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Jan 1, 1450
Prince Henry The Navigator
In 1450, Henry the Navigator sent explorers to the south along Africa's west coast. While he was there, he discovered the Gold Coast and Cape Verde. Also he discovered the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary islands. These islands were used as a supply station for further explorations. In Africa, the Portugese explorers found gold dust, ivory, and people who were enslaved. Eventually, trading forts were developed along the west coast of Africa, which brought new wealth. -
Jan 1, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
In 1487, Bartolomeu Dias readied his ships for a long,hard voyage to Africa. He reached several points of Africa's west coast before the strong winds blew him southward. When the storm was over, Bartolomeu went to reach Africa's east coast, but didn't know his ships had been blown around the tip of the continent. On his return home, he named the southern tip of Africa the Cape of Storms. Years later, a Portugal king renamed it the Cape of Good Hope. -
Jan 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus
In 1492, Queen Isabella of Spain approved Christorpher Columbus's plan to reach Asia by sailing west. His goal was to prove the world was round, not flat. He set sail in August of 1492. Columbus had four small ships, which were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria with a crew of about 90 sailors. On his second day, he landed on and outer island in the Bahamas, probably Watling Island. Columbus spent months sailing the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola. In January of 1493, he went home. -
Jan 1, 1493
Treaty of Tordesillas
In 1493, the Pope drew a papal line of demarcation west of the Azores Islands. Spain was to have non-Christain lands to the west of the line and Portugal to have their non-Christain lands to the east of the line. Portugal did not like the way the lands were divided. Spain had much more land. Portugal protested and had a meeting. 1493, Treaty of Tordesillas was drwwn up. Because of this, Portugal was able to claim Brazil. -
May 2, 1497
John Cabot
On March 5, 1496, King Henry the VII granted John Cabot to go on his voyage. On May 2, 1497, Cabot got on his ship and left to go explore the lands across the Atlantic Ocean. Him and his crew were sailing for fifty days before reaching his goal. Cabot was successful and on June 26, 1497 he reached the New World. June 26 was the day he started his return voyage. When he returned Cabot was given gifts and rewards. -
May 20, 1498
Vasco da Gama
On May 20, 1498 Vasco da Gama's ship landed in Calicut. When he arrived, Arab and Persian marchants feared that Portugal would take over the trade between Africa and India. After an attempt to kill him, he decided to leave and head back home in August. While he was getting ready to leave he loaded his ship with what spices he could get. His trip home took thriteen months for it to finally reach Lisbon in 1499. He was greeted with rejoices and rewards. -
Aug 23, 1499
Amerigo Vespucci
Vespucci joined an expedition in the service of Spain, with Alonso de Ojeda as the fleet commander. The intention was to sail around the southern end of the African mainland into the Indian Ocean.After hitting land at the coast of what is now Guyana, the two seem to have separated. Vespucci sailed southward, discovering the mouth of the Amazon River and reaching 6°S, before turning around and seeing Trinidad and the Orinoco River and returning to Spain by way of Hispaniola. -
Jan 1, 1500
Pedro Cabral
Conducted the first substantial exploration of the Northeast coast of South America. Appointed to have an expedition to Inda in the 1500. His fleet of 13 ships sailed far into the Western Atlantic Ocean. Discoverd Brazil and sailed East to India. -
Jan 1, 1501
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
In 1501, at age 26, he joined a Spanish expedition to South America. The expedition explored the northern coast of what is now Columbia, but because they did not have enough men, food or supplies, they were unable to start settlement there. Balboa returned to the island of Hispaniola (Cuba), and had to settle for raising pigs for a living there. In 1509, the first Spanish expedition to colonize the mainland of South America left Hispaniola. Balboa tried to join the expedition, but because he was -
Jan 1, 1511
Ferdinad Magellan
Went on an expedition to conquer Melaka. He renamed the Pacific Ocean from the spanish word Pacifico.Offered to find Spain a Western rote to the Indies. Commanded a fleet of five ships and a crew of 256. -
Mar 1, 1513
Ponce de Leon
Ponce de Leon was given the right to find Bimini, one of the islands in the Bahamas. The "Fountain of Youth" was supposed to be in Bimini. Legend has it that anyone who drank from the fountain would never grow old. Ponce de Leon organized an expedition to find the fountain in March of 1513. He landed near the site of what is now St. Augustine, Florida. He didn't realize he landed in North America. He thought he had landed on an island. -
Jan 1, 1518
Hernan Cortez
In 1518 Velázquez put him in command of an expedition to explore and secure the interior of Mexico for colonization. At the last minute, due to the old gripe between Velázquez and Cortés, he changed his mind and revoked his charter. Cortés ignored the orders and went ahead anyway, in February 1519, in an act of open mutiny. -
Jan 1, 1524
Giovanni Verrazano
In January of 1524 Giovanni Verrazano began his voyage to discover the new world. His ship was called the La Dauphine. While on his voyage, he explored the coast of North America, which included the New York Harbor, Maine, and Nova Scotia. He returned to France on July 8, 1524. After that, Verrazano went on two more voyages. -
Jan 1, 1527
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
was a spanish explorer of the new world.1527 Cabeza de Vaca departed from Spain as a part of a royal expedition intended to occupy the mainland of North America. As treasurer, he was one of the chief officers of the Narváez expedition. -
Jan 1, 1531
Francisco Pizzarro
Desirous of making his own discoveries and his own fortune, Pizzarro formed a partnership with Diego de Almagro. They travel to Peru in 1526 and then returned to get permission to claim the land for Spain. In 1531, their expedition—which included Pizzarro's three half-brothers—sailed from Panama.The next fall Pizarro entered the city of Cajamarca and took the Inca leader Atahuapla hostage. Despite having paid a ransom to spare his life, Atahuapla was killed in 1533. Pizarro then conquered Cuzco. -
May 23, 1541
Jacques Cartier
On May 23, 1541, Cartier departed Saint Malo with 5 ships on his third voyage. His goals were to find the "Kingdom of Sequenay" its riches, and to establish a permanent settlement along the St. Lawence River. Cartier then decided to settle at Charlesbourg-Royal, which is now present day Cap-Rouge, Quebec. There, people planted crops. -
Jan 1, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo went to explore what is now known as the west coast of the United States of America. He wanted to find wealthy cities and a route that connected the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Cabrillo reached "a very good enclosed port", which he named San Miguel, but is now known as the San Diego bay. After much more exploring Cabrillo died on San Miguel Island. -
Dec 1, 1577
Sir Fancis Drake
Sir Francis Drake was a sea captain, slaver, navigator, privateer, politician, and a renonwed pirate and later Queen Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knight. In December of 1577, he started his sailing around tge world.He reached the coast of Brazil in April of 1578. He went northward and sailed up the coast of Chile . Drake crossed the equator in July. He was the first englishman to sail in the Pacific, Indian, and southern Atlantic ocean. -
John Davis
In 1596-1597 Davis seems to have sailed with Raleigh (as master of Sir Walter's own ship) to Cádiz and the Azores; and in 1598-1600 he accompanied a Dutch expedition to the East Indies as pilot, sailing from Flushing, returning to Middleburg, and carefully charting and recording geographical details. He narrowly escaped destruction from treachery at Achin in Sumatra. -
Henry Hudson
English explorer and navigator. He explored parts of the Arctic Ocean and the Northeastern part of North America. The Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay are named for him.Hudson was then hired by the Dutch East India Company in 1609, to try to find the Northwest Passage farther south.
