| A | B |
|---|
| Christopher Columbus | This explorer convinced the rulers of Spain that Asia could be reached by sailing west from Europe. He thought he had reached Asia but was actually in the New World. He made the first European land claim in the New World. |
| John Cabot | This explorer was a merchant who convinced sponsors in England to support him as he looked for a new trade route to Asia. He never found the trade route, but he did make England’s first land claims in North America. |
| Juan Ponce de Leon | This Spanish soldier led an expedition in search of the mythical “fountain of youth.” He never found the magical waters. He did find Florida and claimed it for Spain. |
| Hernan Cortes | This Spanish nobleman led an expedition to conquer the Aztec Empire in what is now central Mexico. |
| Jacques Cartier | This sailor was sent by the king of France to find the Northwest Passage. He never found the passage, but he made France’s first land claim in North America. |
| Francisco Vasquez de Coronado | This Spanish nobleman led an expedition into what is now the southwestern United States in search of a city of gold. |
| Henry Hudson | Holland and England sponsored this sailor to find a northern sea route to Asia. He explored a large river in what is now New York and a huge bay in what is now Canada. Both bodies of water are named after him. |
| Robert de La Salle | This French nobleman financed his own expedition up and down the Mississippi River Valley. He claimed this land for France. |
