Explorers Assignment

Over the winter break, go to the library and get a book on one of these explorers, due Monday 1/3:


Date/ Explorer/ Nationality/ Achievement

Around 1000/ Leif Ericson/ Norse /First European to reach North American Mainland

1271-1295/ Marco Polo/ Italian/ Traveled to the Far East, to what was known then as Cathay or China-Made men want to travel there through his book

1394-1460/ Prince Henry/ Portuguese/ Created navigation school in Sagres, Portugal Explored the western African coastline

1487-1488/ Bartholomeu Dias/ Portuguese/ First European to round the Cape of Good Hope

1492-1504/ Christopher Columbus/ Italian/ Made 4 voyages to West Indies and Caribbean Islands

1497-1503/ Amerigo Vespucci/ Italian/ Sailed to West Indies and South America

1497-1498/ John Cabot/ Italian/ Explored the shores of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Labrador

1498/ Vasco Da Gama/ Portuguese/ First to travel to West Indies around Africa

1513/ Vasco de Balboa/ Spanish/ Led expedition across Panama and found the Pacific Ocean

1513/ Juan Ponce de Leon/ Spanish/ Explored Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth

1520-1521/ Ferdinand Magellan/ Portuguese/ Commanded first globe circling voyage

1519-1521/ Hernando Cortez/ Spanish/ Conquered Aztecs in Mexico

1523/ Giovanni da Verranzano/ Italian/ Searched for a Northwest Passage

1523-1535/ Francisco Pizarro/ Spanish/ Conquered Peru

1534-1542/ Jacques Cartier/ French/ Traveled St. Lawrence River

1539-1541/ Hernando De Soto/ Spanish/ Explored American Southeast-Discovered the Mississippi River

1540-1542/ Francisco Vazquez de Coronado/ Spanish/ Explored American Southwest

1577-1580 Sir Frances Drake English First English to sail around the world-Defeated the Spanish Armada- Claimed California for England

1603-1616/ Samuel de Champlain/ French/ Explored eastern coast of North America and the coast of the St. Lawrence River to Lake Huron-Reached Lake Champlain

1609-1611/ Henry Hudson/ English/ Explored Hudson Bay, Hudson River, and Hudson Strait

1672/ Father Marquette and Louis Joliet/ French/ Explored Northern Mississippi River

1682/ Robert LaSalle/ French/ Traveled to the mouth of the Mississippi River and claimed it for France