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Jan 1, 1460
Prince Henry the Navigator from Portugal
Prince Henry was the son of King Portugal. He was born in 1394. Prince Henry became eager for Portuguese sailors to explore the west coasr of Africa. In the early 1400s, Henry set up a school for navigators and designed boats. Working with others, Henry invented the caravel. With the caravel they discovered the Gold Coast and Cape Verde. Many new items to trade were found and trading forts were built. Trade made the country very powerful. Henry died in 1460. -
Jan 1, 1473
Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal
After Henry's death there was still much exploration. Dias crossed the equator in 1473. They discovered the coean but, didn't boil or contain many creatures. Dias also named the southern tip of Africa then renamed it. It is called the Cape of Good Hope. -
Aug 1, 1492
Christopher Colmbus of Spain
Christopher Columbus set sail to find a sea route to Asia in 1492, supported by Queen Isabella. After a long time he finally found land and settled there. Then he sailed back and brought more people back over. He never realised that he had not found a route to Asia but had discovered the Americas! He found new land the Bahama Islands. -
May 18, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Pope Alexander VI drew a papal line of demarcation from the North pole to the South pole, 300 miles, west of the Azores Islands. Spain took the non-Christian lands west of the line, and Portugal took the non-Christian lands east of the line. However the Portuguese, didn't like how the lands were divided so they protested and called for a metting. This Treaty of Tordesillas was drawn up, to move the line 500 miles, farther west. Portugal was now able to claim Brazil. -
May 10, 1497
Amerigo Vespucci (Spain)
According to a controversial letter, Vespucci embarked from Cadiz, Spain, in a Spanish fleet. Amerigo explored the Atlantic coast of South America. He was one of the first to believe he had reached a new world. -
Jun 1, 1497
Vasco da Gama of Portugal
During the summer of 1497 Vasco da Gama led a convoy all the way to Mozambzique. They discovered many riches and most importantly, the coconut. after being kicked out of the muslim city for being christian they found many uses for the coconut. when other countries trade was threatened they tried to kil da Gama, so the convoy left for home. Da Gama returned with many less men because of storms and disease. -
Jun 24, 1497
John Cabot (England)
Some English merchants persuaded their King, to send John Cabot, to the Far East by a northwest route. In 1497, he set sail with a handful of men. He explored the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. He also established claims for England in the
Americas. -
Jan 1, 1500
Pedro Cabral of Portugal
Pedro Cabral is famous for discovering Brazil. He discovered Brazil with 13 ships, and ended with 4. After he discovered Brazil he sailed down east to India where he traded in Cochin. -
May 18, 1513
Ponce de Leon
Conquistadors were the men that tried to find the gold Christopher Columus had found. Ponce de Leon was the Conquistador who explored Florida. In 1513 he sailed North from Puerto Rico. -
Sep 13, 1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa of Spain
Vasco Nunez de Balboa was a very important conquistador explorer. He was the first European to ever lay eyes on and stand in the waters of the Eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean. He claimed the Pacific Ocean and all of it's shores for Spain. -
Jan 1, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan of Spain
In 1519 Ferdinand set sail from Spain to find a Western route to the Indies for the king. He named the Pacific Ocean before reaching the Philippine Islands. Magellan was killed in a local war there but the journey was eventually a success and proved that the worls was round. -
May 18, 1519
Hernan Cortez (Spain)
He invaded Mexico with the help of guns and the spread of smallpox. He destroyed the Native American Empire ruled by the Aztec King Montezuma. His troops and him took large amounts of gold from the Native American to send back to Spain. -
Jul 8, 1524
Giovanni Verranzano (France)
The French hired him to find a Northwest passage. He sailed along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to the New York bay.Giovanni da Verrazzano is most well known for dicovering the New York Harbor, Block Island, and Narragansett Bay. He was also the first European explorer to name the new sites in North America after people and places in the Old World. -
May 18, 1528
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca (Spain)
Alvar explored Florida and Gulf region from Texas to Mexico. Cabeza de Vaca spent most of 1528 searching for food and riches in Florida. -
Jan 1, 1532
Francisco Pizarro
In the year of !532 Pizarro invaded Peru. After he had conquered the Inca Empire he took many treasures from the native Americans. Then he and his men built the city of Lima on the coast. -
Apr 2, 1534
Jacques Cartier (France)
The French navigator, Jacques sailed from the Atlantic up the St. Lawrence River. It was as far as the present day of Montreal. This gave the French a claim to Eastern Canada. -
Jun 27, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (Spain)
He explored the Pacific coast to Drake's Bay near San Francisco. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo led the first European expedition to explore what is now the west coast of the United States. Three months later he arrived at "a very good enclosed port." That port is known today as San Diego bay -
Dec 13, 1577
Sir Francis Drake (England)
He sailed with a fleet of five ships and almost 200 sailors. They would then attack Spanish settlements on the western coast of South America. Drake took valuable goods from other ships he met during his travels. Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to sail around the world. -
John Davis (England)
He explored the west coast of Greenland in search of the northwest passage to Asia. Davis also was one of the first explorers to focus on the economic potential of the Arctic. He was especially in respect to whaling. -
Henry Hudson (Dutch)
The Dutch sent the English navigator Henry Hudson to locate the passage. He also sailed in New York bay. He explored the Hudson River and sailed to what is today Albany, New York. In 1610, he went out again on a voyage. He was lost in a storm and was never seen again, but his first voyage gave the Dutch their claim in the Amerias.
