John Cabot, an Italian explorer, became the first European to land on the shores of North America since the Vikings on this day in 1497. The Vikings’ expeditions to the coast of what’s now Newfoundland in Canada (at least four centuries earlier) were generally unknown to Europeans, so the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus was considered a major discovery. But that trip resulted in the settling of the island of Hispaniola, and the sailors never reached the continent. John Cabot, working for the English, did.
Cabot had worked for a Venetian firm and explored the Mediterranean and Red Seas, building his navigational skills. Just like Columbus, he wanted to find a westward path to the coasts of Asia. By 1495, he was living in Bristol, England. The king had gotten word of the New World and wanted to claim land there, so he sent Cabot to the west.
Cabot’s first attempt in 1496 to reach a continent to the west failed due to bad weather, insufficient food, and crew conflict. He set out again the next May on a small ship with just 18 crewmen and managed to reach North America. Where he made landfall isn’t entirely clear, but we know the site is around Newfoundland, just like the Vikings. The area was uninhabited, so planting the English flag was easy.
When he arrived back in England, the king was thrilled. Cabot set off again in February 1498, this time with five ships and 200 men. The fleet, it appears, was hit by a bad storm and disappeared. Cabot was assumed dead.
