European Explorers 1200-1800 Spain England France Portugal "Other" countries = no color
Marco Polo Biography Born = 1254 Died = 1324 Sponsor Country = Italy Years Explored: 1260-1295 Area Explored: Asia, China
Marco Polo Interesting Facts: First left Italy at the age of 17 Traveled for 24 years After returning to Venice, Italy he was in the army, He was captured and jailed. While in Jail his cellmate wrote down the stories he told. Marco Polo s travels and book inspired Christopher Columbus.
Bartholomeu Diaz Biography Born = 1457 Died = 1500 Sponsor Country = Portugal Years Explored: 1487-1488 Area Explored: Africa s Coast
Bartholomeu Diaz Interesting Facts In 1488, Dias led the first European expedition to sail around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. This breakthrough of circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope opened up lucrative trading routes from Europe to Asia. Dias was among the first Europeans to see Brazil. Dias died during this expedition; he was lost at sea near the Cape of Good Hope in 1500.
Dias may have originally called the southern tip of Africa the "Cape of Storms"; it was later renamed the Cape of Good Hope. On a later expedition (in 1500, with Pedro Álvares Cabral), Dias sailed near South America on the way to Africa, and spotted land at Espírito Santo in Brazil, calling it the "Land of the True Cross."
Christopher Columbus Biography Born = 1451 Died = 1506 Sponsor Country = Spain Year Explored: 1492 (First Expedition) Area Explored: Atlantic Ocean route to North America. Columbus believed he was in India.
Christopher Columbus Interesting Facts Columbus made a total of four trips to the Caribbean and South America during the years 1492-1504. On his first trip, Columbus led an expedition with three ships, the Niña the Pinta,and the Santa Maria. On October 11, 1492, they spotted the Caribbean islands off southeastern North America. Columbus thought he had made it to Asia, and
Juan Ponce De Leon Born = 1460 Died = 1521 Sponsor Country = Spain Was on Columbus' Second Voyage = 1493 Area Explored = Dominican Republic
Juan Ponce De Leon Interesting Facts Ponce de Leon sailed on Christopher Columbus' second expedition to the Americas in 1493. Ponce de Leon did not return to Spain with Columbus; he stayed in Santo Domingo (now called the Dominican Republic). He was appointed governor of the Dominican province of Higuey. He later heard of gold in the neighboring island of Borinquen (now called Puerto Rico) and brutally conquered the island, claiming it for Spain. He was then appointed governor of this island. Due to his extreme brutality to Native Americans, he was removed from office in 1511.
Juan Ponce de Leon sailed with Columbus on his second voyage
John Cabot Biography Born = 1450 Died = 1499 years explored: 1497, 1498 Sponsor Country = England Area Explored = Canada
John Cabot Interesting Facts John Cabot was an Italian-born English explorer and navigator. In Italy, he is known as Giovanni Caboto (which is his original name).cabot moved to England in 1495. At the request of King Henry VII of England, Cabot sailed to Canada in 1497. Cabot landed near Labrador, Newfoundland, or Cape Breton Island on June 24, 1497. Cabot claimed the land for England. The mission s purpose was to search for a Northwest passage across North America to Asia (a seaway to Asia). Cabot was unsuccessful, although he thought that he had reached northeastern Asia. Cabot's expeditions were the first of Britain's claims to
John Cabot Route
John Cabot Portrait
Vasco da Gama Biography Born = 1460 Died = 1524 Sponsor Country = Portugal Years Explored:1497-1499 Area Explored = Around Africa to Asia (he traveled East, Columbus went West both explorers were looking for the same thing)
Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, on July 8, 1497, heading to the East. Da Gama rounded Africa's Cape of Good Hope on November 22, and continued on to India.
Vasco da Gama Da Gama returned to Lisbon, Portugal, in September, 1499. Along the way many crew members died from scurvy (a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C). Upon his return, da Gama was treated as a hero and was rewarded by the king. King Manuel I of Portugal then sent da Gama, now an Admiral, on another expedition to India (15021503). On this second trip, da Gama took 20 armed ships (anticipating problems from Muslim traders). On this voyage, da Gama killed hundreds of Muslims, often brutally, in order to demonstrate his power.
Amerigo Vespucci Biography Born = 1454 Died = 1512 Years Explored: 1499, 1501-1502 Sponsor Country = Spain, and then Portugal Area Explored = The Americas
Amerigo Vespucci Interesting Facts He was the first person to realize that the Americas were separate from the continent of Asia. On his first expedition (sailing for Spain, 14991500), Vespucci was the navigator On this trip, Captain Ojeda and Vespucci discovered the mouth of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers in South America, thinking it was part of Asia. On his second expedition (sailing for Portugal, 1501-02) he mapped some of the eastern coast of South America, and came to realize that it not part of Asia, but a New World.
America was named for him in 1507, when the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller, printed the first map that used the name America for the New World.
Juan Ponce de Leon Biography Born = 1460 Died = 1521 Year Explored: 1513 Sponsor Country = Spain Area Explored = Looking for the Fountain of Youth, Florida and Puerto Rico
Juan Ponce de Leon Interesting Facts On March 3, 1513 Ponce de Leon left Puerto Rico and went in search of the fountain of youth. After stops at Grand Turk Island and San Salvador, they reached the east coast of Florida (St. Augustine) in April 1513. Ponce de Leon named the land "Pascua de Florida" (feast of flowers) because they first spotted land on April 2, 1513, Palm Sunday. He then claimed the land for Spain. They left on April 8, heading south in the warm current now known as the Gulf Stream. This oceanic current would become very important for Spanish trips from Europe to America.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa Biography Born = 1475 Died = 1519 Year Explored: 1513 Sponsor Country = Spain Area Explored = South America
Vasco Nunez de Balboa Interesting Facts Vasco Nunez de Balboa was a Spanish conquistador and explorer. He was the first European to see the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean (in 1513), crossing the Isthmus of Panama. In 1500, Balboa sailed from Spain to Colombia, South America. They searched for treasures (pearls and gold) along the northern coast of South America and in the Gulf of Uraba (near San Sebastian). They were forced to abandon their leaky ship in Hispaniola. The penniless Balboa tried,
Balboa married the daughter of Careta, the local Indian chief. Soon after, in 1513, he sailed with hundreds of Spaniards and Indians across the Gulf of Uraba to the Darien Peninsula. Balboa headed an overland expedition west through very dense rainforests. Along the way they fought many local Indians and destroyed one Indian village, killing hundreds of Indians. Balboa (accompanied by his dog) was the first European to see the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean (in September 1513, from a peak in Darién, Panama). Balboa and his men (including Francisco Pizarro) then traveled to the ocean and claimed it and all the land that touched it for Spain. They spent about a month conquering Natives along the Pacific coast and stealing their gold. Balboa was charged with treason against Spain (although he was innocent and had been framed by a friend, Arias de
Hernando Cortez Biography Born = 1485 Died = 1547 Years Explored: 1519-1521 Sponsor Country = Spain Area Explored = Mexico
Cortez interesting facts Hernán Cortés (also spelled Cortez), Marqués Del Valle De Oaxaca was a Spanish adventurer and conquistador (he was also a failed law student) who overthrew the Aztec empire and claimed Mexico for Spain (1519-21). Cortes sailed with 11 ships from Cuba to the Yucatan Peninsula to look for gold, silver, and other treasures. Hearing rumors of great riches, Cortés traveled inland and "discovered" Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. He then brutally killed the Aztec emperor Montezuma and conquered his Aztec Empire of Mexico, claiming all of Mexico for Spain in 1521. Treasures from the Aztecs were brought to Spain, and Cortés was a hero in his homeland. Cortés was appointed governor of the colony of New Spain, but eventually fell out of favor with the royals. He then
Ferdinand Magellan Biography Born = 1480 Died = 1521 Years Explored: 1519-1522 (The voyage finished AFTER his death) Sponsor Country = Portugal, Then Spain Area Explored = Circumnavigated the Earth
Magellan Interesting Facts Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition that sailed around the Earth (1519-1522). Magellan also named the Pacific Ocean (the name means that it is a calm, peaceful ocean). Early in his career, Magellan sailed to India and to the Far East many times via Africa's Cape of Good Hope. He sailed for his native Portugal, but a dispute with the Portuguese King Manoel II turned him against the Portuguese. Thereafter, he sailed for Spain. Magellan s voyage began September 8, 1519, and lasted until September 6, 1522 (almost 3 years). Magellan sailed from Seville, Spain, with five ships. Three years later, only one ship (the Victoria) made it back to Seville, carrying only 18 of the original 270 crew members. Magellan was NOT one of them, he was killed towards the end of the voyage, in the Philippines, during a battle with the natives. The Basque navigator Juan Sebastián de Elcano (del Cano) completed the trip.
Francisco Pizarro Biography Born = 1478 Died = 1541 Year Explored: 1531 Sponsor Country = Spain Area Explored = Peru
Pizarro interesting facts Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador who traveled through much of the Pacific coast of America along Peru. He "discovered" the Incan empire and conquered it brutally and quickly, stealing immense hoards of gold, silver, and other treasures. After looting and generally destroying the Incan capital of Cusco, Pizarro founded Lima (which he called Ciudad de los Reyes, which means "City of the Kings"). Pizarro was assassinated in Lima, Peru, in 1541, by followers of Pedro de Almagro (Cortes' captain) who wanted to seize Lima for its riches.
Jacques Cartier Biography Born = 1491 Died = 1557 Years Explored: 1534 Sponsor Country = France Area Explored = Canada
Cartier Facts Jacques Cartier led three expeditions to Canada, in 1534, 1535, and 1541. He was looking for a route to the Pacific through North America (a Northwest Passage) but did not find one. Cartier paved the way for French exploration of North America. Cartier sailed inland, going 1,000 miles up the St. Lawrence River. He also tried to start a settlement in Quebec (in 1541), but it was abandoned after a terribly cold winter. Cartier named Canada; "Kanata" means village or settlement in the Huron-Iroquois
Hernando de Soto Biography Born = 1500 (exact year unknown) Died = 1542 Year Explored: 1539 Sponsor Country = Spain Area Explored = Florida
Hernando De Soto Interesting Facts Hernando De Soto was a Spanish explorer who sailed the Atlantic Ocean and was the first European to explore Florida and the southeastern De Soto arrived on the west coast of Florida on May 30, 1539 with 10 ships carrying over 600 soldiers, priests, and explorers. They spent four years searching for gold and silver, exploring the area, and brutally contacting native societies, including the Cherokees, Seminoles, Creeks, Appalachians, and Choctaws. De Soto died during the explorations and was buried on the banks of the Mississippi River in late June, 1542.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Biography Born = 1510 Died = 1554 Year Explored: 1540 Sponsor Country = Spain Area Explored = Southwestern United States (before it was the US)
Coronodo facts a Spanish ruler, explorer and conquistador. He was the first European to explore North America's Southwest. Coronado was a governor of New Galicia, a western province of Mexico. He searched fruitlessly for treasure that was rumored to exist in northern Mexico: the fabled seven Golden Cities of Cibola. With a group of hundreds of Spaniards and enslaved natives, he traveled through what is now northern Mexico and the southwestern USA (including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas).
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Biography Born =? Died = 1543 Year Explored: 1542 Sponsor Country = Spain or Portugal (it is unknown for sure) Area Explored = California coast
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Interesting Facts Cabrillo was the first European explorer of the Californian coast. In 1542, he sailed from Acapulco to southern California, claiming California for King Charles I of Spain. Cabrillo named San Diego Bay and Santa Barbara. He died on San Miguel Island (in the Santa Barbara Channel) after a fight with Indians, from complications resulting from a broken leg.
Cabrillo Route
Sir Francis Drake Year Explored: 1577-1580 Sponsor Country: England
Drake Interesting Facts Drake led the second expedition to sail around the world in a voyage lasting from 1577 to 1580 Queen Elizabeth I comissioned Drake to command the expedition together with John Winter and Thomas Doughty. They left Plymouth, England, on December 13, 1577, with six ships They sailed to Brazil, and through the perilous Strait of Magellan. At Tierra del Fuego (located at the southern tip of South America), natives gave Drake and his crew food and water. They sailed by Panama (1579), where he pirated Spanish ships and settlements for food and treasures. He landed on the island of Cano, off the coast of southern Mexico. In North America, he claimed the land he called "Nova Albion" for the Queen (his exact location was kept secret, but he may have sailed as far north as northern California or even Vancouver Island, Canada). They then crossed the Pacific Ocean and sailed by Indonesia, through the Indian Ocean, past the Cape of Good Hope, and back to Plymouth, England, in 1580. Upon his return, the Queen rewarded Drake with a large sum of money ( 10,000).
Sebastian Vizcaino Year Explored: 1602 Sponsor Country: Spain
Vizcaino sailed up the coast of California in three ships at the request of King Phillip II of Spain. Vizcaino named Monterey Bay (named for the viceroy Conde de Monterey who sponsored this voyage) and San Diego (Vizcaino arrived there on the feast day of San Diego de Alcala, November 12). One ship sailed as far north as Oregon. Vizcaino also named San Clemente, Catalina, Santa Barbara, Point Concepcion, Carmel, Monterey, La Paz, and Ano Nuevo. Most of the crew died from scurvy (a lack of vitamin C).
Although Cabrillo had already named many of these place, Vizcaino published well-read accounts of his voyages, and his names were used. Vizcaino's earlier attempt, in 1596, to colonize southern California failed; it was 150 years before other Europeans came to California. Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay, a bay of the Pacific Ocean, in the western Baja California peninsula, Mexico, is named for Vizcaino.
