Famous Explorers

Leif Eriksson

Jan 1, 1000

Leif Eriksson set sail for Greenland in about 1000. He sailed to Greenland, and a storm blew him off course. He landed in present day Canada. He sailed farther south and landed in New England. Three years later he left because it was to far away from Scandinavia.

Bart Dias

Dec 1, 1487

Bart Dias was the first person to lead an expedition around The Cape of Good Hope. He was a european explorer who tried to find a route to Asia so europeans could trade goods. Dias and his crew got blown around The Cape of Good hope at about New Year of 1488. Dias and his crew were about to enter the Indian Ocean when his cew begged him to come back.

Christopher Columbus

Jan 1, 1492

Christoper Columus was an Italian sailor that hoped to find a new and faster sea route to Asia. He found land, but it wasn't Asia, it was America. He sailed for King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain. He led an expedition with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Columbus and his crew set sail on August 3, 1492 and finally hit land on October 11, 1492. Columbus named the island San Salvador.

Juan Ponce de Leon

Jan 1, 1493

Ponce de Leon was the first European to step foot in Florida. He sailed on Columbus's second expedition to America in 1493. Ponce de Leon didn't go back to Spain with Columbus, he stayed in Santo Domingo or Dominica Republic. He heard there was gold in Puerto Rico and claimed it for Spain.

John Cabot

Jun 24, 1497

Joh Cabot was an English explorer that sailed to Canada in a small hsip called "Matthew". He landed near Newfoundland on June 24, 1497. Him and many other Europeans looked for athe Northwest Passage and never found it. Cabot claimed land for England. He also Explored the coast of Canada and named some Islands

Vasco Da Gama

Jul 8, 1497

Vasco da Gama was an explorer that tried to find a sea route to Asia. The Europeans wanted to find a sea route to Asia so they could trade goods. Da Gama and his crew set sail on July 8, 1497. They sailed along the coast of Africa and on November 22 they rounded the Cape of Good Hope. Da Gama arived in Calicut, India in May of 1498.

Henry Hudson

Jan 1, 1609

Henry Hudson sailed for the Dutch in 1609. He searched for the Northwest passage. Hudson sailed to present day New York and had no luck. The next year Hudson returned to America sailing for England. Hudson landed in a bay that he named Hudson Bay