European Exploration
Christopher Columbus Born in 1451 & Died in 1506 An Italian Explorer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 hoping to find a route to India Voyages funded by King & Queen of Spain
Christopher Columbus First Voyage Set sail on August 3, 1492 with three ships (Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria) and 90 crew members Crew members grew frightened after going days and days without seeing land & turned against Columbus Spotted the Caribbean Islands on October 11, 1492 Columbus thought he had made it to Asia naming the area the Indies. He named the area San Salvador. Santa Maria wrecked on the return trip, and the captain of the Pinta sailed off on his own to try to beat Columbus back.
Christopher Columbus Second Voyage September 1493 to June 1496: He sailed with 17 ships & thousands of men to find gold and capture Indians as slaves in the Indies. He established a base in Hispaniola and sailed around Hispaniola and around Cuba. Columbus spotted and named the island of Dominica. Third voyage May 1498 to October 1500: He sailed farther south to Trinidad and Venezuela. He was first European since the Vikings to discover the New World.
Christopher Columbus Fourth Voyage May 1502 to November 1504: Columbus sailed to Mexico, Honduras, Panama, and Santiago. Interesting Facts Columbus never made it to the Indies. However, he sailed across 5,000 miles of ocean and was able to find the same island again and again without the use of a compass or accurate map!
Henry Hudson Born in 1565 & Died in 1611 An English explorer and navigator who explored parts of the Artic Ocean and northeastern North America In 1609, he was hired by the Dutch East India Company to discover the Northwest Passage to Asia Sailed on a ship called the Half Moon
Henry Hudson During his voyage, he found what is now called the Hudson River in present-day New York. Hudson realized this was not a waterway to India. On another trans-atlantic trip in 1610, Henry Hudson s crew kicked him off the boat. He was never heard from again.
Jacques Cartier Born in 1491 & Died in 1557 A French explorer who led three expeditions to Canada in 1531, 1535, and 1541. In 1531 he set sail in search of a route to the Pacific through North America (a Northwest Passage). In 1535 the King of France sent Cartier out again. On this voyage he discovered the St. Lawrence River sailing over 1000 miles in Canada.
Jacques Cartier Cartier named Canada Kanata, the Iroquois' word for village. He tried to create a settlement in Quebec near an Indian village, but it was abandoned after a cold winter and many sailors died of scurvy. Although he never found the Northwest Passage, his journey led to many French expeditions to Canada.
Juan Ponce de Leon Born in 1460? in Spain & Died in 1521 A Spanish Explorer and soldier who was the first European to set foot in Florida In early 1490s was a soldier fighting Muslims in southern Spain Sailed with Christopher Columbus in 1493 However, instead of returning to Spain with Columbus he stayed in Santo Domingo (now called the Dominican Republic)
Juan Ponce de Leon After his service to Spain, Ponce de Leon was given the right to find and take the Island of Bimini (in the Bahamas). He sailed from Puerto Rico in March of 1513 searching for riches and The Fountain of Youth (a legendary spring that gave people eternal life and health. In April 1513, they reached the east coast of Florida (St. Augustine). He named the land Pascua de Florida (feast of flowers) and claimed the land for Spain.
Juan Ponce de Leon Ponce de Leon returned to Spain and was named Captain General by the King of Spain on September 27, 1514. On his last expedition in 1521, he set out to search Bimini. Ponce de Leon and his crew of 200 men were met by Native American Warriors when they landed on the west coast of Florida. Many of his men were wounded by arrows. Ponce de Leon died from his wounds.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa Born in 1475 & Died in 1519 A Spanish conquistador and explorer who was the first European to see the Eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, crossing the Isthmus of Panama In 1500, he sailed with Rodrigo de Bastidas from Spain to Columbia, South America searching for pearls and gold. They were forced to abandon their ship in Hispaniola when it began to leak.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa Balboa tried unsuccessfully to farm for a living. Sailed in September of 1513 with hundreds of Spaniards and Indians to find new land for Spanish settlers to exploit He fought many local Indians and destroyed one Indian village, killing hundreds of Indians along the way.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa Balboa crossed the mountains and jungles of Panama and became the first European to reach the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. He and his men traveled the ocean claiming it and the land that touched it for Spain. They spent a month conquering Natives along the coast and stealing their gold. In 1514, Balboa s enemies in Spain accused him of treason. He was found guilty and beheaded in 1519.
John Cabot Giovanni Caboto Born in 1450 & Died in 1499 an Italian-born English explorer and navigator, moved to England in 1495 Cabot believed Asia could be reached by sailing west. He convinced King Henry VII that it was possible to reach Asia on a more northerly route than Columbus had taken and it would be shorter!
John Cabot Cabot sailed in 1497 on a ship called Matthew with his son, Sebastian. He thought he landed on the east coast of Asia However, he actually landed in the New World near Newfoundland, Canada. He claimed the land for King Henry. Cabot is credited for exploring the mainland of North America and the first to search for the Northwest Passage.