Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnyov (commonly called Dezhnev in English; c. 1605 – 1672) is a Russian explorer of Siberia and the first European to sail through the Bering Strait.
In 1648 he sails from the Kolyma River on the Arctic Ocean to the Anadyr River on the Pacific.
His exploit is forgotten for almost a hundred years and Vitus Bering is usually given credit for discovering the strait that bears his name.