<<<<NOTE>>>> After Vizcaino's Voyage to California - New Spain stopped sending explorers to Alta California. It was too difficult to reach by sea. Traveling by land was also very hard.
Samuel de Champlain Born = 1567? Died =1635 Year Explored: 1608 Sponsor Country = France Area Explored = Northeastern North America
Samuel de Champlain Interesting Facts Samuel de started a settlement in Quebec. He also discovered the lake named for him (Lake Champlain, on the border of northern New York state and Vermont) and was important in establishing and administering the French colonies in the New World.
Henry Hudson Born = 1565 Died = 1611 Years Explored: 1609-1611 Sponsor Country = England Area Explored = Northeastern North America and Artic Ocean
Interesting Facts - Henry Hudson The Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay are named for Hudson. Little is known about Hudson's early life. Hudson was hired by the Muscovy Company in 1607, to find a waterway from Europe to Asia. He made two trips (in 1607 and 1608), but failed to find a route to China. Hudson was then hired by the Dutch East India Company in 1609, to try to find the Northwest Passage farther south. He found what is now called the Hudson River. Hudson sailed into New York's harbor on September 3, 1609 and noted what an excellent harbor it was. Hudson sailed up the river about 150 miles (240 km) and noted the abundance of rich land, but realized that this was not a waterway to India. His reports resulted in many Dutch settlements in the area. A 1610-1611 trip through the Hudson Strait and into Hudson Bay ended in a mutiny. Hudson died in 1611 after his crew mutinied and left Hudson, his son, and seven crew members adrift in a small, open boat in Hudson Bay.
Pilgrims Not explorers, This is where they fit in the timeline
Pilgrims - Facts The Pilgrim saga began with a group of religious dissidents who believed it was necessary to separate from the Church of England. Persecuted in England, these "Separatists" moved to Holland in 1607/1608. The group, joined by other colonists recruited by the venture's financial backers, began the move to America in 1620.
READ ABOUT THE VOYAGE OF THE MAYFLOWER http://www.mayflowerhistory. com/history/voyage1.php
Robert La Salle Born = 1643 Died = 1687 Year Explored: 1682 Sponsor Country = France Area Explored = Mississippi River to Gulf of Mexico.
Robert La Salle - Interesting Facts René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was sent by King Louis XIV (14) to travel south from Canada and sail down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. He was the first European to travel the length of the Mississippi River (1682). His mission was to explore and establish fur-trade routes along the river. La Salle named the entire Mississippi basin Louisiana, in honor of the King, and claimed it for France on April 9, 1682. He also explored Lake Michigan (1679), Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. He tried to start a settlement in the southern Mississippi River Valley, but the venture ended in disaster
Vitus Bering Years Explored = 1725-1730 Sponsor Country = Denmark Area Explored = Area that is now known as the Bering Strait
Bering - Interesting facts Bering led an expedition to determine whether or not Asia and North America were connected by a land bridge. Bering sailed through what is now known as the Bering Strait, finding a sea route around Siberia to China. He concluded that Asia and North America were not connected (although he did not actually see North America due to fog).
James Cook Years Explored = 1768, 1772, 1776 Sponsor Country = England Area Explored = the Pacific Ocean, the Antarctic, the Arctic, and around the world.
James Cook - Interesting facts Captain Cook was well known for his how well he took care of his crew. He was one of the first Captains to give his crew fruit to avoid scurvy. On his 3rd voyage he explored the northwest coast of North America in hope of finding the fabled "Northwest Passage". In the process Cook mapped the coast of California all the way to Alaska and the Bering Strait.
Northwest Passage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/northwest_passage
Jose De Galvez A leader in New Spain. He sent Settlers to California start a Spanish Colony in 1769. NOTE - Vizcaino Explored in = 1602... 167 years have passed...
Spain was driven to establish missions and other outposts in Alta California out of fear that the territory would be claimed by either the English, who not only had colonies on the East Coast of the continent, but had recently conquered Canada, or the Russians whose fur hunters were pressing down from Alaska to the Pacific Northwest's lower reaches.
Inspector-General José de Gálvez drew up detailed plans for an expedition to Alta California. Leadership of the project was given to Don Gaspar de Portola, a Catalonian soldier of noble rank who had recently been appointed governor of Baja California. He jumped at the chance to extricate himself from what had been a virtual political exile. Under him, in charge of missionaries, was Father Junipero Serra, relieved of his presidency of the Baja missions to supervise this more important work.
Gaspar De Portola - 1769 a Spanish soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California (1767 1770), explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He lead the Expedition outlined by Jose de Galvez
Junipero Serra - 1769 Traveled overland from Mexico into Alta California With Gaspar De Portola to establish Missions