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1000
Leif Erickson
Leif Erickson was a viking explorer born somewhere between the 970s and the 980s in Iceland he was the second of three sons and a sister. Now for discovering and colonizing Greenland, Leif Erickson sailed to Norway around the year 1000 -
1418
Prince Henry the Navigator
Henry the Navigator was born in 1394 in Porto, Portugal. He was the third surviving son of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster. In 1415, Henry, his father and his older brothers led an attack on Ceuta. The attack succeeded, and Ceuta fell under Portuguese control. -
1488
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias was the first European explorer to sail around the southern tip of Africa.This discovery made it possible for Europeans to trade with Asia and India by water instead of across land, which was very expensive at the time. -
Aug 3, 1492
Christopher Columbus
The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas. -
1497
John Cabot
Italian sailor John Cabot, sailing for the English, searched for a passage to Pacific Ocean along the coast off Canada and Newfoundland. This became the basis of England’s claim to North America. -
1502
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci was the first person to determine that the New World was a new continent and not the West Indies. Amerigo Vespucci named a few constellations on a voyage back from the New World in 1502. He named the Southern Cross, among others. -
1513
Vasco Nunez de Balbo
He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World. He traveled to the New World in 1500 and, after some exploration. -
Apr 5, 1513
Juan Ponce De Leon
explored present day Florida in 1513, looking for the fountain of youth -
Jun 26, 1513
francisco Pizarro
second son. explored the Andes Mountains of South America and conquered the Inca Empire. Both were skilled soldiers but were also helped in their victories by the spread of disease. -
1519
Ferdinand Magellan
The ship that Magellan commanded was the Trinidad. The total distance traveled by the Victoria was over 42,000 miles. Magellan's knee was wounded in battle, causing him to walk with a limp. Many of the sailors were Spanish and did not trust Magellan because he was Portuguese. -
Feb 18, 1519
hernando cortes
bit of a jerk, explored mexico in 1519. had 11 ships, 508 soldiers, about 100 sailors, and—most important—16 horses. conquered the Aztec -
1527
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
a Spanish explorer who sailed to North America from Spain, leaving in 1527. The expedition of 250 to 300 men was led by Panfilo de Narvaez. -
1534
Jacques Cartier
Frenchman Jaques Cartier sailed down the Saint Lawrence river all the way to Present-day Montreal, claiming lands for France. -
May 21, 1539
hernando de soto
explored Florida and North Carolina in 1539 -
1542
Jaun Cabrillo
Believed to have been of Portuguese descent, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was a soldier and explorer in service to Spain. He is best known for his explorations of the coast of California. -
Sep 22, 1554
Francisco Vazquez de Coronado
was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who led a large expedition from Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542. -
Samuel de Champlain
he was key to France expansion in the new world. Known as the " Father of New France". One of the oldest cities is now Canada, and combined France colonies.He also made important explorations of what is now northern New York, the Ottawa River, and the eastern Great Lakes. -
Henry Hudson
The English Captain Henry Hudson led a Dutch exploration to present-day New York in 1609.Believed to have been born in the late 16th century, English explorer Henry Hudson made two unsuccessful sailing voyages in search of an ice-free passage to Asia. -
Henry Hudson
He also sailed farther north than any explorer before him. Henry Hudson returned to North America for a fourth expedition -
Rene-Robert De La Salle
he was the first European to travel the length of Mississippi River, his goal was to explore and establish fur-trade routes along the river. He named the Mississippi basin Louisiana, in honor of the king at the time, and claimed it for France.
