istoryworld
Events relating to exploration
One surviving ship of Magellan's fleet, the Victoria, returns to Sanlucar, in Spain, with Sebastian Cano in command
French explorer Jacques Cartier charts the Gulf of St Lawrence and, in 1525, explores up the river as far as Montreal
Cartier, welcomed by the Huron Indians, gives their island in the St Lawrence river the name of Montreal
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado penetrates far north and west of Texas in an expedition searching for gold
Discovery of the Solomon Islands by a Spanish ship prompts interest in a possible Terra Australis Incognita ('unknown southern land')
Francis Drake sails from Plymouth, heading west for the Pacific and the East Indies
Francis Drake returns to England after his three-year voyage round the world and is knighted by Queen Elizabeth on board his Golden Hind
Willem Barents sets off on the first of his three expeditions to find a passage to the east through the waters north of Russia
Henry Hudson reaches the inlet of New York Bay and explores the river now known by his name
Henry Hudson, after wintering in Hudson Bay, is set adrift in an open boat by his mutinous crew
John Smith publishes A Description of New England, an account of his exploration of the region in 1614
Abel Tasman makes landfall in the Macquarie Harbour area in the island now known after him, Tasmania
The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman attempts to land in Golden Bay, New Zealand, resulting in a clash with the Maoris
Abel Tasman reaches yet more islands previously unknown to Europeans – Tonga and Fiji
The Jesuits establish a mission at Sault Sainte Marie which becomes the starting point for French exploration south of the Great Lakes
Robert de La Salle makes his first exploration of the Ohio valley, providing the basis for France's later claim to the area
Easter Island is reached by the Dutch, beginning a spate of European discovery in the islands of the Pacific
The Danish explorer Vitus Bering sails into Arctic seas through the strait between Asia and America known now by his name
Captain James Cook sails from Plymouth, in England, heading for Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus
Captain Cook reaches New Zealand and sets off to chart its entire coastline
Captain Cook reaches the mainland of Australia, at a place which he names Botany Bay, and continues up the eastern coast
Captain Cook sets off, in HMS Resolution, on his second voyage to the southern hemisphere
Dutch nomads, pressing far north from Cape Town, become known as the Trekboers
British explorer Captain James Cook is killed in a skirmish with natives in Hawaii over a stolen boat
Alexander Mackenzie explores by canoe from central Canada through the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean
