| A | B |
|---|
| Vasco de Gama | First explorer to round the Cape of Good Hope around Africa to complete the eastern sea route to Asia |
| Christopher Columbus | wanted to find a route to Asia by sailing West; landed in the Caribbean Islands |
| Hernan Cortez | landed on the east coast of present-day Mexico and conquered the Aztec Empire |
| Martin Luther | German priest who nailed a list of complaints about the Catholic Church on a local church door. |
| Francisco Pizzaro | sailed down Pacific coast of South America; conquered the Inca Empire |
| Ferdinand Magellan | first explorer to circumnavigate the Earth |
| Henry Hudson | English explorer who sailed north on the Hudson River as far as present-day Albany |
| Samuel de Champlain | French explorer who was sent to found a settlement in Quebec, Canada |
| Amerigo Vespucci | sailed along South America's coast; continent was named after him |
| Jacques Cartier | sailed up the St. Lawrence River hoping to find a route to the Pacific Ocean |
| Montezuma | Aztec emperor |
