A Chronology Of New World Events
- Christopher Columbus discovers a New World.
- Columbus makes second voyage accompanied by Juan Ponce de Leon, Juan de la Cosa, and Anton de Alaminos.
- Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) discovers North America mainland (Maine to Labrador) for England.
- Columbus makes third voyage, is arrested by the governor of Santo Domingo, and sent home in chains.
- Alonso de Ojeda, accompanied by Amerigo Vespucci and La Cosa, explores the Spanish Main of South America.
- Vicente Pinzon makes "unauthorized" discovery of Brazil in January.
- Corte Real secretly sails "west" for Portugal.
- Pedro Cabral, following up Vasco da Gama's voyage to India around Africa, discovers Brazil "officially."
- Rodrigos de Bastidas and La Cosa, on the way home from the Ojeda voyage, explore Caribbean Sea. La Cosa draws first map of the New World.
- Ojeda makes second voyage to Spanish Main.
- Goncalo Coelho and Vespucci
reconnoiter
Brazil for Portugal. - Vespucci writes letter proclaiming a "New World."
- Columbus makes fourth and final voyage.
- Juan Ponce de Leon sent by King Ferdinand to subdue Puerto Rico.
- Martin Waldseemuller, mapmaker, names newly found continents after Amerigo Vespucci.
- Pinzon and Juan Solis cruise Caribbean looking for strait to the western sea. Jailed by the King for failure and their findings suppressed.
- Unnamed Spaniard discovered Florida in this year, according to Council of the Indies in a letter of 1565.
- Diego Colon, son of Columbus, appointed governor of Puerto Rico, displacing Ponce.
- Ponce "officially" discovers Florida and is granted a patent
to colonize.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovers Pacific Ocean.
- Pedro de Avila, accompanied by Hernando de Soto, replaces Balboa at Panama and beheads him.
- Diego Miruelo sails from Cuba to a Florida west coast port to trade with Indians.
- Hernandez de Cordoba, exploring Yucatan waters, is blown to Florida where he is killed in a skirmish with Indians.
- Alonso de Pineda expedition, sponsored by Francisco de Garay, discovers Mississippi River and circumnavigates Gulf.
- Ferdinand Magellan fleet sails around the world, though he is slain enroute
by natives.
Hernando Cortes conquers Aztecs of Mexico.
- Ponce makes second voyage to Florida to set up a colony but is attacked and fatally wounded by Indians.
- Luis Vasquez de Ayllon, supreme court justice of Santo Domingo, sends a reconnaissance ship up Florida coast to South Carolina. He sends second ship in 1525.
- Giovanni da Verrazano discovers New York and Narragansett Bays.
- Ayllon sets up colony of San Miguel, believed now to be Wilmington, N.C., but dies within months. Settlement is abandoned.
- Panfilo de Narvaez expedition marches through Florida, but most men perish after leaving in home-made boats.
- Francisco Pizarro, with Soto's help, conquers Incas of Peru.
- Jaques Cartier claims New Foundland, Labrador and Nova Scotia, Canada, for France.
- Soto expedition begins 4-year march through Florida and territory comprising eight other states.
- Soto dies of fever and is buried in Mississippi River.
- Jean Ribaut attempts to establish a French Huguenot colony, Fort Caroline, at what now is Jacksonville, Fla., but effort is abandoned for lack of food and supplies.
- Ribaut and Rene Laudonniere rebuild Fort Caroline, but it is destroyed and colonists massacred by Pedro Menendez de Aviles.
- The Spanish adelantando, Pedro Menendez, founds first permanent colony in North America at St. Augustine, Florida.
- Francis Drake explores California for England, sails around the world.
- Humfry Gilbert tries to plant England's first colony in New Foundland but abandons effort and is lost at sea.
- Walter Raleigh, Gilbert's half-brother, obtains renewal of the latter's patent for an American colony and sends Ralph Lane to erect a colony on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
- Drake and Martin Frobisher raid Spanish colonies in West Indies, then call on Roanoke where the colonists insist on returning to England.
- Raleigh sponsors second colony at Roanoke under John White who then returns to England for reinforcements.
- After several delays occasioned by a war with Spain, White persuades Raleigh to send a relief expedition to Roanoke. Colony is found to be abandoned under mysterious circumstances.
- Pierre de Monts founds permanent colony for France at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
- First permanent English colony founded at Jamestown, Virginia, under leadership of Captain John Smith.
- Henry Hudson makes first of four voyages to North America for Dutch East Indies Company — on successive trips exploring Greenland, New Foundland, Hudson River and Hudson Bay.
- Samuel de Champlain explores St. Lawrence River and founds Quebec, Canada.
- English Separatists (Pilgrims) land at Plymouth, Mass.
- Dutch build New Amsterdam colony on Manhattan Island, now New York City.
- John Winthrop leads Puritans to Massachusetts Bay Colony, founds Boston.
DISCOVERY of the Mississippi River by De Soto, painting by William Powell
in rotunda of U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.
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