Who was the first European to use the term New World?
The Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci is usually credited for coming up with the term “New World” (Mundus Novus) for the Americas in his 1503 letter, giving it its popular cachet, although similar terms had nonetheless been used and applied before him.
Why did the European came to the New World?
European nations came to the Americas to increase their wealth and broaden their influence over world affairs. Many of the people who settled in the New World came to escape religious persecution. The Pilgrims, founders of Plymouth, Massachusetts, arrived in 1620.
What is the old world and New World?
Generally, Old World history focuses on past events in Africa, Asia, and Europe—continents with ancient beginnings and places known before the exploration of the Americas. In contrast, New World history focuses on North America, Central America, and South America.
Who was in the New World?
The New World refers to the western hemisphere, especially the Americas, after the European “age of discovery” beginning in the early 16th century. The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian (before European contact) inhabitants of North America, Mesoamerica , and South America as well as Greenland.
Who was the first European to discover the New World?
Of all the many claims of Europeans being first to the New World, only one is true. In 1492, Columbus sailed the blue; and was, for a time, considered to be the first European to set foot on the Americas. And then came evidence that Viking explorers, led by Leif Ericson, had beaten him to it by some five centuries.
When did the exploration of Europe begin and end?
Timeline of European exploration. This timeline of European exploration lists major geographic discoveries and other firsts credited to or involving Europeans during the Age of Discovery and the following centuries, between the years AD 1418 and 1957.
Who was in charge of the exploration of the New World?
In 1497 Henry VII of England sponsored an expedition to the New World headed by John Cabot, who explored a part of Newfoundland and reported an abundance of fish. But until Queen Elizabeth’s reign, the English showed little interest in exploration, being preoccupied with their European trade and establishing control over the British Isles.
Who was the first European to explore South America?
1526–28 – Pizarro and his pilot Bartolomé Ruiz explore the west coast of South America from the San Juan River south to the Santa River (about 9°S), becoming the first Europeans to sight the coasts of Ecuador and Peru. 1526–27 – Jorge de Menezes reaches New Guinea.