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Jan 1, 1001
Leif Erikson sails to Greenland
Leif Erikson sailed to Greenland to investigate reports of a land farther west. They explored the region and spent the winter in a place they named Vinland. -
Aug 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus Sails West
Christopher Colombus sailed west with 90 men and 3 ships on small ships name Nina, Pinta, And Santa Maria. They averaged around 170 miles per day. -
Jan 1, 1493
Columbus Returns to Spain
In 1493 after his first voyage to what he thought was Asia, he returned to Spain. He reported that there were huge amounts of gold in the land he referred to as the West Indies. The grateful monarchs made him governor of all the land he claimed for Spain. -
Sep 1, 1493
Columbus's Second Voyage West
In 1493, Columbus sailed west to the West Indies for the second time. This time he had seventeen ships and fifteen hundred soldiers, settlers, and priests. -
May 1, 1497
Cabot Sails
In 1497, John Cabot sails to North America to and finds Newfoundland. -
Jan 1, 1498
Columbus Reaches South America
in this year, Columbus took a third voyage to continue his search for the Asia mainland. He reached the northern coast of South America and believed it was the Asia mainland. -
Jan 1, 1498
Cabot's Second Voyage
On his second voyage, Cabot sails to North America to explore the coast. He may have gone as far south as the Chesapeake Bay. However, we cannot be sure. His ships disappeared without a trace. -
Jan 1, 1502
Columbus Proves his Claims
In 1502, Spain permitted him to try and prove his claims that he had reached Asia. He returned two years later with his beliefs unchanged. He later died in 1506, still convinced he had reached Asia. -
Jan 1, 1510
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Balboa, a spanish colonist, explored the Carribean coast of what is now Panama. He was also the first European to set eyes on the Pacific Ocean -
Jan 1, 1513
de Leon Sails North
Juan Ponce de Leon sailed north from Puerto Rico to investigaet reports of a large island. What he actually found is what is now the state of Florida. -
Jan 1, 1519
Magellan sets Sail
Ferdinand Magellan set out to find an Atlantic - Pacific passage. For more than a year, his small fleet moved slowly down the South American Coast looking for a strait. Finally, he found one near the southern tip of present day Argentina. this strait is now known as the Strait of Magellan. -
Jan 1, 1519
Cortes and the Aztecs
In this year, Hernando cortes sailed from Cuba to Mexico with more than 500 soldiers. He and his men marched into the Aztec capitol, joined by other Native Americans, and conquered the Aztecs. -
Sep 1, 1522
The First Circumnavigation
Magellan finally reached the Phillipine Islands. There, he and several others were killed in a battle with the Filipinos. The survivors fled in two of the ships. One ship finally reached Spain, in September 1522. Three years after they had begun, the eighteen men aboard became the first to circumnavigate the entire Earth. -
Jan 1, 1528
Exploartion Begins
After being found by Ponce de Leon, exploration begins off the coast of Florida. -
Jan 1, 1531
Pizarro Lands in Peru
Pizarro makes landfall in Peru in search of the Inca empire. -
Jan 1, 1532
Incas Start to Fall
In 1532 Pizarro led 170 soldiers into the capitol of the empire, took their ruler hostage, and then killed him. -
Jan 1, 1533
Inca Empire Falls
In this year, the Pizarro defeats the leaderless Incas. -
Jan 1, 1580
Colonists Start to Arrive
This is the beginning of the colonies. 2 colonies are set up on a small island off the coast, of what is today North Carolina. -
The Roanoke Colony
The first colony in at Roanoke Island was established, but later abandoned. -
The Second Colony at Roanoke
This colony is a great mystery in American History. It was established in1587. The next year, England found itself at war with Spain and they weren't able to visit the colony until 1590. By then, the colony was abandoned. It had disappeared without a trace.
