Sir John Franklin was an explorer of the Canadian Arctic. He was commonly known as Sir John Franklin RAE, which is a three letter acronym for Royal Navy Officer. He was born in 1786 and was an experienced navigator and cartographer. He led two expeditions to the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. His first expedition was in 1819 and his second in 1845. Both expeditions ended in failure and he and his crew were lost at sea. His legacy lives on as he is remembered as one of the most famous explorers of the Canadian Arctic.