Early explorers

Leif Erickson

1001

Leif Erickson was an explorer from Iceland, he was the first European to set foot on north america. He found it before Christopher Columbus.

Prince Henry

Jan 1, 1419

Prince Henry was the first person to every set up a school for sailors. His school would teach people how to sail for an easier way to trade with China and use an astrolabe.

AMerigo Vespucci

Mar 9, 1454

Vespucci was a Italian explorer and navigator from the republic of Florence. The Americas was named after Vespucci.

Bartholomew Diaz

Jan 1, 1488

Diaz was a Portuguese explorer born in 1450. He sailed around the southernmost tip of Africa. He was the first ever European to do this.

Christopher Columbus

Aug 3, 1492

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer that sailed for the Spanish flag. In 1492 his king and queen allowed him to sail this ocean blue with only three boats. These boats were named Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. He sailed the ocean blue and eventually hit the Americas. He did not actually land on North America, he landed in the Bahamas.

John Cabot

Jan 1, 1497

John was a Italian explorer that was the earliest know European that explored coastal north america under the commission of Henry VII of England.

Vasco Da Gamas

Jul 1, 1497

Vasco Da Gamas was a Portuguese explorer. He was the first European to reach India by sea with no maps. At first, he was trying to link Europe and Asia with an ocean route. But he ended up finding India.

Vasco Nunez de Balbo

Jan 1, 1513

Balboa was a Spanish explorer. He crossed the Pacific Ocean in 1513. He became the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World.

Juan Ponce de Leon

Jan 1, 1513

Juan sailed under the Spanish flag and was the first to set an expedition the first to make it straight through Florida

Ferdinand Magellan

Jan 1, 1519

Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. In 1519 him and his crew set off on a journey which would eventually be the first people to go around the earth. Magellan was sadly killed before he could circle the earth but his crew still did it.

Hernan Cortes

Jan 1, 1521

Hernan Cortes was a Spanish Conquistador. He lead an expedition that would take down the aztec empire. He brought lager portions to a lot of mexico. He had three advantages, weapons, men and diseases.

Alavr Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

Jan 1, 1527

Vaca sailed under the Spanish flag. In 1527 he was sent on a expedition that was very sad. He was one of the only four survivors on the expedition

Francisco Pizarro

Jan 1, 1532

Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador. he wanted to explore the new world and led an expedition to the lead the Spanish to conquest Peru.

Jacques Cartier

Jan 1, 1534

Cartier was a French explorer that claimed Canada for the french. This happened in 1534.

Hernando de Soto

Jan 1, 1538

Hernando was a Sailing under the Spanish and conquistador who played an important role in Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire.
He was across modern day Florida and also was the the first to walk across the Mississippi river.

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

Jan 1, 1540

Coronado was a spanish conquistador who led a large expedition from Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States. HE was born in 1510 and started the expedition around 1540

Jaun Cabrillo

Jun 27, 1542

Cabrillo was born around march 13, 1499 and was a explorer that explored the west coast of North America. He was also the first European to explore present day California.