during his third voyage failed.
    He hauled back 1350 tons of ‘gold’ ore that turned out to be worthless iron pyrite (a.k.a. fool’s gold).

Why he might not be annoying:

    While serving as a cabin boy, he was captured and imprisoned by the Portuguese.
    He commanded one of the squadrons that fought off the Spanish Armada (1588) and was knighted for his actions.
    He died as a result of poor treatment of a gunshot wound suffered during the siege of a Spanish fort.
    The iron pyrite he brought back wasn’t a complete loss: it was broken up into gravel for London’s roads.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 81.82% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying