In 1901, a Croatian farmer chose the world on foot; after three decades, he had crossed 33 countries and filled a book with 60,000 autographs

In an age when crossing continents could take only hours, Joseph Mikulec had a simple idea for seeing the world: he would walk. Born in 1878 to a farming family near Oroslavje in northern Croatia, Mikulec left home in 1901 with little more than his determination to travel. Over the following decades, he crossed continents, met presidents and royalty, survived the disruptions of two world wars and built an extraordinary record of his encounters.According to The Washington Post, Mikulec had visited at least 33 countries and walked more than 200,000 miles during his travels. The newspaper also reported that he accumulated an estimated 60,000 signatures in a huge leather-bound autograph book. The volume contained not only names but also personal messages, stamps, seals and photographs collected during his travels.A farmer who wanted to see the worldMikulec came from a modest agricultural background and was expected to work on the land. But travelling had captured his imagination. Around the age of 23, he set out from Croatia and began making his way across Europe. Accounts of his early journeys differ on some details, but sources agree that his travels eventually took him far beyond Europe, including to Africa, South America and later North America.He was not travelling as a wealthy man. He would fund himself during these trips by selling postcards bearing his picture and by delivering talks regarding the places he had visited. His appearance also became part of his public persona. He was depicted as wearing his travelling outfit, holding a bulky walking stick and a knapsack while journeying from place to place.Once he arrived in America, his travels drew widespread media attention. Beginning in 1908, Mikulec launched a tour of America, where he travelled throughout the nation and met with governors, personalities and citizens. His travels took him as far as Canada and also to places such as Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa and Europe. Smithsonian researchers examining his archives found references to journeys in Japan, China, India, Egypt, England, France and Germany.The book that travelled with himMikulec's strangest treasure was the huge autograph book that he carried around the world with him. Mikulec did not collect signatures just because they belonged to famous individuals; on the contrary, he wanted their personal messages along with their signatures. The book became a record of his travels.The book eventually contained signatures from six American presidents, as well as kings, politicians, industrialists, artists and scientists. Among some of the notable people who had their signatures in the book were Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson. There were entries in at least 23 different languages. As the collection grew, it posed a practical challenge. The book eventually became too heavy to carry. According to accounts, Mikulec had the book transported on a specially made cart, like a baby pram.It also reflected the era's fascination with autographs. Studies on autograph collecting have pointed out how the handwriting of a signature came to acquire social and personal value, especially as common people started craving signatures of famous personalities. For Mikulec, the book was both a collection of autographs and a sign of his fame.A forgotten traveller returns homeHe continued travelling despite the changing political landscape around him. Depending on the period and political context, he was described as Croatian, Austrian or Yugoslav He also travelled to the United States and acquired US citizenship while living in Philadelphia. He passed away in Genoa, Italy, in 1933, and for many years his tale was forgotten. His huge autograph book lay untouched for nearly a century in Philadelphia until its rediscovery by manuscript collector Nathan Raab. It helped reignite interest in a man once famous in newspaper reports as a world-roaming walker.In 2025, Mikulec's home town of Oroslavje initiated efforts to ensure that the unique volume found its way back to Croatia. The mayor of the town, Viktor Šimunić, bought the volume for $225,000 in order to make sure that the story of Mikulec was preserved and, one day, a museum commemorating his journeys would be opened. Over a hundred years since the time when Mikulec left his Croatian village behind, this book provides an interesting map of the world he saw. With its thousands of signatures, the worn-out pages of this book tell of the time when travelling the world took patience, persistence, and determination.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.