-
1000
Lief Erickson - Viking
First European to reach N. America -
1487
Bartolomeu Dias - Portugal
Sailed to the bottom of Africa discovering the southern tip of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope. -
1492
Christopher Columbus - Spain
1st trip sailed to North America, across the Atlantic Ocean, believed he had reached Asia -
1493
Christopher Columbus - Spain
His 2nd Voyage to the Americas across the Atlantic Ocean -
1497
Vasco da Gama - Portugal
Sailed all around Africa and all the way to India - winning the European race for a sea route to Asia. -
1497
John Cabot - England
Cabot looked for a northern sea route to Asia - landed on the coast of present-day Newfoundland -
1498
Christopher Columbus - Spain
His 3rd Voyage to the Americas across the Atlantic Ocean -
1499
Amerigo Vespucci - 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 Alavrez Cabral - Portugal
On his way around Africa he went to wide and ended up in Brazil, South America -
1502
Christopher Columbus - Spain
His 4th Voyage to the Americas across the Atlantic Ocean -
1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa - Spain
He travels through Central America and is the first European to see the Pacific Ocean (largest ocean on Earth) -
1513
Juan Ponce de Leon - Spain
explored present-day Florida in 1513 looking for the "fountain of youth" -
1519
Hernando Cortes - Spain
a conquistador who explored Mexico - Conquered the Aztec -
Period: 1519 to 1522
Ferdinand Magellan - Spain
First European to circumnavigate the globe -
1524
Giovanni de Verrazano - France
looking for a northern route to Asia - explored coast of North America from present-day Nova Scotia to the Carolinas -
Period: 1528 to 1536
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca - Spain
Accompanied by Estevanico (a slave) and others, explored the North American Southwest looking for 7 cities of gold -
1532
Francisco Pizarro - Spain
a conquistador who explored the Andes Mountains of South America and conquered the Inca Empire -
1535
Jacques Cartier - France
Sailed the St.Lawrence River, trying to find the Pacific. Discovered a mountain peak in present-day Montreal that he named Mont-Royal -
Period: 1539 to 1542
Hernando de Soto - Spain
explored Florida and North Carolina - discovered Mississippi River -
Period: 1540 to 1542
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado - Spain
cont. in North American Southwest, looking for cities of gold, discovered the Grand Canyon (in AZ) -
1542
Juan Cabrillo - Spain
He explores up from Mexico and goes into modern day California -
Henry Hudson - Dutch
discovered the Hudson River - named after him - sailed to present-day Albany, New York and then gave up -
Henry Hudson - England
Discovered Hudson Bay - named after him - thought he reached the Pacific but couldn't find an outlet - Crew betrayed/abandoned him to never be seen again -
Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette - French
Traveled the Mississippi River looking for precious metals and the Northwest Passage. - turned back after realizing they were going towards the Gulf of Mexico -
Robert Cavelier de La Salle - France
followed the Mississippi all the way to the Gulf of Mexico - claimed the place for France - named it Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV
