Explorers

Leif Eriksson

Oct 9, 1000

Leif Eriksson explored North America, believed to be, by accident when his ship went off course on its way back to Greenland. Around 1000 AD. The date of Oct 9, is picked on this timeline due to the recognized day for Leif Eriksson. However, the exact date is unknown.

Christopher Columbus

Oct 11, 1492

Christopher Columbus was looking for a route to India when his ship landed on an island in the Carribean. He is recognized as the first explorer to discover America. He would make 3 return trips to America before his death on November 7, 1504 in the Dominican Republic.

John Cabot

Jun 24, 1497

John Cabot was sent to Canada at the request of King Henry VII. He sailed to Newfoundland on a ship named "Matthew", and claimed the land for England on June 24, 1497.

Ferdinand Magellan

Sep 8, 1519

Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who after an arguement with the King of Portugal, sailed for Spain. Magellan had sailed many times around the Cape of Good Hope. He proposed to the Spanish king to try to find a route around the South America to avoid Portugal, with whom they were fighting. He sailed on Sept. 8, 1519. This voyage lasted almost 3 years. Only one of the original five ships made the entire journey, and only 18 of the 270 crew members made it back to Spain on Sept. 6, 1522.

Hernando DeSoto

May 30, 1539

Hernando DeSoto was the first explorer to explore Florida. His ship along with 10 others landed in Florida in 1539. They explored Florida for 4 years looking for gold and silver. During these 4 years, many brutal fights were fought against the Native Americans. It was during one of these attacks that DeSoto lost his life in 1542.

Henry Hudson

Sep 3, 1609

Henry Hudson sailed on a ship called the "Half Moon" at the request of Dutch East India Company. He was trying to find a Northwest passage south when he discovered the Hudson River, and what is now New York City. On September 3, 1609, he sailed in what is now New York Harbor. The Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay are all named after him. He died in 1611 with his son and seven crew members when the other crew members mutinied while traveling through the Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait.

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle

Apr 9, 1682

LaSalle was a French explorer who was sent from Quebec to find a new route through America to the Gulf of Mexico at the request of King Louis XIV. He arrived and set sail on the Mississippi River on February 6, 1682. He finally reached the Mississippi basin in Louisiana, where he claimed the land for France on April 9, 1682.