Early Explorers

Leif Eriksson sailed as a viking

1000

Leif Eriksson was sailing and got blown of course by a storm and landed in North America. He then became the first European to reach North America.

Prince Henry the Navigator explored for Portugal

1400

He was the prince of Portugal and he founded a school for exploring and he also studied navigation. On his exploration he traveled southern to Gambia on the western coast of Africa.

Hernando Cortes sailed for Spain

1485

Hernando Cortes went on an exploration to northern Mexico where he came in contact with the powerful Aztecs. He and his men began to gather local towns to help them with their attempt at conquring the Aztecs. Witht he weaponry advantage Cortes and his men won the battle defeating the Aztecs.

Bartholomeu Dias sailed for the Portugal flag

1488

Bartholomeu Dias became the first person to sail around the southern tip of Africa opening the way for many other sailors to make larger expositions.

Christopher Columbus sailing for Spain

Aug 3, 1492

Christopher Columbus traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to try to find new land. He ended up finding an unfamiliar continent that we know today as the Americas. This made everybody else jealous making them travel to the new world as well.

Vasco De Gama sailed for Portugal

1497

Vasco De Gama successfully sailed down and around the southern tip of Africa and came up to southern India. Making him the first person to sail fully down and around the southern tip of Africa.

John Cabot explored for Italy

1497

John Cabot was an Italian sailor that sailed for the English and his exploration's goal was to find a passage way to the Pacific from the coast of Canada. He ended up finding New Finland.

Amerigo Vespucci sailed for Spain

1501

Amerigo Vespucci explored the eastern coast of South America mapping it out.

Juan Ponce de Leon sailed for Spain

1513

Juan Ponce de Leon sailed to present- day Florida and he mapped and discovered most of Florida.

Vasco Nunez de balboa sailed for Spain

1513

Balboa crossed Central America to discover the Pacific Ocean. His voyage included climbing over mountains and canyons to find the sea. He ended up dying because his head got cut off.

Ferdinand Megellan sailed for portugal

1519

Ferdinand Megellan believed that he could sail around the New world to find the spice islands. He had a long and treturous journey and then they finally found them. Some of his men including him died but his belief became a reality.

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca explored for Spain

1527

Alvar Nunez Cabeza da Vaca was an explorer who explored the western part of North America in search of the seven cities of gold.

Francisco Pizarro sailed for Spain

1532

Francisco Pizarro one day noticed that the Inca empire must have been extremely wealthy because he and his men saw them throwing gold into the river as if wasting it. Seeing this made him want to get the gold and silver that they must not care about. He took the leader as hostage and they gave him the gold and silver and he ended up killing the leader anyway.

Jacques Cartier explored for English

1534

Jacques Cartier was a frenchman who sailed all the way down the Lawrence river to present-day Montreal. Gaining claims for France.

Hernando de Soto sailed for Spain

1539

Hernando de Soto explored some of Florida and North Carolina and also moved west to find the Mississippi River.

Fransico Vasquez de Coronado explored for Spain

1540

Fransico Vasquez de Coronado explored most of the southwest America to search for the cities of gold but instead ended up finding the Grand Canyon.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored for Portugal

Jun 27, 1542

Juan Rodriguez was one of the first people to map and explore west america and even ventured up into southern parts of Canada

Samuel de Champlain sailed for France

1603

Samuel de Champlain known as the Father of New France explored the st. lawrence river getting many claims.

Henry Hudson sailed for Dutch

1609

Henry Hudson led a Dutch exploration which led to them finding present-day New York.

Henry Hudson sailed again for dutch

1611

Henry Hudson led an expedition up into Canada where him and his men found some of Leif Erickson's findings. His crew mates grew tired of him and marooned him leaving him to die.

Rene-Robert de La salle sailed for France

1682

Rene-Robert de La salle explored a ton of land in more central america getting many claims on the Mississippi river.