-
1000
Leif Eriksson - Viking
Landed off the coast of modern day Canada because a storm blew his ship off course -
1487
Bartolomeu Dias sailed for Portugal
Sailed to the bottom of Africa and found the Cape of Good Hope -
1492
Christopher Columbus Sailed for Spain
Sailed across the Atlantic and thought he reached Asia even though it was the Americas. -
1493
Christopher Columbus sailed for Spain
Sailed across the Atlantic and thought he reached Asia even though it was the Americas. -
1497
Vasco da Gama sailed for Portugal
1st to sail around Africa all the way to Asia -
1497
John Cabot Sailed for England
Went to find a Northwest passage through the Americas. -
1498
Christopher Columbus sailed for Spain
Sailed across the Atlantic and thought he reached Asia even though it was the Americas. -
1499
Amerigo Vespucci - Sailed for Spain
Sailed along the coast of S. America. He took such good notes about the coast that mapmakers were convinced this was not Asia and named the new land "America" in his honor. -
1500
Pedro Alvares Cabral sailed for Portugal
Tried to do what Vasco Da Gama did but swooped too far to Brazil. -
1502
Christopher Columbus sailed for Spain
Sailed across the Atlantic for the 4th time and thought he reached Asia even though it was the Americas. -
1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa sailed for Spain
Travels through Central America and is the first European to look at the Pacific Ocean, also known as the largest ocean on the Earth. -
1513
Juan Ponce de Leon Sailed for Spain
Explored present day Florida trying to find the "fountain of youth." -
1519
Hernando Cortes Sailed for Spain
A conquistador who explored Mexico in 1519. Conquered the Aztec. -
Period: 1519 to 1522
Ferdinand Magellan - Sailed for Spain
First European to circumnavigate the globe. -
1524
Giovanni de Verrazano Sailed for France
Sailed from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas trying to find the Northwest Passage. -
Period: 1528 to 1536
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca Sailed for Spain
Accompanied by Estevanico and others, explored the North American Southwest looking for the 7 cities of gold. -
1532
Francisco Pizarro Sailed for Spain
Explored the Andes mountains of South America and conquered the Inca Empire. -
1535
Jacques Cartier Sailed for France
Found a mountain and named it Mont-Royal -
Period: 1539 to 1542
Hernando de Soto Sailed for Spain
Explored Florida and North Carolina discovered Mississippi River. -
Period: 1540 to 1542
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Sailed for Spain
Looking for the cities of gold but instead found the Grand Canyon. -
1542
Juan Cabrillo Sailed for Spain
He explorers up from Mexico and goes into modern day California. -
Henry Hudson Sailed for Netherlands
Found and named the Hudson River after himself. -
Henry Hudson Sailed for England
Found and named the Hudson Bay after himself -
Period: to
Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette Sailed for France
Traveled the Mississippi River trying to find precious metals and the Northwest Passage but instead found that the river leads out to the Gulf of Mexico. -
Robert Cavelier de La Salle Sailed for France
Followed the Mississippi River and claimed modern day Louisiana for France and named it after King Louis XIV.