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Jan 1, 1460
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator 1394 was a Portuguese royal prince, soldier, and patron of explorers. These expeditions were sent to create much-needed maps of the West African coast, to defeat the Muslims, to spread Christianity, and to establish trade routes. Prince Henry helped begin the Great Age of Discovery that lasted from the 1400's to the early 1500s. He is famous for founding a school of navigation and getting his sailors to go around the horn of Africa. -
Jan 1, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu was from Portugal. He was a member of the royal Portuguese court and held the title of Sailing Master of the Portuguese man-of-war Sao Cristovao. In 1481, Bartolomeu Dias joined Diogo d'Azambuja to explore the Gold Coast of Africa. In 1486 of October, King John II of portuagal appointed Dias to make contact with a Christian ruler in the Indies called Prester John.The first European to lead a 1487 voyage around the Cape of Good Hope on the Southern most tip of South. -
Aug 1, 1492
Christpher Colmbus
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. He was an Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, hoping to find a route to India (in order to trade for spices).Sinking ships beached and abandoned at Jamaica, marooning crew. Crew rescued from Jamaica after more than a year on the island. He made a total of four trips to the Caribbean and South America during the years 1492. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Months after Columbus returned to Europe, Spanish Pope Alexander VI gave Spain a head-start in the quest for domination over newly discovered regions of the world. The Pope decreed that all the land found West of the Meridian and west of the Cape Verde Islands should belong to Spain. But the land found East of that line would belong to Portugal. That made Portugal angry. King John II talked with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, to move the line to the West. They signed a treaty and moved it. -
May 2, 1497
John Cabot
John Cabot sailed out of Bristal with his ship, the Matthew, on May 2, 1497. He landed in the New World, believeing that he had landed on the East Coast of Asia. Cabot became the first European explorer to discover the mainland of North America and Canada. He made the first recorded attmept to find the Northwest Passage, but he only found ice-crusted waters. He was made an admiral and sent immediately back to find Japan. But, instead of spices, he found dark forests and horrible rivers. -
May 17, 1497
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo is from Italy. He helped Columbus in his 2nd and 3rd voyages to the new world. He was a very skilled navigator, when it comes to sailing. Amerigo was the first European to see Brazil. Besides Columbus, Amerigo was one of the first to beilieve that he had discovered a new world. During his return to Spain he stopped at the Bahamas and took 200 Native Americans with him to be slaves. His countries of origins are Spain and Portigaul. South America and North America were named after Amerigo. -
Apr 22, 1500
Pedro Cabral
He is from Portugal. Cabral's 13 ships left on March 9, 1500, following the route of Vasco da Gama. On April 22, 1500, he sighted land (Brazil), claiming it for Portugal and naming it the "Island of the True Cross." They were fighting 50 of Cabral's men were killed after an attack from Muslim traders in Calicut, India, who did not want competition on their spice routes. Portuguese nobleman, explorer, and navigator who was the first to see Brazil, on april 22, 1500. -
Oct 1, 1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
There were power struggles between Nicuesa and Enciso. Nicuesa was deported from the settlement. Vasco Nunez de Balboa then charged Enciso with usurpation and Enciso was forced to leave the colony.The king of Spain then appointed Balboa as the interim governor. Balboa the title of Adelantado of the South Sea, Governor of Panama but was then arrested for treason. He is best known for being the first European to discovering the Pacific Oecan. -
May 17, 1521
Ponce de Leon
Pounce is from Valladolid. He began his travels as a volunteer on Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the "New World" in 1493. Many of his own expeditions he became a very respected Spanish explorer and was the first Conquistador to be knighted by King Ferdinand. He was first Governor of Puerto Rico, volunteer on Christopher Columbus' second voyage, and seeker of the Fountain of Youth. He is the man who discovered Florida. -
Jul 8, 1524
Giovanni Verrazano
