-
1488
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias became the first person to successfully travel around Africa's southern coast. He also proved that creating a sea trading route from Europe to Asia was possible. -
1492
Christopher Columbus' First Voyage
Columbus sets sail from Spain in search of a western route to Asia but instead lands in the Bahamas, marking the beginning of European exploration of the Americas. -
1497
John Cabot
John Cabot was the first European to visit North America after the Vikings. -
1498
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. -
1500
Pedro Alvares Cabral Discovers Brazil
Cabral, sailing for Portugal, accidentally discovers Brazil while en route to India, leading to Portuguese colonization efforts in South America. -
1508
Juan Ponce de Leon
Ponce de Leon discovers Florida and founds the first European settlement in Puerto Rico. -
1513
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean and named it “Mar del Sur”, which translates to "South Sea". -
1519
Ferdinand Magellan's Circumnavigation
Magellan's expedition became the first to circumnavigate the globe, though Magellan himself died en route. This voyage demonstrates the enormity of Earth and opens up new trade routes -
1521
Hernan Cortez
Cortez was a Spanish conquistador, best known for conquering the Aztecs and claiming Mexico for Spain. -
1523
Giovanni da Verrazano
An Italian navigator and explorer for France, Verrazano was probably the first European to sail the coast of North America and explore the southern and central coast of what became North Carolina. -
1535
Jacques Cartier
Cartier explores the Gulf of St. Lawrence and claims the land for France, laying the groundwork for French colonization efforts in Canada. -
1577
Francis Drake's Circumnavigation
Drake, an English privateer, circumnavigates the globe, plundering Spanish ships and territories, and solidifying England's naval power. -
East India Company
The company was created to pursue trade and profits with East and Southeast Asia and India. -
Dutch East India Company
The company was founded for trade, exploration, and colonization. This company became the first multinational corporation and the first company to issue stock (partial ownership of a company). -
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson discovered present-day New York City, as well as the Hudson Bay and River. -
Samuel de Champlain Discovers Quebec
Champlain establishes Quebec City, the first permanent French settlement in North America, marking the beginning of French colonization in Canada. -
Dutch Establish New Amsterdam (New York)
The Dutch establishes New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, later renamed New York City, becoming a crucial center of trade and commerce. -
Pilgrims Land at Plymouth Rock
English settlers known as the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, marking the beginning of permanent English colonization in North America. -
Dutch Capture of Recife
The Dutch seize Recife, a major Portuguese trading post in Brazil, establishing Dutch control over parts of Brazil and expanding their influence in South America -
First Anglo-Dutch War
The First Anglo-Dutch War erupts over trade disputes and competition for maritime supremacy, resulting in significant losses for both sides and reshaping European alliances. -
English Capture New Amsterdam
The English capture New Amsterdam from the Dutch, renaming it New York, and solidifying English control over the region. -
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo-Dutch War sees renewed conflict between England and the Netherlands, resulting in the Treaty of Westminster, which solidifies Dutch control over their colonies. -
La Salle Claims Louisiana for France
René-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle, explores the Mississippi River and claims the region for France, leading to French colonization efforts in the area. -
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht ends the War of Spanish Succession and grants Britain the exclusive right to supply African slaves to Spanish America, boosting Britain's dominance in the Atlantic slave trade. -
Jacob Roggeveen
This Dutch explorer was sent out on an expedition to find Terra Australis, a continent once believed to exist in the Southern Hemisphere, but instead found Easter Island.