How did Semyon Dezhnyov contribute to the exploration of the Bering Strait?

Semyon Dezhnyov was a Russian explorer and Cossack who became the first European known to have sailed through the Bering Strait.1

In 1648, Dezhnyov led an expedition that sailed from the Kolyma River eastward, successfully rounding the northeastern tip of Asia—a location now known as Cape Dezhnyov—and reaching the Anadyr River. Through this voyage, he provided proof that Asia and North America were separated by water.1

Although his achievement was historically significant, his report remained undiscovered in the archives at Yakutsk for nearly a century. Consequently, his contribution was not recognized until 1736, long after Vitus Bering and other explorers had conducted their own surveys of the region.1