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Jan 1, 1450
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry set up the first European school for navigators in Sagres, Portugal. He gathered together Portuguese, Spanish, Jewish, Arab, and Italian mathematicians, chartmakers, astronomers, and sea captains. -
Jan 1, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
Dias readied ships for a long, hard voyage. Dias touched at several points on Africa's west coast before strong winds blew him southward. Named the southern tip of Africa the Cape of Storms. The King of Portugal later named it the Cape of Good Hope because the Portuguese now knew they could reach the Far East by sailing around Africa. -
Jan 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus
For eight years Columbus tried to convince the rulers from different nations to finance an expedition. Finally, in 1492, Queen Isabella of Spain agrred to support his plan, the enterprise of the Indies. -
Jan 1, 1493
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Spanish monarchs were worried the Portugal might try to take from Spain, the riches Columbus had discovered. So, they asked Pope Alexander VI for help. The Pope drew a papal line of demarcation. -
Jan 1, 1497
Vasco da Gama
Led a convoy(group)of four ships down to Tagus River from Lisbon, Portugal. The ships had been designed by Bartolomeu Dias. Dias accompanied da Gama as far as Cape Verde. Da Gama had orders kingdom and new states for the hands of the barbarians. -
Jan 1, 1497
Amerigo Vespucci
Explored Atlantic coast of South America one of the first to believe he had reached a new world.(1497-1504) He was from Spain and Portugal. -
Jan 1, 1497
John Cabot
Cabot set sail with a handful of men. He explored the coasts of New foundland and Nova Scotia established claims for England in the Americas. -
Jan 1, 1500
Pedro Cabral
Discovered Brazil and sailed east to Indian from 1500-1501 -
Jan 1, 1513
Vaso Nunez de Balboa
First European to sight eastern shore of Pacific Ocean in 1513 he was from Spain. -
Jan 1, 1513
Ponce da Leon
While governing Puerto Rico, Ponce de Leon heard stories of an island to the north that held great riches. Setting out to find this island, Ponce de Leon discovered Florida instead. -
Jan 1, 1519
Herman Cortes
Invaded Mexico. With the help of guns and the spread of smallpox, he destroyed the Native American empire ruled by an Aztec King. Cortes and his troops took large amounts of gold from the Native Americans to send back to Spain -
Jan 1, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan
Set sail from Spain. He commanded a fleet of five ships and a crew of 256. In October of the following year, he sailed through a stormy strait at the tip of South America. The trip took one month. Names the Pacfic Ocean. Went to the Philippine Islands, got involved in a local war and died. Most of the other crew members were killed. Only 1 boat and 18 crew members made it back to Spain. -
Jan 1, 1523
GiovanniVerrazano
He sailed along the Atlantic coast form North Carolina to New York -
Jan 1, 1528
Alvar Nunez Cabeza da Vasca
From Spain. Explored Florida and Gulf Region from Texas to Mexico, 1528-1536. -
Jan 1, 1532
Francisco Pizarro
Invaded Peru. Within five years, he conquered the Inca Empire. Like Cortes, Pizarro took great treasures of gold and silver from the Native Americans. Pizarro and his men then headed for the coast, where they build Lima, the 'City of Kings'. -
Jan 1, 1534
Jacques Carier
A French navigator, sailed up the St. Lawrence River as far as present day Montreal. This gave the French a claim to eastern Canada. -
Jan 1, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
From Spain. Explored the Pacific coast to Drake's Bay near San Francisco in 1542. -
Jan 1, 1577
Sir Francis Drake
First English man to sail around the world.(1577-80) He was from England. -
John Davis
From England. Explored west coast of Greenland in search of northwest passage to Asia in 1585. -
Henry Hudson
An English navigator. He explored the Hudson River and sailed to what is today Albany, New York. In 1610 he set out on second Voyage. He become lost in a storn and was never seen again.
