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Period: 1400 to
The Age of Discovery
This was a time period where many people were exploring the sea to find fast trade routes.This time period was also known as the Age of Exploration where many different explorers would search for "The New World". There were many discoveries of new lands and new goods. -
1431
Zheng He
Chinese explorer who traveled to Asia and Africa. He made many eastern and western trade routes for China. This helped increase the popularity of China in the economic world. -
1488
Bartolomeu Dias
He was a Portuguese navigator and explorer. He is known for being the first European to round the southern end of Africa. -
1492
Christopher Columbus
He is credited for re-discovering America. He did not discover America, there were people there long before him. He opened up a whole new world of possibilities and trade. -
1497
John Cabot
He was an Italian explorer. His trip to North America, under Henry VII, is the first European explorer in North coastal America. -
1497
Vasco de Gama
He was the first person to find a route from Europe to Asia. He was also the first European to sail around Africa and reach India. -
1500
Pedro Alvares Cabral
He was one of the first Europeans to find Brazil. He also made a very successful sea travel route to India and he was a trader there. -
1501
Amerigo Vespucci
He was exploring land that he believed to be Asia, but he discovered that it was not. He was instead exploring North and South America, that are now named after him. -
1513
Juan Ponce de Leon
He was a Spanish explorer that was known for leading the first expedition to Puerto Rico and Florida. -
1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
He was an European explorer and Conquistador. He was the head of the first settlement in South America. He was also the first European to find and discover the Pacific Ocean. -
1519
Ferdinand Magellan
He was the first European to sail successfully across the Pacific Ocean. The straight of Magellan was named after him and is know to be a very popular trade route. -
1519
Hernan Cortes
He built Mexico City after defeating the Aztec Empire. The creation of Mexico City also helped Spains presence in South America. -
1524
Giovanni da Verrazzano
He was a European explorer who explored most of the North American east coast. He is known to be the first European to go to New York. -
1526
Francisco Pizarro
He helped Spain take over South America to gain control. He also helped conquer the Inca Empire. The city of Lima which is the capital of Peru was named by him. -
1535
Hernando de Soto
He was a Spanish conquistador and explorer. He helped conquer a part of South America. He explored around the southeastern part of the USA and he is known to be the first European to cross the Mississippi River. -
1542
Jacques Cartier
He was a French explorer. He was the first European to map and describe the shores and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. He also laid the basis for Frances claims over North America. -
1580
Francis Drake
He was an English explorer who was the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a single trip. He also ended Spanish control overseas and in America which allowed England to become a global empire. -
Walter Raleigh
He was a British explorer who helped create the first English settlement called Roanoke Island. He was one of Queen Elizabeths I favorite and he helped England against the Spanish. -
Henry Hudson
The Hudson River was named after him. He was an English captain and navigator who discovered the Hudson River. He also sailed through parts of the Arctic in search for a North path to China -
Samuel de Champlain
He was a French cartographer and explorer for helping create early settlements in Canada. He also mapped St. Lawrence River, founding Quebec, and discovering the Great Lakes. -
James Cook
He was a British explorer who explored the Pacific Ocean and most of its islands. He was given credit for being the first European to discover the Hawaiian Islands.