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Jan 1, 1450
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator was from Portugal. He had heard about large supplies of gold in Africa, and was interested. In the early 1400s, he set up a school of navigators in Sagres. He helped people learn the skills needed to sail around the world. He also made many innovations, like new and better ships. Soon, Henry sent parties of explorers to Africa and discovered much gold, ivory, and people to enslave. Prince Henry's work brought a lot of power and wealth to Portugal. -
Jan 1, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
After Prince Henry's death, explorers learned a lot more about the world around them. In 1487, Bartolomeu Dias was getting ready for a long trip. He hit several parts of Africa's west coast before strong storm winds blew this ships to the east coast. On his return trip, he named the southern tip of Africa the Cape of Storms. The King of Portugal later renamed it the Cape of Good Hope because he had found out that they could get to the Far East by sailing around where Bartolomeu Dias did. -
Aug 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was a navigator from Italy. He believed the world was round. He could get to Asia by going west. He tried for many years to prove his point. Most monarchs who were asked to fund Christoper Columbus's trip turned him down, but in 1492 the queen of Spain agreed. He set sail in August. Soon the crew became afraid. Then Columbus landed in the Bahamas, and found a lot of new things. Soon he built a fort in America. He never realized that he had landed in America, not Asia. -
Jan 1, 1493
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Pope drew a papal line of demarcation which was an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole. Spain was to have the land west of the line and Portugal was to have the land east of the line. In 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas was drawn up. The Treaty of Tordesillas allowed Portugal to claim Brazil. -
Jan 1, 1497
John Cabot
He was an Italian navigator. English merchants persuaded their king to send John to the far east by a nothwest route. He explored the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. He also established claims for England in the Americas. -
Jan 1, 1497
Amerigo Vespucci
He explored the Atlantic coast of South America. He was also one of the first to believe that he had reached a new world. The continents of North America and South America were named in his honor. He also helped Columbus get his ship ready for his second and third voyage to the new world. -
Jul 1, 1497
Vasco da Gama
In 1497, Vasco da Gama of Portugal led a convoy of 4 ships around the coast of Africa. His journey was to spread Christianity. After a while at sea, much of the crew was sick and their food was bad. They kept going, and reached many new places where they learned new things. In 1498, the ships reached Calicut. People there were worried and tried to get rid of da Gama, but he survived and moved on. Da Gama sailed back to his home in Lisbon in 1499, and soon Lisbon was a huge trading center. -
Jan 1, 1501
Pedro Cabral
Pedro Cabral was also from Portugal. Between 1500 and 1501, he discovered Brazil. He then sailed east to India. -
Jan 1, 1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Vasco Nunez de Balboa was from Spain. In 1513 he went across the Isthmus of Panama. His main accomplishment was being the first European to see the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean. -
Jan 1, 1513
Ponce de Leon
Ponce de Leon was from Puerto Rico. While there, he learned about an island north of Puerto Rico that was said to have a lot of treasures. In 1513, he set sail from Puerto Rico. He set out to find the rumored island, but ended up discovering Florida instead. -
May 17, 1517
Ferdinand Magellan
By 1517 Portugal was growing very powerful in trading. The Spanish king was upset about this. He sent Ferdinand Magellan to find a new route to the Indies so Spain could become as powerful as Portugal. In 1519, Magellan set sail. He later reached the Pacific Ocean, and named it that. Conditions were terrible. Later Magellan was involved in a war and was killed. One remaining ship succeed by circumnavigating, proving that the world was round and Columbus was wrong about where he landed. -
May 18, 1519
Hernan Cortez
Between 1519 and 1521, Hernan Cortez invaded Mexico. He soon eliminated the Aztec empire ruled by Montezuma by using guns, and with help from the smallpox epidemic. With the Native Americans gone, he was able to take a lot of gold from them to send to Spain. -
Jan 1, 1523
Giovanni Verrazano
He was hired by the French to find a northwest passage. He was a Italian navigator. He sailed along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to New York. -
May 18, 1528
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was from Spain. He was discovering new lands from around 1528 to 1536. He explored Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, and areas between Texas and Mexico. -
May 18, 1532
Francisco Pizzaro
Francisco Pizzaro invaded Peru in 1532. He conquered the Inca empire in only 5 years. With the empire gone, he could take Peru's gold and silver, much like Hernan Cortez. After taking supplies from the Native Americans, Pizzaro and his men went to the coast, where they built Lima. -
Jan 1, 1534
Jacques Cartier
He was a French navigator. He sailed up the St. Lawrence River as far as present day Montreal. By doing this he gave the French a claim to eastern Canada. -
Jan 1, 1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
Juan was from Spain. He explored the Pacific coast to Drake's Bay near San Francisco. He led the first European expedition to explore the west coast of the United States. -
Jan 1, 1577
Sir Francis Drake
He was the first Englishman to sail around the world. When he left for his voyage he had five ships and 150 men but when he came back he only had one ship and 58 men. He was the first Englishman to see the west coast of Canada. He was also the first Englishman to sail in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and South of the Atlantic Ocean. -
John Davis
John Davis was from England. He was searching for a northwest passage to Asia. He spent a lot of time exploring the west coast of Greenland looking for a way to get to Asia. -
Henry Hudson
He was an English navigator. He explored the Hudson River and sailed to what is today Albany, New York. On this voyage he gave the Dutch their claim in the Americas. In 1610 he set out on his second voyage. While he was on his second voyage he became lost in a storm and was never seen again.
