| A | B |
|---|
| Bartolomeu Dias | Portuguese explorer who discovered a passage around the southern tip of Africa; names the tip the “Cape of Good Hope.” |
| Christopher Columbus | Italian who sailed for Spain. He discovered the New World. He believed one could sail west from Europe to reach Asia. |
| John Cabot | Italian who sailed for England. Founded Canada and Newfoundland by taking a northern route across the Atlantic. |
| Vasco da Gama | Portuguese explorer who becomes the first to sail directly from Europe to India. |
| Amerigo Vespucci | Italian who sailed for both Spain and Portugal. Explored Central & South America. German map maker named America after him. |
| Ponce de Leon | Spanish conquistador who discovered and named Florida. He conquered Puerto Rico, A major city is named after him. |
| Vasco Nunez de Balboa | Spanish Conquistador who became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from its eastern shore. He gave the ocean its name. |
| Hernando Cortez | Spanish Conquistador who conquered the Aztecs in what is now Mexico. |
| Ferdinand Magellan | Portuguese explorer who sailed for Spain. Became the first person to circumnavigate the globe. Discovered the Philippines. |
| Giovanni da Verrazzano | Italian who sailed for France. Explored the Northeast coast of America. Discovered Manhattan Island and New York Bay. |
| Cabeza de Vaca | Spanish explorer who searched for the mythical city “El Dorado” in the American Southwest specifically in what is now Texas. |
| Francisco Pizarro | Spanish conquistador who conquered the Incan Empire in modern day Peru and Ecuador. |
| Jacques Cartier | French explorer who discovered the St. Lawrence River. Gave Canada its name. |
| Francisco de Coronado | Spanish Conquistador who explored what is now Arizona and New Mexico for “EL Dorado.” First European to see the Grand Canyon. |
| Hernando de Soto | Spanish conquistador who became the first European to cross and explore the Mississippi River. |
| Rodriguez Cabrillo | Spanish explorer who became the first European to navigate the coast of present day California. |
| Sir Francis Drake | The first Englishman to sail around the world. As vice-admiral he defeated the Spanish Armada in their attempt to invade England. |
| Sir Walter Raleigh | English explorer who established England’s first colony in the “New World” on Roanoke Island. |
| Samuel de Champlain | French explorer who established the first French settlement in what is now Quebec, Canada. Known as the father of Canada. |
| Henry Hudson | Englishman who sailed for both England and Holland. Searched for a Northwestern route to Asia. Discovered the Hudson Bay. |
