Explorer Timeline

Vikings

May 1, 1000

The Vikings were poeple who lived in Northern Europe. (Now known as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.) They sailed west to build settllements in Northern Canada and Greenland. They founded Vinland. The reason they are important to history is because they were the first Europeans to set foot on North America and they wrote the Greenlander's Saga to discribe their travels.

Leif Eriksson

May 1, 1000

Leif Eriksson was a Vvking explorer. He set sail from Greenland, headed west and founded Vinland. He earned his place in history books because he was the first to discover Vinland, and spent many winters setting the newly discovered land.

Vinland

May 2, 1000

Vinland was founded by Leif Eriksson and the other vikings. It was an island covered in vines on the coast of Canada. The reason we care about Vinland is because it was a base for the vikings in the winter, to fish and hunt. Vinland is the place where many viking sagas occured.

Marco Polo

Jan 1, 1271

Marco Polo was an explorer and a trader.He travele from Venice to Persia, China, and India. He is well known becasue he wrote books that inspired other famous explorers to travel to Asia.

Constantinople

Jan 1, 1453

Constantinople was founded by the Turks. It was a huge trading city for Europeans and Asians. It was located between Europe and Asia, and near the Black Sea. We remember Constantinople because it was a very commonly used trading ground.

Bartholomeu Dias

Jan 1, 1488

Bartholomeu Dias was a sailor. He was the first to sail all the way around the southern tip of Africa, which is now called the Cape of Good Hope. He wanted to go all the way to India, but his crew made him turn back. He is a part of history because he was the very first to do what he did.

Prince Henry

Jan 1, 1490

Prince Henry was the prince of Portugal. He started a navigation school showing how to read and make maps, build boats, and make tools. He was also interested in exploring Africa, which was not well known to the Europeans. He wanted to defeat the Muslims as well. Heis a big part of our history today because he taught explorers to do what they did.

Martin Behaim

Jan 1, 1492

Martin Behaim was a European cartographer. He made maps and globes of the world, and was paid by Germany. He was the very first person to make a globe.

Christopher Columbus

Jan 1, 1492

Christopher columus was an Italin born Spanish explorer. He discovered America, but thought he had reached India He also found the Guanahani island. He has earned his place in history books because he was the first European to discover America.

Guanahani

Jan 1, 1492

Guanahani was an island found by Christopher Columbus.It is in the Bahamas, which is in the Caribbean sea. It was inhabeted by the Lucayans, a Native American tribe. Nowadays, it is a very popular vacation spot.

Giovani Caboto

Jan 1, 1497

Giovani Caboto was an Italian sailor. He sailed across the Ocean Sea on a voyage that was paid for by England. He claimed to have found Cathay, land of the great Kublai Khan. He actually reached Newfoundland.

Vasco da Gama

Jan 1, 1498

Ten years after Bartholomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama came along. He was a Portugese sailor. Like Dias, he sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, but he made it all the way to India. He is famous because he found a sea route to Asia, showing the way for future explorers.

Amerigo Vespucci

Jan 1, 1499

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian sailor.He sailed to the place that Columbus had been. When he was there, he realized it was nothing at all like Asia had been described, and it was really present day America. He is well known because he figured out that Christopher Columbus was incorrect.

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Jan 1, 1513

Vasco Nunez de Balboa was an explorer from a group of explorers. He and his group traveled to the Isthmus of Panama. There, he climbed a mountain and saw the Pacific. He is famous because he found the Pacific Ocean, and proved Columbus wrong.

Ferdinand Magellan

Jan 1, 1520

Ferdinand Magellanwas a Portugese explorer. He tried to find a way to reach Asia by sailing west. Unfortunately, his plans did not work. He is famous though, because he led a good crew and named the Pacific Ocean.