Giovanni was known as a Master Mariner and represented the country of France. His main goals in life were to explore the coast of the "New Land" and to find a passage to the Orient. He returned to France after several voyages claiming the New World for France on July 8, 1524. The main route was across the Atlantic to mainly Middle and North America. Many of his ships didn't make it across the Atlantic because they ran out of supplies, got lost, or wrecked. -
Dec 24, 1524
Vasco da Gama
Vasco Da Gama was born to a noble family in Sines, Portugal. He sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, on July 8, 1497, heading to the East. Vasco da Gama left India on August 29, 1498, after he was told to pay a large tax and leave all of his trading goods. Da Gama returned to Lisbon, Portugal, in September, 1499. He is now know for his Discover of the ocean route from Portugal to the East, assumed to be impossible feat as it was believed that the Indian Ocean was not connected to any other sea. -
Apr 29, 1528
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
Alvar originated from Spain. On a voyage he landed near Tampa Bay, Florida and heard rumors of gold, so he marched through Florida, getting lost. He then constructed primitive boats to search for Mexico. He followed the coast west to the mouth of the Mississppi River, and wrecked near Glaveston Island which is now Texas. Alvar explored what is now Texas and northeastern Mexica for 8 years. Later in his life he found other Spaniards in New Spain, went to Mexico City and sailed to Europe in 1537. -
Jan 1, 1534
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was from Brittany, northwest France. In 1514 he was sent by King of France to discover a passage to gold, But instead he explored New Foundland. In 1535 he discovered St. Lawrence River in Canada, and St. Charles River. These explorations opened up Canada for France to claim. He soon thought he could find a northwest passage to China by sailing up these rivers. -
Jan 6, 1535
Francisco Pizzaro
Pizarro set sail from Spain with Ojeda where Ojeda
founded the city of San Sebastian. Pizarro joined the expedition of Nunez de Balboa across the Isthmus of Panama
to discover the Pacific Ocean. He sailed from the port of Panama with 3 ships and over 200 men, including Hernando De Soto.Pizarro landed at San Mateo Bay and started to explore the land. Pizarro and the Spanish took the treasure and then had the last of the Incan strangled.Conquering the Incas of Peru. Founding Lima, Peru. -
Jun 27, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
Juan is from Portugal. He is the discoverer and the first explorer of the Californian Coast. He came to Mexico with the Narvaez, then shifted alliances to Cortes. He helped the founding of the city Oaxaca. Later he departed from the Navidad and then sailed north to Baja California, went further along the coast, and founded Sam Diego Bay and Santa Barbra. He spent winter at the San Miguel Island in the Santa Barbra Channel. Jaun bumped into some indians and got into a fight, and died. -
Jan 1, 1547
Hernan Cortez
Hernan is from Spain. He heard the stories about the New World and joined the expedition to the West Indies led by Nicolas de Ovando with Diego Velazquez. Plague strikes the Aztec population and Tenochtitlan falls. He conquered 5 Million Aztecs with less than 1000 soldiers. He is most known because he was the first Spanish conqueror of Mexico and the Aztec. Empire. -
May 17, 1577
Sir Francis Drake
He is from England. When Francis was 18 he began serving in ship trading at the Bay of Biscay. At age 23 he went on slaving voyages to Guinea in West Africa. He was made captain of the Judith. Directing the Judith, he went on an expidition against the Spanish Main in the West Indies and Central America. He was the first Englishman to sail around the world. In 1577, he set off on the Golden Hind on his trip around the world. He reached the coast of Brazil on April of 1578. -
John Davis
John is from England. In 1585 he started his first North-Western expedition. In 1588 he commanded the Black Dog against the Spanish Armada. He invented the Backstaff and double quadrant. -
Henry Hudson
Henry is from England. Explored parts of the Arctic Ocean and Northeastern North America. In 1607 the Muscovy Company hired him to find a waterway from Europe to Asia. He made 2 trips but still couldn't find a route to China. He soon sailed to Spitzbergen and discovered the Jan Mayen Island. Henry was later hired by the Dutch East India Company in 1609, to try to find the Northwest Passage furthur south. He also founded the Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay, which were named after him.
