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1492
Columbus lands at Hispaniola in the Caribbean
Marked the beginning of contact between Europeans and Native Americans. When the Europeans first arrived, millions of Native Americans were living on the land. -
1513
Balboa "discovers" the Pacific Ocean in Panama
Vasco Núñez de Balboa the first European to lead an expedition to have reached the Pacific Ocean from the New World. -
1521
Cortes conquers the Aztecs at Mexico City
After 3 months, Spanish forces under Hernan Cortes capture Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), the capital of the Aztec Empire -
1539
De Soto explores the region between Florida and the Mississippi River
Hernando De Soto and his men became the first Europeans to encounter the great Mississippi River and cross it -
First permanent English settlement is founded in Jamestown, Virginia
100 members of a joint venture called the Virginia Company founded the first permanent English settlement in North America on the banks of the James River. -
Mayflower pilgrims found Plymouth colony in Massachusetts
The settlers were a group of about 100 Pilgrims, who sailed on the Mayflower and settled on what is now Cape Cod bay, Massachusetts. -
English settlers defeat Native Americans in King Philip's War
an armed conflict between American Indian people of present-day New England and English colonists and their Indian allies -
France claims the Mississippi River Valley names it Louisiana
Robert Cavalier Sieur de La Salle and many explorers followed the same route as Marquette and Jolliet. But La Salle's journey brought him to the Gulf of Mexico. He claimed the Mississippi River Valley for his King and named it in his honor, Louisiana.
