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On this day, Columbus departed from Spain with three ships heading west to find Asia. Obviously, he did not find it, but the New World, although he died believing he had reached Asia.
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Columbus was sent on a second voyage to the Americas by the Spanish crown, but this time with much more funding. He received fifteen Caravels and two larger flagships, called Naos.
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In 1500, Pedro Alvares Cabral landed in and claimed Brazil for Portugal. He went on to discover and claim Madagascar for Portugal as well.
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Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztecs in 1521. He also claimed all their former empire for the Spanish crown.
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Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon discovered Chesapeake Bay and established a short-lived colony at the base of the future James River for Spain. This was the first European colony in North America, but the exact founding date is unknown.
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Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, claimed Quebec for France while he was exploring Saint Lawrence Bay. He was famous for trading with the Native American tribes in that area.
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Estevanico was the first non-American person to explore Texas and southern North America. He was also the first black person in the Americas.
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Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored the Californian coastline in 1542 for Spain. He had served as a crossbowman in Cortes' coquest of the Aztecs before he was an explorer.
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Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh, lands in Newfoundland and claims it and Canada for Queen Elizabeth. This is the creation of English presence in the Americas.
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Sir Walter Raleigh, a favorite privateer of Queen Elizabeth, obtained a charter from the crown and established a colony on Roanoke Island in South Carolina. This is the colony whose disappearance created the infamous Roanoke Mystery.
