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May 16, 1400
Prince Henry the Naviagator
Never sailed on a single ocean voyage, but gathered experienced sailors to create better charts, improve instruments and more detailed star charts. He also designed a better slimmer ship that could be produced faster and was eaier to handle. -
May 16, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
Readied ships for a long hard voyage and included for the first time a supply ship with extra supplies. Sailed along the western side of Africa before being blown around to the eastern side. The tip was called the Cape of Good Hope, because they found a way to Asia by ship. -
Aug 17, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Columbus was a skilled navagator from Italy. He set sail from England with 3 ships the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, with about 90 crew members. The voyage was long and they got nervous if they didn't find land in 3 days they would turn around. So on the second night they found the Bahamas, but Christopher thought it was the Indies, so he called the Native Americans, Indians. -
May 17, 1494
The Treaty of Tordesillas
Spain was worried that Portugal might steal their new riches from them that columbus found. Pope Alexander VI drew an imagenary line from the north and south pole that said Spain would have all the land west of the line and Portugal would have all the land east of the line, it was later moved and then ignored. -
May 18, 1497
John Cabot
John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of parts of North America is commonly held to have been the first European voyage to travel to the continent of North America. -
May 20, 1498
Vasco da Gama
Had orders from the king to proclaim the Cristian faith and to wrest kingdoms and new states from the hands of the barbarians. He and his crew got kicked out of Cape of Good Hope after four months of sailing because the Muslims found out they wre Christian. Went sailing again and in 1499 reached Lisbon. His voyage opened the way for later explorations and for an era of increased trade. -
May 17, 1500
Amerigo Vespucci
From Spain and Portugal, he Explored the Atlantic coast of South America, one of the first to believe he had reached the new world. -
May 18, 1501
Pedro Cabral
Discovered Brazil and sailed east to India -
May 18, 1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Vasco Nunez de Balboa was from Spain. He was the first European to sight the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean. He did this in the year of 1513. -
May 18, 1513
Ponce De Leon
While governing Puerto Rico, he heard stories of great riches on an Island in the north. Since he was on an expedition with christipher columbus he was granted the right to look for the fountain of youth. On his first trip he found Florida and named it for it's aboundece of flowers. On his second trip he was attacked by natives and died from his wounds. -
May 17, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan
Took a trip with a fleet of 5 ships and a crew of 256 and sailed to the tip of South America. The strait bears his name. Then he sailed to the Great South Sea and renamed it Pacific Ocean. Conditions were terrible but he continued on and reached Seville. The voyage opened up the Pacific Ocean to European ships and proved that Columbus landed in the Americas. -
May 18, 1524
Giovanni Verrazano
Giovanni Verrazano was an Italian explorer of North America, in the service of the French crown. He is known as the first European since the Norse colonization of the Americas to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between the Carolinas and Newfoundland, including New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay. -
May 18, 1527
Fancisco Pizzaro
Born in 1478 and hearded sheep before moving to present day Hati to live with his fathers brother. He was the first mate on his first expodition to explor Panama. Then he had his own expodition to find the Incas in 1527 with a good friend,Diego de Almagro. When he went back to spain he was apointed govoner of Peru which he found. He went back to Peru and nearly killed all Incas he was killed by the chiefs sons for killing their cheif. -
May 18, 1528
Alvar Nunez Cabeza da Vaca
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was from Spain. He explored Florida and the Gulf region from Texas to Mexico. He did this beginning in the year of 1528 until the year of 1536. -
May 18, 1535
Hernan Cortez
Hernan Cortez was a Spanish conquistador. He led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire, and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile. -
May 18, 1535
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River. -
May 18, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodriguez was from Spain. He explored the Pacific coast ot Drake's Bay near San Fransisco. Juan did this in the year of 1542. -
May 18, 1577
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake was from the country of England. He was the first Englishman to sail around the world. He did this beginning in the year of 1577 and ending in the year of 1580. -
John Davis
John Davis was from England. He explored the west coast of Greenland in search of a northwest passage to Asia. He did this in 1585. -
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator. Hudson explored the region around modern New York City while looking for a western route to Asia. He also discovered a strait on his final expedition while searching for the Northwest Passage.
