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Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, opening the sea route to Asia. -
Christopher Columbus, under the sponsorship of Spain, landed in the Caribbean. -
Vasco da Gama successfully reached India by sea, establishing a direct trade route to Asia and securing Portugal's spice trade. -
John Cabot, an Italian explorer sailing for England, made the first English claim in North America by reaching Newfoundland. -
On his way to India, Cabral landed on the coast of Brazil, claiming it for Portugal and marking the beginning of Portuguese colonization in the New World. -
Magellan, wasa Spanish-employed, but he was Portuguese. His expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe, proving the world’s roundness and opening new global routes. -
Hernán Cortés led a Spanish expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire in Mexico -
Francisco Pizarro, another Spanish conquistador, defeated the Inca Empire in Peru -
Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River, claiming parts of present-day Canada for France. -
Spain established St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement. -
Sir Walter Raleigh established the Roanoke Colony, which became known as the "Lost Colony" after it mysteriously disappeared. -
England, under Queen Elizabeth I, successfully won against the Spanish -
The English established Jamestown in Virginia, marking the first permanent English colony in North America. -
Samuel de Champlain established Quebec City as the capital of New France, solidifying French presence in North America. -
Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet explored the Mississippi River, expanding French territorial claims in North America. -
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claimed the Mississippi River basin for France, naming it Louisiana.