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1273
The first exploration ever
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the first circumnavigation of the globe (1519-1521). Juan Sebastian Elcano took command after Ferdinand's death and completed the voyage which also leaded to the age of exploration and the Renaissance age -
Period: 1400 to
Age of Exploration
This age was when people started exploring and at this time period many people found different land. -
1419
Prince Henry the Navigator
In 1419, Henry founded a navigation school on the southwestern coast of Portugal. Mapmakers, instrument makers, shipbuilders, scientists, and sea captains gathered there to perfect their trade. -
1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who stumbled upon the Americas and whose journeys marked the beginning of centuries of transatlantic colonization.Originally searching for a quicker route to Asia, Columbus instead discovered the Caribbean islands. Columbus started the expedition into the New World. -
1497
Amerigo Vespucci
Explored up and down the coast of South America. America was named after him. -
1497
John cabot
Claimed coastal lands in present day Canada and US for England. Founded colonies -
1497
Vasco da gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira, was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and therefore, the West and the Orient. -
1513
Juan Ponce de León
Spanish explorer and soldier who was the first European to set foot in Florida. Went searching for riches and the Fountain of Youth. Landed on the East Coast of Florida (St. Augustine) and named it "Easter of Florida" (claimed of flowers) and claimed the land for Spain. -
1513
Nunez de Balboa
Spanish conquistador and explorer who was the first European to see the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean after crossing the Isthmus of Panama overland. -
1519
Hernan Cortes
Herman Cortes was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of what is now mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castle in the early 16th century. -
1521
Ferdinand Magellan
Led the first expedition to sail completely around the world. Proved that the world was round and larger than thought. Discovered new oceans and land. Proved that all oceans and landmasses were connected -
1522
Francisco Pizarro
Spanish conquistador who traveled through much of the Pacific coast of America along Peru. Conquered Incan Empire, stealing massive amounts of gold, silver, and other treasures. Explored South America. -
1524
Giovanni Verrazano
Italian navigator who explored the northeast coast of Norht America from Cape Fear, North Carolina to Maine while searching for a Northwest passage to Asia. -
1539
Hernando de Soto
A Spanish explorer who sailed the Atlantic Ocean and was the first European to explore Florida and the southeastern US -
1540
Coronado Fransisco
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado y Luján 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
French explorer and navigator who mapped much of northeastern North America and started a setlement in Quebec. DIscovered Lake Champlain in 1609. Important in establishing and administering the French colonies in the New World. -
Henry Hudson
Was originally hired by the Dutch East India Company to find a trade route through the Americas to India. He failed at this but instead discovered the Hudson River, Hudson Bay, and Hudson Strait. -
Jacques Marquette & Louis Joliet
Found the Mississippi River. They traveled along Lake Michigan to Green Bay, to Fox River, and the Wisconsin River to the Mississippi River. Joliet expanded fur trade westward, did extensive mapping, and established a fort on Anticosti Island. -
Robert de La Salle
French Explorer who was sent by Kind Louis XIV (14) to travel south from Canada and sail down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Explored Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.
