Inside the ultra-elite Explorers Club that counts Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and James Cameron as members

Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider; Reuters

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and James Cameron are just a few of the club's very famous members.

• The Explorers Club is an ultra-elite club in New York that serves as a meeting place for explorers, scientists, and the moneyed-elite who fund expeditions.
• Its members include astronaut Buzz Aldrin, President Teddy Roosevelt, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and film director James Cameron.
• The Manhattan clubhouse is filled with priceless artifacts and ancient documents.

World history is full of secret clubs with elite members, like the Freemasons and the Illuminati. Shrouded in mystery, these clubs become the stuff of legend.

In a lavish Upper Manhattan townhouse lies the headquarters of a legendary, though far less secretive society - The Explorers Club.

Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club is a professional society that serves as a meeting place for explorers, scientists, and just about anyone with an interest in scientific exploration. The Explorers Club funds, promotes, and assists in expeditions around the world.

The club's current and historical members include astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, film director James Cameron, Space-X and Tesla founder Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, President Teddy Roosevelt, and aviator Charles Lindbergh.

The Explorers Club invited Business Insider in 2014 to take an exclusive look inside the historic club.