1488 BARTHOLOMEW DIAS: (Portugal) First to reach tip of
Africa. He named it
Cape of Storms because his
ships were battered by high winds. Later it
was called the Cape of Good
Hope.
1492 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: (Spain) Genoese native. first
voyage discovered
Bahamas, Hispaniola &
Cuba. He made a total of 4 trips to New World,
discovering Virgin Islands,
Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Venezuela,coast of
Central America. Believed
he had reached India, called the natives
"Indians". He died in 1506
convinced that he had reached Asia.
1497 JOHN CABOT: (England) Genoese native. Searched for
Northwest Passage.
He discovered Newfoundland.
1498 VASCO DA GAMA: (Portugal) He was the first to round
the Cape of Good
Hope and sail on to India
in 1498.
1499 AMERIGO VESPUCCI: (Spain) Florentine. Explored coast
of South America,
including Brazil, 1499.
First to publish idea a new continent had been
discovered. 1507 Martin
Waldseemuller, German mapmaker, named it America
1500 PEDRO CABRAL: (Portugal) He explored the mouth of the Amazon.
1507 SEBASTIAN CABOT: (England) Son of John Cabot, explored Newfoundland.
1513 JUAN PONCE DE LEON: (Spain) He explored Florida and
searched for
the Fountain of Youth (and
gold).
1513 VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA: (Spain) He crossed the Isthmus
of Panama
and discovered the "South
Sea". (Pacific)
1519-22 FERDINAND MAGELLAN: (Spain) Portuguese. Credited
with the first
circumnavigation of the world although he was killed in the
Philippines. JUAN SEBASTIAN DEL CANO actually finished the
trip.
1521 HERNANDO CORTES: (Spain) He conquered the Aztecs,
aided immensely by
the spread of smallpox.
1524 GIOVANNI VERRAZANO: (France) Italian who looked for
a northwest
passage. He discovered New
York.
1533 FRANCISCO PIZARRO: (Spain) He explored the west coast
of South
America. He conquered and
enslaved the Incas in 1533.
1534 JACQUES CARTIER: (France) He discovered the St. Lawrence River.
1539-42 HERNANDO DE SOTO: (Spain) He discovered the Mississippi
River
and claimed all land drained by the river.
1540-42 FRANCISCO VASQUEZ DE CORONADO: (Spain) Explored
the SW part of U.S.
looking for the "Lost Cities of Gold." His lieutenant discovered the
Grand Canyon.
1542-43 JUAN RODRIGUEZ CABRILLO: (Spain) sailed along California coast.
1608 SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN: (France) He founded Quebec in 1608.
His battle
with the Iroquois at Lake
Champlain earned their enmity against France.
1609-10 HENRY HUDSON: (Netherlands) He searched for the
Northwest Passage.
He discovered the Hudson River.