Hernándo de Soto began his exploration of the what is now the southwestern United States.

La Salle explored the Mississippi River, reaching the Gulf of Mexico in April 1682. He claimed the entire Mississippi Valley for France and named it “Louisiana” after King Louis XIV.

Henry Hudson (unknown–1611) was the English explorer who “discovered” the river that would named for him. In 1609, Hudson was chosen by the Dutch East India Company to search for a passage to Asia. In September of that year, Hudson landed on the shores of what would become the Hudson River and claimed the lands along it for the Dutch. In addition to exploring the river, Hudson was the first European to land on the island that would become New York. He also explored the Hudson Strait and entered the Hudson Bay, both of which also bear his...

Though born in the Republic of Florence (Italy), like many others from the trading city-states on the Mediterranean, Vespucci (1451–1512) became a mariner and explorer for another country. While in the employ of the Medici family of bankers, he was sent to work in the family’s bank in Spain. While there he came to the attention of King Manuel I of Portugal, who hired him to be an observer on several voyages to explore the portion of the Americas acquired through the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas. Several published accounts of these voyages...