1490's By cphelan Period: Jan 1, 1490 to Dec 31, 1499 1490's Nov 15, 1492 Columbus Lands on North America Jul 15, 1497 Cabot explores North America Apr 27, 1498 Columbus reaches South America On his thrid journey, Columus finally landed on the coast of South America. This is when he realized he was not, in fact, in Asia, but another continent entirely.