Explorers

Leif Erikson

Jan 16, 1000

Leif Erikson was a great viking explorer. He found a place called Vinland or Vineland. He built settlments in Vinland and took many trips there. Edventully he stoped taking trips there, no one knows why but we think it may be because of the hostile natives.

Vikings

Apr 1, 1000

Vikings were people who lived in Northern Europe ( What is now Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Many people say Christopher Columbus was the first european to reach North America, but that is false. The Vikings discovered North America almost 500 years before good ol' Chris.

Vinland

May 1, 1000

Vinland (AKA Vineland) was discovered by Leif Ericson. We belive that this island was named for its vast quantities of grapes. Vinland is near what is know Canada. Vinland was the base for vikings in the winter.

Marco Polo

Nov 15, 1271

Marco Polo was a famous trader who got silk, spices and jewles from Asia. He wrote a book about Asia which suddenly sparked an interest among the royals.

Prince Henry

Nov 17, 1400

Prince Henry was a teacher at a navagator school in the 1400's. He taught sailors how to navigate in the ocean, and how to get to Asia so they could establish a trade route. Prince Henry wasn't exactly a explorer , but he still did carry out many explorations.

Constinople

Jun 2, 1453

Constinople is a place in Europe, southeast of Venice, Italy and a part of Marco Polo's journey.

Christopher Columbus

Aug 10, 1492

Christopher Columbus, the 2nd person to reach North America took a long, hard journey to reach America on ship. He claimed to be the first person to reach America, but really, the vikings were, yet, still we celebrate Christopher Columbus Day, not Vikings Day.

Guanahani

Oct 12, 1492

Guanahani was the name the natives gave to the island that Christopher Columbus called San Salvador when he arrived at the Americas. Columbus reached the island on 12 October 1492, the first island he sighted and visited in the Americas. Guanahani is one of the islands of the Lucayan Archipelago in the Bahamas, but the exact island is a matter of some debate.

Martin Behaim

Nov 16, 1492

Martin Behaim was a famous map maker. He made the first globe. Being the first globe, this globe left out contenents and made it seem that the journey from Europe to Asia was a mere 2,000 miles. But now we know the journey is really a painstaking 10,000 miles.

Amerigo Vespucci

Nov 18, 1492

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer who made many voyages in his life. One of his major ones was from Italy to America. If you were wondoring about the simularities between Vespucci's last name and our country's name, it is because they named America after Amerigo Vespucci.

Bartholomew Dias

Oct 10, 1497

Bartholomew Dias was a Knight of the royal court. Superintendent of the royal warehouses, and sailing master of the man-of-war, Saint Christopher. King John II of Portugal appointed him, on 10 October 1487, to head an expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa in the hope of finding a trade route to India. Dias was also charged with searching for the lands ruled by Prester John, who was a Christian priest and ruler.

Giovanni Caboto

Nov 17, 1497

Giovanni Caboto was an Italian explorer who sailed from England to Newfoundland (Vinland) but he thought he was in Asia, just like many other explorers.

Vasco Da Gama

Aug 17, 1499

A Portuguise navigator who sailed from Europe to tho tip of Africa and then to Asia in under three years.

Vasco Balboa

Nov 17, 1513

Vasco Balboa was the first European to reach the west coast of the Americas, more specifically, Panima, proving that the Americas were seprate from Asia.

Ferdinand Magellen

Nov 17, 1519

A Portguese explorer who led an exploreration in 1519 from Spain to Asia. He died on a voyage, but one ship made it, making the first trip arounb the world.