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Erik the Red was the first European to reach Northern Canada. He established a colony in what is known as Newfoundland, but the colony failed not long after, and history of this discovery has been unknown for centuries until Viking artifacts were found in Canada.
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Prince Henry the Navigator was a very important figure in the Age of Exploration. He was responsible for funding many exploratory voyages, and these voyages discovered many things, from the understanding of wind currents to the Atlantic gyre, which allowed ships to return swiftly from the Canary Islands.
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Christopher Columbus made first contact with the native Americans of the Gulf of Mexico in 1492. He would be buried on one of the islands he had discovered in an unmarked grave.
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This treaty stated that Portugal would get half of South America, and Spain would get the other half.
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John Cabot was an English explorer that explored what is now the state of Maine.
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Amerigo Vespucci discovered South America.
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In 1519, an expedition under his command was cancelled by a superior, but Hernan ignored this order and went on to conquer the Aztec empire, Mexico, and Central America for Spain.
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On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan started a three year voyage to the spice islands in an attempt to find a western trade route to India.
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Jacques Cartier was a French explorer that claimed Canada for France, and is credited for exploring the St. Lawrence region of Canada.
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Francisco Pizarro conquered Peru and the Incan Empire for Spain in 1540.
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This was the first English colony in North America.
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Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the New World.
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Henry Hudson is the English explorer for which the Hudson Bay is named. He was marooned on an island there by his crew after suggesting that they continue west to China.
