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Jan 1, 1450
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry had heard from African Merchants about discoveries of gold. He began eagar for Portuguese sailers to explore the west coast of Africa, and was hoping to find a new route to the far east so they could extend Portugal's trade and power. He set up the first European school for navigators in Sagres, Portugal. Prince Henry wrorked with other to design a new and better ship called the Portuguese caravel. He discovered many things, such as, the Gold Coast, Cape Verde, and also Azores, Mad -
Aug 18, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu readied ships for a hard, long while. He touched at many points on Africa's west coast before strong winds blew him southward. After the storm, he went to the east coast, not knowing his ships had been blown around the tip of the continent. He named the southern tip of Africa the Cape of Storms. Later the king renamed it because the Portugese now knew they could reach the Far East by sailing around Africa. -
Aug 9, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Columbus believed, like most educated people of his time, the world ws round, not flat. He thought he could reach Asia by sailing west. In 1492, Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to support his plan, the enterprise of the Indies. He set sail with three ships- the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria- with a crew of about 90 sailors. He promised the sailors, who were scared, that they would turn back in three days if they did not find land. They founded America on the 2nd night. -
May 19, 1493
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Spanish Monarchs were worried that Portugal would try to take from Spain the riched the Columbus had discovered. Therefore, they asked Pope Alexander VI for help. So the pope drew a papal line of democration, or an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole. Spain was to have the Non Christians lands west of the line, and Portugal the non CHristian lands east of the line. The Portuguese did not like this idea, so they protested and asked for a meeting( the treaty). -
Jan 1, 1497
Amerigo Vespucci
Vespucci explored the atlantic coast of South America. He was one of the first to believe he had reached a new world. Also the first person to relize that the Americans were seperate from the continent of Asia. He mapped some of the eastern coast of South America, and came to relize that its not apart of Asia, but a new world. -
Jan 1, 1497
John Cabot
Cabot set sale with a handful of men. He explored the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and established claims for England in the Americas. Cabot explored the Canadian coastline and named many of its islands and capes. The missions purpose was to search for a Northwest passage across North America to Asia. He was unsuccessful, although he thought that he had reached northeastern Asia. -
Jul 3, 1497
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama led a convoy of four ships down the Tagus River from Lisbon, Portugal. Da Gama had orders from the king to "proclaim the Christian faith" and to "wrest kingdoms and new states from the hands of the barbarians." After four months at sea, da Gama's convoy rounded the Cape of Good Hope. By then, many of the crew were sick. Da Gama stopped by many places to find new goods to trade. His voyage opened the way for later explorations and for an era to increase trade. -
Apr 22, 1500
Pedro Cabral
Cabral was the first European to see Brazil. Cabral's patron King Manuel I of Portugal who sent him on an expedition to India. Along with him came 13 ships. He sighted land, which was Brazil, claiming it for Portugal and claling it "Island of the True Cross", but King Manuel I renamed him. -
Feb 24, 1513
Ponce de Leon
Ponce de Leon sailed north from the island of Puerto Rico to explore Florida. He was the first European to set foot in Florida. He sailed on Christopher Columbus ' second expedition to the Americas in 1493. He did not return to Spain with Columbus, he remained in Santo Domingo. He was appointed governor Dominican province of Higuey. Ponce do Leon heard of gold in Borinquen and brutally conquered the island. Because of his brutality to Native Americans, he was removed from office in 1511. -
Jun 9, 1513
Vasaco Nunez de Balboa
Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the isthmus of Panama and became the first European to sail the Great South Sea. He sailed from Spain to Colombia in search of treasures. The ship was leaky so he was forced to abbandon it. He tried to farm for a living but was unsuccsessful. Balboa and his dog stowed away on a boat in 1810 from Santo Domingo to San Sebastian. Once, he reached here he discovered it was burn to the ground. He convinced others to travel southwest with him and he founded a colony. -
Jan 1, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand offered to find spain a western route to the Indies. Ferdinand Magellan commanded a fleet of five ships and a crew of 256. He named the Pacific Ocean after the spanish word pacifico, meaning peaceful, by this time he had lost two of his ships. After they all have eaten and were rested, Magellan and his crew set a southwest course for ht ePhilippine Islands. There, Magellan became involved in a war and was killed. This voyage proved that the world was indeed round. -
Sep 18, 1524
Giovanni Verrazano
He was an Itallian nevigator who explored the Northeast cost of North America from Cape Fear, North Carolina to Maine while searching for a northwest passage to Asia. Verrazano sailed for King Francois-premier of France. His brother was a mapmaker so he mapped the voyage. -
Feb 5, 1527
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
He was a Spanish explorer who sailed to North America from Spain. There were many hurricanes during the expedition. After surving, they landed on the west coast of Florida, claiming the land for Spain. It was a very long struggle, of 8 years being stranded at Florida. He was appointed governor in 1540, and explored new places, but the settlers threw him out in 1545. -
Nov 28, 1532
Francisco Pizzaro
Francisco Pizzaro invaded Peru in 1532. Within 5 years, he conquered the Inca Empire. He stole golds, silvers, and other treasures. He landed at San Mateo in 1532. Pizarro and his men arrived at Cajamarca in 1533, where they captured Atahuallpa. Atahuallpa invited Pizarro to his celebratory, thinking the Spanish weren't a threat. Pizarro ambushed Atahuallpa and had many of his men killed. Atahuallpa offered a huge ransom; but Pizarro took the treasure. This ended the Incas Empire. -
Jan 1, 1534
Jacques Cartier
Cartier was a French navigator, who sailed up the St. Lawrence River as far as Montreal. He named Canada,"kanata" meaning village or settlement in the Huron-Iroquois language. Cartier was given directions by Huron-Iroquois Indians for the route to "kanata," a village near what is now Quebec, but Cartier later named the entire region Canada. -
Jan 1, 1539
Hernan Cortez
Sailed from Cuba to Florida and explored westward form there. He was searching for gold, silver, and other treasures. He found no gold but explored.Cortez was appointed governor of the colony of New Spain, but eventually fell out of favor with the royals. He then returned to Spain where he died a few years later. -
Jan 1, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
Cabrillo was the first European explorer of the Californian coast. He sailed from Acapulco to southern California, claiming California for King Charles I of Spain. Cabrillo named San Diego Bay and Santa Barbara. He died on San Miguel Island after a fight with Indians, from complications resulting from a broken leg. -
May 18, 1577
Sir Francis Drake
Drake led the expedition to sail around the world in a voyage lsting from 1577 to 1580. Queen Elizabeth I commisioned Drake to command the expedition together with John Winter and Thomas Doughty. They left Plymouth, England with six ships to sail to Brazil. Natives gave Drake and his crew food and water. They sailed by Panama, where he pirated Spanish ships and settlements for food and treasures. When he returned he was rewarded with a large amount of money. -
John Davis
Davis explored the west coast of Greenland in search a North- West passage. Day began at sunrise among most of the northern nations, and at sunset among the Athenians and Jews. Among the Romans day commenced at midnight, as it now does today. He also explored the west coast of Greenland in search. -
Henry Hudson
Hudson explored the Hudson River and sailed to what today Albany, New York. He than was sent in another voyage. Hudson became lost in a storm and was never seen again. Hudson died in 1611 after his crew mutinied and left Hudson, his son, and seven of his crew members in a small open boat in the Hudson Bay.
