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1492
Columbus Lands at hispaniola in the Caribbean.
hristopher Columbus was once credited with “discovering” America, although he actually made landfall at an island in the Caribbean. The Vikings also preceded Columbus by visiting North America five centuries earlier. -
1513
Balboa "Discovers" the pacific ocean in panama
Vasco Núñez de Balboa (c. 1475 – around January 12–21, 1519) was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. 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. -
1521
Cortez Conquers the aztecs at tenochtitlan
Hernan Cortés invaded Mexico in 1519 and conquered the Aztec Empire. Credit: Public domain. Engraving by W. Holl, 1837. Hernán Cortés is one of the most well-known Spanish conquistadors. -
1539
De soto explores the region between Florida and Mississippi river
De Soto's North American expedition was a vast undertaking. It ranged throughout the southeastern United States, both searching for gold, reported by various Indian tribes and earlier explorers, and a passage to China or the Pacific coast. De Soto died in 1542 on the banks of the Mississippi River. -
First permanent english settlement is founded in James town
The founding of Jamestown, America's first permanent English colony, in Virginia in 1607 – 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in Massachusetts – sparked a series of cultural encounters that helped shape the nation and the world. -
Mayflower pilgrims found plymouth
Mayflower arrived in New England on November 11, 1620 after a voyage of 66 days. Although the Pilgrims had originally intended to settle near the Hudson River in New York, dangerous shoals and poor winds forced the ship to seek shelter at Cape Cod. -
English settlers defeat native americans
Philip's War (1675-1676) marked the last major effort by the Native Americans of southern New England to drive out the English settlers. ... King Philip — led a bloody uprising of Wampanoag, Nipmuck, Pocumtuck and Narragansett tribes. -
France claims the Mississippi river
La Salle Claims Land for France. French explorer, Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle, sailed from the Great Lakes up the St. Lawrence River, through the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, to the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1682.
