Cabot
explored areas of Canada, giving England its first claim in North America
Columbus
explorer from Genoa who believed a route to Asia could be found by sailing west, rather than around the tip of Africa
Cortes
Spanish explorer who conquered the Aztecs of Mexico
Da Gama
sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and reached India
Dias
showed a route around Africa existed by reaching the Cape of Good Hope
Hudson
explored waterways of North America and tried to find a Northwest Passage
La Salle
claimed the inland region of North America by sailing down the Mississippi River and calling it Louisiana
Magellan
sailed for Spain and is credited with the first voyage around the world
Pizarro
Spanish explorer who defeated the Inca Empire in South America
Vespucci
realized that newly discovered lands (the New World) were not part of Asia; his first name was then used to name the new lands "America