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Oct 13, 1492
Columbus discovers america
Columbus discovers the New World. -
Jun 24, 1497
Cabot's discover a new continent
The Cabot's discover the continent of North America. -
May 30, 1498
Columbus discovers South America.
Columbus on third voyage discovers South America. -
May 30, 1506
Columbus dies at Valladolid.
Columbus dies at Valladolid. at the age of 54. He had suffered through a long terminal illness that first showed symptoms on his third voyage eight years before. According to his son Fernando, the cause of death was "gout." -
Jan 1, 1507
New World named after Americus Vespucius.
New World named after Americus Vespucius. In 1507, Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the new continent America after the feminine Latin version of Vespucci's first name, which is Americus. -
Apr 2, 1513
Balboa discovers the Pacific Ocean and Ponce de Leon discovers Florida.
Balboa discovers the Pacific Ocean and Ponce de Leon discovers Florida. was a Spanish explorer and soldier who was the first European to set foot in Florida. He also established the oldest European settlement in Puerto Rico and discovered the Gulf Stream -
Period: Jan 1, 1519 to Jan 1, 1521
Cortez conquers Mexico
Cortez conquers Mexico. Magellan sails round the world. Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Spain in an effort to find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. In command of five ships and 270 men -
Jan 17, 1524
Verrazano and Gomez explore New England coast.
Verrazano and Gomez explore New England coast. Spain sent Estevan Gomez to northern New England -
Apr 1, 1528
Cabeza do Vaca explores southern United States.
Cabeza do Vaca explores southern United States. Alvar Nuñez Cabeça de Vaca was one of four survivors of the expedition to Florida commanded by Pánfilo Narvaez. He was the grandson on his father's side of Pedro de Vera, the conqueror of the Canary Islands. His mother's family name, the one he used, was Cabeça de Vaca, Head of Cow or Cow's Head. -
Aug 29, 1533
Pizarro conquers Peru.
Pizarro conquers Peru. Atahuallpa, the 13th and last emperor of the Incas, dies by strangulation at the hands of Francisco Pizarro’s Spanish conquistadors. The execution of Atahuallpa, the last free reigning emperor, marked the end of 300 years of Inca civilization. -
Apr 20, 1534
Cartier sails to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Cartier sails to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. with two ships and 61 men, and arrived 20 days later. -
May 8, 1541
Do Soto discovers the Mississippi River.
Do Soto discovers the Mississippi River. de Soto and his 400 ragged troops crossed the great river under the cover of night -
Sep 8, 1565
Founding of St. Augustine.
Founding of St. Augustine. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed on the shore of what is now called Matanzas Bay and began the founding of the Presidio of San Agustin. -
Jun 15, 1576
Frobisher discovers northwest passage, Frobisher Strait.
Frobisher discovers northwest passage, Frobisher Strait. Believing he had discovered the Northwest Passage, he optimistically christened this bay Frobisher Strait. -
Jun 17, 1579
Drake explores coast of California.
Drake explores coast of California. Drake was only the second European in history to visit the northern latitudes of the west coast of California, the Spanish explorer Cabrillo being the first in 1542. -
Raleigh sends first expedition to America.
Raleigh sends first expedition to America. Sir Walter Raleigh funded expeditions to Roanoke Island, Raleigh sent a second expedition to Roanoke Island and appointed Ralph Lane as Governor. The colonists set sail on April 9, 1585. -
Defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Defeat of the Spanish Armada. The Spanish Armada was a Spanish fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England -
May 12. Founding of Jamestown, Virginia.
May 12. Founding of Jamestown, Virginia. this was the first colony in the British Empire." Jamestown was established by the Virginia Company of London -
Founding of Quebec by Champlain.
Founding of Quebec by Champlain. Champlain and his crew built a wooden fort which they called "l'habitation" within only a few days of their arrival. -
Hudson discovers the Hudson River.
After navigating the Atlantic coast, Hudson's ships sailed up a great river. -
First assembly meets at Jamestown. Slaves first sold in Virginia.
First assembly meets at Jamestown. Slaves first sold in Virginia. a General Assembly convened, bringing limited self-government to America. That same year brought the first slaves to Virginia. -
Coming of the Pilgrims in the Mayflower.
Coming of the Pilgrims in the Mayflower. Thirty-five of the Pilgrims were members of the radical English Separatist Church, who traveled to America to escape the jurisdiction of the Church of England, which they found corrupt. Ten years earlier, English persecution had led a group of Separatists to flee to Holland in search of religious freedom. -
Settlements at New Amsterdam. First settlements in New Hampshire.
English colonists first began to settle in New Hampshire in 1623, when it was still a part of Massachusetts. -
The great emigration to Massachusetts. The founding of Boston.
The great emigration to Massachusetts. The founding of Boston. The term Great Migration usually refers to the migration in this period of English settlers, primarily Puritans, to Massachusetts and the West Indies, especially Barbados -
Maryland first settled by Calvert.
Maryland first settled by Calvert. The English first settled the colony of Maryland in 1634. King Charles I granted the land south of the 40th parallel to the Potomac River to George Calvert, Lord Baltimore -
Connecticut settled by immigrants from Massachusetts.
A renewal of immigration into Massachusetts because of increased harshness -
Founding of Providence by Roger Williams. Harvard College founded.
the early history of the colony was characterized by vigorous discussion -
War with Pequot Indians. First negro slaves in New England.
two Negroes before John Winthrop, who later became governor of the colony, arrived in 1630. -
Swedes first settle in Delaware.
They named it Fort Christina, in honor of Sweden's twelve-year-old queen. It was the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. -
First constitution in America adopted by Connecticut
the first constitution in the American colonies, the “Fundamental Orders,” is adopted by representatives of Wethersfield, Windsor, and Hartford. -
May 30. New England Confederation formed.
It formed part of “North Virginia,” granted to the Plymouth Company by James I. in 1606. The name was given to it by Captain John Smith. -
1649. Toleration Act in Maryland.
Passed on April 21, 1649, by the assembly of the Maryland colony, in St. Mary's City.
