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Jan 1, 1450
Prince Henry the Navigator
He is from Portugal and he is the son of the King. He set up the first European school for Navigators in Sagres. He brought together Portuguese, Spanish, Jewish, Arab, and Italian mathematicians, chartmakers, astronomers, and sea captains. He worked with others to design and build better ships called caravels. He sent parties of explorers south along Africa's coast and there they found gold dust, ivory, and enslaved people. The trade brought new wealth to Portugal. -
Jan 1, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
In 1487, Bartolomeu Dias readied ships for a long, hard voyage. For the first time was a supply of food and water for an extended trip. He stopped at many points on Africa's west coast before strong winds blew him southward. Without knowing that his ships had been blown around at the tip of the continent he got to Africa's east coast. -
Aug 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus
He was the son of a weaver. He was a skilled navigator from Genoa. He believed that the world was flat. He could convice no one to finace a expedition. Queen Isaabella finally agreed to it. He set sail from Spain in 1492. He had a crew of 90 sailors. The sailors urged there captain to go back but he did not. They threatened munity to their leader. On Christmas eve the Santa Maria ran around on a reef and was wrecked. In January 1493 Comlumbus boarded the Nina and headed back to Spain. -
May 18, 1493
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Spanish were worried that the Portuguese would try to take over there land. They asked the Pope to help. In 1493 the Pope drew a Papal line of demarcation. Which is a imaginary line from the North to the South pole. The Portuguese did not like the way that the land was divided. They called for a meeting. The treaty of tordesillas was drawn up to reslove this. It moved the line about 500 miles so it helped them please the other people. -
May 17, 1497
John Cabbot
Merchants persuaded the king to send John Cabbot, an Italian navigator to the Far East by a northwest route. In, 1497 he set sail with a hand full of men. He explored coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. He also established claims for England in the Americas. -
Jul 1, 1497
Vasco de Gama
In 1497 Vasco de Gama led a convoy of four ships down the Tagusm River from Lisbon, Portugal. Bartolomeu Dias designed the ships and accompined him as far as Cape Verde. Four months later many of th e crew was sick. For the first time at Mozambique they saw a coconut, On May 20, 1498 his ships landed at Calicut. He feared the merchants there and they were afraid that they would try to take over the land. The trip back took 11 months and then they were back where they started. -
May 18, 1500
Pedro Cabral
He was an Portuguese explorer. He discoverd Brazil and sailed east to India. He was also a nobleman and a navigator. He had 9 ships and they left in 1500. Over a month later he spotted Brazil with all of his 9 ships. He stayed there for 10 days and then he left to go back up to Brazil. There were a bunch of storms that demolished some of his ships. -
May 17, 1501
Amerigo Vespucci
He was a Spanish and Portuguese explorer. He explored the Atlantic coast of South America. He was one of the first to think that he had reached the new world which is land that has not been discovered. On his first expedition he was a navigator for the captin. On this trip he had discovered the mouth of the Amazon. -
Jan 1, 1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
He crossed the isthmus of Panama. He also became the first European to see the Great South Sea. In 1500 he sailed with Rodrigo de Bastidas from Spain to Columbia. He claimed the Pacific water and land to be Spain's. -
May 16, 1513
Ponce de Leon
Ponce de Leon was looking for the Fountain of Youth. He sailed north from Puerto Rico to Florida. When he landed he thought Florida was an island. He named it Florida because of the many flowers scattered throughout the state. He sailed through the Caribbean but found nothing. He later returned to England. -
Jan 1, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan
In 1519, Magellan sailed from Spain to find a western route to the Indies. He commanded a fleet of five ships and sailed through a stormy straight at the tip of South Africa. The crew was out of food and water so the settled at the island of Mariana. After they rested and ate they set course for the Philllipine Islands. There he was inolved in a local war and he and many of his crew was killed. One ship returned to Spain with 18 men and a load of spices. -
May 16, 1519
Hernando Cortes
In 1519 Hernando Cortes invaded Mexico. With the help of guns and the smallpox he was able to destroy the Aztec Empire. Cortes commanded his troops to take the gold from the Aztecs. Cortez would later send the gold back to spain. -
May 17, 1523
Giovanni Verrazano
He was an Italian Navigator. In 1524 he explored the northeast coast of North America Cape Fear, North Carolina. In 1524 he set sail from Cape Fear. Then returned and sailed to New York. He then sailed up to Maine and then up to New Foundland and then back to Europe. -
May 18, 1528
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vace
He was a spanish exploer. He explored around Florida and the Gulf region from Texas all the way to Mexico. His name actually name means head of the cow. He was in an expedition from 250 to 300 men. A lot of people died during storms because of tornadoes and fights with Native Americans. He explored these regions that are now a part of the USA. -
Jan 1, 1532
Francisco Pizzaro
He invaded Peru in 1532. Within 5 years he had conquered the Inca Empire. Like Cortes he took great treasures of gold and silver from the native americans. He and his men then headed for the coast, where they built Lima the City of Kings. -
May 18, 1534
Jacques Cartier
He was a French explorer. He was looking for a route to the Pacific through North America. He did not find one though. He sailed inland going 1,000 miles up the St. Lawrence River. He also tried to start a settlement in Quebec which is located in Canada. It was abandoned though after a cold winter. He named Canada Kanta which means village or settlment in a diffrent language. But he later named the whole region Canada. -
May 18, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
In 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo led the first expedition to the west coast of the United States. He reached a body of water known as the San Diego Bay and named it San Miguel. He then set sail farther north along the coast of California and explored the islands there. -
May 17, 1577
Sir Francis Drake
He was an English explorer and he was the first to sail all the way around the world from 1577-1580. Queen Elizabeth l finaced the expidition for Drake. Drake was involved in slave trade and was also a fierce warrior. He and another were on a slave-trading trip and it was ended by them getting attacked. At the time many people thought that the world was flat so when Drake sailed all the way around the world it was a milestone of history. -
John Davis
He was a English explorer. In 1585 he set sail for his first ever Western expedition. He set a course for China going north-west. However he encountered Bafflin Island. He turned back after some more obstacles at the end of August in 1585. He tried agin in 1586 and 1587 again he tried to pass through Bafflin island but again could not make ot through and went back once again. -
Henry Hudson
He was an english explorer and a navigator who explored around the Artic Ocean. In 1609 he was hired by a Dutch East India company. To help them find the Northwest Passage. The ship was called the Half Moon. He sailed north to Novia Scotia. He is credited for finding the area which today is called New York City.
