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Mar 4, 1394
Prince Henry (1394-1460)
Prince Henry the Navigator did not go on expeditions himself but sent many explorers down the west coast of Africa to make maps for tactical purposes. These were needed to help spread Christianity, begin trade routes, and defeat the Muslims. He was one of the beginning helpers to start the Great Age of Discovery.
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Jan 1, 1451
Bartolomeu Dias (1451-1500)
Bartolomeu Dias is accredited with opening several trade routes through Europe and exploring the west coast of Africa for Portugal. He was also on the expedition to the new world that resulted in the finding of Brazil in 1500. He died at the Cape of Good Hope a short few months after this extravagent discovery.
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Oct 31, 1451
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
Columbus was an Italian explorer that ended up making four trips to the Caribbeans and South America. On his first trip sailing for Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand II he landed in the Cuba region and called in the Indies and it's people Indians as he thought he was in Asia. On his later trips he took them as slaves and sailed farther north, becoming the first man since a Viking to set foot on America.
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Mar 9, 1454
Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512)
Amerigo Vespucci was a well-educated Italian explorer and business man. In the early years of his life he helped Columbus prepare for his second and third trips to the New World before embarking on four voyages himself in a 7 year span for Spain and Portugal. He is the first explorer to say that the New World was not a part of Asia and ended up having North and South America named in his honor.
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Jan 1, 1460
Vasco de Gama (1460-1524)
Vasco de Gama is the first person to set sail and take his crew ships directly from Europe to India. He did this is 1498 but left India soon after he was told to pay a large sum of taxes. As he departed he grabbed all of his goods along with a few India hostages which was nothing as he returned 5 years with 20 armed ships that killed hundreds of Muslims to provehis power and might.
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Jan 1, 1474
Ponce de Leon
Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer that is known as the first European to walk on Florida sail along with establishing the oldest European settlement in Puerto Rico and finding the Gulf Stream. He never intended to do all this as he was actually searching for the legend of the fountain of youth. He got there on Columbus' second voyage to the Americas but stayed in Santo Domingo as others sailed home.
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Jan 1, 1475
Vasco Nunez de Balboa (1475-1519)
Vasco Nunez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer from Jerez de los Caballeros. Probably the highest point in his explorations was being accredited as the first European to be in the Pacific Ocean's east shore. This he accomplished on September 13th, 1513 and claimed all the shores and the actual ocean itself for all of Spain. This opened many opportunities for Spain explorers and the gaining of South America's western half.
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Jan 1, 1476
Fransisco Pizarro (1476-1541)
Fransisco Pizarro was a explorer and more specifically a conquistador from Spain who traveled most of the Pacific coast along South America. Along his travels he found the old Incan empire and destroyed them quickly to steal massive amounts of treasure from their peoples. He did this by getting an invitation from Atahuallpa who thought the spaniards were not much of a threat after just finishing a civil war.
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Jan 1, 1480
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer that wanted to search for a route to Asia that was faster than the existing way around the southern tip of Africa. For this expedition he took 5 ships and a crew of 250 men mainly consisting of prisoners provided by Spain. He finally arrived at the ocean and named it the Pacific for it's calm waters and the passage the Strait of Magellan after himself.
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Jan 1, 1485
Hernan Cortes (1485-1547)
Cortes was a Spanish explorer who made a name for himself after his voyage on foot through Mexico and the conquering of the Aztec Empire. He landed in Santo Domingo when he was 19 years old and moved on to Cuba becoming the leader there. After learning of the Aztec Empire with leader Montezuma II he became friends for a while but took over and built Mexico City on the ruins of the Aztec City.
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