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May 16, 1450
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry, son of the king of Portugal. He set up the first European school for navigators in Sagres Portugal. Was extremly smart in sailing, navagating, and astronomy. Henry taught Protuguese sailors all he knew and helpedmake better charts and improve navigational instruments. -
May 17, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
He is a Portugal man. Readied ships for a long, hard voyage. Dias touched at several points on Africa's west coast before strong winds blew him southward. On the return home, Dias named what he knew the southern tip of Africa the Cap of Good Hope. -
Aug 20, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Columbus was from Spain. He believed the world was round not flat. Therefore, he believed he could reach Asia by sailing west. Later, Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to support his plan. So, Columbus got 3 ships, Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria and a crew of about 90 sailors. They were off, set sail, everything. It was time for Columbus to prove the world was round. -
May 19, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
The pope drew an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole. Spain was to have the non-Christian lands west of the line and Portugal was to have the non-Christian lands east of the line. The Portuguese protested and called for a meeting. Thre Treaty of Tordesillas was drawn up and the imaginary line was moved farther west. Because of this, Portugal was able to claim Brazil. -
May 18, 1497
John Cabot
Cabot is an Italian navigator, He sailed from the far East with a Northwest route. When he first set sail, it was with a handful of men. He explored the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and established claims for England in the Americans. -
Jul 6, 1497
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama led a convoy or group of four ships down the Tagus River from Lisbon, Portugal. They have been at see for a year and a couple of months but a long time. Once they landed at shore, Vasco's people decided to stay at Calicut, but the other people were afriad the Portugal would take over. So they attempted to kill Gama. In August, Gama and his crew chose to leave. -
May 17, 1500
Pedro Cabral
Pedro Cabral was from Portugal. He discovered Brazil and sailed east to India. For his accomplishment It took him a year, 1500 to 1501. -
May 18, 1500
Amerigo Vespucci
He was part of two voyages which explored the east coast of South America. In 1507, German cartographer Martin W. produced a world map on which he named the new continent "America" after his first name, Amerigo. This led to critism that Vespucci was trying to take Christopher Columbus's glory. -
May 18, 1513
Ponce de Leon
He sailed north from the island of Puerto Rico to explore Florida. The sam time Vasco Nunez crossed the isthmus of Panama and became the first European to see that Great South Sea. He was a Spanish Conquistadore. -
May 18, 1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Vasco Was from the country of Spain. He was the first European to sight eastern shore of Pacific Ocean. This event was accomplished in the year of 1513. -
Oct 18, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan
In October he sailed through a stormy strait at the tip of South America. Magellan sailed on into the Great South Sea, and renamed it Pacific Ocean. He had lost two of his ships. Although conditions were terrible,the crew was forced to eat rats, saw dust , and leather soaked in the sea and grilled. After the reached the Mariana islands they ate and started sailing again. At the Philippne Islands he was involved in a war and killed. The last remaining ship continued and completed the voyage. -
May 18, 1520
Hernan Cortez
He invaded Mexico, and with thel help of guns and smallpox, he destroyed the Native American empire. Cortez and his troopd took large amounts of gold from the Native Americans to send back to spain. -
May 18, 1523
Giovanni Verrazano
He was an Italian navigator. He found the northwest passage. He sailed along the Atlantic coast fron North Carolina to New York. -
May 19, 1528
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
Vaca was from the country of Spain. He explored Florida and the Gulf region from Texas to Mexico. The year at this time was 1528- 1536. -
May 18, 1532
Francisco Pizzaro
Pizzaro invaded Peru. Within 5 years, he conquered the Inca Empire. Like Cortes, Pizzaro took great treasures of gold and silver from the Native Americans. Pizzaro and his men then headed for the coast, where they built Lima the "City of Kings". -
May 19, 1534
Jacques Cartier
Sailed the St. Laurence river as far as modern-day Montreal. This gave the French a claim to eastern Canada. -
May 19, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
He was from the country of Spain. He explored the Pacific coast to Drake's Bay near San Fransico. His accomplishment was completed in the year 1542. -
May 18, 1577
Sir Francis Drake
He was from the country of England. His accomplishment is he was he first Englishman to sail around the world. This took place in the year of 1577- 1580. -
John Davis
He was from the country of England. His accoplishment was to explore the west coast of Greenland in search of northwest passage to Asia. That took place in the yea of 1585. -
Henry Hudson
He was and English navigator to locate the passage. He explored the Hudson River and sailed along what we call today, Albany, New York. He set up the second voyage but one day he got lost in a storm and never saw it again.
